How can medical marijuana help with… PROSTATITIS?

Definition of prostatitis.

Prostatitis is basically the inflammation of the male prostate gland - a walnut-sized gland located below the bladder. The prostate gland (commonly referred to as simply ‘prostate’) functions to produce seminal fluid for nourishing and transporting sperm. There are three known forms of prostatitis - acute bacterial, chronic bacterial, and chronic non-bacterial. Acute bacterial prostatitis is a fast developing condition, caused, as its name suggests, by bacterial infection, and may be diagnosed by chills, fever, strikes of pain in the groin and frequent urges for urination. This form can lead to bladder infection, prostate abscesses and even development of neoplasms, such as adenoma. This type of prostatitis is typically treated with intravenous antibiotics and pain relievers to get rid of the pain symptom. Chronic bacterial prostatitis may come as a result of poor treatment of the acute form, or develop slowly from recurrent urinary tract infections. Symptoms are similar to those of the acute version; however, they are generally not as severe and persistent.

But the most common form of prostatitis is chronic non-bacterial – according to the federal statistics, this type of prostatitis is diagnosed in 8 percent of all urologist visits in the U.S., and 1 percent of all primary care physician visits. Symptoms are typically the same as with the bacterial-related forms, but treatment prescription is more complicated because the cause of inflammation remains unidentified.

How can medical marijuana help?

As with other inflammatory diseases, medical marijuana is able to provide an anti-inflammatory effect. Cannabidiol, or CBD, is an important component of marijuana which has been reported to have anti-inflammatory properties. Cannabis also contains the so-called β-caryophyllene compound, which is clinically proven to reduce tissue inflammation. Combination of these substances in one natural medication is a promising innovation in clinical studies.

In addition to its negative influence on male urinary tract and reproductive system, prostatitis may be a rather painful condition. Although traditional painkillers can ease pain, they usually come with potentially negative side effects, the most common of which is blood pressure reduction. This is particularly dangerous for people with low blood pressure. Medical marijuana is a pain relief option that does not affect blood pressure, and can be a good substitution to conventional pain controllers.