How Can Medical Cannabis Help Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury?

In the United States, traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the major causes of death and disability among children and young adults. Approximately 1.5 million Americans sustain a TBI.

TBI is a type of brain injury that involves damaging of the brain cells due to external forces such as car accidents, gunshot, falls, etc. The condition is common among football players and veterans of war zones. TBI can elevate the risks of dementia and other age-related brain disorders.

Eating a healthy diet, controlling body weight and regular exercise are some of the effective ways to manage these risks. Another effective solution to TBI is medical cannabis. To get access to the amazing cannabinoids found in marijuana, you require an online medical marijuana card in San Francisco.

Medical Cannabis for Treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

The majority of the brain damage doesn’t occur during the physical damage, but during the recovery period. There’re many strategies to reduce the secondary response to injury after the trauma, but the delayed response may cause harm to the brain.

Another strategy is to weaken the brain’s damaging response with the help of certain elements, particularly THC and CBD found in cannabis.

Usually, there’re three ways the brain is damaged after the trauma-

• The brain injury increases free radicals that can damage the brain cells by causing cell death and damaging DNA.
• The injury triggers the brain’s inflammatory response to repair the damage, which can change the way cells communicate with each other. The brain inflammation can result in several age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s, dementia, etc.
• Injury can increase the levels of glutamate—the excitatory brain chemical. Too much glutamate levels can damage brain cells.

The endocannabinoid system in the body plays an important role in managing a variety of functions. Its CB1 and CB2 receptors are helpful in regulating anti-inflammatory response, anti-oxidant effects, and glutamate release.

CBD and THC activate these two important receptors, and provide relieving effects. Cannabinoid type I receptors reduce the glutamate release, thus suppressing its chances of damaging the brain following the trauma. This is an important area to focus on to limit the risks of brain damage.

Researchers have found that TBI patients with THC in blood are more likely to survive their brain injuries compared with those without.

However, proper dosing is important as high doses of THC may increase inflammation instead of decreasing.

THC’s protective benefits to help TBI patients are observed in many animal studies.

Mice showed fewer symptoms of brain damage if they were given CBD or THC before the trauma. But, only CBD was found effective in reducing the chances of severe brain damage. But, mice given THC 14 days prior to trauma developed tolerance to its abilities to protect the brain. However, this tolerance wasn’t observed in repeated CBD treatment.

Thus, CBD is better for long-term protective strategy as its effects don’t decrease when used again and again.

Cannabinoids help in reducing glutamate signaling, which protects cells of the brain from dying following the injury. But, the effectiveness of the behavioral therapy also depend on brain inflammation and the levels of free radicals.

Additionally, cannabinoids are also beneficial in reducing chronic stress and effects of the aging process, thus increasing production of the new brain cells. This can help in improving certain brain functions such as learning, memory, etc.

Medical Cannabis Treatment Plan for Traumatic Brain Injury

Choosing the right cannabis strain is an important step in building the TBI treatment plan. An MMJ  doctor in San Francisco can help you select a specific strain with optimal THC and CBD ratio for your condition.

Here’re some of the best strains for alleviating the symptoms of traumatic brain injury (TBI)-

• Sour Diesel
• Green Crack
• Blue Cheese
• OG Kush
• Northern Lights

The ingestion method also plays an important role. You can consider one of the following ways to consume medical cannabis-

Smoking- Just like smoking tobacco—cannabinoids are absorbed by the lungs after inhalation and mix with the bloodstream

Edibles- Eating cannabis-infused edibles can help you receive the effects of cannabinoids.

Vaping- Heating dried marijuana below its combustion point and absorbing the cannabinoids. Most common products for vaping are—pen vaporizers, portable vaporizers, etc.

Conclusion

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a brain dysfunction that’s related to car accident, fall, sports-related injuries, etc. Cannabinoids found in cannabis helpful in reducing the glutamate signaling, enhancing new brain cell production, treating chronic stress, depression, increasing appetite, promoting sleep, and other symptoms associated with TBI.

Consult a doctor online to get your Medical Marijuana Card San Francisco and professional advice for choosing the right strain for your condition.