{"id":34315,"date":"2019-04-05T05:00:37","date_gmt":"2019-04-05T13:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2019\/04\/05\/how-marijuana-moon-cycles-harmonize\/"},"modified":"2019-04-06T00:35:42","modified_gmt":"2019-04-06T08:35:42","slug":"how-marijuana-moon-cycles-harmonize","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2019\/04\/05\/how-marijuana-moon-cycles-harmonize\/","title":{"rendered":"How Marijuana & Moon Cycles Harmonize"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

Being a female isn\u2019t always pretty. The
\nbiological ins and outs of having a uterus can be overwhelming, especially when
\nit\u2019s that <\/em>time of the month and premenstrual
\nsyndrome, better known as PMS, rears its ugly head. The monthly cramps,
\nbloating, headaches, muscle pain, fatigue and irritability that accompany PMS
\naffect 90 percent of women at some point. Some are advancing ancient traditions
\nand turning to cannabis for answers.<\/p>\n

For Ashleigh Swenson-Stinogel, a 37-year-old
\nmother of two preschool-aged girls, PMS isn\u2019t just a nuisance, it\u2019s
\ndebilitating. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like this dark cloud kind of takes over,\u201d she explains over breakfast while helping her daughter Alice cut up some pancakes. \u201cI go into a soul-crushing depression<\/a> \u2014 a really dark, dark place \u2014 for two weeks out of every month.\u201d<\/p>\n

Swenson-Stinogel believes her symptoms are actually due to premenstrual dysphoric disorder<\/a> (PMDD), which is a severe form of PMS that scientists are actively researching. In addition to the typical symptoms of PMS, people with PMDD may experience depression, anxiety, irritability, mood swings, sleep disturbances or other psychological issues. The illness is thought to affect up to 5 percent of women of childbearing age.<\/p>\n

Treatment for PMDD varies, but can include the
\nuse of hormonal birth control in order to regulate the menstrual cycle. Many doctors
\nalso prescribe antidepressants to help assuage the symptoms.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not against antidepressants,\u201d says
\nSwenson-Stinogel, \u201cbut I know that sometimes [doctors] put people on
\nantidepressants for two weeks out of the month, and that to me doesn\u2019t compute
\nbecause they can take several weeks to be effective. I feel like they are just
\ngiving women sugar pills, like they are saying, \u2018Take this pill and shut up about
\nit.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Desperate for relief, Swenson-Stinogel found solace in a Reddit community<\/a> for people coping with PMDD. It was there that she discovered other women using cannabidiol (CBD<\/a>) to treat their varying symptoms and decided to put it to the test.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I tried a CBD tincture, it re-centered me,\u201d
\nshe said. \u201cIt made me forget about being crabby, so I could just get on with my
\nday. My mind became clear.\u201d <\/p>\n

Swenson-Stiongel also began using a CBD-infused
\nchewing gum as-needed for when she started to feel on edge.<\/p>\n

Using cannabis to treat symptoms related to PMS isn\u2019t new. England\u2019s Queen Victoria appears to have consumed hash candies to relieve cramps over 100 years ago, as her personal physician wrote about the benefits of using cannabis to relieve menstrual pain. Also, according to a 2002 book Women and Cannabis: Medicine, Science, and Sociology<\/a>, ancient Egyptian women inserted ground cannabis to their vaginas to \u201ccalm uterine pains,\u201d 12th<\/sup>-century British women used cannabis for sore breasts and Chinese women in the 1500s turned to cannabis flowers for relief from menstrual disorders.<\/p>\n

Today, the legal cannabis market features a number of brands, such as W!NK<\/a> and Foria<\/a>, that offer a wide array of products to help women cope with some of the most common \u2014 and obnoxious \u2014 side-effects of PMS and menstruation. Some of the most popular items include bath soaks, topicals and even vaginal suppositories. <\/p>\n

\u201cCannabis, along with other healing herbs, have been women\u2019s allies for thousands of years,\u201d said Maya Elisabeth, co-founder of the popular Whoopi & Maya<\/a> line of cannabinoid-infused bath and body products<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Elisabeth adds that many women who are going
\nthrough menopause may also benefit from cannabinoids. A blanket term for the
\nperiod of life when the menstrual cycle ceases, menopause can bring on a litany
\nof uncomfortable symptoms \u2014 such as hot flashes, fatigue, depression and sexual
\nissues \u2014 due to a sudden drop in estrogen levels throughout the body.<\/p>\n

There is little to no scientific evidence on the effects of cannabis on women suffering from PMS or menopause-related problems, but a 2015 study<\/a> published in Addiction Research & Theorydid find an interesting psychological connection. A survey of menopausal and postmenopausal women showed that those who endorsed cannabis use expected it to help improve certain symptoms, including joint and muscle discomfort, irritability, sleep problems, depression, anxiety and hot flashes. <\/p>\n

The \u201cmind-over-matter\u201d questions resulting from
\nthe study saw researchers calling for a practical approach to medical cannabis,
\nencouraging women experiencing discomfort to seek out more information in order
\nto determine if it could work for them. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s not a more supportive and effective
\nmedicine for menstrual relief than cannabis,\u201d Elisabeth says. \u201cThe best part is
\nthe side effects are desirable! Happy, hungry, rested.\u201d<\/p>\n

TELL US<\/strong>,
\nhave you ever used cannabis to sooth pre-menstrual symptoms?<\/p>\n

Originally published in Issue 34 of Cannabis Now. LEARN MORE<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The post How Marijuana & Moon Cycles Harmonize<\/a> appeared first on Cannabis Now<\/a>.<\/p>\n


\n
\nRead More: How Marijuana & Moon Cycles Harmonize<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Being a female isn\u2019t always pretty. The biological ins and outs of having a uterus can be overwhelming, especially when it\u2019s that time of the month and premenstrual syndrome, better known as PMS, rears its ugly head. The monthly cramps, bloating, headaches, muscle pain, fatigue and irritability that accompany PMSContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":97,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[50,2790,9615,85,6599,9616,53,1778,9617,9618,710,4229,9619],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34315"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/97"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34315"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34315\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34316,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34315\/revisions\/34316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}