Inflammatory Conditions

Inflammation is not the enemy. It is the immune system's signal that tissue has been damaged and repair is needed, and without it we would not heal. The problem arises when that signal never switches off. Chronic inflammation underlies an enormous range of conditions, from arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease to lupus, asthma and psoriasis, and it is the common thread that makes cannabinoid therapy relevant to all of them.

Acute Versus Chronic Inflammation

Acute inflammation is short-lived and productive. Cut your hand or sprain an ankle and blood flow to the area increases to begin repair, producing pain, swelling and redness. It resolves when the job is done.

Chronic inflammation is the version that causes trouble. It can persist almost anywhere in the body, particularly alongside chronic disease, and it fails at its basic task of telling the body when healing is complete. It is associated with allergic reactions, Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, asthma, cancer, diabetes, hepatitis, leprosy, obesity, prolonged stress and stroke, among many others.

Recognising Inflammation

Swelling is only part of the picture. Patients also notice redness, warmth in the affected area, stiffness, pain and loss of function, and inflammation is sometimes accompanied by flu-like symptoms including fatigue, chills, fever and headache. Simple measures help: increasing water intake, applying ice or heat, and cutting back on processed foods and gluten.

How Cannabinoids Reduce Inflammation

When tissue is inflamed it is because cells have been damaged and the immune system has been alerted. How we experience that pain and inflammation depends heavily on our cannabinoid receptors, which influence emotional state and regulate a wide range of bodily functions.

The compounds in cannabis closely resemble the ones our own bodies produce. When they engage those receptors, the resulting signal is one of regulation and calm. Patients typically see benefit beyond the inflammation itself, including:

- Relief from arthritic pain

- Reduced stress

- Less nausea, particularly during cancer treatment

- Improved mood and reduced depression and anxiety

- Restored appetite

- Better sleep

- More balanced immune function

INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE

What IBD Is

Inflammatory bowel disease covers a group of chronic conditions defined by inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are the most commonly presenting forms, and collagenous colitis and lymphatic colitis are also classified as IBD.

Ulcerative colitis is progressive and produces inflammation and ulceration in the lining of the colon and rectum. Crohn's disease inflames the entire lower gastrointestinal tract and penetrates deep into tissue, which is why resection surgery is sometimes required. The precise cause of both remains unclear, though the inflammation is generally understood to be an autoimmune response, and newer research points to gut bacteria as an influence on that response.

Symptoms

Severity and frequency vary enormously between patients. Common symptoms include diarrhoea, fever and fatigue, abdominal pain and cramping, blood in the stool, reduced appetite and unintended weight loss. Many patients also live with secondary effects from their medication, and those too can often be eased by cannabinoid therapy.

Why Cannabis Works Here

The connection lies in the expression of cannabinoid receptors within the enteric nervous system, the network that governs the gut. Patients use cannabis to manage the pain and inflammation that accompany flare-ups of gastrointestinal swelling.

Placebo-controlled research supports the inhaled route in particular, because it gives the fastest onset for managing an acute flare. Orally ingested cannabis has not been examined in a controlled study, so we are careful about the claims we make for it, but there is a logical argument in its favour: ingestion delivers the compound directly to the gastrointestinal tract, and for some patients it provides longer-lasting relief. Many of our IBD patients end up using both, with an oral preparation for baseline control and a faster-onset format for flares.

AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE

What Goes Wrong

A healthy immune system distinguishes between what belongs in the body and what does not, and attacks accordingly. In autoimmune disease that discrimination fails, and the immune system attacks the body's own tissue. One consequence is increased vulnerability to infection.

The Most Common Autoimmune Conditions

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a chronic autoimmune disease causing inflammation across the skin, joints, kidneys, heart, lungs and brain. Around ninety per cent of those diagnosed are women, most commonly between fifteen and forty-five. Photosensitivity is common, with flare-ups triggered by sun exposure. Symptoms range from fatigue, joint pain and skin rashes through to organ involvement.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the synovial lining of the joints, producing chronic inflammation and potential joint deformity. Untreated, it can cause permanent joint damage and disability. It usually presents between thirty and sixty and affects women two to three times as often as men. Symptoms include joint pain, stiffness that is worst in the morning, fatigue and swelling.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune condition of the central nervous system in which the immune system attacks the myelin sheath protecting nerve fibres. It is most often diagnosed between twenty and forty and is more prevalent in women. It can impair mobility, vision, speech, memory and coordination. Our full MS section appears on the Neurological Disorders page.

Crohn's disease is an autoimmune-related form of inflammatory bowel disease producing chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. It is most commonly diagnosed between fifteen and thirty-five, with abdominal pain, diarrhoea, fatigue and weight loss as the leading symptoms.

Sjogren's syndrome primarily affects the moisture-producing glands, causing dry eyes and dry mouth. It frequently occurs alongside another autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, is most common in middle-aged women, and is usually managed with artificial tears and saliva substitutes.

What Cannabinoid Therapy Offers

Medical cannabis reduces inflammation and helps regulate immune activity, which is precisely the mechanism at fault in these conditions.

Psoriasis illustrates the point well. Keratinocytes are immune-system cells that block toxins from entering the body and hold moisture in the skin. In psoriasis they malfunction, which is why sufferers experience dry, flaking, inflamed and painful skin. Cannabinoids can signal cells to reduce inflammation, slow the excessive skin cell production that characterises the disease, and reduce itching and discomfort.

Asthma responds for related reasons. An asthmatic airway is the product of an immune system overreacting, and reducing that inflammatory response can make breathing measurably easier.

There is no cure for Crohn's disease, lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. What is achievable is control of the pain and a meaningful improvement in quality of life. Cannabis acts as an anti-inflammatory, which addresses the root of the discomfort in all three, and as a relaxant, which eases pain and improves the sleep cycle at the same time. For patients who have worked through a series of prescriptions with little to show for it, that combination is often what finally works.

Your Treatment Plan at Cura Vida

Inflammatory and autoimmune patients receive a full assessment and a cannabinoid plan built around their flare pattern and existing medication, developed in coordination with their rheumatologist or gastroenterologist. Medical cannabis treatment should always be supervised by a qualified physician.