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Treating Cachexia and Wasting Syndrome with Cannabis
“ If everyone in the world smoked a joint at the same time , there ’ d be peace for a couple of hours , followed by a global food shortage .”
by Peter Kershaw , contributing writer
After euphoria , “ the munchies ” are the second-most common attribute associated with cannabis . We even tell jokes about it : “ If everyone in the world smoked a joint at the same time , there ’ d be peace for a couple of hours , followed by a global food shortage .” But for those suffering from a suppressed appetite , cannabis isn ’ t just a joke . It can literally save lives .
Wasting syndrome , or as it is clinically known , “ cachexia ,” is a serious side effect of numerous underlying chronic illnesses . A formal clinical diagnosis is confirmed by a 10 % or more weight loss in any 30-day period . Wasting syndrome is a significant loss of appetite and hunger pangs with little interest in eating . The condition is physiological rather than psychological ( e . g ., anorexia nervosa , bulimia ). With this condition , you ’ re not just uninterested in eating ; even when you do eat , your body may not properly assimilate and process calories and nutrients . Energy and stamina levels fall , and you ’ re likely to lose a significant amount of weight , not just body fat but potentially even more in skeletal muscle mass . Left untreated , the condition can have devastating long-term effects .
According to a 2006 study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition , over five million Americans suffer from cachexia . 1 Based on the study ’ s limitations , we can reasonably assume the number is higher . Even just among the many nursing home residents , some 20 % are estimated to suffer from cachexia ( aging in itself often results in a suppressed appetite ). Cachexia is most commonly associated with several serious illnesses , including :
● Cancer
● HIV / AIDS
● Kidney failure
● Liver failure
● Heart failure
● Dementia
● Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
● Tuberculosis
● Rheumatoid arthritis
As is the case with cancer and several others shown , the disease itself may not even be the most responsible factor in appetite loss , but rather the medical treatment . Pharmaceutical drugs all have side effects , some being quite unpleasant . For example , chemotherapy involves injection or ingestion of highly toxic substances , often triggering hours of extreme nausea if not cyclic vomiting . The last thing one can feasibly do at such times , let alone want to do , is eat . Potentially even more dangerous , some cachexia patients can suffer from dehydration as , for them , consuming liquids might prove too objectionable .
As is documented in ancient Chinese and Indian medical texts , cannabis began being used as an appetite stimulant many centuries ago and has continued in popularity to this day ( including in China , where it ’ s currently illegal but thrives in the black market ). 19th-century British appetite stimulant patent medicines frequently contained cannabis , as did 19th-century American patent medicines ( prior to early 20th-century prohibition ).
The modern medical marijuana movement in the U . S . ( 1980s ) was fueled primarily by the effectiveness of treating wasting syndrome in AIDS patients . Results were impressive , with patients quickly stabilizing their weight and often even gaining weight as nausea diminished and appetites improved . Cannabis literally brought numerous AIDS patients back from the brink of death , making it possible for them to live years longer than without it and far more comfortably so . Around the same time , cancer patients and their caregivers were experiencing similar breakthroughs in treating intractable pain , cachexia , and nausea . As a direct result , California in 1996 became the first state to legalize cannabis for therapeutic purposes . Those early successes of treating AIDS and cancer patients with cannabis are what motivated an ever-growing number of activists across the country to take action to legalize medical cannabis within their own states .
The endocannabinoid system , and CB1 receptors in particular , play an integral role in regulating appetite , energy balance , weight gain , and weight loss . These CB1 receptors aren ’ t just present in the brain but throughout much of the body , including the gastrointestinal tract .
Several clinical studies for both cancer-related and AIDS-related cachexia have been conducted using pharmaceutical THC ( e . g ., Marinol , Dronabinol , etc .). Even though these drugs can ’ t deliver the benefit of the entourage effect of real cannabis , the results have , nevertheless , shown promise . The FDA has approved Marinol and Dronabinol for the treatment of cancer and AIDS-related cachexia . As such , where it concerns in-patient treatment , given that patient consumption of cannabis in a hospital setting may be prohibited , either of these may prove beneficial . Outside the hospital , where one is free to use the real thing containing many more cannabinoids than just the one of a pharmaceutical ( THC ), the results will likely prove just that much more effective , not to mention at far less expense .
Cachexia and the diseases that typically underlie it not only take a physical toll but emotional ones , as well . These often include anxiety , 2 depression , 3 restlessness , and insomnia . 4 Such emotional problems can exacerbate an already suppressed appetite . Gratefully , cannabis can deal quite effectively with these and many more emotional issues .
24 June 2024