Medical Cannabis

Curious About Medical Cannabis?

NutriChem answers all your FAQ about Medical Cannabis

Despite much hype, medical cannabis is not a panacea for every chronic health condition. However, it is a useful deprescribing tool to be used as a safe alternative to more harmful prescription drugs. The major emerging areas where medical cannabis is a safe and effective treatment option are for “The Big 3 of Medical Cannabis”: chronic pain, anxiety, and sleep problems.

Dr.Adam Livingston in Pharmacy

NutriChem’s cannabis consultant, Adam Livingson, PharmD, RPh provides clients with an in-depth understanding and guidance regarding using cannabis therapeutically for health concerns.

Under the care and guidance of a icensed healthcare professional, NutriChem provides a safe and effective route of utilizing cannabis, rather than simply experimenting on your own.

NutriChem offers advanced medical cannabis expertise, access to medical cannabis prescriptions, registration with licensed medical cannabis producers, and a personalized treatment plan with products and dosage. However, *note that under the current Health Canada regulations, NutriChem is not a medical cannabis store or cannabis dispensary. *We can provide expertise and access to medical cannabis, but we cannot sell or dispense medical cannabis on-site.

Dr.Adam Livingston in Pharmacy

NutriChem’s cannabis consultant, Adam Livingson, PharmD, RPh provides clients with an in-depth understanding and guidance regarding using cannabis therapeutically for health concerns.

Under the care and guidance of a icensed healthcare professional, NutriChem provides a safe and effective route of utilizing cannabis, rather than simply experimenting on your own.

NutriChem offers advanced medical cannabis expertise, access to medical cannabis prescriptions, registration with licensed medical cannabis producers, and a personalized treatment plan with products and dosage. However, *note that under the current Health Canada regulations, NutriChem is not a medical cannabis store or cannabis dispensary. *We can provide expertise and access to medical cannabis, but we cannot sell or dispense medical cannabis on-site.

What does medical cannabis treat?

Because cannabis has been illegal or heavily restricted until only recently, there has been a lack of strong clinical evidence supporting its use. However, most clinicians concede that cannabis can be a safe and effective option for pain, anxiety, and sleep problems if used appropriately. There are currently many ongoing clinical studies exploring cannabis’ use in these areas as well as many others. The evidence is starting to catch up to what many healthcare providers have known for quite some time.

High-dose CBD is already being incorporated into guidelines for use in epilepsy and seizure conditions. Both CBD and THC can be used in cancer patients for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), as well as to help limit spasticity in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.

 

How do you use medical cannabis oil?

Many people also use CBD oils for joint pain, arthritis and inflammation. Low-dose THC from Indica strains of cannabis can be quite effective for sleep, on its own or in combination with CBD. Cannabis is a sort of “pleiotropic” substance, meaning that it has a variety of potentially useful therapeutic effects.

 

Will I be “stoned” if I use medical cannabis? Do I have to smoke it?

Absolutely not! There are two major pharmacological components in cannabis: CBD and THC. CBD is the non-psychoactive part of cannabis. It is a good anti-inflammatory and anxiolytic, but does not produce a “high” or euphoria. THC is the psychoactive component of cannabis that can produce a “high,” but can also be useful in a variety of medical conditions.

Getting “stoned” is considered a side effect of medical cannabis and something that we work hard to avoid for our patients. If your goal is to get “high,” there is a recreational stream that can accommodate, but if your goal is to improve your medical condition with minimal side effects, then medical cannabis could be a good option for you.

The vast majority of our patients do not smoke their cannabis, but instead use cannabis oils and sprays, which offer more therapeutic benefits with fewer health risks than smoking or vaporizing.

 

Are there risks when using medical cannabis?

Yes, especially when using the THC component of cannabis. A lot of the risks and side effects from cannabis are related to high-dose THC use. The majority of our patients use primarily medical CBD oils. Only if needed, do we combine these with low-dose THC oils, typically for sleep or complex chronic pain.

At our medical cannabis clinic, we limit the risks of cannabis use by keeping THC dosing to a minimum by maximizing the therapeutic potential of CBD. However, when CBD and THC are combined in an effective ratio based on the individual patient’s response, they have a synergistic effect that can be better than using either one alone.

Cannabis leaf with pills and capsules in the background

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