Kidneys are the body’s natural filtration system. They help remove toxic waste and extra fluid from the bloodstream.
However, when the kidneys become damaged, so does their ability to clean out the system. When that happens, it becomes a condition called chronic kidney disease (CKD).
CKD is a condition that can lead to all sorts of problems, including pain, sleeping problems, and nausea. If the condition worsens enough, it can lead to someone needing dialysis.
However, it turns out that cannabis may be able to provide relief to people with CKD and those undergoing dialysis. How is that possible?
Well, it turns out that there are many ways that cannabis can aid CKD and dialysis symptoms. If you’d like to know what CKD and dialysis are and how cannabis can help, then continue reading below.
What Is Chronic Kidney Disease?
Kidneys are vital organs in the body. As we mentioned, they help filter out wastes and fluids from the blood, which then get flushed from the body through urine.
However, chronic kidney disease (CKD) happens when the kidneys are damaged or impaired. This can happen over the course of a few months to the span of years.
The thing is, CKD is so common that it’s estimated that 1 in 7 adults in the USA (or 37 million people) have the condition.
What Causes Chronic Kidney Disease?
Most of the time, CKD is caused by different diseases and conditions such as:
- High Blood Pressure
- Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes
- Recurring kidney infections
- Glomerulonephritis – inflammation within the kidneys
- Other chronic kidney inflammations
Oftentimes these conditions are caused by pre-existing conditions or unhealthy habits. For example, some significant risk factors are obesity, smoking, and cardiovascular disease.
What Are the Symptoms of Chronic Kidney Disease?
There are many different symptoms of CKD. Depending on the condition of the disease, damage to the kidneys can cause:
- Fatigue
- Sleep Problems
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Muscle Cramps
- Swelling of feet and hands
- Chest Pain
- Loss of appetite
- Urinating more
What Is Dialysis?
Once kidney damage becomes too great, one may need to go through a process known as dialysis. At this point, the condition is in end-stage kidney failure, when the kidneys lose 85-90% of their function.
Dialysis is basically what your kidneys do already—that is, filter the blood. If the kidneys can’t perform their job anymore, machines need to do it.
That means people with kidney failure need to have their blood cleansed of toxins and excess fluids artificially. This process can be done in a hospital or private clinic and usually happens multiple times per week, if not every day.
As you can imagine, dialysis is intrusive and comes with its own symptoms. People undergoing dialysis often feel nausea, cramps, headaches, and have trouble sleeping.
How Does Cannabis Help Relieve Chronic Kidney Disease Symptoms?
Like for many other conditions, people have been heading to cannabis dispensaries to find relief. As we mentioned, there are many symptoms that people with CKD can experience.
It turns out that many of these symptoms can be aided with cannabis and cannabinoids.
Nausea and Vomiting
One primary symptom of CKD is nausea and vomiting. These two go hand in hand because they’re closely related.
In CKD, the more severe the disease is, the more nausea one feels, which leads to more vomiting. However, cannabis is already well-known for its nausea-fighting abilities.
As many cancer patients can attest, cannabis and especially CBD help reduce nausea and vomiting.
Chronic Pain
Many people with CKD also feel chronic pain. That’s because the excess fluid build-up can put pressure on the chest and other body parts.
Luckily, cannabis is excellent at helping relieve chronic pain. As many studies have pointed out, cannabis helps reduce inflammation and pain for several conditions.
Sleeping Problems
Those who suffer from chronic kidney disease often have trouble sleeping. Whether that’s due to pain or from the anxiety of the condition
However, cannabis and especially CBD, is excellent for getting much-needed shut-eye. As we mentioned, cannabis can aid chronic pain by bringing down inflammation.
That same process can help soothe the muscles and make one more relaxed. At the same time, CBD can provide anxiety relief which helps people drift to sleep.
Does Cannabis Also Aid Dialysis Symptoms?
It goes without saying that dialysis is rough. Spending multiple days a week undergoing an hours-long process is filled with anxiety, sleeplessness, and nausea.
As we mentioned above, cannabis is great at relieving all of those symptoms. People on dialysis can find some relief with cannabis for their day-to-day anxiety.
At the same time, it can help them reduce their nausea and have a better appetite. Then, at night, cannabis can help them ease into bed.
Is Cannabis Safe for Chronic Kidney Disease?
Now you might be thinking, is cannabis really safe for someone with chronic kidney disease? The good news is, yes, cannabis is safe for those with CKD and people undergoing dialysis.
As this study shows, not only did people with CKD reduce their symptoms, but their kidneys did not become more damaged.
In fact, there seems to be a gap in the knowledge about cannabinoids and chronic kidney disease. As one study found that doctors would be more likely to recommend cannabis if they were more aware of the current research.
Get Your Florida Medical Marijuana License
Unfortunately, waiting for doctors and regulations to catch up to current research can take too long making requiring patients to see a certified marijuana doctor if they want to try medical cannabis for symptom relief. One option is to first try and see if CBD helps with your symptoms and if you need something a bit stronger you can go down to your local Florida cannabis dispensary and try some THC.
However, if you’ve never been to a Florida dispensary before, then you’ll need to have a medical marijuana license. Luckily, Compassionate Healthcare of Florida will help you get your mmj license.
The professionals there will guide you through each step and answer all your questions. No matter if it’s your first time or you need a renewal, you can count on the people at Compassion Healthcare of Florida to get your medical marijuana license.
Get relief from chronic kidney disease symptoms today by getting your mmj license and have access to a nearly limitless amount of cannabis products.
