- Vaporization
- Smoking
- Edibles
- Tinctures
- Capsules
- Topicals
There has been an ongoing battle as to whether cannabis can relieve and/or treat symptoms of anxiety. Many medical experts say, it can do both.
As more information emerges about how marijuana can treat and relieve some of the symptoms of anxiety, it’s important to recognize and educate on the effects of cannabis on anxiety disorders.
Whether cannabis can harm or help anxiety comes down to understanding the different cannabinoids in marijuana, particularly THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol) and how they affect someone with anxiety disorder differently. When these are properly distinguished, it’s easier to see that cannabis can provide great benefit to someone coping with anxiety and related disorders.
Most medical marijuana doctors along with cannabis educators would agree that cannabis can potentially cause more harming than helping someone with anxiety-related disorders if not used in an educated way. If you or someone you know lives with anxiety, and use marijuana, it’s important to know the role of THC and how a certain plant strain can potentially increase anxiety.
High-THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) strains produce a greater psychoactive effect, which may not be a productive state of mind for people with high anxiety, as it can often incite feelings of anxiousness or intense questioning or ones self. While others who use high-THC strains report positive and uplifting feelings, people with anxiety disorders or other personality or mental health-related disorders could potentially react negatively.
Earlier this year, the popular publication VICE reported on how some people just can’t seem to handle marijuana. The story follows Chelsey Wind a 6-year medical marijuana user who has been using medical marijuana for pain management (hyperlink to landing page). Wind, who finds the medical marijuana beneficial for pain, finds that high-THC strains have an adverse effect on her anxiety.
People who also want to use marijuana and have anxiety may also find negative effects from Sativa-dominant strains. Like others, many with high anxiety find that they benefit more from the “body high” and relief feelings brought on by using certain strains.
If you want to achieve the maximum effect when it comes to exploring cannabis for anxiety, understand that dosing is everything. The cannabis community is being turned on to the idea of micro-dosing cannabis to maximize the effectiveness of the plant. Micro-dosing takes the “less is more” approach to cannabis use which many don’t recognize is one of the keys to the effectiveness of medical marijuana. Micro-dosing involves taking periodic, tiny doses of marijuana into your body over an extended period of time. This approach allows your body to release the cannabis into your body over a slow period of time. People micro-dose by taking smaller “pulls” of their vaporizer pens or taking smaller doses of cannabis oil through tinctures, drops or edibles more frequently throughout the day. Micro-dosing is an interesting way to approach using THC strains if THC is deemed beneficial for another medical condition for which you’re using medical marijuana, but you do not want to experience the psychoactive effects of THC.
If you have anxiety and a looking to get a medical marijuana card in Florida, please contact the All Natural MD Florida team of professionals today. We are licensed and certified medical marijuana doctors in Florida who can help you get you marijuana card hassle-free. We have locations in Lakeland, Sarasota, Bradenton, Orlando, Tampa, Brandon and others with our newest location in Fort Myers. The Fort Myers marijuana cards location is located at:
All Natural MD – Fort Myers
Cannabis is effective form for treating many symptoms that patients with neurodegenerative disorders endure, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, it is unknown whether cannabis will alter the course of ALS and there are no studies at this time that would suggest a neuroprotective effect of cannabinoids with ALS. ALS is not a disease, but a highly variable syndrome that encompasses different genetically distinct disorders. Some 80 to 85 percent of ALS cases are not inherited. The diseases grouped together as ALS have in common a progressive loss of muscle strength that begins with twitching and spasms, and often leads to death from respiratory failure and weight loss.
ALS is a degenerative neurological disorder that causes muscle weakness, wasting, and paralysis of the limbs, as well as those that control vital functions such as speech, swallowing, and breathing. It is often the deterioration of these crucial muscles that leads to respiratory failure; even with breathing aids or a tracheotomy, the risk of respiratory failure persists. The average life expectancy of a person with ALS is 1 to 10 years. Nerve damage in ALS is caused by two significant factors: oxidative stress and excitotoxicity. Cannabis shows promise as an aid in managing some of the nerve damage, as it has been shown to generally address both factors, though specific studies on ALS and cannabis have yet to be done. Cannabis is a known antioxidant and helps to decrease the nerve tissue damage that free radicals can cause. CBD and THC both decrease the release of glutamate, thus sparing the neurons from excitotoxicity and cell death. There are many other medical benefits from using medical marijuana.
At present, there is an absence of clinical trials investigating the use of cannabinoids as a disease-modifying therapy for ALS. However, preclinical models indicate that cannabinoids may hold the potential to delay ALS progression, lending support to anecdotal reports by patients that cannabinoids may be efficacious in moderating the disease’s development and in alleviating certain ALS-related symptoms such as pain, appetite loss, spasticity, depression and drooling. Presently, there is no cure for ALS. The management of the condition focuses on treating symptoms and providing supportive care. The ultimate goal in the management of ALS is improving quality of life and prolonging survival.
ALS is a qualifying condition for medical marijuana in Florida and patients that suffer from this diagnosis can come to All Natural MD in Florida for a consultation to obtain their Florida marijuana card. At All Natural MD in Florida we make it as easy to secure your medical marijuana card in Florida.
The following information is for educational purposes only. All Natural MD in Florida provides this information strictly as an understanding of the potential health benefits of medical marijuana. Patients living with one of the approved Florida Medical Marijuana Registry Program State approved qualifying conditions. If you or someone you know lives in Lakeland Florida or any other area of Florida and is suffering from a debilitating medical condition, please contact All Natural MD Florida to find a location nearest to you to learn more or get started or you medical marijuana card in Florida today.
Lakeland Marijuana Doctors & ID Cards
1102 Florida Ave S Suite 102,
Lakeland, FL 33803
Call (800) 250-6737
All Natural Medical Solutions – Now All Natural MD advances medical marijuana doctor recommendations to qualified patients in Lakeland and throughout the State of Florida. Contact All Natural MD in Florida today.