Cannabis Pain Relief A Placebo? – Hemp | weed | marijuana

Is Cannabis Pain Relief a Placebo Effect? According to a new review of studies, there’s good evidence that cannabis doesn’t relieve pain.

The meta-analysis examined 20 randomized controlled trials involving nearly 1500 people, most of whom had pain due to multiple sclerosis or neuropathic pain.

Some studies used cannabis flowers, others used pharmaceutical cannabis derivatives such as nabiximols or dronabinol.

Essentially, the researchers found that cannabis worked no better than a sugar pill for relieving pain. The conclusion seems to be: if you believe cannabis works, then it will work.

But how do typical pain-relieving drugs compare to placebos?

What is a placebo?

You’ll find the same results if you look at clinical trials for common pain relievers like aspirin. Placebos provide about the same pain relief as the actual drug.

The only exception to this rule is opioids.

Now no one is saying that aspirin or ibuprofen are useless. That these drugs don’t work. But let’s say you read the headline: Pain relief from aspirin comes from believing it helps, study says.

It’s telling that corporate journalists don’t report on the placebo effect of popular painkillers like they do with cannabis.

That’s probably because cannabis headlines generate clicks and impressions. Pharma advertisers also love it when news content improves their bottom line.

This is why the US media had a meltdown over ivermectin for Covid-19 (indeed, any treatment that wasn’t a patented mRNA vaccine was demonized). At the same time, other countries and their medical associations agreed to alternative treatments.

Anything to get us out of a pandemic, right?

So this latest meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials doesn’t prove anything we didn’t already know. It certainly doesn’t disprove that cannabis can provide pain relief any more than clinical trials of aspirin debunk its effectiveness.

If anything, this new review shows that even a sugar pill can relieve pain. The placebo effect is strong. It’s not just a mental process. When you give someone a placebo, neurotransmitters are activated, including our endocannabinoids.

Isn’t cannabis really better than a placebo?

So isn’t cannabis really better than a placebo? Technically it looks like this. But technically, the same could be said about ibuprofen.

But something tells me the next time you have a headache, you won’t reach for a sugar pill.

The problem lies in how we define and treat chronic pain. There is a complex relationship between physiological stress responses and chronic pain symptoms. There is an inevitable subjectivity in describing pain.

Suppose opioids cause addiction and worsen health outcomes and other drugs damage the liver too much. In this case, there is nothing wrong with using cannabis for pain relief.

Chronic, low-level inflammation can lead to cancer, pain, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other health problems. Cannabis, especially CBD, has anti-inflammatory effects. So, not only can cannabis relieve pain, but it can also work on the underlying issues that may be causing your chronic pain.

take that away

take that away? Read beyond the headlines and don’t trust media outlets that rely on big pharma companies for advertising.

Did this review of the studies show that cannabis is no better than a placebo? Yes, because almost all clinical studies on painkillers are no better than placebos. Opioids are the only exception.

Did this study overview look at different cannabis strains with different cannabinoid levels? No, mainly patented cannabis products like Sativex were used.

Did the media report this assessment objectively? no And even the review itself said, “Positive media attention [about medical cannabis]…can sustain high expectations and shape placebo responses.”

But ultimately, there is only one crucial aspect: Does cannabis work for you? If so, great. Keep using it.

And if you suspect you’re wasting your money on a placebo, try different strains, including those with less THC and more CBD.

See if you feel a difference.