In my clinical experience discussing the use of medical marijuana with patients I have seen fantastic results with women in their late 40’s and 50’s who use it to treat peri-menopause and menopause.   It really helps reduce the mood swings and improve sleep.   Most people do not consider sleep deprivation a “serious medical illness” and critics of California’s medical marijuana laws often point out that it was intended for seriously ill patients and has been abused.   I would argue differently.

SOLID SLEEP is VITAL to HEALTH.  I will say that one more time.  A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP IS VITAL TO MAINTAINING YOUR HELATH.  Many of our hormones, to include Human Growth Hormone, are triggered by the sleep wake cycle.   This means that when it gets dark and you go to bed the body signals itself to secrete HGH.   HGH is responsible for growth and regeneration of tissues.  It is vital to good health.  If you are not sleeping you will not be in good health. Period.

In addition, when you are tired you have less energy to handle the challenges that are inevitable in life.  You are more cranky, you have less of a SEX DRIVE which affects the relationships in your life.  Sleep is definitely a commodity and many patients use cannabis EXCLUSIVELY to help them sleep at night.

If you get the right strain of cannabis you can certainly reduce the anxiety and mood swings that occur with menopause.   YOu do not have to use strains that are very psychoactive.  There are many indica strains that effect more your body than your mind and many people find that they can still function normally even while medicated.

If you are a patient going through or in menopause I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU to at least consider is marijuana is something that can improve the quality of your life.   If it doesn’t work you can simply NOT USE IT.   In the meantime you have not harmed yourself in any way.

Be blessed,

Dr. Breen

Menopause and Medical Marijuana; Alternative Treatments is a post from: Medical Marijuana Blog

1. The first is to INGEST IT in edible form.  Basically patients can mix the plant and make a cannabutter that is used to cook with.  I have seen some collectives offer it in tincture form in pill caps.  I have seen soda’s and teas.

The problem with ingesting cannabis is that is is VERY UNPREDICTABLE.  Patients can ingest something and not feel the effects for 30 minutes or 3 hours.  When it does hit their system it may be 10X the dose they need or 1/10th the dose they need.   It can create some very uncomfortable experiences for patients who ingest too much at once.

Secondly, edibles are not regulated by ANYONE.   Pretty much you have no idea who is making them, whether or not they have a clean kitchen or even if they wash their hands.   So there are concerns about bacterial, fungal and other contamination.   I WOULD STRONGLY ADVICE NOT PURCHASING EDIBLES AT ALL.   If you are dead set on using them learn how to make them yourself.

2. The second way is to INHALE the medication.  This is preferred because it makes it very easy to determine how much you need.  It will hit your system within minutes and it is very easy to titrate the dose.        You will be much less likely to use too much if you go this route.

Now traditionally people inhaled by smoking the plant.  They actually burn the plant (joint, pipe, water bong etc) leaf itself and inhale the medicine in addition to the by products of combustion which are Carbon Monoxide (deadly), PAH compounds (carcinogenic) and the ash which deposits in the airways of your lungs.  ALL BAD!

However you can eliminate the smoke by using a VAPORIZER.  They allow you to inhale just the medicine without burning the leaf which in turn has NO SMOKE, VERY LITTLE ODOR, and is MORE EFFICIENT.  So you won’t stink, your clothes won’t stink and you neighbors aren’t going to know you medicate with cannabis.   So it is much more private.   You can smell a patient who has been smoking a mile away.

The reason why vaporization works is because all of the medically active ingredients in the cannabis plant on are the surface in glands which the plant secretes.  They are stored in little capsules called Trichomes.  These crystals are dotted all over the surface of the leaf.   SO THERE ARE NO MEDICALLY ACTIVE INGREDIENTS IN THE PLANT LEAF ITSELF (that we know of).  All the medicine is on the surface.   These trichomes will evaporate at a lower temperature than when you burn it.   Approximately 360 degrees fahrenheit.

So what a vaporizer does is heat the plant to 360 degrees (in that range) where the trichomes evaporate allowing you to inhale them… without burning the leaf itself.  SMOKE FREE MEDICINE!

This obviously creates a huge advantage for patients.   I have many patients who suffer from asthma, COPD, or have cancer and can not smoke anything.  They can inhale without coughing, wheezing or feeling that burning sensation in their lungs when they medicate.   It is simply like inhaling a warm breath of fresh air.

If you are a physician reading this I would encourage you to educate yourself on vaporizing so that if your patients ask you about using medical marijuana you can at least give them some basic guidance about how to medicate.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE A VAPORIZER PLEASE CALL OUR OFFICE AT 877-721-0047 AND WE CAN ASSIST YOU WITH GETTING ON AT A VERY GOOD PRICE AND DISCOUNT.

Be blessed,

Dr. Breen

Medical Marijuana; Eliminating the Smoke is a post from: Medical Marijuana Blog

In theory, edibles seem like the obvious method of medicating for those patients who do not want to smoke.   Unfortunately there are many pitfalls to eating your medicine.   For one, it is very difficult to predict how potent an edible is going to be.   You may need a certain dose to feel just right and eat half of a piece of cookie.   Unfortunately a half a piece of cookie may be 10x the dose you need or 1/10th the dose you need.   Either scenario is not good.  Either you are laid out for an entire day or feel nothing at all.  So the dose is difficult to titrate.

Secondly it can take a long time for the medicine to be absorbed into your blood stream.   It may take 20 minutes or it may take 2.5 hours.  Depending on whether you have a full or empty stomach in addition to the overall health of your digestive tract, the absorption times will very drastically.

Lastly, there is NO QUALITY CONTROL in this industry yet.  Typically edibles are NOT made in any certified kitchen that is being monitored by the health department.   When you go into a dispensary and they have a refrig full of edibles you have NO IDEA who made them, if they washed their hands, if it was sitting out for three days etc.  I have seen edibles crawling with fungus, mold, bacteria and even fecal material.  When tested all of the above are discovered.

So it is truly BUYER BEWARE when using edibles unless you are making them yourself.  if you know the correct strain and have a consistent method for making them you will be able to predict with more certainty how they affect you.

Lastly, for those patients who DONT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO DO AFTER READING THIS, please read up on digital VAPORIZATION.  It is a SMOKE FREE way to medicate.  NO SMOKE NO SMELL!!!!

Marijuana Dispensaries and Marijuana Edibles: Buyer Beware is a post from: Medical Marijuana Blog

Did you know that you can medicate with marijuana without smoking it?   Vaporizers were developed by patients who want the advantage of inhaling the medicine (immediate absorption and fast onset of action) without the risks of smoking.   Vaporizers work by heating the plant to temperatures below the point of combustion (approximately 360 degrees)  and evaporating the medically active ingredients off the surface of the leaf.   The plant matter itself is not burned and left intact while all the THC and other cannabinoids are inhaled.   Patients are left with a smoke free vapor to inhale directly into their lungs.   In my practice I recommend using the Easy Vape Digital Hands Free vaporizer.   It is cost effective and very simple to use.

Medical Cannabis of Southern California provides cannabis evaluations for patients in California who qualify under Proposition 215 to use medical marijuana.  With clinics located in Long Beach, Irvine and Encinitas we see patients across southern California.   Patients can pre-qualify for free from the comfort of their home by visiting our website at www.mcsocal.com  If you would like to make an appointment you can reach our director of clinics at 877-721-0047.

Alternative Treatment for Migraine Headaches; Marijuana is a post from: Medical Marijuana Blog