Happy June, and I send my thoughts and prayers to our struggling world. Deep inequities, pain, anger, uncertainty, and trauma plague us all.
Anxiety is high as we ache for our safety, health, security, and freedom. Unchecked anxiety leads to mental and physical changes that negatively alter our biology and reduce our quality of life. Negative thoughts disturb endocrine systems setting off fight or flight – which brings on insomnia, digestive issues, neurological misfiring, and cardiovascular inflammation. This leads to high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity, liver and kidney issues, and systemic inflammation which leads to chronic pain. Treating all of the above with pharmaceuticals – a pill for each ill that further reduces quality of life.
Lifestyle and functional medicine must be brought mainstream so we can help millions not only cope but learn to thrive. Luckily there is a shortcut to healing and wellness through plants, with one of the most famous being cannabis. Cannabis affects our bodies in a natural and systemic way because of the endocannabinoid system, or ECS. The ECS acts as a buffer to the brain, central nervous system, organs, immune functions, and emotions to harmonize the flow of neurotransmitters, hormones, and energy. It’s not a fail-safe system as chronic stress erodes our levels of endocannabinoids and we run an ECS deficiency.
Phytocannabinoids like CBD and THC from the cannabis plant mimic our own compounds to support the ECS. Supplementing the ECS is both a short term fix and a long term remedy as the plant helps restore our own ECS back to its needed levels over time. Because cannabinoid receptors are found throughout the body, it can impact many systems at once. This is why cannabis works so well not only for stress and anxiety, but also sleep, digestion, nervous system dysfunction, and immune system balancing. In clinical practice, dose controlled supplements of one or two cannabinoids are taken, monitoring the results to make adjustments – just like traditional medicine does with medications.
Health promotion through cannabinoids can help you find peace with yourself and others. Cannabis is a shortcut to work through pain, trauma, and uncertainty…becoming much more flexible, adaptive and free. We are going to need to work through many levels of change, and cannabis is something we can use repeatedly to fine tune our psychology, neurology, immune and endocrine functioning. As we slow down and process what is really important to us and our family, we can use small doses of cannabis to keep resetting, adjusting, and healing.
I am committed to my long term vision to keep building. Gratitude keeps me focused and I am thankful for my growing team at Holistic Caring. Tasha Jackson is my course designer, helping put my work into a beautiful course platform which is now ready for our launch! Sherri Balzer will begin sales of the Holistic Caring Cannabis Health Coach licensing programs and book sales. Over the next several months stay tuned for more courses and patient programs that will extend the knowledge and support to all who need to understand Cannabis as a Medicine.
Cannabis Health Coach Licensing
Online Programs are Live! If you want to become a Cannabis Health Coach contact Elisabeth. elisabeth@holisticcaring.com
May you have blessings of health and wholeness, and please take care of yourself and others. Elisabeth Mack, RN, BSN, MBA