Should I Tell My Physician About My Medical Cannabis Use
The healthcare industry has evolved greatly in the past decades. We’re past the days when patients could only listen and follow the physician’s voice and advice. During this time, patients had little chance of discussing the appropriate care and treatment with the physician. However, it’s true that you know your body or functions better than another person. Thus, you can easily tell when something is wrong with your system.
With a better understanding of your body and systems, it’ll be wise to advocate for your health and get a better quality of life. It’ll be wise to research your condition and check for the appropriate treatment alternative. Studies show that medical marijuana is gaining popularity as the best treatment alternative. Despite the health benefits of marijuana, most people are usually reluctant to discuss it with their physicians. This article provides information and tips on how to talk to your healthcare provider about medical marijuana.
Gather Supporting Facts
Experts advise that you need to gather enough supportive facts on marijuana before engaging your doctor on the topic. Understanding the basic medical cannabis laws and regulations in your country, state, or jurisdiction will be good before the conversation. With the varying nature of the state view on marijuana, there are varying MMJ laws in the different cities, states, or jurisdictions. Besides the MMJ laws, it’ll also be good to understand other vital facts about this herb. Understand whether:
● Using medical marijuana affect your ability to work or operate machinery
● Your employer can dismiss you for using medical marijuana
● Medical marijuana use will cause you to lose security clearances, which is vital when seeking employment
● You can travel across the states or outside the United States while using medical cannabis products
● You can purchase medical marijuana products in other states when traveling in a particular state for recreation or formal purposes.
The responses to these concerns or questions will vary due to numerous factors, including job type, personality, and state. Thus, when researching these concerns, it’ll be wise to focus on the MMJ laws of your specific state. Besides the state laws, the answers to some concerns will depend on the guidelines or rules of your company or employer.
Many states in the U.S have legalized medical marijuana use, while others are on the verge of legalizing the weed for recreational use. Despite the increase in the number of states legalizing the medical use of marijuana for patients with various conditions, the federal government still maintains cannabis is an illegal and prohibited substance. Thus, it’ll be wise to walk to the doctor’s office with accurate details or information on the matter. Experts advise that you understand the health benefits and potential side when you decide to engage your physician in this vital conversation.
Understanding more about medical marijuana regulations and other facts beyond the restrictions will be good. Importantly, understand the different conditions and symptoms medical marijuana can alleviate. You can also learn how the different conditions relate to your health and check the eligibility criteria for qualifying for an MMJ card in your state.
Medical marijuana has been effective in the healthcare industry in alleviating and treating a wide range of conditions. Let’s look at some of the conditions that medical cannabis can help treat:
● Cancer
● Arthritis
● Cachexia
● Epilepsy
● Severe pain
● Seizures
● Post-traumatic stress disorders
● Multiple sclerosis
● Muscle spasms
● Glaucoma
● Crohn’s disease
● Fibromyalgia
Some studies have also shown that medical marijuana has properties that can help to alleviate or ease different symptoms of diabetes. For instance, medical experts recommend medical cannabis to alleviate neuropathy and prevent diabetes-related blindness.
Furthermore, medical cannabis may also help to alleviate severe nausea. Severe nausea is a common side effect of various treatments and is a symptom of some conditions. Besides treating different conditions, medical marijuana is also important in treating the symptoms and alleviating the side effects of various therapies or treatments, including cancer chemotherapies. Remember, proper disease management begins with treating the symptoms.
Therefore, before walking into the physician’s room to talk about marijuana, research and equip yourself with appropriate knowledge on the topic. Experts advise that you have to find out if medical marijuana will suit your needs and if you’ll be interested in taking it. Afterwhich, check your state’s eligibility criteria, and understand if your condition or disease will qualify you for marijuana use.
Understanding the Basics
Before starting the conversation on medical marijuana with your doctor, it’ll be good to have basic information on the herb. With the marijuana field having vast details, it'll be wise to consider the basic information. The basic information on medical marijuana includes:
Ingestion or consumption of medical marijuana
It’ll be wise to understand the different methods you can use to ingest or consume marijuana. We’ve got various methods you can consider for ingesting your marijuana products. Remember, these methods have advantages and drawbacks you must consider before using them. The common ingestion or consumption methods include:
● Edibles
● Vaping or vaporization
● Topicals
● Tinctures
● Suppositories
● Smoking weed
● Concentrates and oils
● Cannabis-infused drinks
● Juicing
● Capsules
Researching the numerous methods will be vital in helping you choose the most palatable and convenient option. Besides being palatable, the method of consumption you choose must offer the best and most direct therapeutic benefits for the particular condition. With the potential adverse side effects, it’ll also be vital to consider a healthy method. For instance, physicians don’t recommend smoking marijuana for individuals with lung or respiratory complications. Marijuana smoke might exacerbate allergies, asthma, and other respiratory conditions.
How marijuana works
Different states have varying medical marijuana laws and functions. However, in most states, you’ll need a physician's approval when having a qualifying condition. You can schedule a medical marijuana card 420 evaluation for the physician to evaluate and approve your condition before issuing you a written medical cannabis recommendation.
You can use this recommendation to apply for and get your medical marijuana card in the state. The medical marijuana card is very important to allow you access or purchase medical marijuana products from state-approved and licensed dispensaries. You can get the appropriate products from the available ones or those legal in your state to help alleviate your condition.
Understand more about cannabinoids
Cannabinoids refer to various chemical compounds present in marijuana or hemp plants. Experts link these compounds to medicinal responses as they react with various cells in the body. THC and CBD are the common marijuana cannabinoids. Despite working separately, these cannabinoids offer a wide range of medicinal benefits to manage and treat some conditions. Understanding the effects and benefits of each cannabinoid in your body will be good.
Start the Conversation With Your Physician
Medical marijuana has been a popular topic in the healthcare industry. While most physicians understand the whole idea of medical marijuana, some doctors are still hesitant to recommend this medication to their patients. Studies show that some patients may be reluctant to consider the therapeutic advantage of using medical marijuana. However, others have varying reservations, like fearing contradicting federal laws.
With the different views on medical marijuana, it’s usually up to you to start the conversation on medical marijuana. Experts advise that starting the conversation with your primary health caregiver will be vital. Your primary doctor is your immediate healthcare provider and understands your conditions best. Furthermore, the primary physician understands your pain and the different quality of life complications you’re facing, and the appropriate treatments to enhance success.
Studies reveal that the best way to start a medical marijuana conversation with a doctor is to become knowledgeable on the matter. When checking for your information online, ensure that you get it from reputable sources. Sources like HappyMD will provide reliable information about medical cannabis and what you can use to enhance your success rate, alleviate your conditions and improve your life quality.
Besides the online sources, you can bring evidence or information from various studies on medical marijuana benefits for your condition. More information from reputable sources or recent scientific studies will open more details on medical marijuana use. Thus, you’ll understand if medical marijuana will be an appropriate option for your needs or alleviate your condition.
Be Honest
Honesty is one of the best virtues you must have when having medical marijuana conversation with your physician. Having valid facts from reputable sources allows you to enter the physician’s office confidently and have relevant questions you can ask during the conversation. Besides making the physician understand that you’re serious about the matter, having all information brings the perception that you’ve made up your mind.
Despite being honest and understanding all the facts, it’s also vital to come to the conversation open-minded. Listen to your physician’s insights on medical marijuana use. It’s also good to understand the physician’s view on marijuana and their advice for the best remedy for your condition.
Make Your Case
Before deciding to engage with the physician in the conversation, there are high chances that you may have been considering this alternative. Many patients with constant pain and chronic conditions usually decide to try medical cannabis to alleviate their pain.
Thus, when talking to your physician, ensure that you:
● Speak about how your pain or illness interferes with routine and quality of life
● Talk about the condition that impairs the ability to accomplish your work or menial task. Reveal to the physician how desperate you are to get the best alternative to relieve the pain or symptoms.
● Ask the physician if they can prescribe or offer an alternative treatment. The treatment should provide comparable results for managing your symptoms and pains resulting from the condition.
With the numerous options available, there may be some treatment that your physician is yet to try, as they believe you were coping or responding well to the other treatment. It’ll be good to provide full details of your condition, including the full extent and intensity of the pain. Besides the extent of pain, you can also tell your physician about the severity of the symptoms to help you get a better treatment option.
Seek Clarification and Ask Pertinent Questions
Having relevant evidence from statistics, studies, and formulas is vital to getting into a conversation on medical marijuana with your healthcare provider. Besides this vast information, it’ll be wise to arm yourself with relevant questions. Asking questions is a good way to seek clarification on the matter.
Let’s look at some of the questions you can ask your physician during this session:
● Will consuming medical cannabis interact or interfere with your prescriptions or medication?
● How does medical marijuana consumption affect your existing treatment plan?
● Does the physician recommend the appropriate medical marijuana strain to work for your condition?
● Does taking medical marijuana to have possible adverse effects you must be concerned about?
These questions will be vital in bringing your physician to a decision-making process. In addition, the questions remind the physician that you’re responsible for vital decisions on your health.
Be Ready to Accept the Results and Move on
Remember that if your physician hesitates to consider the therapeutic benefits of marijuana use on your conditions, it’s usually hard to change their minds. Instead of arguing with their minds, it’ll be wise to accept their decision. You can walk away and seek another opinion from a physician who understands and prefers medical marijuana as a viable treatment for your condition.
It’s good to be prepared that despite the physician's willingness to recommend this treatment therapy, they may not apply it to your case. Due to the unique nature of medical requirements, most physicians consider medical marijuana recommendations on a case-by-case basis. Thus, you must genuinely demonstrate the need for this treatment to alleviate your condition for the physician to consider recommending it.
When searching for appropriate physicians to recommend medical marijuana, HappyMD has a wide network of marijuana-friendly physicians. Visit HappyMD to get medical marijuana doctors' 420 evaluations. The physicians will provide a written medical marijuana recondition, which you can use to apply for your medical marijuana card. Visiting this telehealth platform guarantees an instant MMJ recommendation and medical marijuana card after the physician approves your qualifying condition.
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