Monday, September 8, 2014

Does the Strain of Cannabis Matter?

One thing that you’ll learn with the consumption of medical cannabis, is that not every strain is equal. The correct strains provide the best relief for a variety of conditions.  All strains have different types of products that do go through different testing to tell you just how much CBD and THC there is within each of these, in order to improve the understanding that each strain offers, and the ways that it benefits people. There are so many strains that are out there.

Currently, there is almost an unlimited number of cannabis strains, with different characteristics 

Does the CBD and THC Matter 

If you’ve been curious about CBD and THC, you’re not alone. 

These are but two of the compounds that work with other people, to create the synergistic effect known to be the entourage effect, which allows you to differentiate from one different strain to the next. The biggest thing is the terpenes that are made, which help the doctor prescribe the strain. 



What are Terpenes though 

Terpenes are basically a part of the cannabis plant and are parts of a lot of plants. 

While most terpenes get seen in small amounts, they do have some that are a lot more prominent, offering diverse types of ways for this to work, offering therapeutic effects that also change the mood, and help out the person too. 

Sometimes, your doctor will choose strains based on the types of profiles of terpenes that are there which offer different effects. Some specialists will look into strains that combine different characteristics that treat different ailments, making it better for the person who wants to make sure that they get the most out of the terpenes that are there. 



How to choose the right terpenes 

The best thing to do, when choosing cannabis that works for you, is to talk to a doctor, to find out the ideal terpenes to try. Many of these systems actually have algorithms that you can use to figure out the right type of cannabis to use. 

Many times, the algorithm can help with the decisions on prescribing based on information collected in the evaluation that happens initially.  Sometimes, there are people who come in and talk about strains that they’ve used that contain certain amounts of both THC and CBD content, and they may use that information to recommend something that’s similar to the, based on what they’ve used before.

But the thing with cannabis is that it’s different for everyone. Some people have certain strains that are very good for them, and others have strains that do the opposite for them, and that all plays a major part in the success, or even failure, of the types of cannabis products that are there. 

You do need to talk to a specialist to discuss this, especially since they can tell you the best options, and give you a treatment plan that’s based on the types of problems that you have. they also may give you a plan for treatment that spans a few months, since a lot of times, they’ll be able to determine through all of this the best way to treat pain.



Remember though, it might not be the right choice right away. Remember too, that while you might be similar to another person, the types of cannabis to consume may also vary. If you’re still not sure whether or not medical cannabis is ideal for you, or if you have questions on this, you should talk to a doctor, and figure out the ideal types of strains to use.


Tuesday, July 8, 2014

How Cannabis can Help with Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is not fun, and while detection is the initial step, there is also treatment in the form of prescriptions, therapies, and the like. The treatments can be pretty invasive. Biopsies are usually used to confirm the presence of the cells that are there. When tumors or masses get found, they’re usually removed.

Some people who have cancer struggle with managing this. While prescriptions might be good for the mild pain that you get into, they’re not super effective. That’s partially why some people have moved towards using cannabis, as it can help with treating and managing the symptoms at hand. 



Pain with breast cancer 

Breast cancer is not fun. Many who suffer from this deal with neuropathic pain, and many times, the fatigue and discomfort that comes with these treatments can utterly ruin a person.

The safest means for a lot of people to get the treatment they need for breast cancer is a mastectomy, where the breast tissue is removed to eliminate this.  Some people get a breath prosthesis instead of an augmentation or reconstruction of the breast.

Prosthesis is a fancy word for artificial breasts that mimic the way breasts naturally are shaped. These usually are used by patients of all kinds, depending on the needs of people. 

Some women struggle with comfort even after surgery too, and it can be a bit painful for women who deal with this.



CBD oil and other topicals might help with this, and it can be something that’s good for those who deal with wounds and healing. 

Another thing that happens, is that there is hair loss, bruising and inflammation of the skin.  Some people who get treatment for this may get bruises, even from just barely touching the area. This is due to the lowered amounts of platelets within the blood.

If a patient needs to get chemotherapy, hair loss is one of the most common conditions. Medication and radiological therapies also may result in hair loss and thinning too. This can also cause loss of hair to not just the head, but other places, which can make a person feel anxious or depressed.

Cannabis can help with reducing the sadness and the depression that comes with these changes.  You can also use this to help with inflammation of the skin too, as this is common with a lot of cancer patients. As for the bruising, while it can’t help with naturally increasing the platelets, it can of course, help with reducing the pain that comes from the treatments. 

Is it Right for You? 

Right now, patients that are diagnosed with this are getting benefits from using medical cannabis, and they should discuss this with their PCCP, who is probably going to be the one determining the treatment plan. It might include cannabis in some cases.

Some states have programs that don’t specify the type of cancer, but breast cancer is considered a qualifying type of condition for those who have this.



Some may also choose to use this as a form of alternative health to manage many of the different side effects that you get not just from the cancer itself, but also the treatments. 

It’s also good for those who want to find a way for you to get an alternative to NSAIDs who are struggling to get the relief that they need.

One thing of note: don't expect this to be a cure-all for cancer. It should never be used as a replacement for this, but together with traditional therapies, it can help to manage the pain. 


Sunday, July 6, 2014

Managing Pain with Cannabis

Pain is something that’s quite broad in the diagnosis, with some of them occurring within the CNS of the body, and it involves the improper processing of pain signals. Sometimes, this is resulting from injury, but there are sometimes other causes that aren’t very known. Depending on the person that’s there, pain is something that’s localized to tiny parts of the body, or is widespread, and the pain typically is a lot more constant. The central pain can sometimes impact the routine of another person, and drastically impact the quality of life that’s there. 

Some patients who have centralized pain discuss with their doctor the types of treatments that they have. Currently, the main treatment is pain medications, but the problem is, sometimes they offer almost no relief to the pain that’s there.  Another thing that happens too, is they will grab these to treat it, resulting in more chances for addiction.



What if there was a way to relieve this without the side effects?  There is, and that’s in the form of medical cannabis. Did you know that over 60% of the users of medical cannabis take this to help relieve some sorts of pain, and the symptoms of this? This is something that’s become incredibly therapeutic and is part of the reasons why a lot of places are allowing medical cannabis to be used.

Most of the time, CBD, or both CBD and THC are good for treating pain in ways where there are problems with doing so. Another crazy thing? Is that it does decrease the need for opioids, and it lowers the chances of death, overdose, and the like. This is especially apparent compared to states that don’t have cannabis legalized.

There are many that use medical cannabis to treat chronic pain conditions, including fibromyalgia, and some might have symptom improvement because of this. 



This is mostly in the places where the pain receptors are, decreasing their levels. And the body will use this to naturally help with this. 

How to get It 

Currently, not every state offers medical cannabis for pain, but there are now more places than ever before. The best way to get this, is to discuss this with your doctor, let them know that the normal medications that are there aren’t cutting it, and ask if you can use this as alternative medicine. However, if the doctor still refuses, seek out specialists that allow this, in order to get relief from the pain that you’ve got from cannabis.

If you have a doctor that’s a little bit on the fence about this, bring in a pain journal, discuss the pain that’s there, and even journal how medical cannabis has helped you with pain. You should definitely discuss this with a doctor, to get the right needs. 

THC or CBD? 

This is a question a lot of people have, especially after they’ve gotten the consultation and they’ve gotten the diagnosis. High THC is great for relieving pain, but the downside to them, is they can be incredibly psychoactive, and aren’t the best way to relieve pain.



Hybrid products that contain both THC and CBD are some of the best for treatment in the long term, as they can reduce pain and inflammation naturally, without making you deal with the overly psychoactive aspects of this.

The cool thing about cannabis is that there are tons of ways to get the benefits that you want with this type of product. If you haven’t found the ideal type of cannabis product, continue looking, and see for yourself the benefits that it offers.


Monday, June 9, 2014

Does the Strain of Cannabis Matter?

 One thing that you’ll learn with the consumption of medical cannabis, is that not every strain is equal. The correct strains provide the best relief for a variety of conditions. 

All strains have different types of products that do go through different testing to tell you just how much CBD and THC there is within each of these, in order to improve the understanding that each strain offers, and the ways that it benefits people. There are so many strains that are out there.

Currently, there is almost an unlimited number of cannabis strains, with different characteristics 



Does the CBD and THC Matter 

If you’ve been curious about CBD and THC, you’re not alone. 

These are but two of the compounds that work with other people, to create the synergistic effect known to be the entourage effect, which allows you to differentiate from one different strain to the next. The biggest thing is the terpenes that are made, which help the doctor prescribe the strain. 

What are Terpenes though 

Terpenes are basically a part of the cannabis plant and are parts of a lot of plants. 

While most terpenes get seen in small amounts, they do have some that are a lot more prominent, offering diverse types of ways for this to work, offering therapeutic effects that also change the mood, and help out the person too. 

Sometimes, your doctor will choose strains based on the types of profiles of terpenes that are there which offer different effects. Some specialists will look into strains that combine different characteristics that treat different ailments, making it better for the person who wants to make sure that they get the most out of the terpenes that are there. 



How to choose the right terpenes 

The best thing to do, when choosing cannabis that works for you, is to talk to a doctor, to find out the ideal terpenes to try. Many of these systems actually have algorithms that you can use to figure out the right type of cannabis to use. 

Many times, the algorithm can help with the decisions on prescribing based on information collected in the evaluation that happens initially.  Sometimes, there are people who come in and talk about strains that they’ve used that contain certain amounts of both THC and CBD content, and they may use that information to recommend something that’s similar to the, based on what they’ve used before.

But the thing with cannabis is that it’s different for everyone. Some people have certain strains that are very good for them, and others have strains that do the opposite for them, and that all plays a major part in the success, or even failure, of the types of cannabis products that are there. 



You do need to talk to a specialist to discuss this, especially since they can tell you the best options, and give you a treatment plan that’s based on the types of problems that you have. they also may give you a plan for treatment that spans a few months, since a lot of times, they’ll be able to determine through all of this the best way to treat pain.

Remember though, it might not be the right choice right away. Remember too, that while you might be similar to another person, the types of cannabis to consume may also vary. If you’re still not sure whether or not medical cannabis is ideal for you, or if you have questions on this, you should talk to a doctor, and figure out the ideal types of strains to use.


Sunday, June 8, 2014

Is Mixing Cannabis and LSD Safe

Weed and LSD are two drugs that people like to mix, but the thing is, it’s something that may be dangerous for people, since it does impact the way you make decisions, and also, there is a chance that there may be a deadly overdose in the case of LSD.  LSD is also not safe for those who have psychoses, so you should be mindful of that. 

What LSD Is 

LSD is short for lysergic acid diethylamide, which is a very strong drug that comes from a fungus that’s on grains and rye.  It’s a very potent drug that’s usually known as mellow yellow, or acid.  This is one that's odorless and doesn’t have a color either.

This is a very powerful drug that’s known to cause emotions that are positive, and negative too, in some cases major paranoia depending on who you are.



It’s illegal to have or sell, but it’s been studied for a variety of benefits that are therapeutic, and in some places, they’ve started to look at how, in small amounts, you can treat psychiatric issues, and also alcoholism with this drug. 

This is consumed by the mouth in little dots, cubes, or in a liquid form. Some feel it 20 minutes after, and the effects usually start to peak around 3 hours in. This is usually pleasant for people, as they may have some good dreams, and euphoria, but bad trips do happen, which cause hallucinations and major mood swings. 

LSD also does work with the serotonin receptors, and while it’s good when regulated, too much of it actually causes serotonin syndrome, which is actually a cause of death for people. But, if it’s balanced, it can feel good. It’s not as addictive as heroin or opioids, but there is a chance for you to take too much, get addicted but it’s rare to have an overdose that’s fatal. 



Benefits and Risks 

The biggest reason people are able to combine these two is that they do feel good, and some do find that they make the effects a lot better and offer a high that’s much more potent. The combination of these drugs at lower levels is pretty safe, but it’s not really recommended due to the possibility of risks.

Some may use weed at the end of the trip that they have with LSD in order to make it a bit longer, and also, it might help them with sleeping.  You can also use this to reduce the cluster headaches when properly dosed. 

The risks of this though usually are make the side effects of marijuana a lot more potent, and they include: 

  • Dry mouth 

  • Memory loss 

  • Pupils dilated 

  • Insomnia 

  • Concentration problems 

  • Anxiety 

  • Paranoia 

  • Behavior that’s erratic 

The biggest risk that this has though, is judgment.  When you’re under the influence of both of these, bad decisions are made. If you’re paranoid for example, and you use some weed, it could put your blood pressure to higher levels, and it can make things worse. 



The biggest thing to understand is that you should always be careful if you’re going to mix any hallucinogen with cannabis, including magic mushrooms and other types.  Marijuana is good on tis own, but you also have to remember that possession of LSD is illegal all over, and it’s also a bit dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. Some people have bad trips and episodes too, even on their first go, so it’s something that you should be mindful of. In general, you shouldn’t ever mix both of these.