Can Medical Marijuana Help Pain Associated With Fibromyalgia you ask? Yes it can says many experts in the field of medical cannabis. Fibromyalgia is oftentimes referred to as “Chronic Pain All Over The Body” because many of the symptoms are not apparent from the outside. Fibromyalgia is classified as a rheumatic disease much like arthritis because it affects the soft fibrous tissue of the larger muscle groups of the body.   However, fibromyalgia is not the same as arthritis as it does not affect the body’s joints. Instead, fibromyalgia attacks the body’s pain centers and causes stiffness, insomnia, fatigue, migraines, and problems with concentration and memory. Fibromyalgia also affects the face and jaw area and has been known to also cause digestive problems.   This condition is so difficult to diagnose because there are no outward physical symptoms that present themselves with fibromyalgia. In fact, my physicians believed the condition to be psychosomatic. However, that opinion has changed because of better testing and more technologically advanced diagnosing techniques. Unfortunately, the real difficulty with fibromyalgia is that this condition can strike at any time leaving individuals in various stages of pain.   Still, the cause of fibromyalgia is unknown. However, many physicians that are knowledgeable in the field of rheumatology have begun to develop several scenarios including “central sensitization.” Essentially, people living with fibromyalgia have a lower threshold for pain because of hyper-reactive pain sensitive nerve cells in the spinal cord or brain. Many studies and tests have been performed that suggest the pain in fibromyalgia results primarily from pain-processing pathways functioning abnormally. In other words, the pain results as the volume of the neurons being set too high and this hyper-excitability of major pain pathways results in the affected individual experiencing pain. Mood, sleep, and fatigue are also problems with fibromyalgia because there are instances where neurochemical abnormalities occur.  One positive development has been that cannabis helps fibromyalgia sufferers.   Patients living in Florida with a documented fibromyalgia diagnosis will benefit greatly by receiving a state approved Florida marijuana card. Fibromyalgia is closely related to the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS functions to maintain balance throughout our body. When a body is out of balance, individuals may suffer from a group of issues including problems with sleep, mood, muscle spasticity and a whole array of other ailments. Individuals suffering from fibromyalgia often reflect those that have an ECS that is out of balance. The best way to describe marijuana’s effect on the ECS is that it works to fix the imbalances that have been creating the negative symptoms in our bodies. When a cannabis regimen is introduced to help treat fibromyalgia, the cannabinoids supplement the ECS and helps relieve the symptoms of fibromyalgia. The National Pain Foundation, in 2014, surveyed over 1,300 patients and found about 30% of whom had used marijuana previously felt the effectiveness of medical cannabis for reducing pain resulting from fibromyalgia was comparable to Gabapentin, Cymbalta, and Lyrica just to name a few FDA approved drugs prescribed for this condition.   All Natural MD is a marijuana clinic in Florida using medical marijuana to alleviate symptoms of fibromyalgia. After a quick 20 minute consultation with one of our licensed physicians, our patients leave our clinic with their Florida  marijuana card and can then purchase medicinal cannabis at one of the local area dispensaries. All Natural MD is committed to offering our patients the best possible care and to help them along their journey seeking a pain-free life. The first steps in obtaining a Florida medical marijuana card is to call or to book an appointment online. From there, one of our patient support specialists will help prepare you for your medical cannabis consultation with one of our certified physicians.   The following information is presented for educational and informational purposes only. All Natural MD Florida provides this information to provide an understanding of the potential health benefits of medical marijuana for patients living with one of the approved Florida Medical Marijuana Registry Program qualifying medical conditions.   All Natural MD has medical marijuana doctors on hand to issue you a Florida marijuana card approval in a few easy steps. All Natural MD Florida has locations all over the State including Lakeland, Sarasota, Bradenton, Tampa and Orlando to assist you with all your medical marijuana card needs. The only wait you’ll encounter is 7 business days for the medical marijuana registry office to issue you a temporary medical marijuana card which will come directly to your email. Contact All Natural MD Florida today (800) 250-6737 for more information or to learn more about getting your medical marijuana in Florida.  

Edibles are a growing and very popular way to get the medicinal benefits of marijuana without smoking or vaping it.  They are also suitable for people that love a slow, intense, and long-lasting experience. MMJ butter is a great option for most as it makes infusing marijuana into food (and some drinks) easier. Such control is vital for medical marijuana patients, especially those experiencing diminished appetites or food aversions.

 

Consuming marijuana butter is also a great way to avoid the risks associated with the inhalation of marijuana. MMJ butter is also a more approachable and inconspicuous way to consume marijuana. Even more good news is that you don’t need to be a skilled chef to understand and use weed recipe. You just have to be patient, informed and organized.

 

Step 1 – Ingredients and Tools

The potency of this recipe depends on the concentration of the particular strain of marijuana your to use. This makes it hard to get exact potency ratios but even a weaker strain will do the trick. If you need a stronger dose, you can research various leaf strains to ensure you get something stronger.  All the ingredients, tools, and equipment that you’ll use for this recipe are readily available at home.

 

You’ll need the following:

• ½ ounce of weed
• Scissors or a hand grinder
• Sheet pan or glass baking dish
• Oven
• Butter, margarine or vegetable oil
• One and a half cup of water
• Wooden spoon
• Saucepan
• Knife or Spatula
• Wooden spoon
• Metal strainer or cheesecloth
• Glass jar or vial
• Thermometer (optional)
• Funnel

 

Step 2 – Decarboxylate The Bud

First, you’ll need to activate the CBD, THC and, cannabinoids in your bud leaf stock. This process is also known as Decarboxylation. You do so by baking the marijuana in an oven until it’s dehydrated. This process ensures the perfect infusion of marijuana from the leaf into the lipids in the stabilizing oil (butter). You also have the option of using other plant-based oils and fats if butter is unavailable. Such oils include olive oil, margarine, and coconut oil. It’s a matter of taste and preference.

 

• Preheat your oven to 220 degrees (Fahrenheit)
• Break the buds up to a consistent texture
• Spread it out evenly across the pan
• Cook 20 to 45 minutes
• Mix and Stir every 10 minutes

Step 3 – Combine Ingredients and Boil

Now, add some butter and water into the saucepan, ensure the heat is low as you don’t want to overheat or burn an part of the edible making process. Once the butter melts, add your Decarboxylated cannabis. Keep stirring the mix gently with a wooden spoon and cover it with a lid. Allow the mix to simmer gently for 4 hours. Check on it every half-hour so it doesn’t burn or cling onto the saucepan. If you have a thermometer handy, check to ensure the temperature stays between 120 and 180 degrees (Fahrenheit). Such a temperature range is ideal in preventing the mix from coming to a full boil.

 

Step 4 – Straining Process

Once the mixture is ready, it’s time to sieve out the cannabis. You can use a metal strainer to filter out the larger chunks. To eliminate fine sediments, fold a cheesecloth into the funnel. Secure the funnel on top of a glass jar or your storage container of choice. Once the butter cools off, pour it through the funnel. Allow this mix to strain freely until all the butter is sieved. This may take up to 12 hours, so ensure you set up in a place where the operation won’t be disrupted. Please avoid the temptation of rushing the process by forcing the butter through the cheesecloth. This will always result in an awful tasting butter.

 

Step 5 – Colling Process

Once the butter has been sieved, it’s ready for use or refrigeration. Remove the cheesecloth. Cover the butter and place it in the refrigerator so it can harden. After an hour in the fridge, the water content will be separated from the butter. Use a knife, spatula or whatever tool is on hand to scrape the water from the butter.  Place the butter in your desired container and discard the water. MMJ butter made using this method has a shelf life of up to 6 months. However, you need to keep it in the fridge to ensure it stays fresh. Whenever you want to use some let it sit in room temperate so it can soften a little.

 

Dosage Recommendations

Finding the right dose for your butter can be very difficult. Using too much often leads to disastrous effects; this simple trick will help you with such situations. This marijuana butter recipe contains 14 grams of marijuana. Theoretically, this translates to 14 grams of marijuana depending on the input quality stain. Therefore, you can divide the MMJ butter into 14 equal parts. This gives you 14 manageable 1-gram doses. If you’re a beginner, consider using half of such an amount or less. The rule of thumb is to start slow and gradually increase usage as you gauge the desired health benefits. Marijuana edibles also take some time to kick in so the on set of action is 1-2 hours before re administering.

 

If you need more information on making marijuana butter for edibles, please contact the All Natural MD Florida medical marijuana team of professionals for more details.

 

All Natural MD has many locations for medical marijuana doctor cards in Florida including Lakeland, Orlando, Sarasota and Bradenton just to name a few. Call (800) 250-6737.

Generally speaking, they top ways to administer medical marijuana for Florida residents:

1. Inhalation
2. Edibles
3. Tincture
4. Topical

 

Inhalation (vaping and smoking)

Vaping or smoking your marijuana is a consumption method that involves inhaling marijuana directly into your lungs. From there, the THC and CBD can quickly enter the bloodstream. Consuming marijuana by inhalation provides the quickest onset of action, but its effects last the shortest amount of time.

 

Dosing by inhalation is fairly accurate. You can measure the amount put into your joint or vaporizer. However, there is a wide range of medicine available once the THC or CBD has passed the lungs. There are variables such as depth of inhale, amount of time breath is held, cleanliness of vaporizer or relative dryness of the flower. While a specific dose is difficult to measure, the person who inhales their marijuana can alter their intake based on how their symptoms responded to previous inhalations. This is easier to do with inhalation because the effects are much more immediate.

 

If your condition needs immediate relief, then inhalation might be right for you such as Migraines, Anxiety, Depression, PTSD, ADHD, ADD and severe Chronic Pain are conditions that might be best treated by inhalation. As of today, there are no other methods to get quicker relief.

 

Vaping is the act of inhaling and exhaling the aerosol produced by heating a substance. Instead of burning marijuana (which occurs in smoking), the vaping device heats the material (can be liquid/oil or wax extracts, or dried flower/herb) into a vapor, which then condenses into an aerosol (a fine spray of particles) that you inhale.

 

Inhaling marijuana involves one of three methods:

1. Smoking
2. Vaporizing dried marijuana (traditional vaping)
3. Vaporizing oils (vape pens)

 

Smoking marijuana involves burning the dried flower and inhaling the smoke. The most common image that comes to mind when consuming marijuana is smoking. Various methods of smoking include joint, bong or pipe. About All Natural MD Florida, we recommend all routes of administration as it pertains to your medical marijuana doctors recommendation.

 

Edibles/Oral Administration

Eating your medicine or oral administration results in a very slow onset of action. Ingesting your marijuana can be done in 2 different ways. The first method involves taking gummies or capsules filled with THC oil. The second method will have you consuming food or drink infused with marijuana. These are referred to as edibles.

 

For gummies or capsule ingestion, this is a straightforward process. Take the gummies and swallow. The limiting factor is that there are only specific doses available. For example, a gummies may contain 10mg of THC or 5 mg CBD. You cannot open the gummies up and accurately take a half dose. This method does hide the taste of THC oil from your taste buds as the taste can be a deterrent for some people.

 

For edibles, you can purchase food or drink infused with marijuana, or make the product yourself. Common foods infused with marijuana are chocolates, gummy bears or brownies. People will also add marijuana oil to their tea or other drinks. Whether gummies or edibles, ingesting marijuana brings THC or CBD to the stomach. Once in the stomach, it is moved to the liver for processing. The amount and type of food in your stomach also affect the rate and amount of absorption. Once processed at the liver, the cannabinoids are ready to enter the bloodstream to produce therapeutic effects.

 

When consuming edibles, the onset of action is usually 2 hours and the effects can last 6-8 hours, sometimes even longer for some people. Edibles are an effective way to provide a dose of medicine spread out over a long period of time. A condition of chronic pain which is present all or nearly all the time may respond well to a long acting dose of edible THC or CBD. Ingesting your CBD can be a tasty way to consume medicine, but the amount of medication available after the liver completes its process is greatly reduced. Some literature suggests from 5-20% of the initial dose. For THC edibles, the liver converts the THC to a more potent form that has the potential to create more significant effects. The THC effects may not be felt for 2-3 hours, so do not take a second dose because you feel nothing. Contact the Marijuana Doctors at All Natural MD Florida today to learn more about getting your medical marijuana card certification. All Natural MD Florida. Call (800) 250-6737. We have locations to better serve you for your medical marijuana doctor recommendation in Lakeland, Orlando, Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, Brandon and Tampa.