As Stenuf and her wife started investigating alternative methods of care, they discovered more and more research that pointed to cannabis as a viable resource. Though Stenuf had flirted with recreational marijuana as a teenager, she’d never thought of it as a potential medicine.
I realized maybe cannabis could help. But my wife was like, “Well, what are you going to do? You can’t go to the hospital, to talk to a VA doctor.” Just by talking about marijuana to my VA doctor (at that time), I was labeled as a substance abuser. And then if you were a substance abuser, you’re more of a liability than an asset at that point.
Granted, I already was labeled with cocaine and alcohol dependencies, but I’m sitting here going, “Wow, if the VA automatically negatively labels me as a substance abuser because marijuana is a schedule 1 drug, then how am I going to talk to you to wean off my medicine utilizing this plant that clearly works for me?”
Without support from the VA, Stenuf was left to experiment on her own body. Doing research at home on her medication and integrating certain cannabis and CBD products, while journaling her journey and using peer support for guidance, she learned more about trauma and the human endocannabinoid system as well as the cannabis plant and other botanical medicines.
“I looked at my wife and said, ‘It’s going to be one hell of a rollercoaster ride, but we’re going to do it,’” Stenuf notes. Through various cannabis and CBD treatments, plus her own research on trauma, she dropped from thirteen opioid medications to none!
“I now treat and respect cannabis as a preventative medicine,” she affirms. “Not as a cure-all (just yet), expecting it to do all the work on its own… We all have a deficiency, especially in our endocannabinoid system. I micro-dose and utilize cannabis and respect my body and integrate it with my therapies and treatments. That together has made a huge, tremendous 180 in my life.”
The scientific process of cannabis treating PTSD is fascinating, Stenuf elaborates. When a person experiences trauma, from verbal abuse to car accidents to rape to war, that initiates a chemical imbalance in the body. Endogenous cannabinoids that our body naturally produces become depleted and the neuron receptors sites (which can spark happy feelings) are not being filled. Traditional methods of treatment, such as prescription drugs, talk therapy, and even art therapy, will only go so far for some people because they often
As Stenuf states, “That sounds to me like a therapeutic reaction. And if you integrate cannabis with other holistic treatments like art and music and [talk] therapy, to open up the non-verbal pathways in the mind, you can truly obtain an individualized form of therapy and treatment for that patient, to help that person rehabilitate and have tools to use throughout their aftercare. ”
“The communities I’m in, from local to the veteran and cannabis communities, have been so supportive and welcoming,” she adds.
14
Cannabis' Uses in Holistic Medicine