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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
