Article by Elisabeth Mack, RN, MBA, Holistic Caring.
The challenges to managing serious illness, cancer, chronic pain, neurological disorders, anxiety, depression, and insomnia are many. Clinicians need every available tool to guide patients toward healing. An integrated approach needs creativity, intuition, and science to blend.
The promise of CBD & THC therapeutics is vast for both acute and chronic issues in patient care. But few health care providers have felt empowered or educated on how to use cannabis as medicine. This has created a large gap, and many people who could benefit from medical cannabis do not.
There are many groups that have experienced great benefits from medical cannabis, including children with epilepsy and autistic disorders, seniors battling chronic pain but wishing to minimize or avoid opiates and benzodiazepines, and patients of all ages with cancer and neurologic disorders, to name just a few.
Cannabis-derived medicines have been created that are safe and easy to use–tinctures and extracts, concentrates, topicals and transdermals, capsules and suppositories, micro-dosed edibles, and vaporization.
Adding cannabis medicine to the toolkit can be highly valuable, though it can also be overwhelming to try to figure out which products are safe and would be most effective for a given condition. For this reason, it is important to have a knowledgeable expert to guide you.
There are more and more services dedicated to doing that, and it is critical for people with serious illnesses to avail themselves of these resources to receive the maximal benefit from these products and avoid unpleasant side-effects. One such resource, in San Diego, is Holistic Caring. This company has nurses with extensive knowledge and experience with medical cannabis products who meet with patients and family members to help them assess, plan, and implement cannabis as an option. They also provide ongoing evaluation to monitor effectiveness and modify as needed.
Cannabinoids are neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory in a gentle manner that is natural to the body. The Endocannabinoid system was discovered in 1992 and is a system that helps keep us in balance. We have more CB1 & CB2 receptors in our body than any other, aiding homeostasis at the cellular level. General inflammation is reduced, leading to the kind of relief that everyone welcomes.
Results with medical cannabis can be dramatic and rapid, or can be slow and steady.
Some experimentation may be needed to find just the right products for each individual, but most people do find a way to take advantage of the benefits while minimizing undesirable side effects.
Results will depend on how quickly the endocannabinoid balance is restored. Sometimes CBD is sufficient, but small amounts of THC enhance the effect as components of the whole plant work synergistically. There is an art to dosing for effect while avoiding ill effect.
The goal for most people is to “heal without the high.”
Small doses of high CBD, low THC ratios, timed with activity levels, can work well to ease pain, increase energy, promote sleep, lower anxiety, spark appetite, and improve mood. Cannabis may also strengthen the connection between us, breaking patterns of previous thinking and allowing us to feel deeper bonds with people, nature, and the nurturing we need.
We’ll educate you on the options available to you, the questions you should ask before purchasing cannabis supplements, and how to time your medicines with other RX for safety. Learn about adding cannabis to your treatment plan so that you feel empowered and ready for your next step.
Integrated MD Care offers a variety of integrative health-care services, like acupuncture, to help make people with serious or terminal illnesses more comfortable. If you’d like to learn about how we can assist you, please contact us to schedule a free telephone consultation, click here.
Elisabeth Mack can be reached at HolisticCaring.com