According to the World Health Organization the latest depression statistics show that 300 million people around the world have depression. Depression is not just feeling sad - it is considered a serious mental health condition (mental illness) that has an impact on both physical and mental health. Scientists have discovered that causes of depression could be a combination of many different factors : genetics, stress, and life events of severe importance can be the reason to be one depressed.

Mental illnesses are often treated with medications such as Xanax and Valium, which are unfortunately the most commonly abused prescription drugs. Benzodiazepines have the potential to become addictive for its user! Fortunately, Nowadays many people have turned to medical marijuana as a way to combat their depression and as the technology evolves you don’t even have to smoke joints--now people just use Cannabis Vape Pens.


How medical marijuana works against depression?

It has been shown that introducing supplemental cannabinoids reduces the symptoms of depression. In other words, cannabis can help treat depression ’s symptoms.

Cannabis is known for  enhancing the patient’s mood while at the same time relieving anxiety and battling insomnia which are all negative symptoms of depression.

Medical marijuana is a natural remedy that as many patients report works more effectively than the antidepressants. Cannabis stimulates the endocannabinoid system and has no side effects. Cannabis has a direct influence on the cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2. When the cannabinoid compounds of Cannabis enter our organism, they interact with the cannabinoid receptors and regulate a person’s mood, in a positive way.

Many different strains of cannabis can help treat depression. Depending on the specific symptoms being treated, there is likely an ideal strain for the intended outcome and the secret lies in the terpene profile of the plant. Strains high in the terpene limonene are typically great choices for mood elevation. Moreover offer focus and energy which is very important to those suffering from depression.

There have been some studies all over the world that have observed the effects medical marijuana has on people suffering from different types of depression and most of the results have shown just how effective the cannabis plant can be.

A study done in 2006 at McGill University in Montreal showed that that low doses of THC and CBD found in medical marijuana can produce serotonin-Serotonin plays a major role in the human body and is a natural mood stabilizer and helps fight depression. It is also known as the chemical compound that makes people happy.

In comparison with antidepressants, which may take weeks for patients to notice a difference, statistics show that at least one in three people with depression are unable to find relief through current antidepressant drugs. CBD is non-psychoactive, while THC is responsible for marijuana’s psychological effects.. A study by Neuropharmacology suggests that CBD prompts antidepressants-like effects, but with instantaneous results, and another study demonstrated a good interaction between CBD and receptors in the human brain.

One of the earliest acknowledged written documents of the cannabis plant being used in this way dated back to 1621 when an English clergyman Robert Burton wrote about it in The Anatomy of Melancholy. Around the same time, doctors in India had been using cannabis to help treat their patients’ depression so it’s absolutely one of the most outstanding medicines in the course of history.

Even though there haven’t been too many research to date on the results that medical cannabis has on depression, the ones carried out so far, had effective results.

However it’s necessary to keep in mind that Mental Problems like depression are often complicated and involve many factors. In any case one should seek professional advice from his doctor and do his own research before he considers medical Cannabis as his proper choice.

For those of us who still fancy a good read once in a while, there is a new book in the Psychedelic Head Space you must check out ... "Psychedelic Medicine : The Healing Powers of LSD, MDMA, Psilocybin and Ayahuasca" by Dr. Richard Louis Miller.

Embracing the revival of psychedelic research and the discovery of new therapeutic uses, Dr. Richard Louis Miller discusses what is happening today in psychedelic medicine and what will happen in the future with top researchers in this field, including Rick Doblin, Stanislav Grof, James Fadiman, Julie Holland, and Dennis McKenna.


Richard Louis Miller is a Clinical Psychologist, owner of Wilbur Hot Springs Health Sanctuary, and broadcaster who hosts the Mind Body Health & Politics radio program, a radio talk show which airs on NPR affiliate KZYX&Z FM. The program is known for its wide ranging discussions on politics and health, the show’s format includes guest interviews, guest speakers, and listener call in.


In 1990, while motorcycling, Dr Miller was hit by a recreational vehicle. In the resulting accident, the Winnebago ran over him crushing both of his legs. He kept himself alive using breathing stabilization techniques. In the emergency room he talked the attending physician out of amputating his legs which led to to a 15-hour surgery. This was the first of 6 surgeries. While in intensive care, Dr. Miller devised methods of coping with the psychological trauma, using visual imagery to aid the healing process. Given a prognosis of being paraplegic and using a wheelchair, he began rehabilitating himself by doing “wheel chair laps” around the hospital ward. Six months later he began walking on crutches, and he strapped them onto a motorcycle, drove back to the scene of his accident, and retraced the original accident multiple times in an attempt to remove the trauma from his mind, replacing it with “a perfect ride”.

Using special T bar crutches, he went on the complete 2 triathlons including swimming in San Francisco Bay. He used the same special crutches to run the 7 mile Golden Gate Bridge to Bay Bridge run in San Francisco with his former marathoning buddy Wayne Greene. Dr. Miller used this life changing event to deepen his understanding of himself and those suffering Post traumatic stress disorder. The implementation of those lessons soon followed, and he created a simple maxim, “Limits are self-imposed, and one needs to always be cautious of accepting the limitations (prognosis) imposed by others.”

Miller has been, a Marathon runner, Triathlete, Endurance swimmer, Downhill skier, Motorcyclist, pilot, bridge/poker/chess player, pistol marksman, classic car collector.

When not at Wilbur Hot Springs, he lives on a small farm with the love of his life, Jolee, and about 20 animals, in Mendocino County on California’s north coast.

Psychedelics and Meditative practices have the potential to heal us from all forms of psychosomatic illnesses by addressing the root cause of all trauma and painful experiences from the past. Here is a documentary film called "Psychedelic Therapy" which speaks about all of this and much more. Our awareness to the potential of psychedelics is key to co-creating a better reality for all of us.



Author Bio:

Dr. Richard Louis Miller, MA, PhD, has been a clinical psychologist for more than 50 years. He is host of the syndicated talk radio show, Mind Body Health & Politics. The founder of the nationally acclaimed Cokenders Alcohol and Drug Program, he has been a faculty member at the University of Michigan and Stanford University, an advisor on the President’s Commission on Mental Health, a founding board member of the Gestalt Institute of San Francisco, and a member of the national board of directors for the Marijuana Policy Project. He lives in Fort Bragg and Wilbur Hot Springs, California.

http://mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/
http://psychepedia.org/

Psychedelic Medicine by Dr. Richard Louis Miller © 2017 Inner Traditions.

Printed with permission from the publisher Inner Traditions International.


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