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Depending on whom you talk to, medical cannabis (also known as medical marijuana) is either a panacea for everything&nbsp;from cancer to chronic pain to epilepsy&nbsp;or a dangerous and illegal drug with no place in medicine.

On the one hand, evidence suggests that legal cannabis could replace alternative treatments and save the government big money on healthcare bills.

Research published in 2016 and 2017 in Health Affairs&nbsp;found that Medicaid and Medicare Part D spending decreased by millions of dollars in states where medical cannabis was legal. The researchers found that prescriptions for drugs used to treat anxiety, depression, nausea, pain, psychosis, seizures, and sleep disorders also declined in states with medical cannabis laws. They estimated that Medicare could have saved over $1 billion in 2014 if all states had such laws.

Data like that, plus additional studies, suggest that cannabis has a real effect on people&rsquo;s health. But can it really treat so many conditions? The answer: yes, no, and maybe. Read on to find out more about we know, what we don&rsquo;t, and why it&rsquo;s complicated.

Cannabis&rsquo; complex legal status&nbsp; 
First of all, cannabis&rsquo; legal status is complicated, and that affects how easily it can be studied. As of February 2022, 37 states, four territories, and the District of Columbia allow medical cannabis. Additionally, 18 states, 2 territories, and the District of Colombia allow for the regulated recreational use of cannabis.

But federally, cannabis is classified as a&nbsp;Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, along with drugs such as mescaline and MDMA (ecstasy). That means the federal government has found it to have a high potential for abuse, has no medical use, and is unsafe. Products that contain either of cannabis&rsquo; two main ingredients, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol&nbsp;(THC) or cannabidiol (CBD), aren&rsquo;t legally sellable as dietary supplements.

The status of cannabis as a Schedule I drug makes it hard to get funding for research into its medical benefits, says&nbsp;Keith Roach, MD, associate professor in clinical medicine in the division of general medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and New York Presbyterian Hospital.

&ldquo;I think it should be reclassified because there&rsquo;s potential for marijuana to be used in other conditions,&rdquo; says Dr. Roach. &ldquo;Saying it has no medical validity is a mistake. Let&rsquo;s study it.&rdquo;

Roach says the future of medical marijuana research &ldquo;depends entirely on the federal government and what they choose to do. Right now, it&rsquo;s very difficult for researchers to do any kind of good research.&rdquo;

Elements of cannabis 
In addition, cannabis isn&rsquo;t just one thing&mdash;as with any plant, it contains hundreds of compounds with potential health effects, including some very important ones called cannabinoids. The two most common cannabinoids are THC, which is responsible for the &ldquo;high&rdquo; that cannabis causes, and CBD, which does not have psychoactive properties.

In November 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a report stating that CBD in its pure form is safe, with little potential for substance abuse and no evidence of harm to public health. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration classifies CBD as a Schedule V controlled substance, a category that also includes cough syrups.

CBD is not risk-free&mdash;it can interact with other drugs and may caused vomiting, diarrhea, sleepiness, or liver abnormalities. But it also has potential health benefits (read on to learn more). And THC has important medical uses as well.

In fact, the effectiveness of certain compounds found in cannabis are no longer in question, says Roach. &ldquo;But it&rsquo;s still controversial because marijuana itself has a lot of different substances in it. We try to isolate one substance and say &lsquo;This is what&rsquo;s important,&rsquo; when it may be several things acting in concert. It&rsquo;s very difficult to study.&rdquo;

The health problems marijuana can (and can&rsquo;t) treat&nbsp; 
Cannabis and its many compounds are still being studied and probably will be for many years, so there is a lot that researchers still don&rsquo;t know. Currently, though, evidence supports the use of cannabis or cannabinoids to treat the following conditions:

<ul>
	<li>Certain types of pain</li>
	<li>Seizure disorders</li>
	<li>Stimulating the appetite in some patients</li>
	<li>Spastic muscles in people with <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/multiple-sclerosis/multiple-types-multiple-sclerosis">multiple sclerosis</a></li>
	<li>Nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy</li>
	<li>Parkinson&rsquo;s disease</li>
</ul>

Two cannabis-derived products called dronabinol and nabilone have FDA-approved indications to treat certain conditions, including chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.&nbsp;And there is an FDA-approved prescription formulation of cannabidiol to treat certain types of seizures in children.

The science is less clear so far on whether it helps with the following:

<ul>
	<li>Neurodegenerative diseases</li>
	<li><a href="https://www.sharecare.com/mental-health-behavior/anxiety-depression/practice-curiosity-to-ease-anxiety">Anxiety</a> and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)</li>
	<li>Addiction</li>
	<li>Cancer</li>
	<li>Inflammation</li>
</ul>

With regard to cancer, there are some promising lines of research, but many of the studies are in mice. It&rsquo;s still too soon to be sure of how best to use cannabinoids to help cancer patients. Just as cannabis contains many different compounds, &ldquo;cancer&rdquo; includes many different cancer types. So it will be important for researchers to sort out which compounds work, which don&rsquo;t, and which might even cause harm, in specific types of cancer patients.

In at least one type of cancer, for instance, there is preliminary evidence that cannabinoids could accelerate the disease. Other studies suggest cannabis can interfere with chemotherapy and make people more vulnerable to viral infections. In fact, some scientists have pointed out that cannabis&rsquo; ability to suppress the immune system&mdash;and the potential dangers to immunocompromised people&mdash;is too often overlooked.

Another worrisome possibility is that people could develop cannabis use disorder (CUD), when people use it in a problematic way. Adolescents are much more prone than adults to developing CUD.&nbsp; About 1 in 10 people who start smoking cannabis become addicted. A 2022 study published in JAMA Network Open found evidence that immediate use of medical cannabis by people with pain, insomnia, and symptoms of anxiety or depression increased the risk of CUD without helping them with most of their symptoms.

Responsible use&nbsp; 
If you use cannabis or cannabinoids, be aware of its other risks, which may include:

<ul>
	<li>Interactions with other medications, especially those that affect your mood or make you drowsy</li>
	<li>Interactions with alcohol, tobacco, or illicit drugs</li>
	<li>Higher chance of bleeding if you&rsquo;re on blood thinners</li>
	<li>Effects on heart rate or blood pressure</li>
	<li><a href="https://www.sharecare.com/heart-health/heart-attack/why-heart-attack-signs-differ-men-women">Heart attack</a></li>
	<li>Testicular cancer</li>
	<li>Effects on your memory, judgment, and decision-making</li>
	<li>Psychosis</li>
	<li>Severe nausea and vomiting (cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, or CHS)</li>
	<li>Lower birth weight if smoked during pregnancy</li>
	<li>Lung injuries if THC is vaped</li>
	<li>Fainting or falls upon standing up</li>
	<li>Accidental poisonings, especially of children</li>
	<li>Street cannabis laced with PCP or other drugs</li>
</ul>

Be aware, too, that due to spotty regulations and quality control, many seemingly innocent preparations of CBD oil are mislabeled or contaminated. In one 2020 study by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, for example, scientists tested 147 CBD or hemp products being sold on the internet. Of 102 whose labels stated they had a certain amount of CBD, 18 had less than 80 percent of the advertised amount, while 37 had more than 120 percent of the advertised amount. The kicker: About half the samples also contained THC, which means that people using what they think are CBD products could inadvertently be intoxicated by THC.

The Department of Transportation has warned that using a CBD product will not be accepted as an explanation for a positive drug test. One truck driver reportedly lost his job this way.

Heavy metals have shown up in these products, leading in one case to a July 2020 nationwide recall due to <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/poisoning/3-hidden-lead-sources-lurking-in-your-home">lead contamination</a>. Pesticides, microbes, and carcinogens have also been detected in some products.

Cannabis impairs driving, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, so if you&rsquo;re using it it&rsquo;s best not to get behind the wheel. It is also particularly detrimental to teenagers&rsquo; developing brains, impairing thinking and memory for days after use.&nbsp;

Cannabis in some forms has a place in medicine&mdash;probably many places. But there is still a lot we don&rsquo;t know, and fraudulent products are common. If you think medical cannabis might be right for you, protect yourself by consulting a qualified healthcare provider you trust.

What You Need to Know About Medical Cannabis

From lowering cancer risk to boosting your beauty regimen, aspirin&rsquo;s a versatile little pill. But it&#39;s important to know the potential side effects.

Surprising Reasons to Take Aspirin—and When to Skip It

Now this is a serious problem because antibiotics are, which are very toxic drugs. We now know that bacterial infections can kill us that can cause, we know that we have skin infections that can eat away at your body, we have pneumonias and we have meningitis that can cause sepsis through the blood stream. 

These are serious life threatening infections, that in the future can get seriously worse and worse the doctors won't be able to help us with. So we have so we have to stop that right now and the best way we can do to stop it is by us having supportive, by us eating healthy. Eating making sure we have no nutritional deficiencies, eating super foods, that arm our body with the ability to fight off infection. 

Because the more infections you have, and the more your immune system is suppressed, the more potentially you have to catch an infection and even a serious infection. The other thing that's important to remember is that antibiotic use just doesn't cause resist future infections that are more resistant, they are also linked to higher rates of asthma, in the future, higher rates of allergies and they can cause cancer. 

Use of antibiotics increases the risk of breast cancer, higher use of antibiotic increases lymphoma, and we give antibiotic to animals to help them gain weight, but when humans take us, they make us become overweight too. So antibiotics are serious drugs that have long term dangerous effects. 

Every time you go to a doctor with an idea that you're thinking you need an antibiotic, you have to ask your doctor, is it absolutely necessary that I take this antibiotic? Is there any way I can get well without an antibiotic? We have to all be thinking and doctors are thinking this and you should be too is, how we can decrease the risk of antibiotics and decrease their uses as much as possible. 

  

How Dangerous Is the Indiscriminate Use of Antibiotics?

When it comes to a lingering case of the sniffles, your first instinct may still be to run to the family doctor for an antibiotic to knock them out.

The truth is, though, antibiotics aren&rsquo;t a one-size-fits-all solution when you aren&rsquo;t feeling well. And when you take them for the wrong reason, they can actually do more harm than good.

What Happens When I Take an Antibiotic I Don&rsquo;t Need? 
A doctor prescribes an antibiotic when bacteria, rather than a virus, causes the illness in question. This means if you&rsquo;ve got a cold, the flu, or even something like mono, an antibiotic isn&rsquo;t going to make you feel better.

They could also bring on some not-so-pleasant side effects, like an allergic reaction or upset stomach. Overuse and misuse of antibiotics also contribute to <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/superbugs/article/have-antibiotics-reached-their-expiration-date" style="line-height: 1.6em;">antibiotic resistance</a>, which is what happens when the bacteria adapt and make the medication ineffective. This means longer, more severe infections.

When Are Antibiotics the Right Choice? 
There are times when an antibiotic is still the best bet for getting you back on your feet, though, and if you have symptoms of these six illnesses, it could be time to head to your doctor for a prescription.

Bacterial sinus infection - may set in after a cold, but also can be hard to distinguish from a cold

<ul>
	<li>Symptoms: Cloudy or discolored nasal drainage is the big clue, along with headaches, facial tenderness, congestion, bad breath, fever and fatigue. Symptoms that last more than 10 days, or get better then worse again, suggest a bacterial infection.</li>
</ul>

Whooping cough - a serious bacterial respiratory infection that mainly affects infants younger than six months old, kids who haven&rsquo;t been immunized and older children and adults whose immunity is wearing off&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Symptoms: Early symptoms include runny nose, mild cough, low-grade fever and sneezing. After one to two weeks, severe coughing fits often appear. They can last over a minute, followed by a &ldquo;whooping&rdquo; sound, vomiting and exhaustion.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Strep throat -&nbsp;a contagious sore throat infection caused by Streptococcus bacteria, more common in children than adults

<ul>
	<li>Symptoms: A severe sore throat may be accompanied by a fever of 101&deg;F or above, swollen tonsils (sometimes with white patches), red spots on the roof of the mouth, headache, nausea, vomiting, swollen lymph nodes and a rash.</li>
</ul>

Bacterial ear infection - occurs when germs cause fluid buildup in the middle ear; it can also cause the tubes in the ear to become blocked or swollen

<ul>
	<li>Symptoms: Most ear infections, viral and bacterial, share common symptoms such as fever, headaches, ear pain, pressure in the ear, drainage, reduced hearing and dizziness.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Urinary tract infection (UTI) - an infection of the urinary tract&mdash;including the urethra, bladder and kidneys&mdash;most commonly caused by bacteria; affects more women than men.

<ul>
	<li>Symptoms: Symptoms of a UTI vary by age, but most commonly include an intense need to use the restroom, burning or pain during urination and cloudy or dark urine. In older adults, symptoms can be vague and include weakness, fatigue, muscle aches and abdominal pain.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Bacterial pneumonia - A serious bacterial infection in the lungs; often a complication of the flu

<ul>
	<li>Symptoms: Bacterial pneumonia often causes very high fever, sweating, increased heart rate and rapid breathing, along with a cough, shortness of breath, sharp chest pain, headache, loss of appetite and, in older adults, confusion.</li>
</ul>

6 Ailments That Call for an Antibiotic

Drug information