How would I determine a therapeutic dose?
I want to share with the community a Sensitization Protocol developed by Dr. Dustin Sulak at (google him), an exciting newcomer to the Internet, determined in his own way to mainstream cannabis as a daily addition to our lives.
It appears there's this quirk in the Endocannabinoid system, evolved to keep it from being overstimulated. If you overindulge in cannabis, as many of us who grow successfully are prone to do, you cause the receptors to become unavailable. In some cases they will actually sink into the cell to be completely unapproachable. In response, you need more cannabis to get the same effect. You've fallen into the realm of diminishing returns.
I'm sure many of you reading this know exactly what I'm talking about. I believe we call it strain tolerance, when in fact it's a compromising of our system because we grow fabulous product and don't hesitate to appreciate it. One of the ways to reset the system when you suspect this "strain tolerance" is to simply switch to a different strain. This step won't reset the system as dramatically as this protocol will, but it will shake the system somewhat and increase sensitivity.
It should be obvious that smoking a joint will do much to increase tolerance levels, since the tendency is to keep hitting the joint so it doesn't go to waste. Edibles are discouraged for the same overdosing concerns. Vaporizers or tinctures offer you much better dosing control. There are some wonderful patches, tablets, mouth strips and sprays making their way onto the market that will change the playing field in years ahead.
What Dr. Sulak's developed is a way to reset your Endocannabinoid system in six days, during which time your system will begin to create more receptors and you'll be able to reset your optimal therapeutic dose, that dose that brings you the greatest relief, at a lower level, thereby getting you more efficient relief and healing, saving you meds, money, and frustration. His site has a series of videos that teach you breathing techniques and simple movements to enhance the Endocannabinoid system as you work your way through this protocol, things that will promote the expression of more receptors and help your body feel the beneficial effects of the system. I won't share any of that here, although I highly recommend you check them out. You all know how to use a search engine.
This protocol isn't appropriate for those on high-dose protocols for serious disease, such as cancer.
RESETTING YOUR ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM: A SIX DAY SENSITIZATION PROTOCOL
Day 1 - Cannabis Fast
Take note of how much cannabis you're using now. Write it down.
Take your regular dose, however you administer. Now put it away. You've just begun a 48 hour cannabis fast, after which you'll be listening closely to your body as you very gradually reintroduce cannabis in a way that will enhance your system.
Write down the date and time you started the fast and make note of the date and time you'll be ending it. Do yourself a favor and set the alarm on your phone.
Drink plenty of water. I can't stress this point enough. Water is what your body needs to wash away the stress-induced toxins in your system. Drink more water please.
Day 2 - Cannabis fast continues.
Try some breathing techniques, do some simple movement. Drink more water.
Day 3 - Begin re-introducing cannabis.
You're going to train yourself to listen closely to your body as you begin to reintroduce cannabis. Before and after each inhalation, drop of tincture or edible dose, use your "inner inventory" to assess the effect. Ask yourself three questions and write down your answers.
Inhalation, wait 5 minutes between pulls.
Tincture, wait 30 minutes between drops.
Edible, wait 2 hours between dose.
The Inner Inventory: before and after each administration, assess.
1 - Take a slow deep breath. How easy was that to do? Rate it on a scale of 1 - 10, with 10 being the easiest and 1 being the most difficult.
2 - How comfortable is your body? How easy is it to sit still, in a relaxed manner? Rate this the same way and write it down.
3 - How is your mood? Rate this one as 10 being optimistic and relaxed and 1 being frazzled to the max.
We aren't looking for symptomatic relief here. This is an important distinction. What you're feeling for is the very first signs of any change internally, anything different. Has the migraine begun to diminish ever so slightly, are the joints feeling more free, has the pain in your lower back begun to respond positively?
Just the inkling of effect is what you're listening for. Wait the required time, and if you don't feel anything, repeat this process and wait another span of time to reassess. Keep this up until you
do feel something. Then stop, put the cannabis away and go about your day.
Listen carefully to your body. Resist the urge to take more than is called for here. You're listening for just a ripple. Nothing more. In this case, less cannabis is more. Trust the process.
You may repeat this process up to 3 times today. Be sure to begin each session with the inner inventory. You need to assess your starting point.
Get some movement time in. Drink more water. Explore foods that'll enhance your Endocannabinoid system.
Day 4 - Continuing to enhance the Endocannabinoid system.
Repeat yesterday's process. It's during this time that your body's actively building up receptor numbers. You're doing a great job. Keep it up. Move, drink more water, breathe for health and fitness. Think healing thoughts and laugh more.
Day 5 - Continue to grow more receptors.
Repeat yesterday's process. Get excited. You're almost done and your body's going to thank you for this adventure with better healing potential.
Day 6 - Finding your optimal therapeutic dose.
Using a repetition of the process you did on days 3-5 you're now going to work for symptomatic relief, one inhalation, drop or edible bite at a time.
It's important here to go slow. Wait the recommended times between dose administration. Listen closely to your body. What you should find is that you'll get relief at a significantly lower dose than when you started.
To be clear, 2 administrations would be over a 10 minute period, 3 over a 15 minute period, and so on.
Determining when to stop.
You're going to get one of two results. Either 1) you're going to get relief and you can go about your day, or 2) your inner inventory is going to drop down a point or two from your last notation. This means you overshot the dose and need to drop back one administration.
Now that you have an optimal therapeutic dose, test it out for the next 2-3 dosing sessions, waiting the recommended amount of time between administrations. Once you've confirmed that this is, indeed, your dose, stick with it. From that point on, there's no need to wait the time between administrations.
Dr. Sulak recommends that you periodically back off your dose by one administration, to determine if your body now requires less than it did before. You should assume that as you progress through your cannabinoid therapy that your Endocannabinoid system is going to be able to function more efficiently. Consequently, your need for phytocannabinoids will change over time.
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This protocol should be repeated anytime you notice yourself building a tolerance to cannabis. Alternatively, you can simply drop back one administration on your dose and let your system readjust.
