Cannabis Is Just One Alternative Treatment for Chronic Pain
Look at the qualifying conditions list in any state that has decriminalized medical marijuana, and you are likely to find chronic pain. This is not a coincidence. Chronic pain is among the most cited medical conditions for which cannabis is recommended. It is worth noting that cannabis is considered an alternative pain treatment. But it is just one alternative.
Medical cannabis advocates believe in their preferred plant’s ability to help manage chronic pain. They have every right to. They are also correct to assert anecdotal evidence proving that medical cannabis delivers. But we, as a society, make a mistake when we assume that medical cannabis is either the only alternative or the best option for every patient. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The Most Appropriate Treatment
Pharmacists and staff at the Beehive Farmacy Utah dispensary in Brigham City, UT are fully aware of the link between medical cannabis and chronic pain. Chronic pain is the top medical condition among cannabis users in Utah. But interestingly enough, medical providers must agree that cannabis is the most appropriate treatment in order to recommend it to a chronic pain patient.
What does that mean, practically speaking? It means that a medical provider might not recommend medical cannabis if they believe there is a more appropriate chronic pain treatment for a given patient. What might that treatment be?
Prescription NSAIDs, narcotic painkillers, and surgical procedures are the traditional treatments recommended most often. But given that medical cannabis is considered an alternative, surely there must be others.
Alternatives to Cannabis
One of the first alternative treatments that comes to mind is physical therapy. A family member of mine used to suffer from chronic pain. Her pain was made worse by inactivity. Physical therapy helped get her back on her feet. Since then, she has relied on exercise and over-the-counter pain medications – with particularly good success, I might add.
Other alternatives include:
- Regenerative Medicine – Regenerative procedures including platelet rich plasma (PRP) therapy, stem cell injections, and prolotherapy help all sorts of patients deal with chronic pain.
- Injection Therapies – Certain kinds of chronic pain related to the spinal column and vertebrae can be relieved through injection therapies. For example, injecting a combination of anesthetic and steroid anti-inflammatories can provide long term relief from facet joint pain.
- Psychotherapy – Modern medicine recognizes a link between the physical perception of pain and a person’s thoughts about that pain. As a result, certain types of psychotherapy can help people manage chronic pain effectively. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a good example.
There are other alternatives to both traditional treatments and medical cannabis for chronic pain. Here is the point to understand – just as it is not valid for the medical community to push traditional treatments as the only option for chronic pain, it’s also not valid for cannabis activists to push medical cannabis as the only or best alternative to traditional treatments.
Patients Are Individuals
The truth of the matter is that every patient is an individual. One chronic pain patient might find tremendous relief with surgery and physical therapy. Another might only find relief in medical cannabis. Still another might need regenerative therapies to feel better. It is all good.
If you suffer from chronic pain and find that medical cannabis works well for you, more power to you. But there are other treatments. There are traditional treatments as well as a long list of alternatives. You should feel free to discuss every option with your medical provider. If you cannot, perhaps it’s time for you to begin the search for a new provider.
