When Dr. Ethan Russo speaks, we listen. As a neurologist who’s held many important positions in companies, academia and foundations, including being a Harvard faculty member, he’s one of the country’s pre-eminent authorities on cannabis – with credibility in both the whole plant and pharmaceutical communities.
That is, he sees the value of both, and that the approaches can be complementary. He’s also worked on a number of CBD projects but equally recognizes the value of not only THC as well, and of other cannabinoids and terpenes.
This link is a video with a transcript as he discusses the mechanism of action of medicinal cannabis components… …including the profound effects they can have on the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS), when there are imbalances in the body’s own ECS.
The content is somewhat technical but regular readers should be able to follow. Excerpts:
“First and foremost, we need to better understand the role of the endocannabinoids in our lives and our health status. That’s been ignored, possibly because of its name – having cannabis in the name of this pejorative connation has impeded education, even in medical school. Basically, it hardly exists.
Let’s consider this. There are more cannabinoid receptors in the brain than there are for all of the neurotransmitters put together. That being true – and it is – recognizing that fact, why would one ignore this system?
Why isn’t this being taught? Our public needs to know about this and how lifestyle and diet affect this system, and how it could be brought to bear to improve their life condition.
…[CBD was] pushed into the background through selective breeding, basically another byproduct of prohibition where the emphasis has been on maximum psychoactivity to the exclusion, for the most part, of medicinal benefits. But, clearly, it has a lot to offer on many levels.
Firstly, it synergizes with THC, so it complements the ability of THC to treat pain while in its own right it’s an excellent anti-inflammatory without the liabilities that we say get from non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with their tendencies to produce serious side effects like ulcers, heart attacks, and strokes….
…we’re also interested in non-drug approaches. This would include herbal approaches that would affect the ECS with agents that aren’t intoxicating. Additionally, it would include lifestyle and dietary approaches. There’s evidence now to show that diet can positively influence the endocannabinoid system and its balance.”
Much more in this recommended presentation…..
TRUCE: The more you know.
#MMJ #ECS #EndocannabinnoidDeficiency #UTpol #UtahNext #TRUCE
See full article – Dr. Ethan Russo on CBD & Clinical Endocannabinoid Deficiency
