More and more people are turning to Medical Marijuana in hopes of finding new ways to treat or even “cure” their illness; they include cancer patients, parents of epileptic children, and arthritic seniors with chronic pain. A study released in February has 61% of Americans in favor of Medical Cannabis.
Saying yes to trying Marijuana is one thing but doing it correctly is a whole other. Consulting with your medical doctor will get you NOWHERE! Searching the world wide web will get most people confused with too much input and not enough output. Telling a young girl with Crohn’s Disease or someone suffering from Epidermolysis Bullosa to simply go to a 420 doctor and visit a dispensary is a little ridiculous. It would be like sending them to the pharmacist without going to the doctor.
The Importance of Cannabis Patient Consultants
I personally have consulted with two professional Cannabis patient practitioners, one for my father’s Stage 4 Renal Cell Carcinoma and the other for my dog. Even before a perspective patient seeks their Medical Marijuana recommendation, a Cannabis practitioner will be able to educate them about the various types of medicines and what might work best for them. Some patients might only need to use a medicated topical…I’m sure, a lot more benign than a novice might have expected.
Using Cannabis Medicinally is Practicing Chemistry.
In the Cannabis plant, there are over 100 phytocannabinoids that have been identified. Most have heard about the notorious THC; and more and more are becoming familiar with Cannabidiol (CBD). There are also acid forms of each and several more Cannabiods that have been researched but not common to the inexperienced. Here is a video library explaining the more researched Cannabinoids. Thus, when dealing with illness, like an advanced cancer or a debilitating genetic disorder, utilizing Cannabinoid science and custom Extract Oils will give the patient the best chance at success. Yet, there are other fantastic options for conditions such as pain relief, skin conditions, turrets syndrome, and so many more. These will be discussed later.
Besides the Cannabinoids present, there are also terpenes, flavonoids, molecules and other compounds within the Cannabis plant. Research has led investigators to believe the interaction of all them together leads to additional medicinal benefits and the theory has been called Entourage Effect. This theory explains why the lab generated Marinol (the “THC” pill from the ’80’s) does not work nearly as well as real Cannabis. Why? Because THC, by itself, is not as beneficial without her counterparts. Plus it is lab generated, we have all learned that natural is always better.
For the patients and their families that are novices to Cannabis, it can be overwhelming entering a dispensary and faced with flowers and concentrates, edibles and tinctures, and more. The two most common ‘stereotypes’ that novices have is, they can only smoke it and they will always have the munchies. Smoking Cannabis is not the only way to intake Cannabinoids but it is the least efficient. However, it is the quickest way to feel the effects and the easiest way to dose medicine. And not all marijuana leads to the munchies…those are caused more by Indica dominant strains as oppose to Sativas.
When consulting with a Medical Cannabis Practitioner, more than likely, you are getting involved with what are known as Cannabis Extract Oils. Though I believe in the general health benefits of taking a small amount of RSO everyday, all patients will not need Cannabis oil to treat their conditions. For novices, I suggest staying away from edibles and will discuss further about topical rubs, tinctures, elixirs and even suppositories.
Marijuana Extract Oils (Rick Simpson Oil)
Rick Simpson Oil (RSO) is oil produced through extraction via an alcohol medium. Rick Simpson is a gentleman, who in the late ’90’s - early 2000’s, re-discovered the medicinal benefits of full plant Cannabis extract oil. The world famous Jack Herer was the person who coined the oil Rick Simpson Oil.
RSO is actually easy for a patient to make in their kitchen if they have access to high quality material, food (Everclear works well) or medical grade alcohol and a heat source. However, I would recommend purchasing a Nova Lift Decarboxylator to properly decarb your medicine.
What Does Consulting a Medical Cannabis Practitioner Do for You
Consulting a Medical Marijuana Practitioner will provide you with two vital functions; one is a proper dosing schedule and will monitor how the oil is treating you. Secondly, and maybe more importantly, the Cannabis practitioners have access to or work in conjunction with Cannabis Oil producers. Or in my case, Monarch Dispensary, in Scottsdale, Arizona, made all of their oils in-house.
Medical Cannabis Practitioner List
Need help finding a Cannabis Practitioner to Consult? We are compiling a list for you.
Marijuana extract oils made by these producers are tested and are of the highest quality. You will also be assured that they are using proper Cannabis material to make the medicine and not waste by-product to increase their ROI. Just like anything else, high quality does not equal inexpensive. There are oils in California dispensaries that you will find for much cheaper but those RSO oils do not come with any paperwork or test results. The bud tenders will usually have very little information regarding the production of it. And some bud tenders don’t know very much about RSO in general.
The practitioners are able then to custom tailor the Cannabis Extract Oil to the patient. Some patients will need typical RSO, which is made from an Indica dominant strain, and high in THC content (20% or higher). Other conditions might call for a heavy CBD oil. High CBD oils have been associated with epileptic patients. And some patients might need a 75/25 or 50/50 THC to CBD. But what is important is that you always will need some THC. THC is needed for a more complete activation of the other Cannabinoids and entourage effect.
The little SATIVAisticate was dignosed with a growth or tumor on his Spleen. He was diagnosed by routine, yearly blood work before a dental. The blood tests indicated a problem and with some tests and an ultrasound, the growth was discovered. When the tumor came back as benign, Cara of Green Health Consultants, decided to go with THCA, by CannaKids, for treatment of his Liver. His Liver values are a little out of normal and he takes a drug called Apoquel which is for itching caused by allergies. Since it is an experimental drug and the side affects are still unknown, I definitely wanted to increase his Cannabinoid treatment. He also takes CW Botanicals Charlotte’s Web Hemp Extract.
If his tumor has come back malignant, we would have started him on a custom oil made by CannaKids that would have included THC, just not THCA.
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