Types of Depression
There are different types of depressive disorders, and while there are many similarities among them, each depressive disorder has its own unique set of symptoms. The most commonly diagnosed form of depression is Major Depressive Disorder. In 2017, around 17.3 million aged 18 years or older in the U.S. had experienced at least one major depressive episode in the last year, which represented 6.7 percent of all American adults. Depression is the leading cause of disability in the United States among people ages 15-44. View Data Here.
Speak to a healthcare professional before attempting to experiment with cannabis. As you will learn, using the wrong dosage or the wrong strain can worsen symptoms of depression which is why the advice of an expert medical cannabis physician is important.
At this moment in time there are very few human studies that focus on cannabis and depression. That being said, there is a significant amount of research on the role of the endocannabinoid system plays in regulating ones mood and treating depression symptoms.
What exactly is the endocannabinoid system?
In the human body, the endocannabinoid system is a system that helps cells maintain homeostasis. Homeostasis refers to each cell being in the right place, doing its job and doing its job well.
Researchers in other countries found that the endocannabinoid system helps regulate mood and symptoms of depression and other conditions such as Anxiety, PTSD, Bi Polar and ADHD. Receptors in the endocannabinoid system interact with cannabinoids like tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). With a measured approach to dosage, THC and CBD can be used to regulate and balance the endocannabinoid system and improve mood function. Be careful when treating depression with marijuana as per a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience found that high THC doses could actually reduce serotonin and potentially worsen symptoms of depression.
Animal Studies?
While there are few human studies that focus on depression and CBD, there are numerous animal studies that show CBD as a promising treatment for depression. Another study published focused on the effect of CBD on mice. Researchers also tested the effects of CBD and mice who were forced to participate in a variety of tests.
In a study published in the Journal of Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology Biological Psychiatry scientifically ties CBD with improved serotonin levels in the brain. What does this mean you ask? CBD may have an anti-depressant type effects on individuals experiencing depression.
Researchers also found and have agreed that CBD/THC produces fast acting antidepressant like effects to help with mood and major depression disorders ( Amygdala core nuclei). Contact All Natural MD Florida today to get started on your medical marijuana card. All Natural MD Florida locations are all over the State of Florida to assist you with securing your cannabis card and physician recommendation quickly ands easily. We have offices for medical marijuana card approvals in Lakeland, Orlando, Sarasota, Bradenton, Lake Mary, Tampa and Brandon.
Cannabis which is also known as marijuana, weed, pot, herb, etc…is a plant that comes from and are believed to have evolved on the steppes of Central Asia, specifically in the regions that are now Mongolia and southern Siberia, according to Warf. The history of cannabis use goes back as far as 12,000 years.
Humans have been using cannabis for thousands of years primarily for fiber, (popularly known as hemp), seed oil, medical purposes and for recreation. It is predominantly smoked, vaped, absorbed under the tongue or swallowed. It can also be applied directly to the skin.
The history of cannabis use has been marked by restriction, especially since the beginning of the 20th century. Many countries continue to have strict rules on possession, use or sale of marijuana, thus rendering it illegal in those places. In other places, herb is readily available, with several countries and states having legalized cannabis for recreational or medical purposes.
In 2018, a country legalized cannabis at the federal level, ushering in a new era for users. This article will cover all you need to know about cannabis, from the different types of plants, to cannabis plant anatomy, to modern uses for the cannabis plant.
What is Cannabis?
Cannabis is a term that broadly refers to a genus of flowering plants. To define cannabis as a drug used for recreational and medical purposes, while true, fails to tell the whole story. In fact, cannabis has been used as a significant material in textiles and as food throughout history in the form of hemp. Hemp, however, is very low in both THC and CBD, the two major molecules of therapeutic and recreational interest. So for the purpose of this article we will be referring primarily to cannabis that is cultivated for medicinal and recreational purposes as opposed to fiber and food.
So how is medicinal and recreational cannabis different from hemp? When people ask “what is cannabis?”, they are really asking about a medicine or a recreational drug with a wide range of psychoactive and physiologic effects. The part of the plant we are generally talking about is the clusters of flowers cannabis plants produce, a mass often referred to as the cola.
Flower, or bud, can be smoked or vaporized in dry form, but is also commonly extracted to produce a concentrated form. Other materials from the plant such as the stems and leaves may also be used, although these parts contain much less of the active ingredients. These extracts are often diluted with a carrier oil before being sold by licensed producers.
How many types of Cannabis are there?
That depends on how you classify Cannabis. This plant is often categorized a number of different ways, for example:
- By strain (Indica, Sativa, hybrid)
- By cannabinoid content (CBD%, THC%)
- By its form or administration method (oil, hash, wax, flower, milled, edible, capsule, smoke, vape)
- By terpene content (limonene, ocimene, linalool, myrcene)
The most common way people classify cannabis is by identifying a strain as either an Indica, a Sativa or some form of hybrid. We won’t get into the botanical debate about whether these represent distinct species or not but rather focus on some of the current thinking about classifying cannabis this way.
When we talk about Sativa and Indica varieties we are really talking about the way the plant looks. This is called the morphology or phenotype. Tall with thin leaves vs short with wide leaves. By simply looking at cannabis plants you might be tempted to classify them this way. But this classification is not very scientific and does not adequately describe or classify the plants by their effect on the human body. Modern plants have been cross bred so many times that some may look like an Indica plant but chemically have a great deal of sativa properties.
Although these two types of cannabis are very different in appearance, their chemical makeup or chemotype is really what we are interested in when we think about cannabis as medicine. This is so much more important than the way the plants look or how they are prone to grow differently.
One of the most interesting things about cannabis is that it is dioecious, which means there are separate female and male plants. Most plants have both male and female traits within a single plant but cannabis has two distinct sexes. Male plants produce pollen sacs that fertilize the females, which in turn grow seed pods.
But female plants don’t need to be pollinated to produce marijuana. In fact, unpollinated female plants tend to produce flowers that are more resinous and richer in terpenes and cannabinoids as they are able to put all of their growth energy into producing medicine rather than seeds. The technique of growing cannabis while keeping male and female plants separated leads to females growing large flowers with no seeds.
These flowers or buds form together to make colas. Sometimes the cola at the top of the female plant is the most significant. It may be comprised of hundreds of tiny flowers and in full grown plants can exceed 4 feet by the time it is ready to be harvested. Smaller buds and colas can form all over the plant and contain the highest concentration of medicine. Contrary to popular belief the typical and well recognized cannabis leaf contains relatively little medicine. Each cannabis flower is densely covered in glandular trichomes which secrete marijuana’s medicinal resin. These glands carry the majority of the terpenoids and cannabinoids that we use medicinally.
What might Cannabis be used for?
There is a lot of research underway to understand if cannabis may be useful to treat a variety of conditions including:
Scientific research on cannabis as a medicine is understood to have faced significant setbacks due to the history of restrictions imposed on production and possession in countries across the globe. Many doctors and health care providers feel there is not yet enough evidence to support the use of cannabis in treating certain conditions. In other conditions, there is more evidence and the use of cannabis has become more accepted.
As medicinal cannabis becomes used more often, there is a great opportunity to gather data on the benefits and potential risk of this medicine moving forward.
At we support the notion that much more research is needed to fully unlock the therapeutic potential of the cannabis plant as well as to identify possible harms of using cannabis as medicine.
As with many medications there are both potential benefits and side effects. Depending on the way it is administered, potency and individual circumstances immediate side effects of using cannabis may include:
- dry mouth
- decrease in short-term memory
- paranoia
- poor coordination
- red eyes
- anxiety
- blood pressure changes
Long-term side effects can include both mental and physical problems including but not limited to, cognitive impairment, addiction and bronchitis
Contact All Natural MD today (800) 250-6737 as we encourage you to resist the temptation to self-medicate and speak with a medical professional first. A trained doctor can help you take a measured approach to cannabis dosage and select the right strains according to your unique condition.
Contact All Natural MD today to learn more about qualifying for a medical marijuana card in Florida. Our doctors are authorized and certified to recommend medical cannabis in all of Florida including Sarasota and Bradenton Florida. All Natural MD
Physicians often prescribe medical marijuana for tremors and other movement disorders. There are about 20 different types of tremors that range from mild to crippling. They can be classified as either a resting tremor or an action tremor.
A resting tremor occurs in relaxed muscles and often affects only the fingers and hands. Most tremors are action tremors that occur when a muscle is voluntarily moved. Patients with tremors receive treatment to help manage symptoms, since most types of tremor have no cure. In this article, we will explore some of the research supporting the use of weed-based medicines for alleviating tremors and other movement disorders.
Patients who treat their tremors with marijuana may see improved motor coordination, but the research is still inconclusive on the effect marijuana has on tremors. MMJ has been observed to improve other movement disorders such as spasticity, and treatment plans involving marijuana for tremors hold a lot of promise. A tremor is an involuntary and rhythmic muscle contraction that causes shaking in one or more parts of the body. They can occur constantly or intermittently.
Tremors are considered a movement disorder that may happen sporadically or because of another disorder. Hands are most commonly affected by tremors, but the disorder can also affect patients’ arms, legs, torso, head and vocal cords. Another movement disorder is spasticity, a condition where specific muscles remain contracted. The constant contraction can lead to muscle tightness and can impede normal movement, speech and gait. Spasticity is typically caused by damage to the area of the brain or the spinal cord that controls voluntary movement. Spasticity has a negative effect on joints and muscles of the extremities. Movement disorders can occur on their own but are more often symptoms of a neurological disorder, such as:
Marijuana is a medicinal plant that contains chemical compounds called cannabinoids, such as THC and CBD, and aromatic compounds called terpenes, both of which have medicinal properties.
Marijuana produces flowers that are dried, trimmed and cured to make buds. Dried buds can be smoked or vaped. The flowers can also be turned into medicinal oils that can be ingested or taken under the tongue. Marijuana oil is a concentrated form of marijuana that combines concentrated, decarboxylated cannabinoids with a liquid oil carrier. Marijuana oil can be more potent than dry flowers. It can also be administered through a capsule, a vaping cartridge or in edibles. Licensed providers provide high-quality oils to medical patients in Florida.
Can THC Help With Tremors
THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) has research-backed effects for the following conditions: acute psychosocial stress, anorexia, anxiety, asthma and other breathing difficulties, Crohn’s disease, glaucoma, Huntington’s disease, nausea, pain, PTSD, Tourette syndrome and multiple sclerosis. Patients disabled by tremors and ataxia have been observed to have improved motor coordination when they took oral doses of THC and when smoking a marijuana cigarette. Spasticity, a movement disorder related to tremors, is also improved by THC.
In another clinical research study, researchers orally administered THC to patients with spasticity and central nervous system lesions. They found that 10 mg of THC significantly reduced patients’ spasticity, especially for patients with tonic or continuous spasms. While these findings did not focus on how THC helps tremors specifically, they did observe improvements in motor coordination and spasticity.
Parkinson’s is a disease of the central nervous system associated with progressive degeneration of the basal ganglia region of the brain and a deficiency of dopamine. The disease is marked by stiffness and tremors. In a clinical trial on patients with Parkinson’s disease, researchers assessed the clinical effect cannabis had on motor and non-motor symptoms of the disease. 22 patients smoked cannabis and were evaluated 30 minutes later. Researchers found significant improvement in the patients’ tremors, sleep quality and pain scores.
This study involved the whole cannabis plant and not just CBD, but other studies have looked at the effects of just CBD on motor symptom scores in addition to other effects like neuroprotective outcomes and quality of life measures. The researchers concluded that there were no statistical differences in the motor symptom scores between the three groups, suggesting that cannabis oil for tremors may not be effective without THC. The researchers also stated that larger samples were needed to verify the findings. Some researchers believe that the known neuroprotective characteristics of CBD may prove to be an effective therapy to stem the progression of the disease due to a combination of CBD’s anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties.
Contact All Natural MD today for a medical marijuana doctors certifications and ID card in Florida.
(800) 250-6737