/ Published in Medical Papers

Sample Medicine Coursework Paper on Medical Marijuana

Medical Marijuana

Thesis: The use of marijuana should not be allowed for medicinal purposes as it is highly addictive, can result in the use of harder drugs, and has the potential to decimate lives.

  1. The medical effects of marijuana were discovered in the early 1800s.
  2. The medical effects were discovered when an Irish doctor, Sir William Brooke O’Shaughnessy, found that extracts of marijuana could help ease vomiting and stomach pain in cholera patients (Volkow, 2014).
  3. In the late 1800s, marijuana extracts were marketed to doctors’ offices and pharmacies across the United States and Europe to treat Stomach pains, along with other ailments (Volkow, 2014).
  4. It was later found that THC was the reason for the plant’s medicinal properties and mind-altering impact
  5. Marijuana is federally classified as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act.
  6. In recent years there has been increasing debate over whether marijuana should be not only taken off this list, but legalized for medicinal purposes.
  7. Users claim that it can treat a variety of ailments ranging from anxiety to cancer. However, the science to back up these claims is lacking while other studies have shown that it can actually cause more harm than good.

High Blood Pressure

Thesis: High blood pressure caused by stress can be managed by the stimulus-based model because it interprets stress as a stimulus, group situation or life event that may induce normal psychological responses, which may enhance the susceptibility of a person to that condition

A: By using the stimulus-based model, one can either use emotion-centered coping or problem-focused coping to manage stress.

  1. When an encountered with a challenge a person mainly assesses the challenge as threatening or non-threatening, and also in regards to whether he/she has the capability to cope or react to the challenge effectively.
  2. If the person does not believe that he/she has the aptitude to react to the challenge, he/she will use an emotion-centered coping reaction like wishful thinking, emphasizing the positive, or distancing (Cohen, Gianaros, & Manuck, 2016).
  3. If the individual has the ability to manage the challenge, he/she will typically develop a problem-centered coping reaction like examination of the situation to understand it better (Cohen, Gianaros, & Manuck, 2016).
  4. Overall, the stimulus-based model can help one avoid high blood pressure through proper management of stress.  

Sleep Apnea

Thesis: Sleep apnea leads to sleep related disorders because it affects the quality of sleep

  1. At the start of sleep, the function of the HPA axis is constantly suppressed.
  2. As sleep progresses, the secretory activity of the HPA is enhanced to take it closer to the optimum circadian rhythm as soon as one wakes up, and the key activity of the sympathetic nervous system affects the overall quantity of rapid eye movement sleep (REM) (Winbush et al, 585).
  3. As such, the increase of adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) after waking up is the pivotal control factor managing the end of sleep (Winbush et al, 585).
  4. The fact that the start and end of sleep include activity in the HPS axis and the close temporal association between sleep and the axis highlights the impact of stress on sleep.

Anxiety Disorder

Thesis: Anxiety disorder in teenagers is directly associated with psychiatric issues and parental pressures while anxiety related o examination is also directly related to psychiatric issues.

A: There are numerous studies that investigate anxiety disorders in teenagers.

  1. A study conducted in China found that rural school location, poor academic grades, low school satisfaction, older age, conflicts with peers and teachers, and female gender were strongly correlated to anxiety levels among teenagers.
  2. Another study revealed that anxiety was related with reduced self-acceptance and enhanced psychological distress among teenagers.
  3. Higher levels of psychological distress were then related to substance use and delinquent behaviors.

References

Cohen, S., Gianaros, P. J., & Manuck, S. B. (2016). A stage model of stress and disease. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 11(4), 456-463.

Volkow, N. (2014). “Adverse health effects of marijuana use.” New England Journal of Medicine 370.23: 2219-2227.

Winbush, Nicole Y., et al. (2007). “The effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on sleep disturbance: a systematic review.” Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing 3.6: 585-591.