Medical Cannabis and COPD

COPD

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is a group of progressive lung diseases that can make each breath seem difficult. COPD creates constricted airways in the lungs and leads to the progressive deterioration of the alveoli, the tiny air sacs where the lungs and the blood exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide during the process of breathing in and breathing out.

The most common of these lung diseases are emphysema and chronic bronchitis, which are characterised by mucus, chronic inflammation of the airways, and fatigue, usually co-existing together and varying in severity. In the UK, it is estimated that three million people have COPD and around two million are undiagnosed. If left untreated, COPD can eventually lead to a faster progression of the disease, heart problems, and continued respiratory infections.

What Causes COPD?

Smoking cigarettes is the leading cause of COPD, and most patients are either current or former smokers. But up to 25% of COPD patients have never smoked and other factors that contribute to the illness include long-term exposure to lung irritants, like chemical fumes, dust, and air pollution. For example, low-income countries’ exposure to indoor air pollution, such as the use of biomass fuels for cooking and heating, causes the COPD burden.

It’s also possible to develop the disease through an alpha-1 anti-trypsin deficiency, but it is a rare genetic condition.

What Are The Symptoms?

When an individual has COPD, the alveoli are unable to fully accommodate breathing cycles and symptoms tend to be mild at first, beginning with intermittent coughing and shortness of breath. As COPD progresses, symptoms can become more constant to where it can become increasingly difficult to breathe as the lungs become more damaged. Eventually, in addition to shortness of breath, tightness, and a chronic cough, they may start experiencing frequent colds, flu, or other respiratory infections, a lack of energy and, in the later stages of COPD, fatigue, swelling of the feet, ankles, or legs and weight loss.

Emphysema specifically damages your lung’s air sacs and causes them to expand and burst. When there’s damage to this area, you find it difficult to expel air from your lungs, leading to a carbon dioxide build up in your body and a whole array of other emphysema symptoms, including a long-term cough, shortness of breath, continuous fatigue, long-term production of mucus, an ongoing feeling of not getting enough air and wheezing.

Chronic bronchitis is an inflammation of the lining of the bronchial tubes, which carry air to your lungs. When these tubes become irritated and inflamed, thick mucus begins to form, making it difficult to breathe. You then cough up mucus excretions, known as phlegm or sputum. The symptoms of chronic bronchitis include spitting or coughing up white or clear mucus and daily coughing, lasting from a few months to a couple of years in a row, shortness of breath, fatigue, chest tightness, or discomfort.

How Can Medical Cannabis Help With COPD?

Recent medical developments show that the cannabinoids in cannabis effectively treat respiratory illness through their anti-inflammatory properties because they possess antimicrobial properties, support the immune system, provide pain relief in the chest and lung areas, reduce phlegm by clearing mucus from the airways, and promote better sleep.

Studies by the Respiratory Pharmacology Laboratory in Paris have shown that CB1 receptor activation inhibits the contraction of the muscles surrounding the lungs.

Studies performed by Sackler Institute of Pulmonary Pharmacology, King’s College London, and at the University of California, Los Angeles have shown that both inhaled and orally ingested THC can induce bronchodilation, the dilation of the airways, for up to two hours after administration. The researchers also noted that cell growth in tumours is inhibited by THC, which also promotes cell death.

Studies at the University of Sao Paulo using CBD have also shown some potential for improving the symptoms of COPD, by decreasing pulmonary inflammation and improving lung function in mouse models of inflammatory lung disease.

Inhaling smoke into the lungs simply aggravates the condition but vaporised or ingested cannabis is successfully used by many sufferers. The most beneficial results have been achieved by ingesting cannabis, either as tinctures, edibles, but particularly by the administration of highly concentrated cannabis oil extract.

Case Studies:

Jeff made contact over the Internet with other COPD victims who recommended the use of cannabis oil and through them, he found a reliable source. After purchasing and using the oil for two months, he was able to survive without any conventional medication and was able to dispense with his oxygen cylinder.

He has been prescribed a daily dose of 22 pharmaceutical drugs. When he was hospitalised in Oklahoma several years ago he was put into a medically-induced coma. The doctors said if he had waited another 24 hours for treatment he would have died. But after starting cannabis oil, his health improved dramatically.

“I woke up and noticed a little swelling and discomfort around my sinus region. I believed it was a sinus infection and brushed it off as nothing. Over the next 24 hours, my face started to swell more, so my wife took me to the closest emergency room. The doctors really didn’t do much of an examination. They just accepted my word that it was a sinus infection, gave me Benadryl, and sent me home. The swelling got worse, so we went to a different emergency room. They gave me some antibiotics, treated me with COPD medications, and sent me home. When I woke up the third day, I looked like I had been in a ten-round boxing match and lost!

My eyes were so swollen I was having trouble seeing, and I was very foggy in the brain. My wife rushed me to a hospital an hour away. The doctors did a big workup and found I was having an allergic reaction to Lisinopril, a blood pressure medication I had been taking for years. I also had pneumonia.

The doctors said if we had waited another 24 hours, I would have been dead! They had to put me into a medically induced coma, as well as attach a ventilator because my lungs were in such bad shape they could not do the job on their own at that point.”

He is now able to walk between two and five miles per day and advocates that cannabis oil gave him back his life.

Ines Radman’s husband was treated for asthma for 20 years.

‘Over those years not one doctor ever sent him for follow-ups. They just issued more inhalers over the years until one day he couldn’t make it up the stairs. He was diagnosed with COPD, Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Stage III and within a year he was close to death from the side effects of all the drugs.

During that year I did a lot of research, I’m a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner and always believed in the natural way but my husband chose his path.

I started to grow cannabis and even though the first crop was small, two years ago I made him RS Oil. My husband no longer has COPD and his PAH is now in Stage I.

Although he has problems with blood clots, we know it’s the diuretics because of dehydration but after this last check-up, all his tests are being done again, we are going to take him off this dangerous drug as well.

This was prescribed for fluid retention around the heart and lungs. Out of 12 drugs, this is the only one left he’s taking. We have been weaning him off gradually and going through the process of elimination to see what was causing the blood clots and embolisms he’s now having.

We have also found research to support our suspicions that dehydration is a high factor or leading cause of embolisms and blood clots. My husband never had this problem before he started taking the diuretics.

The photos are of my husband. The yellow t-shirt was taken exactly one year ago, he was down from 100 kg to 70. The black t-shirt was taken last week, you can see the difference.

All in all, we are proof that cannabis oil can cure COPD and other health issues. According to statistics, these patients usually live an average of 3 to 3.5 years upon diagnosis. This is now the 3rd year and he’s in better condition than he was upon diagnosis.

We live in Croatia, a country bought out by the pharmaceutical mafia so getting educated is important and not just following doctor’s orders. We are now suing the Health Care System because we have a law in Croatia that clearly states ‘The doctor must give the patient ALL options for treatments”. It doesn’t state “all medical options”, it clearly states “all options”.’

Our attorney said this would be a precedent case and we hope to win. We’re not looking for damages, we just want the doctors to follow this law, which is intended to protect patient rights and we don’t want this happening to others.’

Help and Advice

If you need advice or help with Medical Cannabis and RSO, please use the contact form provided. We try to answer all emails within 24 hours and are happy to help and advise on all aspects of Medical Cannabis treatments in complete confidence.

Disclaimer: Please note that whilst we consider ourselves subject matter experts regarding Medical Cannabis, we are not medical professionals. We are a Medical Cannabis information resource, educating and helping those in need. Whilst we are very strong believers in the benefits of Medical Cannabis, there is still limited evidence that Medical Cannabis can treat/cure all the illnesses we discuss on our website. We recommend you do as much research as possible, and where practical seek professional medical advice before proceeding with Medical Cannabis oil.

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