There are a tremendous amount of beneficial effects of cannabis use for both acute pain and chronic pain for people dealing with any ailment. Studies have found that breast cancer patients receive significant benefits using medical cannabis in either the treatment of the cancer itself or to deal with a lot of the side effects that come with either chemotherapy or radiation. Unfortunately, to date, there still is limited research that directly studies the effects of various cannabis ratios. Hopefully that will be changing soon.
Is cannabis better for acute or chronic pain?
Although acute pain and chronic pain are quite different, they are certainly related. If we are able to treat acute pain effectively and deal with the underlying cause, then we can prevent acute pain from becoming chronic pain. This is significant when we consider things like opioid addiction and other problems that come with prolonged pain medication. With effective use of cannabis products, these problems can be stopped before they even get started.
How does cannabis work in our body?
We have an endocannabinoid system in our body. We have receptors all the way from our from our brain down to our muscles in our toes. These receptors are responsible for things such as immune, immune function, digestion, memory, memory, inflammation and pain control. The endocannabinoid system works by having different endocannabinoids to cannabinoid receptors, and the different enzymes that trigger them.
Cannabinoids are the active compounds that are found in cannabis that directly interact with the cannabinoid receptors that are found throughout the body. The main ones that we hear about are THC, THCA, and CBD.
What do the different cannabinoids do?
THC is the main active ingredient that produces the psychoactive effect – that high feeling that people can experience. CBD is widely available, even in many stores that are not dispensaries. CBD does not contain any of the active ingredients that give you the psychoactive effects so it will not get you high. CBD shows beneficial effects in terms of inflammation. So CBD might be something you can consider if you’re worried about the psychoactive effects of THC or getting high.
Terpenes are directly responsible for some of the different feelings associated with taking THC, THCA, or CBD. THC and CBD are just the cannabinoids, but the effect of feeling either elated or more docile can really come from the terpenes that are in each plant. So if you’re using the raw material plant, it becomes very important when you’re selecting strains.
Can terpenes be extracted?
When we’re talking about extraction, where you can pull the specific cannabinoids out of the plant. It is possible to actually create a specific ratio of cannabinoids and terpenes to cater towards a specific effect like appetite suppression, appetite stimulation, pain reduction, migraines, etc.
The entourage effect is something that you may or may not have heard about. Basically, the entourage effect is combining CBD or combining THC together with other cannabinoids. So if you’re taking CBD, just CBD, there will be a benefit. If you’re taking THC, just THC, there is a benefit. But there have been studies showing that the effect of combining these two things together has much better results. It has something to do with the membrane of the cell wall and having better absorption of the different cannabinoids.
Can cannabis replace other forms of pain management?
As an alternative to other more common pain management techniques, cannabis is incredibly helpful. Drug poisonings are increasingly common, devastating our local communities. Providing an alternative to addictive opioids is very important. Cannabis, which is not physically addictive, and has had no fatalities, is a valid pain treatment that can be used instead. It is a much more mild medication than opioids.
Can I use cannabis for pain management and go to work?
A lot of people are reluctant to use medical cannabis or CBD because it might interfere with their ability to work and go about their normal days. The best way to deal with this concern is to start low and go slow. Start with as low dose as possible and increase it slowly over time. For people who are just taking CBD, the effects of taking it are usually not felt until 10 or even 14 days after taking a consistent dose. If you’re starting with CBD, you can start as low as 10 milligrams and try to work up from there.
If you’re ingesting THC, it is going to have an incredibly different effect than if you’re inhaling it. So that’s another situation to be mindful of. If you’re vaporizing or smoking the flower, you’re going to have an almost immediate effect. If you’re taking a pill or a tincture and swallowing it. It’s could take two to three hours depending on when your last meal was. A very common mistake is somebody eats a little bit of THC, doesn’t feel anything and then eats more. That’s usually when the first dose starts to kick in. Then they’ve taken a very high dose, and probably won’t have a very good time. The good thing is you’re not going to harm yourself if you overdo it. If you take 100 milligrams and not 10, you’re not going to die.
