Tag: wellness

3 Types of Chemicals to Avoid When Buying Cannabis Topicals

Ten years ago, it was hard to find cannabis topicals of any kind. Today, we have more choice than ever before — which means we can be more discerning, as well. It’s become easier than ever to find high-quality products that are made with natural ingredients instead of harsh chemicals, and when it comes to cannabis topicals, it’s worth being choosy.

Many of us have become accustomed to reading labels on the food we eat. This shift in awareness is now moving into body care products. In the past, if a bottle of lotion or face cream had an informative, visually appealing label, then chances were good that you, the customer, would have no intention of checking the ingredients list. That’s starting to change, and since our skin is our largest organ (and capable of absorbing whatever we apply to it) it’s important that ingredients be pure, chemical- and cruelty-free, and as organic as they can possibly be.

It is important to remember that there are varying stages of “organic.” Items can be anywhere from 70-95 percent organic when they are certified. The certification is costly and small batch manufacturers often choose not to receive certification. You will note when purchasing organic products the price is generally higher. This is because organic ingredients cost more to produce, whether in terms of human labor, raw materials, or otherwise. On the bright side, you are supporting organic farmers and the environment with every purchase you make.

Organic Alternatives to Artificial Chemicals in Cannabis Topicals

When shopping for cannabis topicals and skin care products there are a few ingredients you should do your best to avoid. Whether you’re looking to treat arthritis symptoms, reduce neuropathic pain, or just to relax and indulge your skin a bit, it’s better to seek more natural options. Check out this list below for the top three ingredients to avoid, along with their organic alternatives.

See the full list of ingredients to avoid on CannabisMD

Neuropathy Is Chronic and Painful — But Cannabis Topicals May Help

Neuropathy is a condition that affects over three million people a year in the United States alone. Also known as peripheral neuropathy, its symptoms include numbness, weakness, lack of coordination or frequent falls, extreme sensitivity to touch, muscle weakness or paralysis, and stabbing or burning pain in the hands and feet. All of these can have a severe impact on a person’s quality of life, and finding an effective, side effect-free way to manage them can be a challenge. However, recent scientific studies have found that cannabis topicals might be well-suited for the job.

Neuropathy is a result of trauma to the peripheral nerves, which are located outside of the brain and spinal cord. These nerves connect the central nervous system (CNS) to our sensory organs. If one or more of them become damaged, peripheral neuropathy ensues.

Nerves can be damaged by various conditions including alcoholism and diabetes, cancer (and the chemotherapy used to treat it), vitamin B deficiency, autoimmune diseases, toxicity, drug interactions, and even occupational hazards such as strenuous physical exertion over a long period of time. When the peripheral nerves are damaged, they begin to send faulty signals to the brain.

Unlike nociceptive pain (the kind caused by pricking your finger or hitting your knee on the table), neuropathic pain does not start abruptly or dissipate quickly — nor is it as responsive to typical pain medications. It’s a chronic condition, and people diagnosed with it live in a constant state of pain. The severity can increase or decrease throughout the day, depending on various factors.

Continue Reading on CannabisMD…

Ask an Expert: Treating Arthritis With Cannabis Topicals

Cannabis topicals might not sound like the most intuitive treatment for arthritis. However, recent research — and years of my own work as a nurse and massage therapist — show that the plant has much to offer people who are living with this condition.

Arthritis is a disorder of the joints in the body that causes painful inflammation. The neck, shoulders, hands, spinal column, hips, knees, and ankles are some of our most notable joints — and they’re all common sources of pain. Arthritis is neither age nor gender specific. The inflammation caused by arthritis results in joint stiffness, swelling, redness, and the area can often be warm to the touch. 100 types of arthritis have now been identified and over 300 million people worldwide are plagued daily by this type of pain.

Clinical research studies regarding cannabis topicals and arthritis are still in their infancy. Recent findings show cannabinoids exhibit anti-inflammatory effects by activating cannabinoid type 2 receptors (CB2.) These receptors are part of the endocannabinoid system. Our endocannabinoid systems’ primary goal is cellular homeostasis, or balance. Our bodies naturally produce chemicals called endocannabinoids (which are nearly identical to chemicals produced in the cannabis plant, called cannabinoids) in an effort to activate these receptors. When a cannabis topical is applied to an inflamed area where CB2 receptors are present, the cannabinoids stimulate an anti-inflammatory response.

This is the science behind using cannabis topicals to treat arthritis, but the anecdotal evidence can be just as compelling. Throughout my career, I’ve seen firsthand the ways in which they can transform people’s lives. I’ve also had to answer a lot of questions about how and why they work — here are some of the most common ones.

Frequently Asked Questions About Using Cannabis Topicals for Arthritis

What’s the first question most arthritis patients have about medicinal cannabis topicals?

To see the answer and more questions about cannabis and arthritis please see here: CannabisMD

How Cannabis Helped Me Quit Prescription Drugs

I have been a nurse for almost 20 years, and this is the story of how cannabis saved my life.

In 2010, I fell seriously ill — for reasons that doctors were unable to understand, I began to experience excruciating pain, which hampered my mobility and caused intense mental distress. Their response was to prescribe a pill for every symptom I exhibited, and it didn’t take long for me to tire of the toll they were taking on me. Soon, I was barely surviving. I became so desperate that I was willing to move 2,000 miles from where I was born in hopes of finding something that would save my life. Today, I’m sharing this journey because I want people who are experiencing similar mental and physical pain to believe a better, healthier future is possible.

My Introduction to Prescription Drugs

I’d been in pain for a long, long time before I had my first surgery. This one was to remove my gallbladder. During the procedure, they found a large tumor on my liver that they deemed inoperable. It was an estrogen- and blood-filled mass, most likely caused by years of taking the birth control pill, which I’d used to regulate my intense menstrual cycle. Needless to say, this was an unexpected side effect.

A few weeks after the operation, I woke up and my entire body was puffy. The pain in my right side had only worsened, and the nausea was more unbearable than ever.

To continue reading please see here: CannabisMD

Reiki- a way to strengthen mind, body and soul

Reiki is a Japanese modality that made it’s way to the United States in the 1900s. Translated, rei- means universal life and -ki means energy. It’s a healing therapy using symbols to channel universal energy; a gentle force with little to no touch yet powerful results.

To be honest, everyone has the ability to conjure universal energy and I frequently did as an intuitive healer during massage sessions. Reiki training introduced tools to effectively channel that force with intention and focused attention. Reiki empowers us to heal ourselves and improve the physical, emotional and mental level.

After learning the history and my lineage to usuiReiki, I received the attunement which is a process where the Reiki Master opens channels in the hands and chakras to allow a direct connection to reiki energy. I concentrated on my heart and envisioned a lotus flower in it’s place opening like a time lapse video on repeat with each bloom receiving luminous magic. I was going to use this magic for an acute episode of low back pain that I assumed manifested as a practice tool. After a short session I noticed the pain intensified and then subsided to a subtle annoyance.

The tools I learned in Reiki II were three symbols aimed at healing the physical, spiritual, and distant body. The distance symbol is likened to prayer and healing can be sent across any distance as well as through time to previous or future events. For example in practice, using reiki on surgical scars or sending reiki to an upcoming travel engagement. I heard an anecdote in massage school about a therapist used distance healing and they astonishingly felt when the patient momentarily left the table and when they returned. This was across the country!

In the end, reiki energy flows where it needs to go. Similar to plant medicine, reiki quiets the mind and strengthens the connection between ourselves and the energy to create harmony. It’s is offered as a complementary therapy in hospitals and easily integrates with massage.

Sources: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/integrative_medicine_digestive_center/services/reiki.html

Contributed by our COO – Priscilla Solis

Add Reiki to your next Cannabis Massage Treatment session. Click the book now button and let Priscilla take you to the next level.

100 People You Should Know

Our founder was recently named in the 100 People You Should Know in the Hemp Connoisseur magazine. They chose 20 categories and five people in each category. Jordan was chosen for Wellness. Her fellow wellness category individuals include a very dear friend and colleague of hers, Rachael Carlevale of Ganjasana, plant medicine yoga. Jordan and Rachel work on retreats and education furthering opportunities often and she feels honored to join her friend on this list..

Below is the content as seen on Facebook.

JORDAN PERSON –
WELLNESS
Jordan Person came to Colorado in 2010 as a medical marijuana refugee. Utilizing cannabis and other holistic therapies saved her life. She saw the health benefits of cannabis first hand on her own journey back to health and wanted to help educate the masses on what she learned. She found a way to combine her years in the medical field with her years spent working with medical marijuana, and Cannabis Infused Massage Therapy was created. All the topicals that Primal Therapeutics uses are made in-house. Person took classes in herbalism and created the recipe with her patients in mind using all organic ingredients in her creations. In 2017, Jordan began teaching Cannabis Massage 101 and Topicals Making 101 in an effort to provide anyone interested with the knowledge they would need to perform this trending modality. Therapists around the world are taking this course. Person is an advocate and an activist for the plant, proudly serving as executive director of Denver NORML.

Read the full digital magazine at joomag.com or look for the print version at Barnes & Noble nationwide.

Trendsetters in Cannabis Massage

What exactly does it mean to be trendsetters in an industry? Simply put, it is someone that leads the way in ideas.  In 2014 when the founder of Primal Therapeutics first googled the words “cannabis massage” no responses came back. Google, the search engine used by millions everyday had no advice to offer her. The search continued online for hours then days before she walked into her local medical marijuana dispensary and purchased every single topical that existed.  After using topicals on her own surgical wounds she knew their healing capabilities on a personal level but had no idea what their implications would be using cannabis from head to toe.

What began with a whole lot of research turned quickly into development and making cannabis massage into something that was more than just applying cannabis to a patient and calling it cannabis massage. What has made Primal Therapeutics the trendsetters in the field is their passion for knowledge and spreading the word of what a healing and therapeutic modality cannabis massage is. After years of exploring the topic Primal Therapeutics now offers educational classes to fellow massage therapists around the world.

Every year American Spa magazine releases their projected list for the upcoming years various spa trends. This year Primal Therapeutics is considered the trendsetters for cannabis in the spa space. You can read the full list of descriptions with links to each section by clicking here. The 2018 trends include the following categories in no particular order.

  • Fighting Pollution
  • Crystals
  • Hotels with Spas
  • Natural Beauty
  • Cannabis
  • Animals in Wellness
  • DNA Testing
  • Guilt-Free Skincare
  • Regional Spa Associations
  • Intentional Beauty

She noted the first thing that made her realize cannabis was an effective treatment for massage and all kinds of various spa treatments was the fact she no longer needed acupuncture. After being a massage therapist for many years cannabis massage gave her a new lease on her worn out and tired wrists. “It was a total game changer for me and my business” Person said.

As Primal Therapeutics approaches their fourth year in business in Colorado they could not be more proud to be a part of this list. Founder, Jordan Person said recently, “My Grandma always used to call me a trendsetter! She could have never guessed this would be my future.” Cannabis saved Person’s life and she has since gone from being an advocate to an activist and a cannabis consumer to a cannabis business owner.

Read the article in American Spa magazine here:

https://www.americanspa.com/skincare/2018-spa-and-wellness-trend-benefits-cannabis

 

 

 

Cannabis Usage From Head to Toe

Cannabis is capable of alleviating an array of symptoms with proper dosing. Being in Colorado as a medical marijuana patient I am able to use it to treat ailments from head to toe. Utilizing cannabis as a holistic form of treatment for my health and well-being has been very successful for me. Any time I experience any type of pain or discomfort I always reach for a form of cannabis as opposed to an OTC medication or pharmaceutical.

Medical Marijuana can be utilized and ingested through various methods. The three basic methods that I use and will discuss here are: edible, topical and inhaled formats. Please note that these methods are what I personally have found to be effective and have not been scientifically tested.

Edible forms include: ethanol based tincture, cannabis butter or olive oil infused foods, full plant extraction cannabis oil (FECO)

Inhaled forms include: smoking cannabis flowers or dry herb by using a vaporizer or other smoking device.

Topical forms include: using salves, oils, body soaks, body scrubs and lotions that have been infused with cannabinoids THC, CBD and CBN.

 

CANNABIS USAGE FOR THE HEAD AND FOR THE MIND

CANNABIS USAGE FOR THE HEAD AND FOR THE MIND

  • Head– Headaches via topicals by applying to the forehead and temples, and inhaling an Indica strain. There are also skin benefits from using topical facial cream for hydration and smoothing of fine lines
  • Mental– Anxiety, Depression, Panic Attacks and Social Anxiety- relief achieved from inhaling an Indica strain and from the ingestion of edibles at doses above 50mg per my personal tolerance. I recommend all edibles should be dosed in 10mg increments until you know your needed range. Too much is not fun, and too little is ineffective.

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CANNABIS USAGE FOR BETTER BREATHING

  • Lungs– Reduction of brochospasms from Asthma in edible form thanks to the broncho-dialator properties of cannabis. It is not effective for acute or emergent symptoms requiring a rescue inhaler, it works best as preventative medicine.

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CANNABIS USAGE FOR NAUSEA BETTER THAN ANY OVER THE COUNTER MEDICINE

  • Abdomen– Nausea/Vomiting- edible in small doses dependent on the reason for the symptoms, coconut oil capsules of ethanol extracted cannabis oil in doses of 25mg until nausea ceases, and inhaled-generally an Indica strain. If the nausea is due to an alcohol hangover, a Sativa strain may work better.  Surgical scars- topical to reduce scarring. The transdermal absorption of cannabis is excellent for expediting healing and reducing scars.

massage

CANNABIS USAGE FOR MUSCLE PAIN

  • Muscle/Low Back Pain– from a ruptured disc at L5-S1 causing tight muscles, this was the result of a car accident. I refused surgery and used chiropractic care, massage therapy and cannabis in all of its forms for relief. Both Indicas and Sativas have been effective for my muscle pain. Topicals are my best friend when my back begins to spasm after a long day of healing people and any edible form can be effective, as edibles tend to be felt more in the body then in the mind.

    My symptoms are alleviated with cannabis everyday of my life and I never stop learning. I love discovering new ways for utilizing this miracle plant for health and wellness. My wish is that in time, safe access to this plant will be available to everyone who needs it. The hardest thing for anyone to understand about marijuana is dosing. Every single person has a different endocannabinoid system and needs a different dosage. For some people, smoking may not be their preference, but edibles and topicals may work effectively.  It is much easier for a doctor to be able to say “take two of these and call me in the morning.” When using cannabis for health and treatment trial and error along with documentation is the best way to learn what will work best for you.

~I wish you luck on your journey of searching for truth and healing through cannabis.

outdoor

NEW USES FOR THIS MIRACLE PLANT ARE FOUND DAILY

Love thy feet

We walk around on them all day every day and never give them the attention they deserve. Our feet take a beating daily and never complain or ask much of us in return. We wear heels that are too high and hiking boots on rough terrain for too many miles. We never think twice about pinching our toes into a pair of not so comfortable shoes to sacrifice fashion for comfort. Giving your feet the care they deserve can not only extend the happiness of your digits but it can improve your health as well.

Health Benefits of Foot Massage

  • lowers blood pressure
  • can reduce edema (swelling) in pregnant women
  • certain reflexology points can relieve nausea
  • improves circulation
  • reduction and prevention of foot and ankle injuries
  • reduces the effects of depression and anxiety
  • assists with headaches and migraines
  • helps flat feet with flexibility
  • alleviates pain and discomfort of plantar fasciitis
  • helps reduce symptoms of menopause and PMS
  • stress reduction

Take time out every day to remember how important you are from head to toe. True beauty is a result of whole body wellness.