What the Heck is the ECS, and Why Should it Matter to You?

The Endocannabinoid System commonly shortened to ECS, was discovered some 30 odd years ago by researchers looking to understand how cannabis works in the body.

What they discovered was the Endocannabinoid System. It regulates a vast range of biological functions to maintain homeostasis, i.e.  keeping the body in balance and systems functioning effectively, such as:

  • Sleep- wake cycles
  • Pain tolerance
  • Memory & Learning
  • Motor control
  • Appetite & Digestion
  • Mood
  • Immune system
  • Metabolism
  • Inflammation
  • Stress
  • Muscle formation

There are three main parts to the ECS: endocannabinoid receptors, endogenous cannabinoids and the endocannabinoid metabolic enzymes. Because this is such a broad subject this is an overview of one part of this amazing system, the Endocannabinoid Receptors and how Cannabis interacts with them.

ENDOCANNABINOID RECEPTORS: respond to both endocannabinoids and phytocannabinoids (Cannabis)

There are two main cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2, which bind with a set of fatty acid-based molecules called endocannabinoids. These cannabinoid receptors are found in various locations in the body.

CB1 receptors are found primarily in the brain and the central nervous system (CNS). Some are found in the pituitary, adrenal and thyroid glands, fat, muscle and liver cells, and the digestive tract, lungs and kidneys.

CB2 receptors are found mostly in peripheral organs relating to the immune system, the spleen, thymus, tonsils, and gastrointestinal system. Their primary role is the regulation of inflammation, cell migration, and programmed cell death. They also have a role to play in bone mass, density and bone health.

Endocannabinoids bind to these receptors in response to an imbalance in the body. Their job is to help maintain homeostasis, which is our body’s process of maintaining a stable internal environment capable of sustaining life.

So how does Cannabis figure into the ECS? Cannabis is a phytocannabinoid (plant-based) and as such also binds to Endocannabinoid Receptors to help balance the ECS and maintain homeostasis. Both THC and CBD have this binding ability.

Think of these endocannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2 as a lock and both cannabis (THC and CBD) and the endogenous cannabinoids (present in the body) as the key. THC binds with the CB1 receptor to provide medicinal benefits related to pain, insomnia, stress and a plethora of other issues.

CBD interacts with the CB2 receptor to affect our immune system response and provides many other health benefits. And when taken with THC, can increase THC’s effectiveness (the “Entourage” effect) and ameliorate unwanted intoxicating effects.

Cannabis isn’t the “gateway drug” that it’s been stigmatized as – it’s plant medicine that can help relieve many painful and debilitating physical conditions. Cannabis education is key – so find knowledgeable people specifically trained in the use of Cannabis to help you find what works best for YOU.

In conclusion, I’m providing a quote from Dr. Dustin Sulak, a renowned expert in the use of Medical Cannabis and CBD and Founder, Healer.com:

“The ECS is perhaps the most important physiologic system involved in establishing and maintaining human health. Endocannabinoids and their receptors are found throughout the body: In the brain, organs, connective tissues, glands, and immune cells. In each tissue, the cannabinoid system performs different tasks, but the goal is always the same: homeostasis, the maintenance of a stable internal environment despite fluctuations in the external environment. Cannabinoids promote homeostasis at every level of biological life, from the subcellular, to the organism, and perhaps to the community and beyond. “ 

I’ve included a list of resources with links if you’d like more information, but be sure to check out our video on the ECS below!

© 2021 Jean-Anne Taru Fisher

Used with Permission

 

Dr. Sulak’s video: Your Endocannabinoid System Explained

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZYjJf0t2OQ

PubMed: Cannabinoid Receptors and the Endocannabinoid System: Signaling and Function in the Central Nervous System

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5877694/

Healthline: A Simple Guide to the Endocannabinoid System

https://www.healthline.com/health/endocannabinoid-system#thc

Metagenics Institute: The Endocannabinoid System: Components, Actions, and Optimization

https://www.metagenicsinstitute.com/blogs/endocannabinoid-system-components/

Natural Practitioner Magazine: The Endocannabinoid System & Phytocannabinoids

https://naturalpractitionermag.com/the-endocannabinoid-system-phytocannabinoids/

 

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How Cannabis affected Kate’s Crohn’s

Most people in the industry will tell you that they have a personal cannabis story that led them to their current role.  One such industry leader, Katie Stem, CEO of Peak Extracts in Oregon is no exception. 

Stem was diagnosed at the young age of 21 with Crohn’s disease and like other sufferers, she wanted freedom from the symptoms and day-to-day struggles.  Moving from Minnesota to Oregon in 2004, she took a job at the Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU), which is a research hospital. 

After completing the move, her visit to a gastroenterologist to discuss Crohn’s led to his recommendation to try cannabis as a treatment for the symptoms.  At the time, Oregon’s MMJ program was new and fortunately, Crohn’s was on the list of qualifying conditions, so Stem was able to obtain a patient card.  She would go on to experiment with different strains and through the process learned that different strains had a huge impact on different symptoms.  With her self-education came the notion that she wanted to find consumption methods aside from smoking, which is when she began making her own strain-specific edibles. 

“I worked at OHSU for several years doing research on MS. My work there was mostly focused on natural products and pharmacology. We were comparing normal pharmaceutical drugs and interventions compared to green tea, fish oil, or grape seed extract, and what the effect on all of those things were on inflammation and the progression of MS,” said Stem in a subsequent interview. After ending her tenure with OHSU, she went to school for Chinese herbal medicine and became certified and the master of her own practice in 2010, all the while, continuing to make infused chocolates.

Today, Stem is the CEO of Peak Extracts, which focuses on full-spectrum formulations rather than isolates.  Her work at OHSU with EGCG, a long acronym that she says is the active component in green tea, led her to the business model for Peak.  “Ultimately, it’s better for the patients, it’s a more nuanced effect and it’s different from strain to strain, because there’s a huge variety of pharmacologically active substances.  A lot of the terpenes can affect the way that reuptake or absorption occurs.  It’s a super varied myriad of compounds, based on how you extract it and how you preserve all the characteristics.” 

Today, Katie Stem has found fulfillment in her career, which Crohn’s and cannabis brought her to.  “That’s why it’s so important that people can choose, because what makes someone sleepy might make someone else really hyper. There’s something special about the chemistry of each of these strains, so I really want people to be able to choose what they are going to go through.”

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Cannabis Myths

Talking with Taru Blog & YouTube Video 

Here are some of the common myths about marijuana, many of which have been sponsored by industries that benefit from the prohibition of Marijuana (Cannabis), along with the facts.

Myth:   Marijuana is a “gateway” drug. 

Fact: Most people who use marijuana do not go on to become addicted to other drugs. Becoming dependent on Marijuana is not common. One study found that only 9% of those who try marijuana develop dependence compared to, for example, 24% of those that try heroin1.

That said, regular use may lead to tolerance and then higher doses of Cannabis are needed to achieve the same therapeutic effect. The research indicates that the physiological, behavioral, and cognitive effects of marijuana decrease over time. That’s easily solved by taking a tolerance break which will reset the endocannabinoid system that regulates this. We’ll talk about that amazing system in the next blog post.

Myth:   Marijuana kills brain cells and lowers IQ.

Fact: Numerous studies have proven Cannabis does just the opposite – it can promote the growth and development of new brain cells and boost other kinds of brain activity, for example, creative thinking. According to a program run by a Harvard Medical School Neuroscientist, the Marijuana Investigations for Neuroscientific Discovery (MIND), adults in their longitudinal study who used Cannabis for various conditions and symptoms actually performed better on cognitive tasks and had improved mood, energy, and sleep! However, brain development can be unfavorably affected if heavy cannabis use is begun during adolescence. 

Myth: Marijuana only makes you “stoned” or “high”.

Fact: Smoking or ingesting Cannabis can cause a psychoactive effect, the “high”, which most people describe as a pleasant euphoria and enhancement of the senses, and it can include less desirable features like sedation and paranoia. However, when using proper Medical Cannabis dosing, there is little chance of producing these ill effects and instead can provide extremely effective medicinal benefits.

Myth: Smoking marijuana causes cancer.

Fact: A large study by UCLA in 2006 showed heavy Cannabis users have an equal or lower rate of lung and respiratory cancers than non-users2. There was even a suggestion of some protective effects from using Cannabis.

Myth: Marijuana makes people hungry and fat.

Fact: A 2011 study of 52,000 participants in the American Journal of Epidemiology showed people who use Cannabis at least three times a week, compared with those who don’t use it at all, are one-third less likely to be obese.3

Myth: Marijuana makes people mentally unstable.

Fact: Science suggests is much more common for Cannabis to actually help mental illness such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder, and even schizophrenia, especially when used under the guidance of a healthcare professional.

Myth: Marijuana Kills!

Fact: Nope, and it’s extremely unlikely to kill you because so far, it seems that hasn’t happened. There are zero reported cases of marijuana-induced death! However, if you take too much, it can make you feel nauseous, dizzy, shaky, anxious, or even paranoid for a while. It doesn’t last but it can definitely feel unpleasant while it does. According to Dr. Dustin Sulak, to counteract these symptoms try taking some CBD as it can ameliorate the undesirable effects of too much THC. It’s also wise to increase your water intake, take deep and slow breaths, lie down and close your eyes, and maybe even take a warm shower.

Myth: Elders fear Cannabis and it provides little help for them.

Fact:  Research indicates that Elders make up the fastest-growing demographic of Medical Cannabis users.4 For example, they (and I) are opting for using Cannabis for insomnia, chronic pain, anxiety, helping reduce the effects of aging on one’s memory, and because it’s safer and more cost-effective than other commonly prescribed drugs.

So, beware of the myths and know that Cannabis taken with care and awareness can help with a myriad of health issues. My next blog post will explain the wondrous Endocannabinoid system (ECS) and how Cannabis helps it maintain the body’s homeostasis.

 

-Taru Fisher, Healer Certified Medical Cannabis Wellness Advisor & NLP Health Practitioner

 

References:

Anthony JC, Warner L, Kessler R. Comparative epidemiology
of dependence on tobacco, alcohol, controlled substances, and inhalants: basic findings from the National Comorbidity Survey. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 1994; 2: 244–68.

Hasibe, Mia, et al. “Marijuana use and the risk of lung and upper aerodigestive tract cancers; results of a population-based case-control study.” Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention 15.10 (2006): 1829-1834

Le Strat, Yann, and Bernard Le Foll. “Obesity and cannabis use: results from 2 representative national surveys.” American journal of epidemiology (2011): kwr200.

Benjamin H. Han, MD, MPH1,2,3; Joseph J. Palamar, Ph.D., MPH2,3 JAMA Intern Med. 2020;180(4):609-611. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.7517

 

© 2021 Jean-Anne Taru Fisher

Used with Permission

 

 

 

Cannabis, Often Unaffordable

In the US, as around the globe, several political battles are in progress, as well as the raging pandemic that is close to its one-year mark, and economic crises.  Here on our home soil, marijuana decriminalization and legalization are hot topics, but across the pond, the waging war between parents of children with epilepsy and the National Health Service (NHS) continues to grow. 

In Telford, England, we learned about another child who has a rare form of epilepsy known as “Landau Kleffner syndrome.” It occurs in children usually between the ages of three and nine years and is characterized by loss of language skills and silent electrical seizures during sleep. It may be associated with convulsive seizures and additional difficulties with behavior, social interaction, motor skills and learning. While not usually life-threatening, it can significantly impact negatively on quality-of-life unless it responds well to treatment. It occurs in approximately one child in a million.

Unfortunately for Sienna Richardson, aged seven, and her family, the realities of LKS are heart-wrenching, made worse by the fact that cannabis medicine has shown great results in her symptoms, but like others in the UK, the cost and legalities associated with cannabis medicine make it difficult to depend on supply.  The Richardson family was able to secure a prescription for Bedrolite, a medical cannabis oil through a private physician and her mother dubbed it a “miracle.”  Minimal progress in the UK for cannabis as medicine includes a change in the law to allow the prescription of cannabis-based medications, but some families can’t secure it on the NHS, which is government-run healthcare used by nearly all UK residents.  Sienna’s treatment was estimated at £15,000 (roughly $20k in US) and while the family was able to raise just over half of that, they secured the prescription. 

Sienna’s mother, Lucy Richardson, said they saw improvements within weeks. “Since taking it she is able to understand and speak normally,” she said. “She is living a normal life, she is still in mainstream school, playing with friends, she is doing really, really well.” 

The medication costs about £1,400 per month, which the family will have to fund themselves in the new year. They are supporting a campaign by End our Pain and Epilepsy Action for access to cannabis-based medicines for children with severe and treatment-resistant epilepsy, but the inherent issue with this type of regulatory restraints becomes more widespread.  As a parent, how can you acquire medication that clearly helps your child when you can’t afford it and risk breaking the law to obtain it?

 

 

  

An Assault Victim Finds Hope

Typically, when we hear the term “post-traumatic stress disorder” (PTSD), we automatically think about veterans, who are often the most heavily impacted by the frightening effects of PTSD.  But we know that PTSD can develop after a very stressful, frightening or distressing event, or after a prolonged traumatic experience. 

Antuanette Gomez is a PTSD sufferer and while she experiences some of the “typical” PTSD symptoms like numbness, anxiety, and a mix of physical and mental issues, as a victim of sexual assault, she was also experiencing pain during intercourse and sexual anxiety as well.   It was after listening to a doctor speak about CBD and PTSD at a Women Grow Summit, she started to truly understand the volume of people living every day in pain – not just physical, but mental.  Her next step was to begin working with Soldiers of Creation, a gender inclusive resource center in Toronto that helps survivors of assault. 

In the months after Gomez was raped, she used the center as a resource to learn about her own trauma and discovered that cannabis would become a pivotal catalyst for her own healing.  She conquered sleepless nights by learning to calm her troubled mind – she has a vaporizer  next to her bed, and finds that smoking/vaping cannabis was the fastest way for her rape-induced-PTSD anxiety at night. 

Her low libido was a result of the shame and guilt from her rape, and sex was painful.  She and her partner talked about the experience together and learned how to communicate.  Unfortunately, that didn’t eliminate the physical pain she experienced during intercourse, and once again, cannabis provided a potential solution.  Gomez tried cannabis suppositories, usually recommended for women with endometriosis and fibroids, and found they gave her back her sex drive, but also helped her reproductive system truly relax and she was elated.

Today, Gomez is the founder of Pleasure Peaks, a company specializing in Cannabis Pleasure Counselling among other services.  They help people learn how cannabis can be used for pain, but also for “pleasure management.”  Pleasure Peaks partners with Soldiers of Creation, who also call her an educator in their practice.  Pleasure Peaks sells a “Sisters Pipe” for which 50% of each sale goes back to Soldiers of Creation.  Gomez has found a way to not only get her life back, but make her negative experience one that makes her stronger AND fuels her career to help others.

To learn more about cannabis and sexual health, please visit the website below. 

(Photo courtesy of Antuanette Gomez)

Dr. Sulak on cannabis and sex

CBD for Exercise and Recovery

CBD is not just for those who are sick and suffering. Many athletes and sports enthusiasts have added CBD pre and post-workout for the benefits it can provide with recovery. 

April was honored to be included on the expert panel for an article written for Incredible Edibles. To read more about how CBD is being utilized for exercise, check out the link below. 

 

read the article here

How an MS Patient Found Success

Ardra Shephard is a Canadian and not well known in the US – but she is on her way to
increased recognition and fame as a blogger, script consultant, and speaker. What you don’t know about Ardra is that her award-winning blog Tripping on Air is an inside look at her life with multiple sclerosis (MS). MS grips its sufferers in the worst ways including nerve pain, spasticity, and insomnia – as well as seizing legs and fatigue. Conventional medicine often produces unwanted side effects and can lead to more pharmaceutical experiments in a continually failing attempt to find relief.

Ardra recently wrote about 7 things she learned in her journey to treat her MS woes with medicinal cannabis. On her list:

1. It’s important to consult a professional. Taking an approach to any treatment plan
without first talking with a medical professional is not only foolish, but can be dangerous.
Ardra recognized early on in her journey that she knew next to nothing about the
plant-based medicine and took it upon herself to do diligent research with the help of
clinicians and pharmacists to ensure she understood recommendations for her specific conditions.

2. Medical cannabis can be expensive. In the US, medical healthcare providers do not cover cannabis as medication and this can be an out of pocket expense which takes experimentation with different types, which can be spendy.

3. It’s possible to overdo it with medical cannabis. Ardra writes about how the dosage for her medication in Canada included instructions to “start slow.” Unfortunately, she unknowingly overdid it and although she slept, when a middle-of-the-night bathroom need interrupted her slumber, she realized she was extremely high and promptly fainted.

4. The effects of medical cannabis can last a long time. As a result of the psychoactive effects in THC, cannabis effects can be long lasting. With practice and journaling effects, one can determine the right type and dosage to serve as a solution to many conditions.

5. Medical cannabis is not without risk or side effects. Don’t misunderstand that finding – there are side effects that can result from cannabis use – but they don’t include addiction, or cancer like many pharmaceuticals do. The side effects from cannabis might include anxiety or paranoia, sedation, and increased appetite. The beauty of these side effects is that with careful use and documenting results as experimenting with different strains and products is that some of these can be easily avoided.

6. Medical cannabis is not a panacea. Ardra is quick to point out that cannabis didn’t cure her MS, but for her is a symptom management tool, used in conjunction with lifestyle modifications, diet, and some conventional medicine.

7. The benefits are worth it. Like many others who suffer from the impacts of MS, Ardra found that CBD and THC helps her to sleep better, decrease pain, and as such pain medication, and enjoy some of life’s simpler tasks without suffering.

view ardra's blog here

CBD for PTSD

Ask those who are passionate about legalization efforts for cannabis what their cannabis story is and you’ll hear a wide range of responses. Many of those are related to veterans, and with good reason. Veterans are the victims of PTSD, insomnia, pain, and a host of other conditions that are related to their time in service.

Ryan Kohrig is yet another veteran whose story is moving and inspiring. Retired in 2018, Kohrig suffers from PTSD after more than 20 years of service and repeated combat deployments – which left him with the daunting task of reintegrating into “normal” society. PTSD frequently leaves sufferers with the frustration of daily interactions and tasks seem insurmountable and Kohrig was startled by sudden movements and sounds. “My hearing was so amplified, any sudden noise had the potential to throw me off, even if it was coming from my neighbor’s apartment,” said Ryan in an interview in 2020.


Accompanying his PTSD came anxiety and insomnia, and like others before him, Ryan sought help from the VA. Unfortunately, again, like others before him, the VA prescribed him sleeping pills, which began a long and arduous dance with a cocktail of pharmaceuticals that would eventually lead him to his rock bottom. He supplemented his pharma with alcohol and seemingly kept himself busy by playing competitive pool, which was an activity that he could perform and feel in control. It was when he and his wife moved to St Croix to begin a completely new life that Kohrig would find his “new” life after talking with a stranger at the gym about his struggles. “We got to talking about my PTSD, anxiety, and insomnia and how I had just moved here. He mentioned something about CBD, and gave me some to try. I had never used cannabis before and was just shocked by the results. I couldn’t believe something so small could make such an impact on
me.”

Ryan’s incredulity over CBD turned into a thirst to learn everything he could and his research began in earnest. He began extensive research online into clean and safe CBD products and certifications and The Remedy was born. The Remedy opened in July of 2019 in St Croix and today Ryan and his wife are thriving as business owners, but more importantly as educators and providers of safe and clean plant-based medicine. Today Ryan takes no pharmaceuticals and has a regiment of CBD he uses to treat his conditions.

(Image courtesy of the Medical Cannabis Society)

Seizure-Free Days Thanks to Cannabis

UK resident Robin Emerson finds himself fighting the fight against healthcare organizations in order to help his daughter enjoy a better quality of life and potentially extend the length of her life simultaneously.  Like other parents with a child suffering from epilepsy, the road to medicine for daughter Jorja, has not been short or without peril.  Jorja was born with a severe form of epilepsy that caused her to suffer from over 30 seizures per day – before she had even turned one-year-old.  Six months of her life at that point had been spent hospitalized, and the worst of the seizures lasted up to 17 hours each.  

A series of moments in his daughter’s young life spanned the range of emotions from rage to terror but Emerson took his emotions and channeled them into finding relief for Jorja despite the known battles ahead, first seen in the Billy Caldwell case.  During research into similar stories, not only did Emerson read about the struggles in the UK, but also learned the story of a child in Australia that was the same age as Jorja and had the same condition, currently thriving under a treatment plan that contained medical cannabis.  

Jorja’s first prescription for medical cannabis was issued in 2018 after a neurologist at a private hospital was open to writing the script and importing the medicine from Canada.  Emerson recalls the nervous anticipation when administering the first dose and over five long weeks of experimentation with the medicine under Jorja’s tongue via syringe, her symptoms began to improve.  Two years later, Jorja is now four and her seizures have significantly decreased, with many days that are completely seizure-free, and on those days when they do occur, they last mere seconds, not hours.  

While those living in the UK still fight to have medical cannabis available, Emerson quit his job two years ago to work within the medical cannabis industry to gain access for patients like Jorja whose life has been saved and extended as a result of the medicine.  It’s stories like these that make us more determined than ever to change the lives of patients and educate them about options for medical cannabis and improve their quality of life.  

To read more about CBD oil from Project CBD, check out the link below. 

A Beginner's Guide to CBD Oil

“I’m just calm”

Brandon Sparks, of USMC, finds calm with cannabis.

Brandon Sparks, 19, saw more at his young age than many men will see in a lifetime on a dark night in 1996.  Sparks would recall 20 years later the horror of the night when two US Marine Corps helicopters collided in mid-air claiming the lives of 14 marines.

A member of the Quick Reaction force, Sparks was called to the scene with fellow teammates to recover the bodies of the fallen and in a North Carolina swamp, that’s not an easy task in any type of weather or light conditions.  That moment in time would change his life forever, as he recalls his exposure to the sheer carnage of retrieving bodies that had literally been hacked to pieces by the tail rotor of one of the aircraft.  Sparks said of that night, “I just kinda started falling apart.”  He would leave the USMC within a year and squashed his memories of that fateful night into the corners of his mind for the next 20 years, when he was finally diagnosed with PTSD – post traumatic stress disorder.  

In 2018, Sparks would apply for and receive his medical marijuana card in an effort to lower the use of five different kinds of medication to treat his insomnia, bipolar disorder, as well as anxiety, depression, and insomnia.  Smoking cannabis flower has led him to a place where he says he has been able to reduce his medications and only take pharmaceuticals for bipolar and anxiety.  

Today, Sparks says “I wake up in the morning, I have a cup of coffee and I smoke a bowl or smoke a vape and within 20 minutes I’m just calm, I’m not over processing things in my brain.  I’m not hypervigilant, I don’t have a ton of thoughts.”  A true believer in the power of the plant medicine offered by cannabis, Sparks is now a 42-year-old father to three girls in Buffalo, New York. 

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