The Use of Marijuana in Terminally Ill Patients
In recent years, the medical field has witnessed major changes in methods of treatment with the most common being complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). CAM refers to treatment methods that do not use conventional medicine. With time, the medical field is increasing research to establish the safety and efficiency of alternative medicine even though knowledge of CAM is still limited. Nonetheless, there is a difference between complementary medicine and alternative medicine. While complementary medicine refers to the conventional use of curative practices and products together with traditional medicine for instance a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy using marijuana to alleviate the effects of chemotherapy. On the other hand alternative medicine acts as a substitute of conventional therapy for example a cancer patient foregoing therapy and opts for dietary changes. CAM is on the verge of increase with the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) reporting that up to 40% of adults 12% uses some form of CAM (Barnes, Bloom, Nahin, (US) & others, 2008).
As opposed to traditional medical treatments that are comprehensively tested and vigilantly regulated professional bodies such as Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the majority CAM therapies have undergone exceptionally modest scientific study if any to assess their safety and effectiveness. One of the most common forms of CAM being used today is acupuncture. Despite the fact that it is still considered to be outside the realm of conventional medicine, through scientific study and clinical trials acupuncture is progressively establishing its role in comprehensive care. The other common form of CAM today is the use of medical marijuana. Being a controlled substance, the use of medical marijuana has sparks debates both among medical practitioners and law enforcement.
Nonetheless, the use of acupuncture, compared to marijuana improves quality of life. When choosing any form of CAM several considerations should be made. Such include what the treatment involves, how and why it is supposed to work, its efficiency, risks associated with its use as well as the cost. When it comes to what the treatment entails, inserting thin, sterile needles into precise sites known as acupuncture points along the body's meridians thus stimulate these points in order to alleviate pain or to treat various diseases by clearing blockages and enabling the flow of energy. This provides a painless method to alleviate nausea in chemo patients in addition to relieving pain
It is imperative to note that every substance has its own distinct characteristic. Marijuana is a powerful drug and hence also has powerful side effect. Nonetheless, its side effects depends on the frequency of use as well an individual’s state of health and basic constitution. In most cases, the more an individual is compromised the less ability can handle marijuana and its effects well. To start with, one can easily monitor the side effects especially with the help of a professional because every manifestation of effects points out to a particular are in the body. For instance a very dry mouth corresponds with marijuana drying up lung fluids while stomach upsets indicate a reaction with the digestive system (Verster, 2012). Marijuana can either be ingested or smoked. Smoking marijuana has adverse effects on the user which include throat cancer and lung cancer. However, most of the side effects are attributed to the fact that marijuana interferes with bodily fluids and in uncontrolled approach can burn up bodily fluids and in severe cases the body’s ability to generate those fluids with time. Generally, with sustained over use, it damages a whole sequence of fluid-based systems and substances in the body. The chain starts by drying up and irritating the respiratory and digestive systems, baffling and running down the immune system, reducing the quality of blood. From there, it alters sleep cycles, normal functioning of the liver, kidney, nervous and hormonal systems in addition to reversing the polarity of sexual essence.
Another case against the use of medical marijuana is that medical marijuana is a front for recreational legalization. As Chapkis & Webb (2008) says, “even though dronabinol is available by prescription, a large percentage of cancer and HIV patients continue to use marijuana either for medical or recreational purposes”. The rationale behind the use of marijuana is to increase appetite which in turn leads to weight gain and to decrease nausea associated with chemotherapy and antiretroviral therapy. However, users as well as vendors will continue supplying marijuana especially if there are no clear rules and regulations as to who should purchase or vend marijuana even for medical purposes.
Marijuana also causes nausea. As Bowling (2001) states, “it is ironical that some patients take marijuana in order to alleviate nausea especially due to chemotherapy in cancer patients and antiretroviral therapy in HIV patients. Additionally, high doses of are likely to reduce the reaction time of an individual as well as impair heart functions and cause incoordination and visual difficulties. Visual impairment coupled reduced reaction is the best recipe for accidents with some even resulting to death. Additionally, use of marijuana has been associated with psychosis and being psychoactive which is related with the user being “high”. According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), out of 128 deaths investigation conducted in 42 metropolitan areas across the United States 16 of the areas ranked marijuana among the 10 most frequent drugs meaning that the probability of being linked o these deaths is minimal. Due to alteration in metabolism, chronic use marijuana may mess up the normal functioning of the lungs, cause heart attacks. Additionally, marijuana can create dependence due to the latent risk of addiction and apathy. Marijuana also affects the normal functioning of conventional medication by increasing the sedating effects of medicine. Moreover, marijuana may increase the activation effects of stimulating medications meaning that the patient may not recover or improve because the medication is not functioning as it should.
The legality of using medicinal marijuana has also been a contentious issue in many countries and states. However, it is crucial to note that many states have already legalized the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Currently, 23 states including Washington D. have enacted medical marijuana laws permitting the consumption growing and processing of medical marijuana for patients who meet the criteria for use under state law. One of the reasons why little research has been done on the use of marijuana for medical purposes is the fact that marijuana is illegal in the U.S. under federal law thus thwarting research because it is illegal to be even in possession of marijuana. Additionally, even in states where medical marijuana is legal, patients and suppliers are at risk of being arrested on charges of obstructing federal law enforcement (National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 2014).
Additionally, there is some good news that there are remedies for almost each kind of side effect emanating from the use of marijuana. Some of the proposed remedies consist of changing diet and what an individual eats, special kinds of work outs and exceptionally explicit combinations of acupuncture as well as herbs to deal with and balance marijuana’s side effects how it influences an individual (Hosking & Zajicek, 2008). Additionally, people will continue to use marijuana whether the law supports them or not. Consequently, this creates a completely transfixing moral dilemma to people who are suffering from some sort of disease and marijuana can indisputably help. Even so, the dilemma as to whether one should go ahead and use marijuana right way or wait for a pharmaceutical industry adaptation of marijuana that has been approved and sanctioned by law enforcement agencies. Such a dilemma adds to another problem owing to the fact that processed marijuana may contain harmful chemicals as opposed to taking the herb in its natural form (Jacobs & Gundling, 2009). For proponents of the use of marijuana this is not a tricky position and the answer is use marijuana. Nonetheless, to some people it more of a rational matter that can be debated for ages.
On the other hand, acupuncture has been use for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine. Today, acupuncture is extensively practiced in the United States as a therapeutic intercession for a range of health conditions. The hypothetical root for acupuncture is that interfering with energy flow causing a disparity between the harmonizing life energies. Nonetheless, when acupuncture is practiced correctly, corrects these imbalances of energy flow thus promoting optimal. Acupuncture has been used effectively to decrease pain with even The American Academy of Medical Acupuncture asserting that it helps in reducing pain as well as nausea. Additionally, it helps a patient relax as it opens up blood vessels facilitating blood flow thus reducing the risk of blood clotting. Nonetheless, it has to be done by a professional in order to avoid harming the body even more (ScienceDaily, 2014). Acupuncture has been recognized by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) to the extent of publishing journals concerning its safety and effectiveness in treating an extensive range of conditions. Presently, many insurance policies cover acupuncture as it is being used extensively to relieve pain.
However, it is not to mean that acupuncture has no known side effects. The most common injury that has been reported is pneumothorax which is the accidental puncturing of the lungs leading to partial collapsing of the lungs. Additionally, in some cases there have been reports of liver infections mostly because of hepatitis. In yet other cases, some patients have experienced bacterial skin infections particularly in sites where needles have been inserted as well as in other body parts. However, it is important to note that most of the side effects seem to revolve around poor hygiene on the part of the acupuncturist. Studies into the latent value of acupuncture have been conducted though the results are still ambivalent owing to research design, sample size among other factors. Other constraints include suitable control measures such as the placebo effect as well as facade acupuncture groups. However, the practice has portrayed promising answers for instance it has been proved to be efficient in adult post-operative and chemotherapy in alleviating nausea and vomiting. It is also important to note that acupuncture provides a drug free and pain free relief from nausea effectively treating a wide range of acute and chronic ailments in end of life patients. Also, acupuncture treats the root cause of the sickness and disease as well as the symptoms associated with the sickness meaning it is very effective. Moreover, acupuncture provides a holistic approach in treatment as it links the body, mind as well as emotions. Acupuncture also helps in the prevention of getting other diseases as it does not use any harmful products in the due course of treatment.
However, basic research explicates that acupuncture releases opioids along with other peptides in the nervous system resulting to changes in neuroendocrine function. Even though much is yet to be realized in the field of acupuncture, the materialization of conceivable mechanisms for the beneficial results of acupuncture is promising. Additionally, the introduction of acupuncture as preferred alternative treatment modality is accessible to the public. However, concerns in matters of training, licensing, and compensation are yet to be made clear. Regardless of this, there is satisfactory proof regarding the value of acupuncture leading to possible expansion into conventional medicine in order to stimulate additional research in physiology and medical value. According to recent reports published in the American journal of Nature Neuroscience, research and experiments have established that acupuncture causes the human body to produce some innate painkillers. It does so by increasing the action of natural painkillers found in the human body known as cannabinoids. It is imperative to note that marijuana also contains cannabinoids but then the mode of introducing these painkillers and the marijuana itself is harmful to the human body.
In conclusion, marijuana does not improve the quality of life in end of life patients. The use of marijuana poses serious risks that vary from an individual to another with some being exposes to serious risks such as addiction and most experts citing the risk of psychosis as well as the risk of being psychoactive. On a realistic point of view, there is also a need to be conscious of the laws as regards to the use of medicinal marijuana in different states and counties with marijuana being illegal in most states even if one is smoking marijuana for medical reasons as it is evident that it does not improve the quality of life. On the other hand, in the hands of a licensed acupuncturist, acupuncture will remain as the superlative modality as it presents no grave or severe side effects unlike marijuana which has several. To a great extent, Marijuana has does more harm than good to the patient in some cases leading to wasting the muscles of the patient due to the above mentioned reasons. There is also the issue of illegality meaning that patients trying to get marijuana might even end up having problems with the law in addition to conducting their business under constant fear. It goes without saying that the last thing a patient wants is a drug which will subject them to fear of being caught by the police in the act of either purchasing or even using.

References
Barnes, P., Bloom, B., Nahin, R., (US), N., & others,. (2008). Complementary and alternative medicine use among adults and children: United States, 2007. US Department Of Health And Human Services, Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, National Center For Health Statistics Hyattsville, MD.
Bowling, A. (2001). Alternative medicine and multiple sclerosis. New York: Demos.
Chapkis, W., & Webb, R. (2008). Dying to get high. New York: New York University Press.
Hosking, R., & Zajicek, J. (2008). Therapeutic potential of cannabis in pain medicine†. British Journal Of Anaesthesia, 101(1), 59--68.
Jacobs, B., & Gundling, K. (2009). The ACP evidence-based guide to complementary & alternative medicine. Philadelphia: American College of Physicians.
National Multiple Sclerosis Society,. (2014). Complementary & Alternative Medicines. Retrieved 23 October 2014, from http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Treating-MS/Complementary-Alternative-Medicines
ScienceDaily,. (2014). Study Examines Acupuncture To Alleviate Symptoms For Advanced Colorectal Cancer Patients. Retrieved 30 October 2014, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/03/030305080617.htm
Verster, J. (2012). Drug abuse and addiction in medical illness. New York, NY: Springer.