Due to increased awareness, medical cannabis is gaining widespread attention and popularity especially among patients looking for alternative prevention and treatment for heart disorders.
And in states where medical cannabis is legal, they obtain recommendation/certification from one of the available marijuana doctors and apply for a medical marijuana card so that they can have access to MMJ.
Anticipated in the coming years, more countries aside from the USA are going to legalize medical marijuana that may help treat seizures, glaucoma, insomnia, chronic pain associated with traumatic spinal cord injuries and osteoarthritis.
And in recent years, MMJ has also been considered as a treatment or aid in cardiovascular disorders/diseases.
What Are Cardiovascular Disorders?
These diseases are the #1 leading cause of death in the world with more people dying from it than from another disease or cause.
In 2016 alone, there were an estimated 17.9 million who died from cardiovascular disease, accounting for 31% of deaths worldwide. Eighty-five percent of these deaths were due to stroke and heart attack.
People with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and are at high cardiovascular risk because of an already established disease, diabetes and hypertension should have an early diagnosis and disease management through medicines, like MMJ, and counseling as needed.
Heart valve issues
If the heart isn’t opening enough for blood to flow adequately, stenosis develops. And if the valves aren’t closing properly, the blood leaks, a condition called regurgitation. Another is the prolapse that occurs if the valve leaflets prolapse again into the upper chamber.
Heart disease
One of the most common cardiovascular diseases as heart disease also called heart and blood vessel disease and is a general term used to describe different issues related to atherosclerosis.
What is atherosclerosis? This condition results from plaque buildup in the arterial walls. When it does happen, the arteries will be narrow and blood will not move smoothly. Following, there can be blockage due to a blood clot, leading to a stroke or a heart attack.
This heart attack happens when there is blood clot to one of the parts of a heart because it cuts and stops the blood from flowing. When that happens, the heart muscle, which is being supplied by the blocked artery, will die eventually.
Heart failure
Also referred to as congestive heart failure, it happens when the heart fails at pumping enough blood.
While the heart keeps working, it doesn’t supply enough oxygen and blood to the body. And if untreated, it can get worse over time.
Arrhythmia
It’s also called abnormal heart rhythm that can be fast, slow or irregular. This condition affects how the heart works. For example, your body may not get enough blood that it needs with an irregular heartbeat.
Stroke
Another common heart disorder is a stroke particularly the ischemic type that happens when there is a blood clot in a blood vessel feeding the brain. When this occurs, that brain component will start dying, resulting in loss of function to that affected part. A few of these functions include talking or walking.
On the other hand, there is a hemorrhagic stroke that happens due to a burst blood vessel within the brain. The common cause of it is uncontrolled hypertension or high blood pressure.
If too many brain cells died due to oxygen starvation, they cannot be replaced, so the stroke effects are permanent.
In some cases, the effects of the damage can be temporary. It occurs when the injured cells are able to repair themselves, so their function also improves. Also, surrounding brain cells may take charge of those injured brain areas.
How cannabis is used to treat them?
In recent years, researchers and scientists have been looking into alternative heart disorder treatments and have found that cannabis may be a promising one.
A notable finding is that CBD has anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties, which may help in reducing the risk factors, including high blood cholesterol and high blood pressure.
Regarding high blood pressure, certain studies had it that CBD could help in reducing the spike in blood pressure due to stress, for instance.
Based on a 2009 study, a stressful situation led to an increased heart rate and blood pressure, but with a low CBD dose, rat subjects experienced reduced heart rate and blood pressure.
Summing up, CBD may help in reducing risk factors like an increased heart rate and blood pressure, especially when the heart is under stress.
More so, CBD may also aid in helping stroke patients from brain damage as well as in the restoration of their brain function.
As you may know, stroke increases your heart disease’s risk, but it may be reduced with a low dose of CBD. For example, a certain review discovered that CBD helped increase cerebral blood flow during a stroke.
Meanwhile, certain studies also had it that marijuana could reduce the number of heart failure patients from dying in the hospital.
How did that happen? Researchers discovered that those who consumed marijuana reduced their chances of suffering from A-fib or atrial fibrillation, a condition characterized by an irregular heartbeat that can lead to worsening heart failure symptoms.
Effects & Benefits of Cannabis on Cardiovascular Disorders
So, what are the effects and benefits of medical marijuana on cardiovascular disorders? Medical cannabis has been taunted as an alternative treatment for different CVDs. And if used with precision and with diversified intake methods, it may help in healing, relaxing and optimizing heart health.
One of its benefits includes calming the body’s autonomic responses to stress, including a fast heart rate. It works by engaging the specific receptors that choose the serotonin for a calming effect, noted by a New Zealand review conducted in 2007 relating to the heart and the effects of cannabinoids on it.
In addition, the heart may positively affect cardiac protection, vasodilation inhibition of endothelial inflammation, baroreceptor reflex modulation, and atherosclerosis’ progress.
University of Colorado researchers reviewed and analyzed the records of 1,273,897 Acute Myocardial Infarctions patients but focused on 3,854 that admitted to using marijuana.
The reviewers discovered that those who consumed marijuana reduced their risk of shock, having a balloon inserted into their blocked artery and death.
They also wrote that the most interesting finding was that marijuana use before AMI was linked to a reduction in in-hospital mortality after it.
Meanwhile, CBD may also affect blood pressure in a good way. High blood pressure is linked with an increased risk of stroke and heart attack.
One of the ways to regulate blood pressure is low doses of CBD, which could help in reducing both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
In addition, CBD can help in fighting anxiety, which is one of the causes of high blood pressure. In fact, a certain review had it that CBD could help patients with anxiety disorders.
It works by increasing the body’s happy hormone supply –the serotonin, as well as an aid in improving one’s emotional responses in that part of the brain called the hippocampus. So without even saying, CBD can help improve its function, which is slowed down and affected by both anxiety and stress.
Finally, medical cannabis, particularly its CBD, has anti-inflammatory effects, helping in reducing autoimmune myocarditis. It works by reducing necrosis and inflammatory cell invasion as well as several immune responses. More so, CBD could help in reducing oxidative stress that’s linked with inflammation.
There you have some of the things to know about cardio health and ways medical cannabis may help in the treatment or risk reduction of different cardiovascular disorders. Did you learn something from this post? Tell us in the comments.
