Understanding the Benefits of Medical Marijuana for Anorexia
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that results in a distorted body image or extreme control issues and prevents women and men from achieving a healthy weight. Anorexia, which is less prevalent than bulimia and binge eating, still kills more people than all three of them combined, making it the most severe of the three eating disorders.
Anorexia Symptoms and What They Mean
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, here are some short and long-term symptoms of anorexia. Short-term indicators include limited eating, wasting, and a distorted body image, while long-term symptoms include brittle bones, tinged skin, and mild anemia. According to the U.S. Office on Women’s Health, the causes of eating disorders are varied and are influenced by biological as well as environmental factors.
According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, this mix incorporates specific DNA sequences, an individual’s biology, body image and self-esteem, social interactions, family health history, as well as other mental health concerns.
Men, on the other hand, are more likely to have an eating disorder.
Finding Relief from Anorexia with THC, CBD
A number of treatments for anorexia are available, according to the Mayo Clinic. Restoring a healthy weight, psychotherapy, and drugs including antidepressants are all used to treat it. While standard therapy has aided, research on THC and CBD for anorexia is gaining interest.
The endocannabinoid system, according to a 2011 Biological Psychiatry study, “Brain Type 1 Cannabinoid Receptor Availability in Patients with Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa,” is involved in eating disorders. The endocannabinoid system, which controls eating behavior by operating via central (brain) and peripheral (gut, liver, muscle, and fat) pathways, has been studied for over six years after the discovery of its existence in 2008.
Aside from scientific proof linking the endocannabinoid system to eating disorders, anorexic indications may effectively be treated with CBD and THC. First, starvation inevitably leads to sadness since the body does not receive adequate vitamins and minerals to survive on its own.
Second, medical cannabis is said to help treat depression, which could assist anorexics in feeling better early on in their rehabilitation.
Finally, medical cannabis has been used to successfully treat anxiety as a result of anorexia. Medical cannabis and CBD can help stimulate appetite, which could be beneficial for someone in early recovery who needs to gain weight in order to be healthy. More biological evidence connecting the endocannabinoid system to eating disorders is likely with further study and trials.