Sufferers of many different types of ailments have found relief with the use of medical marijuana, but most particularly those afflicted with mental conditions. When paired with a good psychiatrist, with an accredited psychology degree, medical marijuana is a very effective and natural remedy. Below you will find the top five mental conditions which have proven to be treatable with medical marijuana.
1. Insomnia
Those suffering from insomnia should consider ingesting medical marijuana. A cookie or brownie can be taken before bed with a glass of milk, and should ensure good sleep throughout the night. Users should be aware that the effects of medical marijuana will not be felt for up to an hour. Medical marijuana is a desirable alternative to addictive drugs such as Xanax, and is not habit forming. Many users report feeling clear-minded and relaxed, sleeping through the night, and having more pleasant dreams.
2. Migraines
Migraines can also be treated with medical marijuana, sometimes better than actual migraine medication. When consumed or smoked, retrograde inhibition will help to slow the rate of neurotransmitters in the brain. This is wonderful news for people who suffer from migraines–all too often, these horrific headaches are due to an overload of neural stimulation. Retrograde inhibition also relieves the pain and other symptoms which attend a full-blown migraine, including nausea and sensitivity to lights. Additionally, migraine medication has been flagged for dangerous side effects, including increased blood pressure. Migraine medication can also be rather debilitating to take, as it makes the user feel very tired and only want to sleep. Medical marijuana can make some users feel slightly sleepy but the doze can be adjusted so that the migraine sufferer will still experience relief from pain, nausea, and hyper-sensitivity, while not becoming as drowsy as they would with the alternative.
3. Anxiety
Mild anxiety is sometimes a side-effect for users, but some people experience mood-elevating effects, as well as a relaxing experience, allowing anxiety sufferers to have a normal life. Medical marijuana can also cause a desirable “slowing” down of thought processes, which can help to break up some of the upsetting cyclical thought patterns which plague anxiety sufferers.
4. Depression
Those who use marijuana once or more weekly have long reported fewer episodes of depression than the rest of the populace, but medical marijuana can also be smoked or ingested to elevate the mood and relieve those who specifically suffer from depression. As in anxiety sufferers, the lasting effects of medical marijuana help to break characteristic unproductive or negative thought cycles which so often spiral out of control for the sufferer until they hit “rock bottom.” Marijuana is not a miracle cure for depression or anxiety — it would not be healthy to mask the root problem instead of treating it — however, it can help one to live a happier, more fulfilling life while the patient works with a therapist to treat the root of their symptoms.
5. Bipolar Disorder
The friends and family of those with Bipolar Disorder will welcome this news as much as the sufferer — medical marijuana can significantly calm the mood swings exhibited by those with Bipolar Disorder. Cannabis works as a mood stabilizer for sufferers. Lithium, which has traditionally been diagnosed for sufferers, takes several weeks to begin working and also causes damage to the heart, kidneys, and thyroid gland. Often sufferers do not like to take their lithium, as it reins their emotions in to an unpleasant, deadening degree, an unpleasant effect not experienced by those who use marijuana instead. The marijuana smokers report feeling a pleasant effect long after the “high” itself has dissipated — this is the mood stabilizing effect of the drug.
In conclusion, medical marijuana should be of note to all those who are suffering from mental disorders, particularly the above mentioned five. Medical marijuana provides us with a safe, natural alternative to dangerous, habit-forming drugs. Many medicines traditionally prescribed by doctors actually damage the body and mind with long term use. Additionally, most people suffering from one health condition or another take more than one medication, and all too often these medications interfere with each other, exacerbating health problems, especially when the patient’s physicians are not in good contact with one another. Of course, when considering any sort of medication, be it marijuana or otherwise, you should be sure to consult with your physician first.
Marijuana deserves a second look for its medical applications. When used in conjunction with a good psychology program, medical marijuana is a natural, more affordable, and safer way to treat many mental health conditions.
Please post your comments on whether using medical marijuana and or seeing a psychologist is the best way to treat Insomnia, Migraines, Anxiety, Depression and Bipolar Disorder.
Just read this fascinating article about CBD potentially being the best anti depressant: https://strongcbdoil.com/cbd-might-just-best-anti-depressant-ever/
these are not any on our states list.
Medical Marijuana can relieve the pain caused by much more health/medical conditions including pain attacks, anxiety, sensations, control fear and much more.
Thanks for sharing this post with us here. Looking forward for some more great posts from your end.
How do I go about getting a medical marijuana permit?
Because I have documented injuries that require the use of medical marijuana.
The 20 Second Countdown
Why everywhere you look are top psychologists and doctors still teaching outdated methods for treating general anxiety and panic attacks?
It seems every time I do a search online there is yet another anxiety “expert” rehashing the same old ideas. Brown Paper bags, think happy thoughts, do your breathing etc. I am sure you have come across them a million times before already.
How are people supposed to solve their anxiety issue if they are continuously exposed to these techniques and methods that only teach people to cope with anxiety. Just coping is not good enough. Real solutions are needed.
This is a very good exercise for people who want something practical to focus their attention on when they feel the pressure of a panic attack building.
Its very simple and easy to remember. Here goes…
The 20 Second Countdown
When you feel the sensations of a panic attack building do the following.
Tell the panic that it has 20 seconds to initiate the full panic attack. 20 seconds and no more. After the 20 seconds are complete it must stop making empty threats.
You are allowing 20 seconds for it to fully manifest but not a second more.
Whatever the bodily sensation is that you fear, it must happen within that 20 second time frame.
-If you heart is going to explode then it has 20 seconds to do so.
-If you are going to lose control, then your mind has 20 seconds to do so.
-If you are going to faint – 20 seconds! But absolutely no more time than that.
You get the picture.
By setting a specific time frame you establish boundaries of control. You turn it into a game where you call fear’s bluff. If it were a poker game, you are asking anxiety to show its hand.
This works because it establishes a sense of control within your mind and body.
You think to yourself “I am not prepared to spend my time worrying about this. I’ve had enough. I am going to be generous and give it 20 seconds but after 20 seconds and nothing has happened then the opportunity has officially passed and I am going to go back to what I was doing.”
Then start counting -but nice and slowly, don’t rattle it off as fast as you can. Really tease it out like you did when you were a child and you never wanted to reach zero. Teasing it out is the key because it allows you to feel generous and that you are giving anxiety every chance possible.
Deep down you know there is really nothing to fear.
To really help tease it out, break the last few numbers into fractions.
5…………………………..
4…………………………..
3……………………………
2…and three quarters…
2…and half………………
2…………………………..
1…and three quarters… (last chance anxiety)
1…and half……………… (I really cant wait any longer)
1…………………………..
0.
Sorry too late we’ve reached the end.
By not rushing through the countdown you will feel your confidence soar because you are demonstrating real control and authority over your anxious thoughts and bodily sensations. You are saying “look, I am really trying to give you all the time I can to unleash X,Y, and Z, I am being very generous here with this countdown.
Count your way to freedom. Count your way to confidence.
i have siezures due to a brain injury and have found marijuana along with the meds gives me 99% freedom from siezures were as with meds alone i have 2-3 seizures a day, sometimes more. Does anyone know of a study that needs people to test for this? If so contact me at ghostrider4_2000@yahoo.com
The cannabinoid receptor system has two kinds of receptors:
1. CB1 receptors – found mostly in the brain, spinal cord and other parts of the body including the heart, uterus, testis, liver, small intestine and peripheral cells
2. CB2 receptors – found mostly on cells of the immune system, including the spleen, T-cells, B-cells and macrophages
The cannabinoid receptor system has three groups of chemicals, called cannabinoids, which can bind to the receptors:
1. Endocannabinoids – these are produced by the body, five have been identified including anandamide and 2-AG
2. Synthetic cannabinoids – these are produced by scientists in a laboratory and include dronabinol (Marinol) and nabilone (Cesamet)
3. Phytocannabinoids – these are produced by the cannabis plant; there are over 70 cannabinoids in the cannabis plant.
(Source: http://bit.ly/qNln1l )
Researchers at the Temple University School of Pharmacy reported that nerve pain that results as a side effect of the chemotherapeutic agent paclitaxel can be prevented by cannabidiol, a compound in the marijuana plant.
Cannabidiol (CBD) is the second most commonly occurring compound in the cannabinoid family (the group of medicinal compounds in the cannabis plant). Cannabidiol has many proven medical benefits, including anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety, anti-convulsant, and anti-psychotic properties. It also has been shown to reduce muscle spasms, promotes sleep and helps to relieve pain. It is non-psychoactive, that is, it does not contribute to the “high” that one experiences with the use of cannabis that is due to the compound THC.
In a recent study published in the July issue of the journal Anesthesia and Analgesia, investigators studied the effect that CBD had on a particularly difficult side effect of the chemotherapeutic agent paclitaxel (brand name Taxol or Abraxane). Paclitaxel is used to treat patients with lung cancer, ovarian cancer, breast cancer, head and neck cancer and advanced forms of Kaposi’s sarcoma. A common side effect of paclitaxel (in up to two-thirds of patients receiving it) is peripheral neuropathy, damage to the nerves in the body that causes pain, numbness, tingling, sensitivity to touch and/or muscle weakness. Often when this side effect occurs, paclitaxel doses must be lowered or it must be stopped altogether, interfering with the cancer treatment.
In this study, it was shown that female mice (who appeared to be more sensitive to this side effect than male mice) who received treatment with cannabidiol did not develop paclitaxel-induced nerve pain. Let’s hope that this research continues and that CBD can be tested in humans. It is amazing that a well-known side effect can be PREVENTED (not just treated after it happens!) with a natural medicine in marijuana. All of those opposed to marijuana and marijuana research need to open their eyes to the SCIENCE of cannabis!
CBD is currently studied in labs all over the world, as it is recognized as a medicinal compound with tremendous potential. Unfortunately, much of the cannabis that is available for medical marijuana patients in legal states is low in its content of CBD. As more people become aware of the medicinal properties of CBD, plants with higher CBD content will hopefully be more available.
Study citation: Ward SJ, Ramirez MD, Neelakantan H, et al. Cannabidiol Prevents the Development of Cold and Mechanical Allodynia in Paclitaxel-Treated Female C57Bl6 Mice. Anesth Analg 2011 Jul 7.