At Dr. Z Leaf, we take a personalized approach with each and every patient. This helps ensure that you receive relief at the level most comfortable to you. Our cannabis consultants are trained to ask the right questions to help you select a product that will be most effective and comfortable for your specific needs.
Our priority is first and foremost your safety, which is why we provide our patients with best practices regarding the usage of cannabis products. For example, you should not use certain cannabis products before driving or operating machinery, especially products high in THC. We also advise patients in the dosing and application methods.
Patients should always start with small doses, and slowly titrate (increase amounts in small increments) over a period of several days. This can help prevent patients from having an unpleasant experience that they are not seeking.
Dosing is also highly dependent on the type of administration method patients choose. The effects of inhaled cannabis (smoked or v**e pen inhalation) take about 5-10 minutes to set in, while edibles can take up to 3 hours to fully set in.
Most patients get into trouble with edibles, because after 15-20 minutes they do not feel any onset, so they take another dose. This is what leads to problematic situations with patients, and this is why we are especially cautious with patients regarding edibles.
We also rely on medical research when making recommendations to patients. Although medical research has a long way to go, there is already a great amount of research available that can help patients.
There is significant medical evidence* (substantial evidence of efficacy) regarding cannabis treating the following conditions: Adult chronic pain (including arthritic and neuropathy related pain), Multiple sclerosis spasticity symptoms, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, and treatment of intractable seizures in Dravet and Lennox-Gastaut syndromes (CBD). There is moderate evidence of cannabis treating numerous other conditions, however more research is needed.
The most important aspect of our best for patient approach is taking a personalized approach when consulting patients. Cannabis is not a one size fits all. In fact, it can be quite difficult navigating the hundreds of strains and various administration methods. Also, every person is different, and their specific condition and bodies response to cannabis can differ greatly from another person.
This is why we help guide you through the process of first selecting products that will give you the best chance for success, and also provide guidance along the way. We always advise to start “low & slow”. This means starting with small doses, and slowly increasing until desires results are achieved. It can take some trial and error to help patients find the relief they are looking for, but by taking a personalized approach there is a much higher likelihood of an individual experiencing desired results.
Cannabis is helping thousands of people improve their lives. By using our “best for patient” approach, we are helping patients here in Oklahoma find real relief from cannabis in a manner that provides a pleasant experience for patients. We encourage you to download our free patient guide, and come visit Dr. Z Leaf to find out how we can best help you find the relief you are looking for.
References:
Abrams DI, Jay CA, Shade SB, Vizoso H, Reda H, Press S, Kelly ME, Rowbotham MC, Petersen KL.Neurology. 2007 Feb 13;68(7):515-21.
Wilsey B, Marcotte T, Deutsch R, Gouaux B, Sakai S, Donaghe H. J Pain. 2013 Feb;14(2):136-48. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2012.10.009. Epub 2012 Dec 11.
Johnson JR, Burnell-Nugent M, Lossignol D, Ganae-Motan ED, Potts R, Fallon MT.J Pain Symptom Manage. 2010 Feb;39(2):167-79. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2009.06.008. Epub 2009 Nov 5.
Tramèr MR, Carroll D, Campbell FA, Reynolds DJ, Moore RA, McQuay HJ. Cannabinoids for control of chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting: quantitative systematic review. BMJ. 2001;323(7303):16–21. doi:10.1136/bmj.323.7303.16
Russo E.B., Hohmann A.G. (2013) Role of Cannabinoids in Pain Management. In: Deer T. et al. (eds) Comprehensive Treatment of Chronic Pain by Medical, Interventional, and Integrative Approaches. Springer, New York, NY
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2017. The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: The Current State of Evidence and Recommendations for Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
Devinsky O, Cross JH, Laux L, Marsh E, Miller I, Nabbout R, et al. Trial of cannabidiol for drug-resistant seizures in the Dravet syndrome. N Engl J Med 2017;376:2011–20.
