Have we told you about CBG?

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. 

 

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

“Super Mom”

Meg Lewellyn is a mom of three and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2007. At the time of her diagnosis, she was a self proclaimed “super mom” and with kids aged 9, 7, and 5, she was extremely active – as any mom of kids that age have to be.  As the disease took hold, she came to terms with the fact that her daily 6-8 mile run was no longer an option, she was also faced with the use of a cane anytime she left the house. She continued to attempt to go to the gym, rationalizing that the pain was only temporary.  

 

Four years later, after some intermittent improvements in mobility, the pain was no longer temporary or only after exercise. Doctors prescribed a cocktail of multiple pharmaceutical solutions including, but not limited to methadone and clonazepam and she started to self medicate with alcohol.  Desperate as she found herself with few options that could be considered effective, she considered using the medical marijuana card she had obtained 4 years earlier, but never utilized.  

 

Like many others, she was apprehensive for a multitude of reasons, including the perception of her children, friends, and family; the fear of dispensary personnel not understanding her ailment, and self doubt.  She began a 6 month journey to determine if medical cannabis could make a positive impact.  After the initial few months, she made some realizations about her earlier fears.  Her kids wanted her to feel better, no matter the method; friends and family felt the same way, they wanted her to be free from the excruciating pain and supported her decisions.  Fortunately, the dispensary staff was more than helpful, they were kind and happy to help.  

 

At this point in her life and her journey with medical cannabis, she is optimistic about the results thus far and has been working with her dispensary staff to learn more about the strains available and has continued to try different versions to bring her relief.  She emphatically mentions that unlike so many of the pharmaceutical “solutions” she’d tried in the past, her only side effects from cannabis have been “smiling, laughing, and the return of her sex life.  Her side effects with the prescription medications brought her the “gifts” of dizziness, diarrhea, constipation, cramping, dry eyes, dry mouth, drowsiness, restlessness, anxiety, and decreased sex drive.  

 

This particular mom has determined that the quality of her life is worth any perceived stigma from strangers and is now living with MS, but not living as MS would prefer.  

Click the link below to learn more about the treatment of MS with cannabis.

MS & Cannabis Treatment