How Medical Marijuana Helps with Anorexia Nervosa Patients?
Eating disorders affect only 9% of the population worldwide, and even with numbers that aren’t as huge, those groups of sufferers deal with huge risks. At least 26% of people with it will attempt suicide at least one time.
Many anorexia patients feel hopeless and as the number one fatal mental illness in young people, eating disorders maintain a mortality rate that is 12 times higher than the mortality rate of all other causes of death within that age group.
Regardless of age, every 1 in 5 anorexia deaths is a result of suicide. Without treatment, up to 20 percent of all eating disorder cases result in death.
What is Anorexia?
It is an eating disorder, characterized by low food consumption, which causes accelerated weight loss, unhealthy for the height and age of the affected person. This restriction is caused by a distorted perception of one’s own body, its image, and its weight, and the fantasy that the discomfort will disappear as a result of losing weight.
The complications of anorexia develop both in the patient’s psyche and in his body since the lack of food causes states of starvation that affect the entire organism.
Anorexia often begins during the preteen or teenage years, or early adulthood, and is more common in women, although it can also be seen in men.
Symptoms of Anorexia
Anorexia nervosa is not simply associated with weight loss, as the disorder is psychological, meaning that the symptoms that manifest are physical as well as emotional and behavioral.
Physical symptoms
- Lack of menstrual periods
- Excessive weight loss
- Abnormal blood count
- Blue discoloration of the fingers
- Fatigue and insomnia
- Hair loss
- Fainting and dizziness
- Constipation
- Dry and pale skin
- Low sexual desire
- Yellowing of the palms of the hands and soles of the feet
Emotional and behavioral symptoms
- Self-induced vomiting
- Use of laxatives, enemas, or diuretics
- Binge eating periods
- Suicidal thoughts
- Skipping meals
- Excessive concern about the caloric content of food
- Distorted perception of one's own body
- Denial of own weight
- Social isolation
- Excessive fear of weight gain
- Anxiety
Prevention and treatment of Anorexia
To prevent the disease, some tips are: avoid bad eating habits, have a balanced diet and try to get teenagers to eat together. In addition, encouraging communication between family members makes it easier for adolescents to express their concerns and prevents them from expressing them through an eating disorder.
Timely treatment is important since many people with this condition do not want to seek help and the consequences of this pathology are serious.
In many cases, outpatient treatment is carried out, which requires the intervention of various professionals, such as nutritionists, psychologists, and psychiatrists.
In other cases, treatment with hospitalization in a medical center may be indicated when the severity of the malnutrition affected vital signs, family relationships are harmful and it is necessary to isolate the patient or the psychic disorders associated with the disease worsen.
A study published in Frontiers in Pharmacology looked at the possible role of CBD in reducing alcohol consumption and protecting the liver and kidneys in cases of alcoholism.
Other studies are investigating the use of CBD to influence the microbiome (the community of millions of microorganisms present in our bodies) and minimize the physical damage caused by alcohol use disorder. Some scientists are also turning their attention to beta-caryophyllene. This dietary cannabinoid binds to the CB2 receptors of the endocannabinoid system, and science is studying how it affects alcohol intake in mice.
Treatment for anorexia must focus on several factors
The patient's weight must be returned to a healthy level, they must learn that nutrition is a fundamental factor.
Patients are often given meal plans and nutritional goals to work towards
They may also benefit from therapy sessions, including family therapy for young adults and adolescents
In severe cases of anorexia, it may be appropriate to feed the patient through a specially designed tube, as the patient may refuse to eat or be severely malnourished.
Medical Marijuana benefits to help patients with Anorexia Nervosa
Although marijuana has been investigated as a potential treatment for anorexia and related eating disorders for decades, the results have not always been positive.
A double-blind crossover study published in 1983 compared the effect of THC and diazepam (an active placebo) on the appetite of people with anorexia nervosa. The study found that THC administration did not lead to an increase in caloric intake or overall weight gain, and in fact caused “significant psychiatric disturbances” in several patients.
However, a more recent double-blind crossover study found that the synthetic THC analog dronabinol led to “small but significant” weight gain in women suffering from anorexia nervosa compared to placebo, and without significant adverse psychotropic effects.
And a small pilot study of marijuana use in adult women with anorexia showed that marijuana may be especially helpful for the psychological symptoms that go along with anorexia nervosa.
Several studies investigating animal models of anorexia have also found that administration of THC or other cannabinoid receptor agonists led to weight gain and improved appetite in their test subjects. One study found that in mice with activity-induced anorexia, daily administration of 0.5mg of THC “decreased survival” in the test group, but increased feeding rates in survivors. Daily administration of a synthetic analog of anandamide, OMDM-2 (3 mg/kg), increased feeding rates without affecting overall survival rates, but not enough to reverse weight loss.
However, researchers are still investigating how marijuana may affect weight in general and have theorized how it is possible that some marijuana users have a lower BMI (body mass index) despite higher calorie intake.
Timely treatment is important since many people with this condition do not want to seek help and the consequences of this pathology are serious.
In many cases, outpatient treatment is carried out, which requires the intervention of various professionals, such as nutritionists, psychologists, and psychiatrists.
In other cases, treatment with hospitalization in a medical center may be indicated when the severity of the malnutrition affected vital signs, family relationships are harmful and it is necessary to isolate the patient or the psychic disorders associated with the disease worsen.
A study published in Frontiers in Pharmacology looked at the possible role of CBD in reducing alcohol consumption and protecting the liver and kidneys in cases of alcoholism.
Other studies are investigating the use of CBD to influence the microbiome (the community of millions of microorganisms present in our bodies) and minimize the physical damage caused by alcohol use disorder. Some scientists are also turning their attention to beta-caryophyllene. This dietary cannabinoid binds to the CB2 receptors of the endocannabinoid system, and science is studying how it affects alcohol intake in mice.
Benefitial effects of Cannabis for Eating disorders.
Cannabis use can produce various beneficial effects in people with eating disorders. Mainly it can improve appetite, often hidden after years of deprivation to lose weight.
Marijuana also contributes to the enjoyment of the experience of eating, something very important in people with anorexia, who see the moment of eating as a negative experience.
Even so, cannabis alone is not the definitive solution to changing the eating habits of a sick person. People with anorexia should put themselves in the hands of therapists who work on their wrong perceptions of their bodies and help them see food as a friend and not an enemy.
In addition to the above, marijuana also helps calm anxiety, reduce stress and improve mood when negative thoughts invade the patient’s mind.
Marijuana with THC or with CBD?
The choice of marijuana strain is an important element. For the use of the plant to be efficient, a variety with a high THC content must be used. Those that have more CBD than THC, produce the opposite effect, as they decrease appetite, so they can be a good idea for another type of disorder, such as obesity.
We can conclude that there is various evidence that the endogenous endocannabinoid system plays a considerable role in the perceived signals of rewarding sensations such as eating. And somehow, the normal function of the endocannabinoid system is impaired in people with anorexia.
Today, studies on the use of marijuana applied to these pathologies continue, and they hope to contribute to the improvement and popularization of it as a therapy, to help all patients with this type of disorder, who fight against this disease that can cost many lifes yearly.
Please note that this article should not be considered a substitute for consultation with your doctor. Eating disorders treatment its a delicate process where wrong steps hinder a patient progress.
Consulting a doctor regards use of Medical Marijuana to treat Anorexia Nervosa may be one of the qualifying conditions for a medical marijuana card in Maryland. If you are interested in learning more, you can schedule a telecall or fill an New Patient Registration Form today.
At Maryland GreenScript Cannabis, the patient’s needs come first. We are one of the only Medical Cannabis Certification Providers in Maryland that comes to you! Get your MMCC card in as little as a few weeks.
Many anorexia patients feel hopeless and as the number one fatal mental illness in young people, eating disorders maintain a mortality rate that is 12 times higher than the mortality rate of all other causes of death within that age group.
Regardless of age, every 1 in 5 anorexia deaths is a result of suicide. Without treatment, up to 20 percent of all eating disorder cases result in death.
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