Medical
Marijuana is a confusing concept for many.
In its infancy, in terms of understanding,
research ( virtually none except in other countries) , and delineation between
soothing symptoms of many conditions including chronic debilitating pain and
PTSD, and the probable capacity to actually change physiology and heal many
conditions ,
and prevent others ( epilepsy , cancers,
certainly the realm of ocular conditions),
there remains great confusion as to the (
bad evil ) stoner type use of marijuana ,
and the many tiny, often oral ( to protect
the respiratory system, for goodness sake), vaporized, topical etc modes of use
of VERY SPECIFIC strains.....
That
, like any herb, combine in a unique fashion with each individual 's
physiology, brain chemistry, and challenges to support problematic conditions .
Thus, many people utilizing medical
marijuana who are not in severe pain use small enough oral amounts to stabilize
physiology while avoiding being stoned .
Medical
Marijuana is used in as many ways as there are people , to address, modulate ,
and at times heal conditions.
Another initial erroneous assumption that
even trauma-specializing therapists I know don't understand, is that it's not
all cut and dried, with the CBD compounds being 'good' and the THC compounds
being 'bad. They are synergistic compounds if the same plant .
Here is a little , incomplete primer on
Medical Marijuana use for PTSD.
But remember: in the near future we are
going to observe a revolution of research , intricacy , and applications , now
that the tide is finally turning .
As I mentioned before , in the 70's I was
simultaneously trained and worked as a Drug Treatment Counselor by the DMH
about the complete evil nature of marijuana
, and by MSW's at a counseling center I volunteered at, who trained us
about the politicalization of marijuana, while teaching us the actual known
facts.
Like any object of racism , classism, or
Prohibitions, and we have had marijuana prohibition now for awhile, ever since
our political fathers began to notice the nice little white kids going to
listen to amazing jazz and blues and discovering pot.
" PTSD is characterized in adults by
fear, anxiousness, night terrors, night sweats, night crying, rapid heartbeat,
flashback, scary thoughts, guilt, depression, emotional numbness, emotional
outburst, rage, social disassociation and being easily startled.
In the research I have read, PTSD has been
linked to inflammation in the brain as well as a misfiring or under/over
production of different brain chemicals that affect one’s ability to let go of
traumatic memories.
While PTSD is generally considered an
anxiety disorder, I hypothesize that it is also closely associated with adrenal
exhaustion.
Adrenal exhaustion occurs when the “fight
or flight” response is constantly engaged.
This response is in large part controlled by the tiny little adrenal
glands that sit on top of the kidneys.
The hormones they produce are intended to
help the body manage stressful situations. When the hormones they produce are
depleted, other hormones produced in the body and brain try to support the
adrenals by doing the job adrenaline was supposed to do.
Over time if the body is unable to rest
and recharge, the adrenal glands become exhausted. And so will the other supporting hormones
from the pituitary, hypothalamus and the thyroid glands.
An imbalance in brain chemistry will
result simultaneously. That ultimately
leads to a variety of symptoms including fatigue, headaches, heart
palpitations, addiction, weight gain or loss, poor immunity, lack of quality
sleep, physical pain, depression and more.
For
more information about adrenal exhaustion visit http://. www.adrenalfatigue.org.
One of the points researchers make is that
cannabis works with our own endocannabinoid system to bring homeostatis or
balance back to the mind and body.
The endocannabiniod system (internal
system that produces compounds that mimic those in the marijuana plant) is an intricate system present throughout the
entire human body and brain that helps regulate every major physiological
function including the regulation of
pain, temperature control, memory and inflammation.
When
something goes wrong in the body our endocannabinoid system goes to work to try
to right the wrong and bring the body back into balance.
In the case of PTSD, the endocannabinoid
system which usually helps us forget or deal with painful memories, is somehow
overloaded and unable to do that.
Because the person ( or animal) is unable
to get space from their trauma, they are unable to relax and interact normally
releasing a cascade of detrimental stress chemicals in the body.
Medical cannabis helps modulate these
memories and stimuli enough that the patient can make sense of the memories,
begin to integrate them in a healthier and more emotionally sustainable way,
and relax the body enough to begin the healing process.
While
cannabis may not work for everyone with PTSD, it deserves serious consideration
........as
a piece of an integrated PTSD treatment including counseling, meditation,
exercise, diet, nutritional supplementation and cannabis.
The problems associated with PTSD are as
unique as the individuals who suffer from it.
Cannabis for PTSD treatment is not a
one-size-fits all, but no treatment is
After
researching alternative treatments one veteran discovered that cannabis was an
effective substitute to the methadone he had been prescribed for severe
post-war pain from injuries, and PTSD .
He decided to give it a try. The effects
were felt immediately as his pain levels were much better managed, he was able
to spend time with his family again, and he no longer needed the methadone that
took his quality of life.
It
is important to note that when this person
began his cannabis regimen he had many lesions on his brain.
Those lesions have steadily been shrinking
with the
continued
use of cannabis. Yet, it was (and still
is) his doctor’s responsibility to steer him in another direction
Dr. Mechoulam writes in his post on the
Veterans for Medical Marijuana page:
"So
what should all this mean to the individual? Anecdotal evidence says by and
large the use of therapeutic cannabis provides a significant improvement in
quality of life both for those suffering from this malady and for their family
and friends.
Whether
or not this is taking the fullest advantage possible of the eCB system in the
treatment of PTSD is yet to be seen.
Mostly
the use of cannabis and THC to treat PTSD in humans appears to provide
symptomological relief at best.
In
and of itself, there is nothing wrong with symptomological relief. That’s what
taking aspirin for a headache, a diuretic for high blood pressure, opiates to
control severe pain, or olanzapine for rapid-cycling mania is all about.
We
do have the potential, however, to do better than just treating symptoms of
PTSD via activation of the cannabinoid receptors.
With
the right combination of extinction/habituation therapy and the judicious
administration of a FAAH inhibitor like KDS-4103 we have the potential to
actually cure many cases of PTSD.
For
the time being though, symptomological treatments are all we have for more
generalized anxiety and depression disorders."
http://mychronicrelief.com/cannabis-ptsd-treatment/
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