The 2M Effect: Marijuana Weakens Heart Muscles

Marijuana Marginalizes Certain Health Conditions

Recreation is the most sought-after word by people of all generations and of any age group. Life is a game which some play to win while some play to enjoy the course of the game rather than the win. In between winning and losing are the events that make it interesting. For some, recreation is about swimming, movies, reading or exercising but for some others recreational activities transports them to yet another world-it might include smoking, drinking or drugs of which marijuana is the most preferred one. 

Marijuana or cannabis gives you a ‘high’ feeling and might even get you addicted. Mostly used for recreational or medicinal purpose the use of this drug has been approved in certain countries worldwide for its medicinal property. There is much evidence backing the use of marijuana for treating chronic pain and muscle spasm but only limited evidence exists for their advantage in reducing nausea during chemotherapy, improving appetite in HIV/AIDS patients or for improved sleep. There are some who suggest using cannabis for treating arthritis, anorexia, migraine and glaucoma when other treatments fail.

Soothes the Heart but Breaks its Function
Smoking marijuana or eating it is a pleasure and once someone is habituated its extremely difficult to break the addiction. Your mood is elevated and you feel as though you are at the top of the world for a few hours after consuming it. The happiness and advantages stop right there. Using marijuana is a tricky affair.

A research presented at the American Heart Association shows that active marijuana doubles the risk of stress cardiomyopathy especially in younger men. Active marijuana users were 2-times likelier to suffer from stress cardiomyopathy compared to others despite considering other cardiovascular risk factors. The researchers analyzed this by seeking the medical history of the patients or with the help of a marker in the patient’s urine. Stress cardiomyopathy occurs when emotional or physical stress causes heart muscle weakness. This reduces the heart’s ability to pump blood resulting in chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness and fainting.

Heart-breaking Study
The research team analyzed data of more than 33,000 patients who were hospitalized for stress cardiomyopathy between 2003 and 2011. Of the total participants only 210 were marijuana users. Although the statistics showed less than 1% marijuana users, most of them were younger males with reduced risk factors such as decreased BP risk, diabetes and cholesterol compared to non-users. Although these younger males suffered from fewer cardiovascular risk factors compared to non-users they were likelier to suffer from cardiac arrest and require an implanted defibrillator to correct abnormal heart rhythms on a comparative basis.

Likewise, marijuana users were more likely than non-users to suffer from depression, psychosis, alcoholism, anxiety disorder, tobacco use and multiple substance abuse. The existence of any of these risk factors can increase the risk of stress cardiomyopathy and the researchers adjusted for these before linking marijuana use with stress cardiomyopathy.
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To Use or Not to Use
Medical marijuana is approved in different countries and many more are awaiting an approval for use in the healthcare sector. When such is the case, researches like this that talk about the dangers lurking ahead of the use of marijuana create unrest among people. Know more about medical marijuana by visiting the website www.firsteatright.com. It cannot be misinterpreted that there is no harm in consuming cannabis and advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Researchers are also concerned that we must not take a hasty decision when it comes to medical marijuana as it has proven to be helpful in chemotherapy treatments. Medical potential is abundant, but regulations are not many which makes it difficult to exactly understand how much marijuana is not too much. We need much more research and insight into this drug’s effect to appreciate its advantages and minimize risks.