Communication matters in relationships, and one between patients and doctors is no exception. A recent survey indicates that the belief that has stigmatized marijuana in the examination room may be going away. A survey of about 450 healthcare service providers, treating chronic pain, discovered that there are patients for about 70% of them who inquired about medical marijuana. Patients inquired about the plant for cannabinoid products more frequently than alternative pain treatment options like physical therapy, massage, and acupuncture.
Various healthcare providers took part in the recent online survey, including pain treatment specialists, general practitioners, nurse practitioners, rheumatologists, and neurologists. People were often unwilling to speak to healthcare professionals about marijuana as they feared that the professionals would not see them or that they would be considered cannabis smokers. Recent national surveys discovered that under 40% of people discussed cannabis use with their doctors.
More people are discussing cannabis, and more medical professionals are ready to listen to what they have to say. Most healthcare providers in the said survey feel that cannabis would play a part in chronic pain treatment. However, only one out of four healthcare providers may recommend cannabis for chronic pain now. The insufficiency of quality marijuana research as well as regulatory and legislative issues are among the main factors that hold the providers back.
There are 36 medical marijuana legal states in the US, even as it is not legal federally. If the US federal government were to legalize marijuana, 74% of the providers stated that they would possibly recommend it for patients.
For more comfort in recommending marijuana, they want to have more documentation and studies about cannabinoid items for pain. Almost two-thirds of the providers stated that they mainly get cannabis information from patients, the internet, and journals.
More than 50% of the providers in the survey stated that existing treatments are not enough for chronic pain and they are seeking alternatives for patients. Pain treatment specialists are more likely than not to regard existing treatments as inadequate and are seeking other treatments.
Cannabis derivatives contain THC, CBD, CBG, CBC, and many other marijuana compounds. A recent piece of research discovered that cannabigerol makes cannabis derivatives for depression, chronic pain, anxiety, and insomnia more potent. The potency of THC and CBD products used in cannabis research exceeds that of commercially available cannabidiol goods.