Anorexia Nervosa or Anorexia, popularly referred to as a medical condition, is also often associated with psychological factors and is an eating disorder at a deep level.

People suffering from anorexia nurture an intense phobia of being or becoming fat and hence do not eat enough to meet the body’s nutritional needs. The medical term ‘Anorexia Nervosa’ directly refers to the medical condition highlighted by loss or no appetite due to nervousness.

Most people who have this medical condition are not bereft from the feeling of hunger. However, they tend to take extreme measures to ignore this feeling of hunger, up to the point of self-starvation.

Types of Anorexia

As is generally observed with Anorexia, this condition starts during the adolescence period, when body shape begins to change. Anorexia is more common in adolescent girls and young women than in young boys and men.

Anorexia has been classified into two types –

• Restrictive Anorexia – a person with this condition eats as little as possible to limit their food intake.
• Purging and bingeing Anorexia – with this type of Anorexia, the person does consume food but soon after vomits or uses medications in the form of laxatives to get rid of the consumed food as fast as possible.

Symptoms of Anorexia

The various symptoms and signs of Anorexia include –

• Skipping meals and limiting the intake of calories.
• Low body weight and sustained weight loss.
• A drive for perfection.
• Indecisiveness, trouble in concentrating and thinking rationally.
• A heightened level of irritability.
• The gradual social withdrawal is followed by depression.
• Lack of energy, feeling of dizziness and fainting.

Medical Marijuana for treating Anorexia

Medical marijuana has always been known for its inherent natural property of stimulating metabolism and craving for food. This craving for food and stimulation of your metabolic system naturally leads to an increase in appetite. Hence, the use of medical marijuana can benefit people suffering from Anorexia by consuming adequate nutritional requirements needed by a body to function at an optimal level.

According to a scientific study carried out by Columbia University, the use of medical marijuana is safe and is an effective route towards increasing the appetite of an individual. The study showed the THC content that is present in medical marijuana enhances the calorie intake in patients, which results in their gaining weight. Most of the countries that have legalised the use of medical marijuana, and some of the states in the United States have added anorexia as a qualifying condition in their list for using medical marijuana for treatment.

Furthermore, the many side effects of using medical marijuana have been categorised as low risk, which may include change in moods  as the most common side effect associated with marijuana. The increase in appetite, which is another common side effect, is beneficial for people with anorexia.

Conclusion

With anorexia, using medical marijuana as a form of treatment will be useful in dealing with the appetite, anxiety, and depression elements related to the condition. An important point to be noted here before trying out medical marijuana as a treatment for anorexia is to get your doctor’s approval first, and then acquiring a medical marijuana card.