Combating
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Nausea affects many people in their daily lives. Whether its motion sickness while riding in a car or from acid reflux, for some, nausea is an issue that can only be solved through the use of medicine. Drugs that are used to stave off nausea and vomiting are known as antiemetic medicines. Some of the over the counter antiemetics are drugs like Emetrol, Nauzene, even Dramamine. People use these every day to stifle the symptoms of nausea and vomiting, but we are now aware that these symptoms can be treated with the use of medicinal cannabis.
It is not a chalky pink bismuth that coats the stomach but rather a vivacious green bud that, when ground up and smoked, has a chemical reaction in the brain that acts as an antagonist to the feeling of nausea. For some, a few drops from a CBD tincture are enough to relieve their symptoms of nausea, but others require medicine with a higher THC content. Both cannabinoids bind and stimulate CB1 and CB2 receptors of the endocannabinoid system, which spans across the body and brain. THC and CBD are CB1 agonists which means they suppress the urge to vomit, as opposed to antagonists of the CB1 receptor which promote vomiting. “Considerable evidence demonstrates that manipulation of the endocannabinoid system regulates nausea and vomiting in humans and other animals,”1 noted a study done by the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. As it pertains to nausea, when cannabis is consumed, THC and CBD are absorbed into the CB1 receptors located in our gastrointestinal intestinal tract. These receptors and allow us to receive help in the organs themselves. There are also multiple CB1 receptors in the brain that have a direct correlation with the mental experience of nausea. When THC is absorbed in these receptors, it exhibits a psychoactive effect that helps by taking the patient’s mind off of the nausea. The combination of the locations helps to fight the nausea in the mind and body in tandem. When a sudden wave of nausea hits, you need to take something that will act fast to combat it. The most common—and more importantly—the quickest way to get medical cannabis into the bloodstream is through inhalation. This is caused by
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