By Charles “Uncle Chuck” Duncan
Last time I discussed how cannabis and anxiety interact. It’s something I feel so strongly about, I named
an Expo after it, “Cannxiety 2022”. A pandemic of sorts is exploding as new cases of anxiety and
depression arise. Both of which are woefully misunderstood and growing in numbers with every new
mandate. Some people actually think depression and anxiety are the same thing. While they do both
have certain symptoms in common, they ARE NOT the same thing. One thing they do have in common
though, and that is cannabis can be successfully used to help certain people battle the symptoms of both
mental conditions.
Depression is almost the opposite of Anxiety in one way. While one of the major symptoms of Anxiety is
increased breathing and heart rate, depression sometimes brings on fatigue and loss of interest in
activities. Cannabis can help with both.
Depression, like Anxiety, is not something you “cure”. What works for some doesn’t always work for others. The symptoms of depression affect everyone differently and at different levels of intensity. It’s so dynamic that even what worked for you once may not work the same again.The best approach is layering your medication when dealing with your mental health solutions. A variety of therapies help you stay focused while also providing activities and habits that can help lower the intensity of future symptoms.
Those layers of depression therapy should include some form of the following:
1. Establish a line of communication with a mental health professional. This could be a counselor or therapist available through your school, workplace or church.
2. Find natural foods that promote natural energy like bananas, oatmeal, dark chocolate and water to fight fatigue.
3. Track your symptoms and how you experienced and dealt with them in a journal. Include
remedies that reflect both mental and physical solutions. This will help battle “loss of interest”, a
common symptom of depression.
4. Take a yoga class to help fight low self-esteem.
5. Volunteer. Helping others is an amazingly powerful therapy in itself. Whether it is helping the local
food pantry or public charity event, the time spent focusing on others can help increase your own
sense of hope and worth.
6. Consider including cannabis in your therapy regiment. CBD, THC and many other cannabinoids
found in cannabis have shown to be a powerful weapon when fighting symptoms of depression.
Symptoms like fatigue, irritability, low appetite, sleeping disorders and excessive worrying can be
successfully battled with proper cannabis therapy.
The reason cannabis is successful in battling depression is based on the same model most
pharmaceutical companies use. The manipulation of dopamine and serotonin in the body. This is done at
a cellular level and takes place in the central nervous system. The normal neuron to neuron
communication that’s responsible for releasing and limiting how much dopamine and serotonin we get to
use. Prescription drugs do this with SSRI or Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. They literally stop
the body from reabsorbing some of the serotonin released in an effort to increase its usage and thereby
reverse your depression. Cannabis uses chemicals, namely THC, to do basically the same thing. But
cannabis does it naturally. This model of cannabis compounds known as cannabinoids and their
relationship with the central nervous system is the basis of the endocannabinoid system (The ECS).
Teaching others about cannabis works and specifically how it interacts with symptoms of Anxiety and
Depression is the sole focus of Uncle Chuck’s Cannabis Camp (The UCCC). Come visit us at
theuccc.com.
Next month I will cover the importance of understanding the symptoms of Anxiety and Depression and
your ability to tell your story. We each have our own story and they are as important as they are unique.
Fear and embarrassment often hold us back from receiving the help we need and living our best lives. I
will be using this to tell my personal story in hopes that it inspires others to do so as well.
www.unclechuck420.com
