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The Impact of Medicinal Cannabis on Endometriosis

As researchers continue to discover the benefits of medicinal cannabis for a range of conditions, the public’s hopes for the use of this plant to become more prevalent are growing.

Justin Sinclair, a research fellow at NICM Health Research Institute based at Western Sydney University, coordinates the Australian Medical Cannabis Research and Education Collaboration. As a speaker at the recent Hemp Health and Innovation Expo, he has shown his diverse knowledge and research around medicinal cannabis and its benefits.

 

“When it comes to cannabis I’m interested in many different disciplines, from the genetics of the plant, the phytochemistry of the plant and how it’s grown, all the way through to the clinical applications of it as a medicine.”

 

In recent research, a focus has been put on how medicinal cannabis can be used to treat the female reproductive condition known as endometriosis. Research in the past has shown how medicinal cannabis can be used as a useful treatment for a range of conditions but continues to surprise the world with its many therapeutic applications.

medicinal cannabis jar
The benefits of medicinal cannabis are plentiful. Source.

Mr Sinclair is currently studying how medicinal cannabis can aid and relieve endometriosis. This research is occurring at NICM and will hopefully demonstrate that medicinal cannabis may be an alternative to pharmaceutical drugs for disease management. Many pharmaceuticals do not adequately address the pain relief required for those women suffering from endometriosis, but medicinal cannabis seems promising.

 

“We conducted a survey of approximately 484 women, and 13% of them were using cannabis illicitly despite its illegality, which is letting us know in a way how desperate some of these women are when it comes to pain control and symptomatic relief.”

 

Sinclair showed his vast knowledge of medicinal cannabis and its history as a medication. His focus is on medicinal cannabis as a treatment option for endometriosis, a condition not spoken about enough in our society.

 

His research is pivotal in the Australian community as endometriosis is a condition that often is swept under the rug. Endometriosis is a condition that may not lead to death, but Mr Sinclair believes holds equal weight and has been neglected for far too long.

 

“My focus is that understanding mortality is one thing, but morbidity, that is things that cause a decline in quality of life, can cause such misery for the people going through it and the loved ones of those people that I think it’s just as important.”

 

According to current statistics, 1 in 10 women are suffering from endometriosis, which equates to approximately 500,000 women in Australia. This leads us to believe that this research and possible solution for pain relief is a long-awaited action for this condition.

 

With the ongoing research into medicinal cannabis’ impact on endometriosis sufferers, we hope that soon those 500,000 women in Australia and the large number in the rest of the world will be able to use this herbal medicine a much-needed solution.