If you didn’t know, cannabis plants are either male or female. Unsurprisingly, the females are far more interesting and produce the beautiful flower ‘buds’ that are the source of medical marijuana products. As some women have known for thousands of years, medical marijuana is a miraculous cure for many feminine issues. The below youtube video and article from Dr. Michelle Ross is an excellent resource on the subject of medical marijuana for women.
6 Ways Cannabis Helps Women’s Health With Dr. Michele Ross
Your reproductive organs, including your uterus and ovaries, contain both types of cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2. These are the receptors that respond to the cannabinoids found in marijuana or your body’s natural endocannabinoids, such as anandamide, which is known as the “Bliss Molecule.”
Your uterus has the highest levels of anandamide in your whole body. During certain times in your menstrual cycle, like ovulation, your uterus has 100 times more anandamide than your brain does. No wonder why we are feeling our best then!
Estrogen is tightly linked to anandamide. When our levels are low, anandamide is also low. When anandamide levels drop, we might feel moody or irritable, crave fatty foods, or feel in pain or crampy. Sound familiar? That’s PMS. In fact 3.5% of patients in HelloMD’s 2016 survey of cannabis users use cannabis to treat PMS.
84% of women have painful periods. Some women are lucky enough to use a Tylenol or a Midol and have sufficient pain relief. Others have to call in sick from work or take opiate painkillers. Will smoking a joint help for instant relief? Yes. So will rubbing a cannabis-infused topical lotion on your pelvis, a great option if you get drug tested at work and can’t have THC in your bloodstream.
RELATED: Medical Conditions Blog
Chronic pelvic pain lasting 6 months or more impacts 25% of women. 1 in 10 women suffer from endometriosis, a condition poorly treated by regular surgeries, hormone shots, and hysterectomy. Can cannabis help? Yes, but you’re going to have to do more than smoke it for lasting relief. Try eating 1:1 or 2:1 CBD:THC ratio tinctures or candies. For prevention of pain and actually treatment of your symptoms, try a vaginal suppository with THC and CBD, like FORIA relief.
Menopause – it’s something 50% of humans on earth will go through. Hot flashes, night sweats, moodiness, it’s not something anyone looks forward to going through. Current treatments include hormone replacement therapy or HRT, with a list of harmful side effects like increased risk of stroke or breast cancer. Cannabis can relieve many symptoms of menopause without these scary side effects.
