Micro-Dosing: A New Way To Medicate With Marijuana?

Micro-Dosing: A New Way To Medicate With Marijuana?


Megan Honan, October 22, 2016

Is Micro-Dosing For You?

Micro-dosing isn’t new. Its the method of giving yourself the minimum amount of a substance needed to reach a desired effect. Marijuana doses vary person to person. You also have to factor in the natural variables that come with different strains and cannabinoid profiles.
What does micro dosing mean to the patient? It means being a scientist at home, experimenting with your personal dose and finding what actually works best for you. The question to ask yourself: Can I address my medical needs with smaller amounts of cannabis? How will that impact my life?
Micro-dosing involves ingesting a much smaller quantity of cannabis then you might expect. If you are smoking or vaping that would mean taking a single puff. If you’re eating an edible or inedible, you would ingest less than half of the recommended dosage on the label.

Why Micro-Dosing?

The reasoning  behind micro-dosing is to metabolize the least amount of cannabis, to that point that side effects aren’t noticeable when medicating. Depending on why you use cannabis, such a low-level dose may or may not be ideal for your condition. The only way to find out, is to try for yourself. Anecdotal evidence has shown that for some patients, fewer side effects and better results, come with drastically lower doses of cannabis.

What are the physicians saying?

“When I started my practice, I was surprised to see that some patients were using very low dosages (e.g. 1 puff), while other patients require much higher dosages (e.g. 1 joint or a potent edible) to achieve optimal benefits,” notes Dr. Sulak. “Over time, I began to notice that most patients using small amounts of cannabis were getting better and more sustainable results than their high-dosage counterparts with similar conditions. Eventually I discovered that most people have a certain threshold dosage of cannabis, below which they’ll actually experience a gradual increase in health benefits over time, and above which they’ll start building tolerance, experiencing diminishing benefits, and more side effects.” Dr. Dustin Sulak, medical director of Interg8 Health, told United Patients Group last March.
“Many of my patients using low doses for pain, mood, and sleep find that low doses give the effects they are looking for, and over time, due to the enhancement of their endocannabinoid system, they find that they don’t need as much phytocannabinoids to achieve the desired effects.” Dr. Bonni Goldstein, Medical Director of Canna-Centers

How Does Micro-Dosing Work?

The functioning of the body’s endocannabinoid system, and the CB1 and CB2 receptors interaction with cannabinoids, is not yet fully understood—Marijuana’s Schedule 1 status has been a hindrance on medical studies. At this point is has been hypothesized that small doses of cannabinoids enhance the endocannabinoid system, while larger doses cause the system to down-regulate, making the receptors less responsive.
THC  mimics the chemical compound anandamide (taken from the Sanskrit word ananda, which means “joy, bliss, delight”) which our bodies already produce, use and need to regulate essential functions. These are functions include pain, mood, digestion, appetite, inflammation and sleep.  Phytocannabinoids ( found in Cannabis) work on the same receptors and perform similar functions to endogenous cannabinoids (or cannabinoids that naturally exist in the human brain). One example is “Runners High” which is naturally produced by anandamide.
With micro-dosing you are  essentially “pumping up” your  natural endocannabiniod system!
To learn more take our Endocannabinoid System Course




Thanks to: https://whynocure.com