GENERAL INQUIRIES
Both Cannabidiol, also called CBD, and TetraHydroCanabinol, THC, are both cannabinoids.
Cannabinoids are the active principles of the Cannabis Sativa L. plant, that is, cannabinoids are basically responsible for the recreational and therapeutic effects of the cannabis plant.
THC is the cannabinoid that produces psychoactivity (and that is why all products that contain a concentration greater than 0.2% of THC are controlled. But not all cannabinoids are psychoactive or controlled. For example: CBD or Cannabidiol is one of the two cannabinoids most present in the cannabis plant and that has multiple medicinal properties. The most notable are neuroprotection, anti-inflammation and psycho-physical relaxation. A key aspect of CBD is that it is not psychoactive and that In addition, it reduces the side effects generated by THC, such as anxiety, tachycardia or altered consciousness / psychoactivity.
Cannabis is a natural substance that acts in a particular way for everyone. If there are seven billion people on the planet, there are seven billion plant effects in interaction with the human organism. By this we mean that, from the outset, it is not possible to preset which concentration is the most appropriate for a person. We usually start from the standard concentration of 1000 mg for the vast majority of people who start taking oil with cannabinoids. It is recommended that, at least, there is always the same amount of CBD as THC to reduce the harmful effects that could appear in the intake of THC. Now, if they are children, or subjects who are usually very sensitive to new substances, it is preferable that THC is NOT ingested at all and that in addition to exclusively ingesting CBD, it should be taken very little by little, with concentrations such as those 300 or 500 mg that will be the most suitable for them.
There are different routes for the administration of this cannabinoid. The most common and advisable is the sublingual route, the format being an oil (usually hemp or olive) with Cannabinoid extract (CBD, THC, etc.).
The way of taking with the sublingual route is very simple, we usually recommend that the drops be put into a teaspoon and in this way we count exactly how many drops fall. From there, suck on the spoon and direct the oil under the tongue. Hold it for a minute and swallow the remainder. Sometimes there is a grassy aftertaste in the whole mouth, for some people this is pleasant, for others not so much. If you are one of the latter, you can take a piece of bread, cake or similar to remove this flavor and make it feel better on your stomach. This is optional. Other options is to stand in front of the mirror and count the drops that are falling. A trusted person who counts the drops can also give them to you. This last option is in situations in which the person who is going to drink the oil is disabled, we always recommend promoting autonomy, while we know how valuable and important it is to have someone close to you.
can do this for us (in situations of very old people, severe functional diversity, etc.)
There are other routes such as inhaled, either smoking or vaporization. Knowing how harmful to health is smoking, this inhaled route through combustion is discouraged, since all the benefits of this inhaled route can be obtained through the use of vaporizers, being the same less harmful to our body than the combustion that is generated by smoking. There is also the digestive, skin, rectal and vaginal routes.
On the basis that the dosage has to be decided by the patient, we always recommend starting with 1-2 sublingual drops and assessing the effect: Does it relieve pain, do I feel less anxious, do I feel more relaxed muscles, do I sleep better, do I Does it attenuate the shaking, etc.? Self-observation is
important when we start taking cannabis. I have to assess how I feel the symptoms for which I am taking cannabinoids. If they improve, it is a sign that we are finding the right dose. If I do not notice anything, you have to increase the drops, until you achieve the desired effect. It is also important to assess
how strong this effect has, that is, to what degree the symptoms are relieved. One must always try to optimize the therapeutic effects that are sought, but it is never necessary to compromise a correct functionality in the day-to-day life of the person who takes cannabis to improve their health.
Following the thread of the previous answer, it is when I stop noticing the action of the cannabinoids that I should take the next dose. The maximum recommended is every 4-6 hours if we do a sublingual use.
There are people who do very well every 12 hours, some even take it only before going to sleep and that is enough.
There are also situations in which it is not necessary to take it daily, many users like to have it around in case they begin to feel anxiety, or muscle tension, for example. But in their day to day they do not need it as a routine use.
Likewise, it is advisable to consume Cannabinoids once a day (with any route of administration), not as palliative medicine, but as preventive medicine. Some cannabinoids (such as CBD) help delay the onset and slow down the development of all neurodegenerative diseases, given their neuroprotective properties.
The desire and the spirit is very important when doing anything, and in taking cannabinoids it is too. We remind you that CBD, CBG and other cannabinoids do not have any type of psychoactivity, it is as if you drink a beer without alcohol ... you cannot get drunk !. In any case, that it does not have this property does not mean that you will not notice anything. CBD is not a harmless substance, it has its properties and actions in our body. It affects molecular receptors that are located in the nervous, muscular, circulatory system, etc. Therefore, yes, you can start taking them now, and we encourage you to observe what you are feeling.
We also recommend that it be a low dose (1 or 2 drops), since if you do not notice anything, you are always on time to increase the dose.
En el caso de que hayas decidido consumir cannabis rico en THC con fines terapéuticos, te recordamos que el THC es una sustancia fiscalizada (ilegal) y por tanto nunca ha de ser utilizada terapéuticamente sin el control y la supervisión de un equipo médico especialista.
There are other routes such as inhaled, either smoking or vaporization. Knowing how harmful to health is smoking, this vi inhaled through combustion is not recommended, since they can be obtain all the benefits of this inhaled route, through the use of vaporizers / electronic cigarettes, but without damaging our body as smoking does (combustion). Also é n is la v í a digestive, the cut , the rectal and the vaginal.
It is a Cannabinoid with very important therapeutic uses, but it is not the only one or in some cases the most effective. CBD is the non-psychoactive component of cannabis and has many therapeutic applications, but for some of the most recognized and undoubted uses of cannabis such as oxygen, as the antiemetic power THC is absolutely essential.
In addition, the entourage effect indicates that the joint administration of THC and CBD improves the therapeutic effects of both.
Even terpenes, flavonoids etc also have therapeutic properties ... So we can consider that all CBD is therapeutic cannabis, but not all therapeutic cannabis can be considered CBD (there are thc, more than 110 cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids etc) .
In addition to anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties, CBD is an essential element in the therapeutic use of cannabis since it reduces the possible negative effects that may appear with THc, such as anxiety or paranoia, since it qualitatively reduces the feeling of psychoactivity.
There is not enough clinical evidence to be able to affirm that cannabis "cures cancer".
It unquestionably helps as a palliative against the side effects of chemotherapy, but the antitumor power of cannabinoids for three specific types of cancer (Gliobastoma multiforme, Melanoma, Pancreatic cancer) has only been demonstrated in in vivo experiments in animals and in vitro. which causes apoptosis and stops metastasis.
There are individual reports of people who claim to have been cured with cannabis, but we do not have sufficient clinical evidence (in humans) to be able to affirm that cannabinoids are an antitumor agent capable of reversing the disease in humans. -The in vitro and in vivo results in animals are NOT extrapolated to humans. Furthermore, as we commented in the point related to mental health “correlation is not causality”.
CONTRAINDICATIONS
Adverse effects are generally mild. When we use more CBD than our body can optimally process, we can feel tired, drowsy, dry mouth, headaches and mild dizziness.
For the use of THC (especially when it is not accompanied by the same amounts of CBD) the side effects, although slight, can be multiple: Tiredness, heaviness, dry mouth, hypoxia, sleep cycle alteration, mood disturbances , imbalances in the pH level of the skin etc.
The first thing to remember is that these effects wear off in a short period of time. It could be said that the positive effect lasts approximately as long as the positive effect also lasts, a maximum of 4-6 hours. They are effects that, if they appear, do so in a light and bearable way.
If we see that they are accentuated, for the next taking it is enough to reduce the dose we have ingested. If the negative effects are very acute, the most sensible and prudent thing to do is to completely abandon the treatment.
Although, it should be remembered that these effects disappear completely if we suspend the administration of Cannabinoids. In any case, the scientific community assures that cannabinoids are usually well tolerated and that they are very safe active ingredients for human use, even at high doses.
Cannabinoids are always a treatment that is not first-line and that is, by definition, an adjunct treatment to the conventional treatment prescribed by the specialist doctor. In fact, we always recommend the person who wants to take cannabinoids to discuss with the doctors who follow-up that they are going to start a treatment with cannabinoids.
The important thing is that the health and quality of life of the person improves, and the more that can be contributed to this, the better. We are committed to uniting and making a network, the sides and isolated alternatives are no longer useful. Cannabinoids act synergistically with the vast majority of medications, thus enhancing the analgesic, anticonvulsant, anxiolytic, hypnotic, anti-inflammatory action, etc.
The only negative interactions recorded would be with: Ibuprofen, Aspirin and Indomethacin. Although, the negativity of the interaction is limited to a reduction in the potency of the effects, both of cannabinoids, and of the aforementioned drugs
To date, there is no evidence of a clear contraindication for CBD. If by following a general principle of prudence, cannabis use can lower blood pressure, then it is not recommended in principle for those who suffer from hypotension.
With regard to THC, its use is not recommended in those people who have suffered or have in their family some type of antecedent in relation to pathologies of a mental nature.
Both CBD and THC, like any other cannabinoid, is not recommended for use in pregnant women in gestation, since being lipophilic they remain attached to the breast milk that the pregnant baby will ingest.
“There are no studies that demonstrate a causal relationship between the use of cannabis and the appearance and development of schizophrenia, psychosis, etc.… in the general population. The frequency of the onset of the disease remains stable in the US and Europe, when, however, the figures for cannabis use have increased exponentially since the 1950s ″ Fernando Caudevila. «Cannabis, Interzona Collective. Cannabis and psychosis »
Cannabis is a triggering factor to favor the appearance of mental illnesses, in those people with a genetic predisposition for such pathologies. Various scientific studies have shown the statistical association between cannabis use and the development of schizophrenia: the disease appears more frequently in people who use cannabis than in those who do not. But the fact that two phenomena appear associated does not mean that one is the cause of the other (… correlation is not, nor does it imply, causality). The prevalence of cannabis use is higher among people diagnosed with this class of pathologies than among undiagnosed people. Longitudinal studies indicate that heavy cannabis use increases 2.6 times the risk of presenting a psychotic disorder if you are genetically predisposed for it.
Indeed, short-term memory is damaged by cannabis, but only during the period in which the person is under the effects of the substance (…) Studies suggest that in regular users, from the 4th week of abstinence, short-term memory deficits could be reversible and disappear »
Source: ”Marihuanna and Health» Health Library pag.136
J.R. De la Fuente (coordinator)
Cannabis is one of the substances (legal and illegal) with the least addictive potential and which is less dangerous for individuals and society, which does not mean that an addiction to cannabis use cannot be developed. An addiction is always a complex problem that involves substance-context-individual.
The symptoms that show that a person has developed an addiction to cannabis appear when the person in question stops using abruptly, and can be:
-insomnia, -irritability, -low mood, -hyporexia; even in very severe cases, physical symptoms such as: -shivering, -diaphoresis, -headache and abdominal pain.
In fact, approximately 9-10% of cannabis users will develop an addiction.
Source: ”Marihuanna and Health» Health Library pag.129 / 130
J.R. De la Fuente (coordinator)