Can Marijuana Help Asthma?

Asthma is an incurable disease of the lungs that affects millions of people. And depending on the type or severity living with chronic asthma can be difficult. With the proper treatment, it’s possible to live well by gaining control over the triggers and reducing inflammation that causes the airways to tighten and become inflamed. 

Have you been trying to learn how to control allergic asthma? 

Medical marijuana and asthma may not seem to go together. Smoking marijuana can worsen symptoms of asthma, but consuming marijuana through edibles will provide you with the anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic properties that help asthma. 

So, can marijuana help asthma? Let’s take a closer look at what asthma is and how cannabis helps asthma.

What Are the 3 Types of Asthma?

Allergic Asthma

Allergic asthma is a reaction to an inhaled allergen such as dust mites, pet dander, pollen, or mold. But it can also be caused by paints, metal, gas or can be caused by just about anything. You’ll need to know the exact trigger by consulting an allergist or immunologist. 

Exercise-induced Asthma

This type of asthma is often described as happening during physical activity. But in fact, it happens when you breathe air that is drier than what’s in your body. Your airways will become narrower and you’ll begin to notice symptoms. These symptoms can last for 10 to 15 minutes. 

How common is exercise induced asthma? You’d be surprised that 90% of people with asthma suffer from exercise-induced asthma. 

Nocturnal Asthma

What causes nocturnal asthma? Nocturnal asthma is actually the worsening of symptoms just before and during sleep. The symptoms include coughing fits, tightness in the chest, wheezing, and shortness of breath. 

Those suffering from this type of asthma will experience difficulty sleeping, which leads to tiredness, poor concentration, and difficulty controlling asthma symptoms during the day.

What are the Common Symptoms of Asthma?

The severity of asthma attacks often varies from one asthma attack to the next, and one can be mild while the next can be severe. But the symptoms often remain the same due to airway blockage, inflammation, and airway irritability.

Airway blockages cause the muscles around your airways to tighten and make it harder for the air to move freely. Inflammation causes bronchial tubes in the lungs to become red and swollen, ultimately damaging your lungs. And airway irritability makes even the slightest trigger cause symptoms.

As a result of these things, you’ll experience the following symptoms,

Coughing

Coughing is due to the constricted airways due to inflammation and airway blockage and can often be worse at night or in the morning. 

Wheezing

The whistling sound when you breathe is often triggered by a few reasons exposure to allergens, viral illnesses, and bronchitis.  

Allergens such as pollen, mold, animals, or house dust can happen at any time, and inflammation caused by a viral illness can worsen symptoms. And bronchitis causes inflammation of the lining of the bronchial tubes, all of which can cause wheezing.

Shortness of Breath

The narrowing of the airways often causes shortness of breath. And this happens for two different reasons – inflammation and tightened muscles around the airway.  

Tightness in Your Chest

The pain or pressure in your chest is often explained as tightness in the chest. Airways become inflamed and swollen due to allergens which leads to chest tightness, pressure, or pain. 

Rapid Breathing

This common asthma symptom is often triggered by allergens and cold air but can occur after exercise or worsen at night. It’s the result of increased airway resistance and hyperinflation.

What Are the Common Causes of Asthma?

The cause of asthma isn’t exactly known, but it’s believed that the combination of environmental and genetic factors plays a major role.

But the exposure to various irritants and substances triggers allergies, called allergens, which trigger asthma symptoms, causing wheezing, tightness of the chest, coughing, shortness of breath, and many other symptoms that result from inflammation, allergies, and more.

Some of these allergens can be physical such as exercise, pollen, dust mites, animal fur, smoke, fumes, pollution, or anti-inflammatory painkillers like ibuprofen and aspirin. While others can be tied to emotions, such as stress or laughter.

What triggers one person’s asthma can be different from person to person.

How Cannabis Helps Asthma

Getting relief from asthma symptoms is important to living life normally. Finding the right combination of treatment isn’t always easy. 

Marijuana has been helping relieve the symptoms and attacks of asthma for years. Its anti-spasmodic, anti-anxiety, and anti-inflammatory properties make it the ideal treatment for asthma in many people. 

It can be an immediate bronchodilator by relaxing the airways, which reduces breathing. Marijuana and asthma therapy also helps with many of the other asthma symptoms, including pain, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, stress and anxiety, and anti-mucosal.

Can You Get Medical Marijuana for Asthma?

Medical marijuana has anti-spasmodic, anti-anxiety, and anti-inflammatory properties, making it one of the best treatments for some people who have asthma. There are a variety of forms that this herb comes in, including inhalers.

The qualifying conditions vary from state to state. If your state has legalized medical marijuana, it will be worth scheduling an appointment with a medical marijuana doctor to determine if your condition qualifies for the use of medical marijuana.  

Can CBD Help Asthma?

CBD oil for asthma is a good treatment option for some people. CBD has been known to decrease hyper-responsiveness in the airways, which reduces the sensitivity of your airways, resulting in fewer asthma triggers. 

The anti-inflammatory properties in CBD are effective in treating asthma as well and improving lung function.  

How Can I Get a Medical Card for Asthma?

Getting your medical card is a simple process regardless of which state that you live in. At Elevate Holistics, we’ll help you through the process by getting your medical condition qualified and answering any questions you might have. 

Once a medical marijuana doctor has seen you, you’ll be approved for the use of medical marijuana for your asthma, and you’ll be able to apply for a medical card within your state. 

This process will vary from state to state, but you’ll always be required to see a cannabis doctor for the qualification of a medical condition.

If you’re ready, click the button below to make an appointment and get your medical card 100% online today.