Treating allergic Asthma with cannabinoids

What Is Allergic Asthma?

Allergic asthma is a breathing condition where the airways you breathe through tighten when you inhale an allergen. Common allergens include pollen, dander and mold spores. Allergies are the most common cause of asthma.

Nine out of ten children with asthma have allergies, compared with about half of adults with asthma. 

The Treatment 

Treatment for allergic asthma often includes the administration of anti-inflammatory drugs and bronchodilators that relax constricted muscles around and decrease sensitivity in the airway.

THC or AEA?

The good news is that THC, the psychoactive cannabinoid found in cannabis, has similar effects on our bodies to AEA, including the way they both regulate our respiratory system.

After exercise induced bronchospasm (asthma), placebo marijuana and saline were followed by gradual recovery during 30 to 60 min, whereas 2.0 per cent marijuana caused an immediate reversal of exercise-induced asthma and hyperinflation.

Interestingly, THC and AEA both do more than just regulate our respiratory systems—they also seem to induce a sense of euphoria. 

A 2004 study determined that AEA, not dopamine, is responsible for the euphoria known as a “runners high” that athletes experience when they exert themselves. The study’s lead investigator, Arne Dietrich, concluded that our bodies release cannabinoids to help them cope with the sustained strain of moderate or intense exercise. Dopamine as the source of a pleasurable “runner’s high” has been ruled out in other studies that involved the use of dopamine blockers on athletes, who still experienced euphoria when strenuously running or cycling.

Suggested Forms of Administration of Cannabis to Treat Asthma

As mentioned earlier, although cannabis exerts anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic actions, cannabis smoke also contains combustion products—many of which are known carcinogens—similar to those found in tobacco smoke. For those suffering from respiratory disease, inhalation of these combustion products can be avoided by taking cannabis through other forms of administration.

For that reason, many doctors recommend vaporizing over smoking, and some suggest a combination of oral administration of cannabis and an on-demand inhaled medication to mitigate acute asthma attacks.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1099949/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/319717/

https://unitedpatientsgroup.com/blog/are-cannabinoids-as-effective-as-albuterol-for-treating-asthma/