I am grateful for the opportunity to grow and develop new skills and ways of thinking. In October I spent at the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine conference www.AIHM.org where thought leaders from around the country confirmed healthcare is broken. We discussed strategies to help people reconnect with their innate healing potential. No one thinks more procedures or pills is the answer. Healing should not be complicated, and healers are guides that show patients where their blocks are. Disease and discomfort have messages for us, and we must tune in to discover what we need to add or remove to be healthy and whole.

Dr. Dean Ornish taught that lifestyle medicine starts with increasing our own awareness of who we are, and how we treat our body. The Mediterranean diet provides dense nutrients to power our body and reduce inflammation. Daily exercise and moving every part of our body helps us retain function and limit decline. Connecting deeply with others as our authentic selves allows us to be seen, known, and understood. Meditation and prayer open our heart and spirit, helping us realize we are not alone. Finding purpose and joy in everyday life motivates us to grow moment by moment. Dr. Rav Ivker taught that deep love of self and others is what heals.

Functional medicine is not quick and easy like pills and avoidance. Discipline is involved, and self-love is needed to even begin. I reflected on how cannabinoids are facilitators to health and the journey I’ve taken for my patients and myself. Cannabis oils taken 15 minutes prior to eating makes Mediterranean diets filled with color and nutrition come to life by opening up the taste buds and reprogramming preferences. CBD:THC oils ease pain and inflammation making movement easier so daily exercise can be enjoyed again. Neuroprotection and neurogenesis from CBD keep our brain healthy, and THC can promote laughter and reduce fear. We can use cannabis to deepen connection with nature and awe, healing our psyche from angst. Physical and mental benefits of cannabinoids are numerous, cumulative, and gentle with proper dosing. Chronic conditions that traditional medicine fail often have the most to gain from cannabinoids.

Give yourself the gift of awareness in your own body, mind, spirit, and reflect on what is really important to you. True health is found pursuing joy and love, so remove the obstacles that block them. Health and wholeness is easier with cannabis medicine as part of your integrative treatment plan. Ratio lines of cannabinoids like CBD & THC are found in tinctures, topicals, patches, teas, micro dosed edibles, and via inhalation, and these natural supplements fine tune the body. Holistic Caring nurses specialize in treatment plans to help you heal without the high and wean from pills and plans that don’t work. If you want to try this path, connect with us.
May you be filled with gratitude, hope, and health for the holidays, and always.
Cheers, Elisabeth Mack, RN, MBA