That’s where the use of a cannabis nurse comes in — a registered nurse whose responsibility is to guide patients through their decisions on how to go about consuming cannabis for medical use.”
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:
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/
Recently, April was interviewed by writer Joshua Eferighe for an article in Ozy magazine. He wanted to hear first-hand why April thought CBG is the next big thing.
As a nurse who has spoken to hundreds of patients about the medical use of cannabis, she was happy to share her own experience and the experience of her patients.
April says, “CBG is a non-intoxicating cannabinoid that patients often immediately feel. It has a wide range of benefits and it is often the cannabinoid most patients add to their treatment plan when they haven’t seen the success they are looking for with CBD.”
To read the article published in Ozy, check out the link below.
Recently while teaching “Cannabis 101” to a group of women primarily between 30 and 70 years-old the subject of sexual health came up. It was the topic everyone had the most questions about as approximately half of women suffer sexual dysfunction in some way at some point in their lives. Decreased desire, inability to orgasm, painful sex are very common. I didn’t have time to share my story with the group, but I wanted to share it here.
I am in a healthy relationship with someone I am very sexually attracted to and sex never disappoints. However, we have two kids at home and two dogs that sleep in our bed. Our lives are very busy and we are often exhausted by the time our children have gone to sleep.
Our joke is that we “need to preheat the oven,” now this can mean a variety of different things, but most often, preheating the oven is just turning down our worries and stressors. Sometimes when the house is quiet for the first time in the evening it is the first time I can think. Think about that email, my to-do list for the next day, what we need from the grocery store, and when I am doing this the oven is ice cold. My desire to get something accomplished strongly outweighs my desire for sex.
When I received my medical cannabis card it was for migraines, nothing directly related to sexual dysfunction, I quickly noticed that a small dose of THC and CBD in the evening helped me relax and get my mind off that damn to-do list. It’s like I could instantly feel my shoulders relax for the first time all day. I wanted to experience something enjoyable, not just reply to emails or get caught up on the day’s news. I can’t say that cannabis has drastically improved my sexual health, but it has improved my ability to relax and has increased my desire.
Cannabis has been shown to improve the sexual function of both men and women and I review the research in the article below. Love, touch, and sex are important parts of who we are as humans and are clearly important to the group of women mentioned above. There aren’t a lot of options to help improve sexual function, but cannabis is one that is showing a lot of promise.
Our blog this week is a bit different, instead of sharing another patient success we wanted to share an all too common patient frustration.
Meet Sue, Sue is in her 60’s and has suffered with fibromyalgia for the last ten years. She reports her condition has not ever really improved with the medications she has been prescribed, only that she didn’t like the side effects of the anti-depressants and opiates. She said she would rather deal with the pain than the anxiety and drowsiness she felt were caused by the medications. The physicians didn’t have any more to give her so she turned to an online fibromyalgia support group. In this group, she learned about dietary changes that were helping others and she learned about medical cannabis. Living in a legal state she decided to get her card and give it a try.
On her first trip to the dispensary she purchased a vape pen, popular among the support group, and pre-rolls that the budtender said were a good deal. The budtender told her about the strain that was in the pre-roll and it sounded like a great fit for her pain.
Excited to give it a go she decided first to try the pre-roll. Not ever smoking anything in her life, she took one inhalation and was done after that. “The taste was awful” is what she reported to us. Next, she tried the vape pen, and unsure of how to use it, she took a long inhalation and held it in. A few seconds later she had a coughing fit so bad it made her vomit.
After spending $100 on her physician certification, her state fees, and what she felt like was a wasted $60 on her first trip to the dispensary she reluctantly decided to go back to see if she could find something else. She shared her financial concerns with the dispensary staff and wanting to help her get the most for her money, they recommended RSO. That evening she followed the directions on the label and two days later she was finally able to get out of bed. Not the effect she was looking for.
I think we can all agree that Sue did not have a good first experience with cannabis. Thankfully, she came to us and we were able to provide her with the individualized education she needed. She is now using an oil twice a day that helps with the pain and doesn’t cause any fatigue or drowsiness.
“Thank God I found you!” are words we frequently hear, but not frequently enough. Sue’s story is just one of many we’ve heard and we’re hoping with the education we provide for patients and dispensaries we can prevent patients from experiencing what Sue did.
To learn more about medical cannabis, please schedule a free 15-minute consultation here.
Why do we see an increase in sexual activity once states implement cannabis laws?
Could be an increase in desire, a better functioning endocannabinoid system, less pain, less stress? Looks to be a combination of all of the above.
Check out this article written by our nurse April Hatch MSN, RN for Greenway Magazine.
Many children and grandchildren play an important role in the care of their elders. Seniors often have a long list of chronic conditions and an even longer list of medications and cannabis could provide the relief they are looking for.
Check out this Evolution Magazine article on how cannabis may help seniors written by our very own, April Hatch MSN, RN. The article starts on page 22.
We receive countless calls from patients who want to stop taking their opiate medications and replace them with cannabis. In this Evolution article (on page 22) April Hatch MSN, RN discusses 9 critical steps for success.