Cannabis for amyloidosis.
Amyloidosis is a condition in which a certain protein called amyloid is produced in the spinal cord. Then this protein accumulates in human organs and tissues and causes a number of problems there. There is no cure for amyloidosis, just trying to reduce the production of the appropriate protein and suppress the symptoms. However, this disease can be fatal, especially since it affects many human organs.
How do amyloidosis occur?
Amyloidosis can develop in several ways. They talk about primary amyloidosis if the cause of the development of the disease cannot be found. Perhaps medicine is not yet sufficiently developed to find out the cause, or medicine does not yet know that this particular cause can cause amyloidosis. Various types of cancer are often the culprit. The disease can also be passed on in the family as it is hereditary and therefore fixed in the genes.
Forms of amyloidosis.
There are different forms of these diseases as proteins can look different. Only a minority of forms of amyloidosis are truly hazardous to health. The appropriate form depends on which particular protein is made and where it is collected. If the disease is localized, the accumulated proteins are in one place. In a systematic form, multiple accumulations of amyloids appear in the body. To go deeper into the details, let’s look at three typical forms of this disease.
AL amyloidosis.
The most famous type is AL amyloidosis. There are 4,500 new cases of the disease diagnosed in the United States each year. Typically, this disease develops in people between the ages of 50 and 80. There are isolated cases from people over 20 years old. Possible causes of the development of this disease can be diseases of the spinal cord. In addition, it is clearly seen that more men than women suffer from this condition. Two thirds of all victims are men.
Amyloidosis AA.
This amyloidosis occurs only as a reaction to another disease, so it always has a secondary cause. AA amyloidosis is often caused by chronic inflammation in the body or chronic inflammatory diseases. As the disease progresses, the liver begins to produce a certain amyloid called SAA in grossly exaggerated amounts.
This reaction is natural and beneficial for humans as well. The problem is that the inflammation persists for a very long time. In this case, a very small part of the SAA protein is cleaved. This small portion is called the AA protein. While the SAA protein does its normal job, AA amyloid builds up in human tissue and causes problems.
Hereditary amyloidosis.
It is systemic amyloidosis, so it accumulates in several places in the body. This disease is transmitted through genetic mutations. The mutation is responsible for creating a misplaced amyloid protein. If these improperly structured amyloid proteins enter the body, they accumulate in the organs, disrupting their normal functioning, and in the worst case, even damage them.
Interestingly, people are usually born with a gene mutation, but this only appears in late adulthood. In some cases, this disease becomes serious and strongly affects the life of the person affected by the disease, in other cases it is possible to live with the corresponding gene mutation without knowing it.
How to recognize amyloidosis?
Amyloidosis can only be recognized when symptoms appear, the corresponding proteins are causing problems somewhere. The important point here is that, of course, the problem already exists when you become aware of it. Therefore, it is important to act quickly to achieve the best possible treatment result.
The symptoms of amyloidosis depend on which tissue or organ is affected by the proteins. Some of the symptoms that are relatively common with this condition include:
a. Extreme weakness.
b. Swelling of the feet and ankles.
c. Diarrhea, possibly bloody.
d. Dyspnea.
e. Enlarged tongue.
f. Painful wrists (carpal tunnel syndrome).
g. Pain or numbness in the limbs.
h. Swallowing problems.
i. Massive weight loss.
j. Irregular pulse.
k. Changes in the skin.
When searching for symptoms on the Internet, most of the symptoms are related to various diseases. Therefore, you should focus on clusters. It is only when you yourself encounter some of the symptoms that you can assume that you also have the condition. At best, you should look for symptoms that may not appear with nearly every illness, such as headaches or diarrhea. However, it is always best to play it safe and go to your doctor early rather than late.
Some organs in focus.
As mentioned, the symptoms depend a lot on the organ affected. The following are the effects of amyloid deposition on various organs.
A heart.
Heart function is significantly limited by amyloids. They build up in the heart muscle and make it difficult for the muscle to fill and empty with blood. This means less blood is pumped through the system, which can quickly cause shortness of breath even with the slightest exertion. It can also make you feel much weaker. As soon as it affects the heart system, cardiac arrhythmias may appear.
Kidneys.
The kidneys act as filters for the human body. When amyloids accumulate in the kidneys, proteins can pass into the urine. Generally speaking, kidney function is reduced so that they can no longer cleanse body fluids to the same extent as before. In the most serious case, renal failure is to be expected.
Nervous system.
When the nervous system is affected, the arms and legs may feel numbness, pain, or just a slight tickle. Often, the sensation in the toes and feet will slowly disappear. If a very specific group of nerves is affected, diarrhea is to be expected. Amyloids can also spread to cells responsible for blood pressure. In this case, you may feel dizzy from time to time if you get up too quickly.
Mental effects.
Such a disease naturally affects the human psyche. Often, psychological problems arise either from symptoms that are too burdensome to daily life, or from a diagnosis that needs to be dealt with first.
The study surveyed about 1200 patients with AL amyloidosis to what extent the disease affected them psychologically. Nearly 50% said they were anxious, 37% were depressed.
Therapeutic approaches.
There is no cure for this disease. The doctor can only try to stop the production of amyloid proteins as much as possible. He may then try to keep symptoms low. If the amyloidosis is caused by another disease, i.e. he caused it, this disease is also treated. Appropriate therapy can be very different, it depends on the specific type of amyloidosis. It is also critical which organs were affected by the disease. Let’s take a quick look at typical therapeutic approaches.
High-dose chemotherapy.
A high dose of chemotherapy combined with a stem cell transplant can ensure that amyloids are no longer reproduced. This therapy is used if the person is suffering from primary AL amyloidosis and not too many organs are affected by the disease. However, this therapy is associated with well-known side effects of chemotherapy, which can be:
a) Hair loss.
b) Nausea and vomiting.
c) Physical weakness.
d) Change in appetite.
e) Deterioration of wound healing.
f) The wounds bleed very quickly.
g) Infections.
Steroids for secondary AA amyloidosis.
If you have AA amyloidosis and another underlying medical condition, you can take steroids. As mentioned, amyloidosis often occurs due to inflammatory conditions if it lasts too long. Anti-inflammatory steroids try to counteract this. However, possible side effects of steroids may include:
1. Glaucoma.
2. Acne.
3. Blurred vision.
4. More body hair.
5. High blood pressure.
6. Sleep problems.
7. Wounds develop easily.
8. More appetite.
9. Weight gain.
If you have inherited amyloidosis, a liver transplant may help.
Other therapies.
Other therapeutic methods can be used to counteract symptoms. For example, if the tongue is swollen, certain thickeners can be added to the fluids. They are designed to prevent choking from swollen tongue.
Diuretics may also be prescribed. It simply eliminates excess water, but possible side effects include excessive thirst, dry mouth, dizziness, and muscle cramps or pain.
If you suffer from gastrointestinal amyloidosis, that is, it affects the digestive system, you should change your diet. You can find out exactly how all this should look by talking to your doctor.
Compression socks, which put pressure on the tissues and thus relieve symptoms, help with swelling of the feet or legs.
As we have seen, amyloidosis can be harmless, but it can also be life-threatening, especially if it affects the heart or kidneys. For optimal therapy, it is important that the disease is diagnosed as early as possible and treatment begins as early as possible.
Cannabis: a needy savior.
Cannabis helps in two ways. On the one hand, this applies to the disease itself, on the other hand, it helps to minimize the side effects of other treatments. The psychoactive cannabinoid THC prevents the formation of amyloid plaque. Cannabis prevents the aggregation of B-amyloid peptides. This results in less deposits in the respective tissue, which also minimizes the associated effects.
In addition, THC suppresses the cellular immune system. For example, THC prevents the deactivation of T cells, which help the immune system. Cannabinoids interfere more deeply with action through a number of other mechanisms. It is important for us here that, in the end, there is an interference in the immunomodulatory processes. It has anti-inflammatory properties. Regardless of where the inflammation occurs, classic cannabinoids like THC and CBD have been shown to fight it effectively. The use of medical cannabis is especially helpful for secondary amyloidosis, in which the inflammatory disease usually causes amyloidosis.
Cannabinoids also help against mental problems that can be associated with amyloidosis. This is how THC and CBD work against anxiety disorders. In most cases, cannabinoids also help with depression. THC, for example, binds to serotonin receptors that are normally targeted for happiness hormones. Hence, using medicinal cannabis definitely helps against the mental effects of the disease.
Medical cannabis as a complementary therapy.
Cannabis is more or less effective against amyloidosis. Again, it all depends on where the corresponding proteins are collected and what form of amyloidosis it is. There are several studies on exactly how cannabis works against amyloidosis. On the other hand, there is more research on how useful cannabis is as a concomitant therapy to other therapeutic approaches.
For example, those who suffer from nausea and vomiting, which in this case may be the result of chemotherapy, may use medicinal cannabis against this. Most patients take only a few puffs and the nausea will go away. Compared to other antiemetics, cannabis clearly has the advantage of almost no side effects.
Consumption also helps against significant weight loss. On the one hand, it stimulates the appetite. Cannabis affects a specific hormone called ghrelin, which ultimately makes you feel full. In addition, food tends to taste more intense as sensory sensations are perceived more intensely. In addition, the antiemetic properties ensure that the food taken stays where it should be. It also suppresses muscle wasting that may have been associated with the disease.
Cannabis can also help relieve pain and other physical symptoms, such as numbness in the limbs or persistent tickling in the hands and feet. THC mainly binds to CB1 receptors in the central nervous system, CBD – to CB2 receptors in the body. Cannabinoids help with pain because they prevent pain signaling to a large extent. This is great because most other pain relievers have many side effects. Opiates have been used too often for illness. Cannabis is much healthier because it is not harmful to the body or addictive. Therefore, cannabis should be the number one pain reliever.
Cannabis can also help with physical exhaustion, depending on the stress and the consumer. Special terpene and cannabinoid profiles can actually make the consumer more energetic.
Amyloidosis can cause swelling of the ankles and feet. The fact that medicinal cannabis helps has been studied in mice with swollen paws. They were given beta-caryophylls orally, which in one fell swoop reduced inflammation by 70%. Mice that lacked CB2 receptors did not respond to this therapy because the ingested substance works through CB2 receptors and is found in medicinal cannabis. Two cannabinoids, THC and CBD, helped, on the one hand, resist inflammation itself, on the other hand, they reduced the amount of cytokines that contribute to inflammation. Anyone who suffers from this type of edema should resort to cannabis, which contains CBD, as it deals better with inflammation in the body.
Conclusion.
As we could see, medical cannabis simply had a number of beneficial properties. Surprisingly, this plant has almost no side effects, which is why cannabis is a great drug. Before taking harmful medications for pain, nausea, etc., it is best to take a few puffs of cannabis from the vaporizer.