Forget every misconception you’ve ever had about Cannabis, forget the preconceived notion that Medical Marijuana is simply an excuse for people to get high without being hassled. Leave your stereotypes of bong rips and the Grateful Dead at the door because the Cannabis that we are about to dive into has nothing to do with the munchies or macrame and everything to do with cutting edge pharmacology. Scientific and clinical studies increasingly show exciting new potential for this incredible and ancient medicine and its significant benefits for those who suffer with severe neurological disease, auto-immune issues and chronic pain. The Cannabis discussed here can have profound and life changing implications in the treatment of your Mother’s Parkinson’s, your brother’s anxiety and your son’s autism. It can hold the key to getting off those dangerous opioids for your back pain and offer serious relief for your friend’s arthritis.
The medical benefits of Cannabis are already profound despite the recent discovery of phytocannabinoids that its difficult to capture them all in one blog post, therefore, bear with the length of this post and stand by for future articles on specific health benefits. For now, let us begin with the endocannabinoid system.
Endoca-what?!
You’ve heard of the nervous, vascular, and lymphatic systems of the body, but have you ever heard of the endocannabinoid system? The Endocannabinoid system was only recently discovered by scientists in Israel in 1982 and has been found to play a vital role in maintaining a state of homeostasis. It basically acts as a thermostat for most of the body’s other systems, including immune, nervous, endorphin and vanilloid systems (controlling pain receptors), and works to keep them in balance, much like Acupuncture. This video does a great job of explaining it. https://www.facebook.com/pg/MeganlottAcupuncture/reviews/?ref=page_internal
So where do the CBD’s come in?
Over the centuries, THC; the one psycho-active component of cannabis has received all of the attention for its mind altering high. However, scientists have only just discovered the over-looked and incredibly powerful phytocannabinoid; CBD. CBD works by indirectly stimulating the endocannabinoid system and by binding with receptors in the brain like serotonin which directly influence depression, gene expression, anti-cancer and osteoprotective effects. CBD’s act as self regulatory adaptogens, helping to bring the body into harmony. There are at least 111 different phytocannabinoids that we know of in Cannabis yet we’ve only discovered 10% of their pharmacological effects.
what pharmacological effects DO we know of?
So far, clinical and laboratory tests show CBD’s to have the following benefits:
Anti-cancer, anti-proliferative, anti-emetic (nausea and vomiting), anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-diabetic, anti-psoriatic, anti-diahreal, analgesic, bone stimulant, immunosuppresive, anti-ishemic, anti-spasmodic, vasorelaxant, neuroprotective, anti-epileptic, anti-tumor, anti-psychotic, axiolytic and that it turns white fat into brown fat.
Other phytocannabinoids found in the plant have the additional effects of; appetite suppression, antibacterial, anti-fungal, anti-microbial, analgesic, all while increasing a state of well being, euphoria and pleasure.
How Can CBD’s benefit me?
Here’s the short list of possible health issues that may be helped by Medicinal Cannabis:
ADHD, Addiction, ALS, ALzheimers, MRSA and Staph infections, anxiety, arthritis, asthma, autism, autoimmune disorders, cancer, concussions and traumatic brain injuries, depression, diabetes, eating disorders, IBS, migraine, MS, nausea, neurodegenerative diseases; Parkinson's, Huntingtons, pain, PTSD, schitzophrenia, seizures, skin conditions; psoriasis, acne, dermatitis,stress, insomnia and sleep apnea.
Where does Acupuncture come in?
Like Cannabis, Acupuncture is found to also have a direct effect on the endocannabinoid system and has been used for thousands of years to induce and maintain a state of homeostasis and balance. In fact, Cannabis was once cited as an empirical herb in Chinese Medicine prior to it’s prohibition. Acupuncture and CBD’s compliment each other by enhancing and amplifying each other’s effectiveness.
Hemp CBD’s
While CBD’s work best with at least a trace amount of THC (which acts like a key to unlocking cannabinoid receptors), as little as 0.3% or less can often do the trick, which makes hemp CBD’s so appealing. You see, Hemp contains so little THC that it has zero psychotropic effect (it will not get you high), but just enough to help the beneficial plant compounds like CBD get to their desired receptors in the brain. This means that you can travel with Hemp products and take them without fear of suddenly getting the munchies or spending an hour examining your hand while contemplating every poor choice you’ve made in life.
How can I integrate CBD’s into my health plan?
Finding the right dosage, delivery system, strain and ratio of phytocannabinoids can be incredibly complicated, though there have been no cases of overdoses with Cannabis, too little or too much of this potent medicine can result in diminished or sub-optimal effect. Add to that the fact that the recent popularity of CBD’s has resulted in flooding of the market with some seriously inferior companies. Because hemp has been used solely for agricultural purposes for centuries, there are a number of producers who source their hemp from inferior agricultural strains which are very low in the potent phytocannabinoids necessary for medicinal purposes. Additionally, there are several producers who source their hemp from farms which use pesticides.
Fear not, I’ve got your endocannabinoid’s back!
Durango Acupuncture Clinic is proud to offer a wide array of heavily vetted, vigorously tested organic and pure Hemp based CBD products. I’ve undergone some serious research to find the most potent medicinal Hemp strains and easily assimilated delivery systems for this incredible medicine and am happy to help you find the right dosage and strength for your particular health challenge. You can simply ask for suggestions at your next appointment or schedule a CBD consultation with me online. Should you require a stronger THC ratio, I can help to steer you toward specific strains and delivery systems at local dispensaries as well.