CANNABIS FOR SENIORS 89
Tailor Your Therapeutics:
I felt it was important to highlight this chapter as Dr. Potter stresses the need for all patients, but especially seniors, to take back know-ledge and control of their body and how medicine affects it. She explains the need to “establish a baseline” or to “quantify your level of anxiety or pain (for example)” in order to know how cannabis is helping that wellness issue. Then, once you have est-ablished your baseline then it is important to use small quantities to observe how it is helping you to get ahold of your particular condition. It is also important to “ack-nowledge the change” you have noticed, even if small, in order to understand the appropriate dosage and strain that is most helpful to the condition. This chapter leads into a chapter on the “Senior Opioid Epidemic” and points out some frightening statistics. Did you know that “from 2006 - 2012, a Towson University study found that ER visits for prescription overdose jumped by 78%”? Also, I was unaware that “the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality shows rates of adults 45-85 being hospitalized for opioid use to have risen by 500% since 1993”? Finally, that “a 2009 American Geriatric Society reversal in their policy to no longer recommend over-the-counter meds (such as NSAIDs) before prescribing opioids, which hastened the rise in opioid use”. Easy to see how, with the rise in population of baby boomers combined with the decision to recommend opioids over over-the-counter medications caused the explosion in opioid use, and addiction in the senior community. Also how a recent Journal of Psychoactive Drugs study concluded that cannabis can both substitute and totally replace opioids as well as enhance their effectiveness in order to decrease the sheer quantity of opioid consumption. The importance of decreasing the intake of opioid consumption, in all age groups, is vital to the future of our Country.
Carrol's Corner
Carrol Holloway-Dyer's column for this issue was delayed due to a family emergency and will publish in the next Issue.
The CannaConsumer Magazine family asks for thoughts and prayers for Carol and her
family in as they tread
though rough waters.
Many people often think that the only way to consume cannabis is by smoking it. Let me tell ya, you can benefit from cannabis by smoking, drinking, eating or using it externally. If you’re afraid to ingest cannabis depending on your purpose for example, I have arthritis, I’m a big fan of topical creams which are for external use. I would suggest if you decide to use an external cream for arthritis relief, look for creams that specifically state Arthritis pain relief, it may be costly but a little bit goes a long ways when it comes to relief. I have many of friends that have never indulged in recreational cannabis or used cannabis topical creams, for various pain relief for treatment such as, Arthritis swelling and pain, back/knee/shoulder pain, fibromyalgia, plantar fasciitis, etc.… Many say that the topicals reduce and even relieve the pain. Beware that cannabis topicals, even tho there for external use, it can still give you positive results on a drug test.
CBD is very helpful for pain relief as an alternative medicine to opioid painkillers. CBD has medicinal properties without any of the high. It’s often recommended to cancer patient for pain relief. I haven’t personally benefited from CBD pain relief but I have talked to several patients who have.
Carrol Holloway-Dyer
is in the process of launching cannabis HAPPY parties,
for 50+ over, in CA’s Central Valley.