Endocannabinoid Deficiency Syndrome

This short section was taken from Dr. Bonni Goldstein's book"Cannabis Revealed".  Dr. Goldstein M.D.  specializes in cannabis medicine and has treated thousands of adult and pediatric patients with cannabis. Although she has a long waiting list, I encourage people to pick up a copy of her book which is very easy to read and has great information!

"In 2003, Dr. Ethan Russo, a board certified neurologist and psychopharmacology researcher, posed an excellent question in a scientific paper, asking if a deficiency of endocannabinoids - the compounds that are made on demand in our brains and bodies to maintain homeostasis - can lead to disease. He hypothesized that having lower levels of these compounds, which would diminish the ability to maintain homeostasis, may lead to medical conditions such as migraine headaches, fibromyalgia, IBS and other "treatment resistant" conditions. He reported that many patients with these conditions who used cannabis medicine had improvement of their symptoms.

Since that article was published, there have been numerous scientific studies that demonstrate that an impairment or dysfunction of the endocannabinoid system can be the cause of significant and difficult to treat medical conditions. This deficiency may be genetically determined, meaning you are born with it, while others may develop it later in life. Chronic stress, poor diet, and chronic pain hae all been shown to negatively impact endocannabinoid system functioning and can lead to endocannabinoid dysfunction.

Medical conditions that have been shown to result from endocannabinoid system dysfunction include:

*Autoimmune diseases

*Epilepsy

*Migrane headaches

*Fibromyalgia/Myofascial Pain Syndrome

*Irritable Bowel Syndrome

*Failure to thrive in newborns

*Complex regional pain syndrome

*Anxiety and depression

*Schizophrenia

*Multiple Sclerosis

*Huntington's disease

*Parkinson's disease

*Menstrual symptoms

 

 

 

THC and CBD for Medical and Recreational Users: What Are the Differences?

Whether you are a recreational or a medicinal cannabis user, you must have asked yourself this question at least once: what’s the difference between THC or CBD and which ratio should I go for when buying marijuana?

Both of these substances have their own benefits on our body and mind, always complementing each other.

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD) are cannabinoids, the two most prevalent chemicals in marijuana and the ones responsible for its popularity. There are more than 100 cannabinoids found in our favorite herb, but these two have been studied the most for their medical benefits.

These chemicals have a very positive impact on the human body — a group of cellular receptors and transmitters forms our very own cannabinoid system, which is in turn responsible for regulating hundreds of different bodily processes, including pain regulation, appetite, mood and many more.

Today we’re checking out an infographic from Greencamp which provides all the information about these two cannabinoids you will ever need, as well as a quick THC:CBD ratio guide that you can use to make better smoking decisions. So, let’s take a look at all the differences between these two mind blowing cannabis chemicals.