Another example that we brought to the forefront last summer was the change in our diets in the 1950’s. We moved away from a low carb diet to the modern diet. Without spending too much time on this, we know that whatever the reason for doing so it was not based on good science.
That revised diet has been linked to a rise in chronic inflammation and inflammation more and more is referred to as the unifying theory of disease. This is where cannabis comes back in to play because we know that one of the functions of our endogenous cannabinoid system (or endocannabinoid system) is to modulate inflammation. Much like we did not foresee the rise of antibiotic resistant drugs we also did not realize that we were recommending a change in diet that, to some, seemed to cause or advance inflammation and right on the heels of cannabis prohibition meaning depriving our systems of a power natural anti-inflammatory defence.
My hypothesis from last summer made that connection – the timing of the change in diet and the timing of the prohibition of cannabis may have worked in tandem contributing to the rise of various medical conditions said to be caused by or advanced by inflammation and therefore it could prove equally true that restoring our endocannabinoid system to a state of balance while simultaneously altering our diets and lifestyle may lead to a reduction in these same medical conditions.
It is therefore little wonder to me to see article after article, subsequent to the publication of my hypothesis, report on the number of medical conditions being effectively treated by medical cannabis – such as arthritis because arthritis just may be the prime example of a medical condition causing systemic inflammation.
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