Category: Legal

Mental health and wellness awareness is rising around the world. Along with it, prescriptions for medications to relieve symptoms of mental distress continue to grow. Medication makes a big difference for many people experiencing anxiety and depression.

That said, dealing with the daily symptoms of these conditions can be very challenging. For people seeking a natural alternative to pharmaceutical drugs that’s still potentially effective for addressing the symptoms of anxiety and depression, there is another option: medicinal cannabis.

In this blog post, we’re reviewing what medicinal cannabis is, as well as chatting about how it might help combat the daily symptoms of diagnosed depression and anxiety for some people. 

Explore if this is the right mental health wellness option for you with the team from Green Doctors.

What is Medicinal Cannabis?

Medicinal cannabis is different to smoking marijuana for recreation. Essentially, medicinal cannabis is prescribed specifically to alleviate symptoms of various medical conditions. This includes some mental health concerns.

There are two main components of cannabis: cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabidiol (THC). THC is the psychoactive component known for its ability to lift your mood. CBD, on the other hand, is associated with stimulating the appetite and reducing stress and anxiety without the ‘high’.

The key to prescribing medicinal cannabis is to assess whether it’s right for each person. This might be affected by your medical history, your genetics, or your body’s unique tolerance for marijuana. This isn’t the correct avenue for everybody, but it can provide an excellent natural alternative for people who align with it.

If you are looking at these options, you must go to a qualified provider who can help you balance the CBD and THC compounds. Some strains have higher CBD content, while others have higher THC content. Each kind is used for unique applications.

These aren’t always present together, either. Distilled CBD oils like the ones we sell at Green Doctors are designed to be ingested rather than inhaled for easy, healthy use. It’s essential to create a personalised treatment plan to tackle your anxiety or depression with the help of a professional.

With that in mind, let’s learn a bit more about how medicinal cannabis ties to mental health and wellness treatment.

Medicinal Cannabis and Mental Wellness

Many patients with unmet mental health wellness needs are turning to medicinal cannabis as an alternative, but why? Much like many parts of the mental wellness treatment industry, this is an area where research is still ongoing.

That said, as research continues to evolve, more physicians and patients are opting for this route, either as a supplement to more traditional medication or as a natural alternative to alleviate the daily symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Let’s get into the specifics.

Depression

Depressive disorders are often associated with low levels of essential mood-balancing neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Symptoms of depression include continuous low mood, low self-esteem, reduced energy levels, or lack of motivation.

SSRIs (serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are a common prescription for depression because they encourage more of these neurotransmitters to remain in the brain in an effort to balance the mood and reduce stress.

Cannabis compounds may have a similar effect, helping to positively influence the levels of these neurotransmitters and balance moods. In addition, it’s been tied to specifically influencing serotonin receptors in the brain to influence mood regulation.

Anxiety

On the other hand, anxiety is associated with a persistent anxious feeling, which can grow or lessen in severity. Combined with physical symptoms like shaking, sweatiness, a pounding heart, and restlessness, this can have a big impact on your way of life.

Some research has shown that cannabis can reduce this persistent feeling of stress and calm physical symptoms of anxiety. High-CBD strains, in particular, have been tied to regulating anxiety-related insomnia, which could be a powerful way to help people combat the daily impacts of anxiety.

Anxiety is also associated with a reduced appetite and low energy, both of which are stimulated by the ingestion of medicinal cannabis.

It’s important to note that there’s plenty of individual variability with these results. There are also different classifications of depression and anxiety, so there is no one-fits-all solution. How cannabis affects one person will not be the same as how it affects another, and working to find the right balance is crucial to establishing a great treatment plan.

That’s why we exist. As with anything that affects your health, it’s vital to consult a medical expert before making your decision. The Green Doctors offer a stress-free avenue with medical consultations and annual reviews to get you started. If you feel medicinal cannabis might be a fit for you, book your consultation today.

Reach out for a medicinal cannabis consult anywhere in New Zealand.

We prescribe CBD and THC with a lot of TLC for patients who need mental health and wellness support. Book a consult with our expert team now and take the first step towards a happier, healthier you.

For those living with epilepsy or multiple sclerosis, aiming to maintain a good quality of life will likely be a significant part of your treatment plan. While pharmaceutical medicines are enough to do this for some, others have unmet needs.

It can be tricky dealing with difficult symptoms on a daily basis. Epilepsy brings the risk of seizure activity, migraines, and other discomfort, while multiple sclerosis symptoms may include muscle spasms, aches, and other neurological symptoms.

Suppose you or someone you love is dealing with these health conditions. In that case, medicinal cannabis might be a suitable natural alternative to traditional pharmaceutical interventions when it comes to finding some relief from symptoms. 

In this blog post, we’re exploring how medicinal cannabis might be used for epilepsy treatment or multiple sclerosis treatment in NZ. Let’s dive in.

Medicinal Cannabis and Epilepsy

Epilepsy has a reputation as a bit of a medical puzzle – one that’s been studied for centuries. Characterised by recurrent seizures, this is a condition that can massively impact sufferers’ daily lives. Therefore, treating not only the seizures but the concurrent daily symptoms is a vital part of patient care.

Recently, medicinal cannabis has emerged as a potential player in the search for effective epilepsy treatment. It’s a possible game-changer that’s still being researched, but let’s break down the basic science.

Research suggests that cannabidiol – one of two major cannabinoids in medicinal cannabis – is a promising candidate for reducing the frequency and severity of seizures in some epilepsy patients. CBD is the non-psychoactive component of cannabis, interacting with the body’s endocannabinoid system. The modulation is theorised to reduce abnormal electrical activity in the brain, potentially making it a novel way to approach daily epilepsy treatment.

In particular, this might be a promising possibility for anyone who is living with epilepsy who hasn’t responded to traditional anti-seizure meds or for those seeking supplemental treatment for daily symptoms.

Medicinal Cannabis and Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is another condition affecting the central nervous system, classified as an autoimmune disease. As the body’s immune system attacks the central nervous system, people can experience a wide range of symptoms on a daily basis. This may include muscle spasms, pain, and fatigue. While there are many drugs out there designed to help with managing these symptoms, people seeking multiple sclerosis treatment NZ-wide may now opt for natural alternatives to address their quality of life.

CBD has natural analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties, which could help with battling the muscle pain and nerve cell damage associated with chronic MS. Alongside that, the second primary cannabinoid in medicinal cannabis – THC – has shown promise in balanced quantities alongside CBD.

One thing to note is that many patients seeking multiple sclerosis treatment in NZ via medicinal cannabis must work with their physicians to find the best method of administration. Oils, tinctures, capsules, and topical creams are all possibilities here, depending on your lifestyle and personal preferences.

The Importance of a Personalised Treatment Plan

It’s important to note this vital factor in treating symptoms with medicinal cannabis: the creation of a personalised treatment plan. When it comes to epilepsy and MS, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Each patient will have varying needs and responses; therefore, collaborating with healthcare professionals who specialise in cannabinoid therapeutics will ensure you can access a tailored approach and shift and pivot under medical supervision should the need arise.

A tailored approach goes further than using your medical history to find the right dosage and method for administering medicinal cannabis. It also involves staying in touch with your physician to continue monitoring and adjusting your treatment plan. Optimising your dosages, exploring alternative strains, and changing how you ingest cannabis are all part of crafting the most effective treatment.

On all counts, it’s crucial to note that every patient is unique, and research is ongoing. Along with the research, the hope for people living with multiple sclerosis and epilepsy evolves, too. Medicinal cannabis presents a great potential adjunct management strategy for the symptoms of multiple sclerosis and epilepsy treatment in NZ.

Utilising a Licensed Phycisian is Key

Medical cannabis opens up promising options that have the potential to improve the overall quality of life for many people facing these neurological challenges. However, opting to add medical marijuana to your wellness management regime requires careful decision-making guided by a licensed physician and an individual treatment plan crafted to suit each person’s unique needs.

Your needs won’t be the same as the next person’s, and that will affect how to best start using cannabis as a supplement. If you’re considering this road for yourself, reach out to the team at Green Doctors to find out if it’s right for you.

Consult with Green Doctors for epilepsy treatment in NZ and multiple sclerosis treatment NZ options

Medicinal cannabis is used all around the world to manage various conditions, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis among them. For many patients, the side effects of medicinal cannabis are far less when compared to traditional medications, making it a better option for daily pain and inflammation management.

The only way to know if this treatment will work for you is to talk to a physician about incorporating it into your treatment plan. So, empower your journey with Green Doctors. Contact us today and take the first step towards hope and wellness.

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