SweetSue's Class Notes

SweetSue;3178148 said:

Cannabis For Back Pain, Chronic Pain, & Nerve Damage: Guest speaker - Mara Gordon

Part 1: notes from the initial broadcast will update with another listen and a closer ear tomorrow. Great class

Pain of the back and neck is the chief reason that people miss work.

The chief western medicine response has been opiods. Cannabis is a better choice.

Causes:
- genetic conditions
-
80% of all Americans

10% around the world.

More seek help for back pain than any other pain

7-10% will develop chronic pain- when pain is the disease
- so much inflammation and memory in the nerves that you can't not feel it

Pain is a warning sign
- lack of pain is dangerous to survival
- pain is meant to be temporary

Opiods cause depressing pain relief

The cause is our proclivity to SIT ALL DAY LONG
- stand and work
- move as much as you can

Women experience more back pain than men. Men miss more work for back pain than women. 50% more than women.

There's no such thing as back pain and lucky in any sentence

Chronic pain caused degradation due to pain behavior.
- this discourages people from movement
- disability sets the stage for lack of productive living

What do the cannabinoids do in your body in response to pain?

5 mechanisms with CB1 and CB2 receptors
- THC interrupts the short-term memory and give you a respite


CBD 30-50 times more powerful than steroids (adrenal damage results)
- neural protector

Pain doesn't occur because the signal is stopped by THC
Pain is reduced by CBD by reducing inflammation

Any nerve ending is potentially a place to feel pain. Nat Geo has this in better info)

When you activate the CB1 receptors stop the pain transmission in three different places

You're reducing and eliminating the sensation of pain by healing the problem.

In legal states Medicare tracked and found
- 1826 less prescriptions for daily doses of opiates
- sleep 362 less doses for sleep aids
- 265 less doses per day for depression
PThese improvements are magnified by the lack of secondary conditions

Cannabis saves us the secondary issues brought on by side effects

What to take
- you can't go wrong
- CBGA Young cannabis plant, before it begins to
* anti inflammatory and analgesic

THCa: anti-spasmodic

THCV for diabetes and weight loss

- patients will respond to CBD in one of three ways: really really sleepy, really active, or no response at all.

CBN will help you sleep and is also an anti-inflammatory
- slightly less secure attachment to the receptor

CBD for inflammation, THC for neuralprotective etc, CBG for anti depressive

How much to take?
- every patient needs to start low

- weight of a man won't tell you the dose

Pick healthy products

The magical formula of terpenes for pain

B-Caryophyllenen is anti inflammatory
Limonene is uplifting
Linalool is relaxing
Myrcene helps cannabinoids cross the BBB

Take after a fat source to increase bioavailability

Topicals will focus relief to tense muscles.
- nice thing with a topical is that you can use it whenever it is
- if you need it, use. You won't hurt yourself at all

Q&A notes:

Blocks pain. Reduces inflammation. Euphoria

You need to get sleep under control first
- treat sleep first: relaxation techniques and dietary awareness
- sleep allows to to feel less pain and deal with the pain you have better
- this allows them to function on a low dose of THC and more CBD during day
- 15-25mg dose for most people for sleep (optimal dose)
*** this isn't a starting dose: begin at 3-5 and work up to the optimal dose
* many ways to administer C for C (cannabis for cause has 15 mg square of chocolate)

Keep a vaporizer

Sublingual 6-8 hours of relief but won't hit for 30-90 min

5-10 mg THC.p, 25 mg of CBD for daytime dose

Most people use too much cannabis
- using less can save you money
- can also reduce prices by reducing strain in the market.

To avoid tolerance buil-up change up the profiles on a regular meds

When you hit your therapeutic dose you'll typically level off on need

If you have about three months without leveling off it's recommended to take a holiday and reset the optimal dose

It's lonely at night when you're in pain. Sleep removes this isolation and keeps you from feeling lost.

By definition chronic pain is chronic

The double-edged sword about pain is that you need to move to find relief, but pain and the opiods make it difficult to do.
- cannabis used correctly allows you to be somewhat self-sufficient. You'll be able to get up.
- movement and staying away of poor dietary choices are called for

Gluten-free diets reduce inflammation and level the emotional tone
- chronic inflammation in your body is your body asking you to make better choices

Correct dose is the level of euphoria you are comfortable with
- citocholine will help with pain reduction and may reduce euphoria
- NOT FOR CANCER PATIENTS!!!

3-5 mg THC + 25 mg CBD for daytime (CBD in two doses)
10- 25 mg THC at bedtime
Vaporizer for breakthrough in the night

If you have fat in your stomach it will make your cannabis meds more bioavailable

Use an infused oil as edible meds
- know how to use it properly

Limonene for day
Myrcene for night (will make you sluggish)

Most CBD comes from sativa plants

Learn how the terpenes react to your body.

1. Hemp-derived CBD lacks the entourage you get from cannabis sativa

2. CBD plants aren't as robust, more skimpy, harder to grow
3. May not have the same variety or volume of terpenes

Zelda's makes their oils from keif.

Always use cannabis with your opiates. Prepare to adjust their opiod dose down.
- it isn't the cannabis making you higher. It's the opiod being potentiated.

Cytochrome P450???

Cannabis doesn't touch level 10 pain. Neither do opiods.
- you aren't having a conversation when you're in level 10 pain

Cannabis will hit all the other levels and have you able to get up and get around.
Opiods won't let you function, or if you do, you may be dangerous to yourself and others.

Cannabis can increase your sense of well-being and productivity.

Mistakes typically seen
- impatience: take too much too soon
* be prepared for it not to work for a couple tries - experiment
* more is not always better
- if you need more and can't wait, vape a small amount that will only have a small effect

Vaporizers is for breakthrough pain
- sublingually administered typically end up cutting way back on smoking (I see this with my edibles)

As long as cannabis is illegal federally employers have the right to discriminate against us with drug testing
- the company that sells the test kits is running this show

Topicals guidelines
- arnica and frankincense
- essential oils should not be to mask the smell, but for medicinal values
- if it smells weedy it isn't well processed
- THC strong will work best for relief (hits the pain by relaxing muscles)
- CBD strong will reduce inflammation but not offer immediate relief

Chronic sciatic : topicals, THCa, THC, CBD

Degenerative bone disease, choose cannabinoids that has bone-stimulant properties

Isolates (i.e. CBGa, can be used to boost the profiles in a specialized medication)

Choose your terpene profile. If your becoming anxious, change the profile

Cannabis can improve neuropathy
- use a topical and vaporize

Cannabis for migraine
- topicals can be used
- need something for systemic care (THC)
- a balanced ratio over time will reduce migraines


We would benefit from learning to dose properly
Educate your doctors to the truth of cannabis
Be patient and keep trying

The big take-away

There's hope. You can get out of the spiral of pain. Take your opportunity. Step out of the box and find your solution.

CANNABIS CAN HELP.

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