Cannabinol and You… Why is it Important?

Everybody knows how exhausting and overwhelming modern life can be. Most of us are walking around perpetually burnt out, attempting to fulfill a list of endless tasks that dictate the flow of our energies. Put simply, we do too much. We are literally clumps of organic material that are capable of electrical conduction. When you overload the circuits eventually they are going to self destruct.

This constant influx of stimulus and stress keeps our bodies in fight or flight mode. When we are in fight or flight our bodies are programmed to do one thing, and that is to survive. The problem with constant movement, stimulus and stress is that our bodies never get a chance to rest and recuperate.

The immune system needs rest in order to function optimally, in fact rest is literally a green light to your body to begin the process of healing. We are so charged up all the time that it’s literally working our cells to death, as shown by the various disease processes linked to stress and exhaustion. But the problem is it seems we barely have the time to recognize the fact that we are living in a constant state of fight or flight, let alone the time to do something about it. Yet our cells depend on us, and we depend on our cells…. What to do?

Let’s take a look a little deeper into the biology of the body. It is my goal today to remind everyone that there is no separation between ourselves and our cells. We are our cells! I know this may sound obvious, but the reason I remind you of this fact is that whatever you are doing on a macrocosmic level, your cells are literally doing the same thing on the microcosmic level. That’s right, you heard it here. If you’re stressing out and not resting, eating poorly and not exercising or hydrating, your cells are too. Just like our large scale bodies, our cells’ tiny bodies contain organs called organelles.

One of these organelles is called the mitochondria. Mitochondria are the most ancient entities in the human body. The DNA found in the mitochondria is far more primitive than that in the nucleus of our cells. That is because long before we were ever multicellular beings we actually existed as mitochondria.

The significance of this information is this, the mitochondria are tasked with the creation of the energy currency of the human body, ATP. The mitochondria are magical beings that literally take molecules of fuel and convert them into life energy. When our mitochondria are functioning, so are we. Thus, we must worship the mitochondria!

How do we do that, you ask? Well one way, according to science, is to take your CBN! CBN, or cannabinol, is a compound found in cannabis. It does not bind to cannabinoid receptors in the cells, therefore there is no high produced by this compound. However, it does produce a strong sense of calm, and this is due to the fact that the compounds in cannabis relax and slow down electrical impulses within the human body, and this slows down the need for ATP (energy) production, thus our mitochondria are working less frantically and more efficiently. Recent studies have found the compounds in CBN actually halt oxytosis, also known as ferroptosis.

This degenerative process is a method of cell death induced by oxidative stress within the cell. Oxidative stress is linked to fatigue and overuse of the bodies’ resources. Think of it as burn out at the cellular level. In the lab, scientists were able to illustrate a direct relationship between CBN and the preservation of key mitochondrial functions!  This means that using CBN is like putting a layer of protection on your mitochondria. This has a direct relationship to all neurodegenerative disorders, as the major link between them is premature oxytosis of the neuronal tissue in the brain and nervous system.

It is so very important for us to slow down to allow our bodies a chance to slow down as well. It is in the calm that we heal, and when we heal we can thrive. Cannabis is an integral piece of the self care puzzle. More and more studies are being produced that illustrate the crucial functions that cannabis supports within the human body. 

During these times of stress we must find ways to help facilitate the calming our nervous systems so our immune systems can do what they are built to do! Get Synergy CBN into your repertoire as soon as you can!

Wishing you all the best on your healing journey,

Nurse Lauren

Reasonable Resolutions!

Happy New Year everybody! It's not too late to make those New Year’s Resolutions come true if you’re ready to think a little differently about them.

We all know how hard it is to keep New Year's resolutions but that doesn’t stop us from optimistically setting our goals for the year ahead. Over many years of miserable failures I’ve come to realize there are a few simple maneuvers which work well with whatever kind of lifestyle change you are considering. Whether you are giving up something, or starting something new, consider these three suggestions for resolution success!

Resolution Lite

Often the changes we’d like to see are a long way from the reality that we are living. Setting lofty resolution goals often seem doomed to failure. So setting achievable goals for resolutions is a good place to start.

Giving up alcohol is a popular resolution which has created the Dry January phenomenon.

Thousands of people completely abstain for the first month of the year and feel they have done themselves a power of good. This is true but perhaps the real health benefit is to bring down alcohol intake year round. For somebody who likes a drink but wants to cut down, a restricted intake resolution might be more achievable and will bring considerable health benefits. Reducing alcohol intake improves digestion, mood, sleep, energy levels, blood pressure, heart health and reduces cancer risk.

The Plan

Many many times my New Year’s resolution has been to learn Spanish. I’ve tried and tried but despite subscriptions to Duolingo and Babel I have never persevered.

Recently I found a teacher on Youtube who I find really easy to follow. He has 50 tutorials which complete his Spanish Proficiency course.

I’m planning to do one or two tutorials a week, do an hour that week practicing the lessons and then move on to the next. I am giving myself the whole year to complete the course.

A plan like this gives structure to incorporating something new in your life. Create the plan that you feel you can realistically achieve, make sure not to overload yourself and turn a good idea into a groansome chore!

Little by Little 

Resolutions are indications of how we want to be and to realize our aims we need to strategize. Our desire to succeed can be bolstered by small, incremental successes. A good example is learning to meditate, incredibly good for our health, notoriously difficult to learn to do!

Instead of trying to meditate for half an hour, start a three minute a day meditation. Set an alarm and sit, eyes closed, focussing on your inhale and exhale of breath.When you can meditate for three minutes you can add on a couple of minutes and onward until you reach your desired meditation time.

Incremental paths to new activity are encouraging, it’s uplifting to feel a sense of achievement and make ultimate goals come true!

Microdosing with Cannabis

Billee Sharp

In the twenty years since medical marijuana was legalized in California cannabis strains have become much stronger in THC content. Growers take two or more high THC strains and cross fertilize them. Certainly the THC rich strains available legally in California are very much stronger than the strains from thirty years ago. Most dispensaries offer some variety in the strength of THC strains but recreational use THC is in most demand and generally high THC is what is stocked. Dosages of high THC cannabis have been shown to have therapeutic value in pain mediation and anti-cancer protocols, but the psychoactive side effects deter many patients.

Luckily for the many of us who are reluctant to use high THC medications, there is a growing community of cannabis advocates and clinicians who are pushing for lower doses for therapeutic protocols. New research is yielding positive results from microdosing studies which deliver very small amounts of THC and other cannabinoids.

Low dosages are referred to as “microdoses” and this approach has been popularized by protocols for mental health issues which include microdosing psychedelics like LSD, MDMA or psilocybin.

Microdosing cannabis is taking small amounts of cannabis in order to reap the medical benefits of THC while avoiding its psychoactive effects that can interfere with the demands of daily life.

“Most people don’t know about microdosing,” says Michelle Ross, founder of IMPACT network, a nonprofit organization that uses medical research to find new cannabis-related treatments. “They just blast their system with cannabis or high amounts of THC, and that is not always the best approach for whatever condition they have.”

Many experts now believe that the threshold for the medical benefits of THC is far lower than many people think and that high doses can be counterproductive.

“When you raise the dose sometimes you get diminished benefits, and sometimes you get the opposite of what you are looking for,” says Dr Dustin Sulak, an osteopathic physician based in Maine who treats many of his patients with small doses of cannabis. For example, while a little cannabis can help reduce anxiety, too much can actually cause it.

According to Dr Sulak this is why many patients are now turning to microdosing in order to treat conditions such as depression, stress, anxiety, pain, and to help improve focus and promote sleep.

While more research is needed there are some clinical studies that suggest that less is in fact more when it comes to medicinal cannabis. In a 2012 study, patients with advanced cancer who were unresponsive to traditional opioid painkillers were given Nabiximols, a THC/CBD compound, at low, medium, and high doses. Patients who received the lowest dosage of cannabinoids showed the greatest reduction in pain, while those receiving higher doses actually experienced more pain.

In another study, a prison group of individuals were given low (four milligram) doses of Nabilone, a synthetic cannabinoid, to help treat their post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its associated symptoms. The results, published in 2014, showed significant improvements in PTSD-associated insomnia, nightmares, general symptoms, and even chronic pain.

Cannabis can be effective for helping to control other chronic conditions. As we have seen with members of Synergy Wellness, multiple sclerosis can be controlled with daily microdoses of THC and CBD, larger doses are only administered to control painful flare-ups of symptoms.

Other Synergy members have established THC:CBD microdosing protocols for chronic health problems including neuropathy and fibromyalgia.

Microdosing is beneficial on a daily basis, a tiny sub-psychoactive dose of cannabis reduces stress, helps with mental focus and general sense of healthiness.

So how to discover your optimal dose of cannabis really depends entirely on you. Each individual has a THC tolerance level which can only be identified by the individual. The level of tolerance can be affected by individual differences in liver metabolism, genetics, previous usage, among other variables.

The goal is to find the dose that gives the most minimal noticeable effect. Microdosing is personal that way, everybody has to experiment until you find the dose that works.

As a rule of thumb, a microdose regime starts with a 2.5 mg dose and stays at that dose for two or three days. Particularly sensitive types can start even lower at 1mg if so desired. Cannabis tincture might be the simplest and most accurate form of microdosing cannabis, edibles tend to start at around 10 mg per serving so a cookie or gummi will have to be cut down which is difficult to get accurate. Vaping or smoking can be the method but again it is difficult to calibrate; one puff is the start point.

For those who use cannabis regularly, a microdose protocol would be initiated by a 48-hour of cannabis abstinence. This is enough time for the endocannabinoid system to reset. While this might seem like a brief moment after potentially years of usage, a brain imaging study published in 2022 tracked the number of cannabinoid receptors during a period of abstinence from cannabis. The results indicated that even in heavy smokers, the receptors bounced back to baseline levels after just two days.

After a 2- day cleanse, microdosers can gradually reintroduce cannabis into their system, starting with just one milligram.

The aim with cannabis microdosing is to have a therapeutic effect without psychoactivity, so the patient must try and notice the slightest psychotropic effect. When you do notice a slight effect, stay at this dose for a few days and add more slowly if needed. Most patients settle at a daily microdose of 1 to 3 mg, which is very modest.

Lower doses can actually lead to increased sensitivity to cannabis over time, underscoring the importance of staying at low levels for the first few days of microdosing. As you build tolerance to THC you also build tolerance to your own endocannabinoids which promote balance and health. A highly sensitive endocannabinoid system is extremely valuable for responding to systemic threats: illness, injury and stress, so a microdose regimen keeps the ECS ( Endocannabinoid System) primed with phytocannabinoids on a daily basis.

For somebody who uses cannabis irregularly or is just starting to use cannabis, 1 milligram of a 1:1 THC:CBD blend will further ease any psychoactive effect, the 1:1 microdose can gradually be increased until some alteration is felt, then stay at that level for four days.

Over time many people feel the need to increase their dose for effectiveness. When the microdose feels like it is not working any longer, that means that the optimal dose for the user has been passed. In a sense finding the optimal dose is established by means of going past it.

Microdosing may yet become the go-to method of maintaining endocannabinoid health, a daily microdose of cannabinoids to support the ECS , much like a multivitamin!

Sources:

“Rapid Changes in CB1 Receptors Availability in Cannabis Dependant Men after Abstinence from Cannabis”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4742341/

Use of a Synthetic Cannabinoid in a Correctional Population for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, related Insomnia, Nightmares,Chronic Pain

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4165471/

Nabiximols for Opioid-Treated Cancer Patients With Poorly-Controlled Chronic Pain: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Graded Dose Trial

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1526590012000193