Arthritis is a condition that affects many people. It’s particularly bad for people who get it in their knees or other joints that are essential for mobility. There is no shortage of prescription arthritis pain medication out there, but for many people prescription medication comes with unpleasant side effects. Natural pain relief alternatives become a priority for those people for whom the side effects are too strong to tolerate. Managing arthritis pain without medication is doable, so let’s discuss some of the best ways of doing that today.
It’s worth noting as well that arthritis isn’t an ‘old person’s’ condition either. More than 3 in 5 people diagnosed with arthritis are under the age of 65, and women are slightly more affected than men. Both Osteoarthritis and Inflammatory Arthritis are primarily treated with medications. Osteoarthritis prescriptions are usually for nonsteroidal anti inflammatories, and in severe cases opioids may be used for pain relief. Anti-rheumatic drugs are often prescribed for people with inflammatory arthritis.
The reality for many people is often that these medications are not effective enough, and many people will steer clear of opioids for obvious reasons. The medical community is becoming increasingly aware that the best ways of managing arthritis pain without medication is to pair moderate amounts of these medications with physiotherapy exercises and natural pain-relieving substances.
The last part of that is in reference to cannabis, and certain strains of medical marijuana effective for arthritis relief. While medical marijuana has been used to lessen arthritis symptoms for years, now that the plant is legalized it’s becoming even more commonplace. That’s a beneficial development, as cannabis shows great promise for pain-relief therapeutic applications.
Safe Alternative Medicinal Relief Options for Arthritis
More and more people are open to the possibility of using cannabis to mediate pain coming from afflictive conditions. Today we’re going to discuss how it’s a legitimate alternative to arthritis pain medication, and more specifically how it can allow some people to manage arthritis pain without the use of any type of medication at all.
This of course will be dependent on the individual, but there are some people who have found that the way medicinal marijuana reduces their arthritis so thoroughly means they no longer need to use conventional arthritis pain medication.
Indeed, it would seem that for some managing arthritis pain without medication is possible as long as they have access to consistently good-quality cannabis or cannabis product alternatives to smoking it.
If you’re an arthritis sufferer in Canada who’d like to know more about which strains of marijuana are best for arthritis relief then you should read on here.
Best Medical Marijuana Strains for Arthritis
Some people will be entirely new to using marijuana for pain relief. The information that we’ll provide you with here today is just a brief introduction to some of the strains renowned for being helpful for arthritis sufferers.
What we encourage you to do is speak to your physician or naturopath further on the matter. If they agree that medicinal cannabis might work for you, then you can speak with a cannabis expert at your local medical marijuana dispensary. They’ll advise you on what will be the best product for you.
Alright, here is our list of the 5 best marijuana strains for arthritis relief. Each is good for managing arthritis pain without medication:
1. G-13 Haze
G-13 Haze is a hybrid strain that mixes the uplifting characteristics of a sativa with the sedation of an indica. It is a powerful strain of medical marijuana that should be approached with caution. However, for relief of arthritis pain this cannabis type is pretty much unbeatable.
2. Girl Scout Cookies
This strain – often advertised as ‘GSC’ at dispensaries – is also a hybrid cannabis strain. It is very beneficial for effective relief of arthritis pain. Its super high THC content dulls the body’s pain responses very nicely.
3. Cannatonic
Cannatonic is dynamite for treating pain and inflammation of any sort, but it’s not a THC-heavy strain at all. It actually has a low THC content but is still a viable option as an alternative to arthritis pain medication. Instead, it has lots of CBD in it. For those of you not familiar, CBD is the cannabinoid that is more associated with therapeutic use of cannabis. This is in comparison to THC, which is more associated with getting ‘high’.
Cannatonic is a good choice for those who want pain relief without any psychoactive effect.
4. ACDC
This strain is sativa dominant, but like Cannatonic it’s also low THC, high CBD and provides pain relief effectively. It’s particularly good for nighttime use by arthritis sufferers.
5. Harlequin
Harlequin is also sativa and sports a 5:2 CBD to THC ratio that makes it a good choice for treating arthritis pain with marijuana. It’s a strain that provides relief while the lack of psychoactive punch means you can still go about your day as planned.
First and foremost in managing arthritis pain without medication should be regular physiotherapy exercises. Plus a diet that avoids foods that promote arthritis. Using medical marijuana can be a nice complementary approach. However, it’s not something you should rely on exclusively to reduce your pain and debilitation.