Treating Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) – The Benefits of Medical Marijuana

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is damage to the brain as a result of a sudden, violent blow or jolt to the head. This damage usually occurs when the brain collides with the inside of the skull, resulting in bruising of the brain, tearing of nerve fiber and even bleeding. Sometimes, a blow or jolt to the head could also cause the skull to fracture and a broken piece of the skull may penetrate the brain. This condition is very common in the USA and is one of the leading causes of both disability and death.

The severity of this condition often depends on which part of the brain is affected, whether or not it’s in a specific position or over a widespread area as well as the extent of the damage. While mild traumatic brain injury may affect the brain cells, temporary, more serious traumatic brain injury may result in bruises, bleeding, torn tissues and other physical damages to the brain.

The most common symptoms of traumatic brain injury nevertheless include headaches, fatigue, nausea/vomiting, speech problems, difficulties sleeping, loss of consciousness, dizziness/loss of balance, loss of coordination, weakness or numbness in fingers and toes, clear fluids draining from the nose or ears, dilation of one or both pupils of the eye as well as convulsions. Meanwhile the cognitive or mental symptoms of traumatic brain injury include depression, anxiety, mood swings, slurred speech, agitation, profound confusion, memory/concentration problems as well as coma and other disorders of consciousness.

Traumatic brain injury is generally caused by a blow or other traumatic injury to the head or body, and common events that could result in this condition include falls, violence, sports injuries, vehicle related collision, explosive blasts as well as other combat injuries. The complications of traumatic brain injury could include coma, brain death, seizures, infections, vertigo, headaches and blood vessel damages.

There is evidence from scientific research, CBD could be used to treat traumatic brain injury. In 2016, the Scythian Biosciences Corp of Toronto delivered a $16 million grant to the University of Miami to embark on a five-year study to examine the effects of combining CBD and NMDA antagonists for the treatment of traumatic brain injury and concussions. This study led to the creation of a new concussion pill which is made with CBD. So far, this concussion pill has demonstrated success in treating traumatic brain injury. According to Scythian Biosciences and other researchers, this pill could reduce some of the symptoms of traumatic brain injury such as pain, headache, and post injury cell inflammation.

The findings from a 2013 study, also revealed that CBD possesses neuroprotective characteristics that may be promising for future clinical use for the treatment of brain injuries and other conditions. This study, which aimed at evaluating the neuro-protective potential of CBD on lab rats that were experiencing a degeneration of both motor and sensory neurons revealed both motor and sensory neuron rescue following a treatment with CBD.

Moreover, a 2017 studied had also buttressed the claim that CBD was effective in treating traumatic brain injury. The results from this study indicated that CBD reduces brain damage and improves functional recovery. Further findings from this study revealed that the administration of CBD on patients led to long-term functional recovery, a reduction in neuronal loss and astrogliosis, metabolic derangement, excitotoxicity as well as neuro-inflammation.

Although evidences have revealed that CBD could be used to treat the symptoms of traumatic brain injury, there are also indications that it could be used as a preventive. However, there is a need for more scientific research on humans on the effectiveness of CBD in treating traumatic brain injury.