Pain
Treating Sickle Cell Disease
Treatments for sickle cell disease typically focus on managing symptoms: pain, infections and organ damage. But medical cannabis may be able to treat the disease at its root cause.
What is Sickle Cell Disease?
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic condition that causes red blood cells to become rigid and sickle-shaped. These affected cells cannot carry oxygen effectively throughout the body. Thus leading to chronic pain, organ damage and stroke.
One of the most serious symptoms of this disease is pain. Pain is an everyday reality for people with this disease, and it can have a significant impact on one’s quality of life. But medical cannabis can help.
Treating Sickle Cell Disease with Medical Cannabis:
The good news is that medical cannabis has potential to help treat the symptoms of this disease. Research indicates that the cannabinoids in cannabis can help reduce pain associated with SCD by blocking inflammatory pathways. These pathways are activated by the mutation of genes responsible for creating HbS (sickle hemoglobin). In fact, many patients are turning away from prescription drugs and turning towards medical cannabis due to its effectiveness in treating pain.
Although the exact cause of SCD isn’t known, researchers have discovered several genes responsible for the disease’s effects on the body. HbS is one of them; when this gene is mutated, it causes a defect in hemoglobin production. This defect causes red blood cells to become rigid and sticky; they then clump together in small blood vessels.
Many SCD patients report using cannabis to treat their symptoms, including pain, nausea and lack of appetite caused by the syndrome. Despite this anecdotal evidence supporting the use of medical marijuana for sickle cell disease, there’s still no concrete research on how cannabis treats these symptoms or disease progression.
Other Forms of Treatment:
Modifying your lifestyle can have a big impact on your overall health, particularly if you have a trait. Avoiding high altitudes and exposure to extreme temperatures — such as extreme heat or cold — can reduce symptoms of the disease. Alcohol use should be limited because it can increase complications associated with SCD. Quitting smoking is also important. This is because smoking increases the risk of complications associated with sickle cell disease, including stroke and acute chest syndrome.
Some people find relief from their symptoms by participating in physical activity or sports like swimming or biking. Both aerobic exercise and strength training are beneficial for people because they build up the muscles in your body and might help prevent joint pain (symptoms).
