How the Medicinal Discoveries of The Hemp Plant Are Transforming Women's Health

There's no doubt about it. Women are much more challenged when it comes to their hormonal and overall health than men. In fact, women are four times more likely to have migraines, anxiety, Irritable Bowel Disease and Fibromyalgia.

There is a new understanding of why women are more vulnerable. It all has to do with the endocannabinoid system and the fact that women are three times more vulnerable to an endocannabinoid deficiency than men.

If you are asking exactly what is the endocannabinoid system, you are not alone. But it will soon be more widely known as one of the most important systems in our body.

A major discovery occurred in the 1990's that would change not only the understanding of our own physiology, but also reveal one of nature's most powerful healing plants, agricultural hemp.

It began with the research into the cannabis plant which then led to discovery of an entirely new system in the body called the endocannabinoid system (ECS) and the revelation of the immense healing potential of the non-psychoactive component of the hemp plant.

We have Dr. Raphael Muchoulam to thank for this groundbreaking discovery. Dr. Muchoulam, an Israeli organic chemist, professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and pioneer in the field of cannabis research is considered one of the giants of cannabis research. For the past 50 years, he and his team have succeeded in discovering the major plant cannabinoids in the cannabis plant, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol,) and Hemp Extract (cannabidiol).

According to Dr. Mechoulam,"By using a plant that has been around for thousands of years, we discovered a new physiological system of immense importance. We wouldn't have been able to get there if we had not looked at the plant."

Why is there such excitement amongst scientists and health practitioners? It turns out that the ECS is a primordial language that nerves and brain cells use to communicate. From womb to tomb, across countless generations, the endocannabinoid system guides and protects all vital physiological processes.

What's The Big Deal About The Endocannabinoid System? The ECS is possibly the single most important system within our entire body. It is responsible for maintaining a process called homeostasis. Basically, if our ECS is out-of-whack, the health of our entire body could be at risk.

There is one biological principle that is essential for maintaining a healthy functioning body. That principle is called homeostasis.

Homeostasis means that biological systems are actively regulated to maintain conditions within a narrow, healthy range. The intelligence of the body insures that critical functions are always in proper balance. For instance, our body doesn't want its temperature to be too hot or too cold, or blood sugar levels too high or too low. Conditions need to be just right for our cells to be functioning optimally. Without this perfect, rather narrow range of regulation, we would die.

As it turns out, that is exactly the job of the ECS. It is a vital molecular system for helping to maintain homeostasis—it insures that cells stay in their "Goldilocks" zone of just right at all times.

The ECS insures that the communication between all the biological systems is working perfectly. Some of processes the ECS controls include: pain perception, gastrointestinal motility, memory, sleep, response to stress, anxiety, depression, bone repair, growth of new brain cells, reduction of excessive inflammation, regulation of hormonal systems, fertility, protection from strokes and other neurodegenerative problems.

The ECS regulates the homeostasis of the following functions:

• Appetite
• Metabolism
• Pain
• Sleep
• Mood
• Movement
• Temperature
• Memory and learning
• Immune function
• Inflammation
• Neural development
• Neuroprotection
• Cardiovascular function
• Digestion
• Reproduction

This is why the ECS is such a big deal!
Every important physiological function of our body is regulated and kept in balance by a properly functioning ECS.

Hemp Extract, the Non-Psychoactive Molecule in the Cannabis Plant

Cannabinoids are the chemical molecules that communicate with the ECS. There are two types of cannabinoid molecules. One type is made by the body the other kind comes from plants, such as the cannabis plant.

Hemp Extract is the non-psychoactive part of the cannabis plant that is totally legal in all 50 states. It works its healing effect by indirectly increasing the activity of ECS receptors. Hemp Extract will activate receptors in the body's systems that have to do with pain, perception and inflammation.

This is really good news when it comes to women's health challenges.

Hemp Extract and Women's Health

Hemp Extract is a valuable natural support for the many health and hormonal issues that particularly affect women. So many of the conditions that affects hormonal balance are related to chronic inflammation and pain, stress, dysregulated hormonal cycles, insulin resistance, and trauma. Hemp Extract is a panacea for so many of the issues that cause women distress.

The following are some of the ways Hemp Extract can help to support women to address many health issues as well as regain their health.

1. Eases Premenstrual Symptoms
   Hemp Extract is able to lessen or alleviate all the major PMS symptoms including reducing inflammation that contributes to headaches/migraines, menstrual cramps, upset stomachs, and physical sensitivities. Hemp Extract naturally elevates mood, balancing mood swings and reducing depression and anxiety. It also enhances deep sleep.
2. Enhances Fertility
   The endocannabinoid system plays a crucial role in regulating a broad range of physiological processes including reproductive fertility.
3. Eases Perimenopausal and Menopausal Symptoms
   The ECS regulates the endocrine system. Symptoms associated with perimenopause and menopause are related to an endocannabinoid deficiency. Estrogen levels are linked to endocannabinoid levels. Since the ECS also regulates body temperature, it helps with hot flashes and night sweats. It also supports other symptoms associated with perimenopause and menopause, such as moods, sleep, pain, cognitive impairment and low energy.
   
   Hemp Extract can help to balance hormonal levels, including estrogen, by restoring proper ECS tone. The endocannabinoid system also helps to regulate bone loss seen after menopause. The CB2 cannabinoid receptor is found in bone cells and when there are fewer coded CB2 receptors after menopause, it leads to osteoporosis.
4. Helps Prevent Osteoporosis and Builds Bone
   Hemp Extract activates cannabinoid receptor that balances the bone remodeling process. It can help prevent bone loss. The endocannabinoid system heals fractures and promotes the development of new bone tissues.
5. Helps to Prevent Breast Cancer and Reduce Treatment Symptoms
   Research has shown evidence that CBD effectively kills breast-cancer cells while sparing healthy cells. Studies show that Hemp Extract may support apoptosis (programmed cell death that rids the body of old and damaged cells. Hemp Extract has been proven to minimize the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. It increases appetite, decreases nausea, and promotes restful sleep, all of which supports healing.
6. Reduces Autoimmune Diseases
   Women comprise 75 percent of patients diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder. Fortunately, new research suggests that Hemp Extract may be an effective treatment for the symptoms of autoimmune disorders. It also helps to calm an over-active immune system, limiting the production of the pro-inflammatory molecules.
7. Provides Relief for Anxiety and Depression
   Women are twice as likely to suffer from anxiety disorders. One recent study showed that Hemp Extract lessened anxiety and distress when taken just before an anxiety-provoking public speaking performance. While Hemp Extract has been proven to combat social anxiety disorder, it can also help to quickly alleviate general anxiety symptoms. Hemp Extract has now also been found to be able to successfully and effectively treat depression.
8. Helps with Chronic Pelvic Pain
   Hemp Extract reduces chronic pain by lowering inflammation. Conditions such as endometriosis are also considered to be an autoimmune condition, which is helped with Hemp Extract. The understanding that women are vulnerable to an endocannabinoid deficiency opens up an entirely new possibility for a healing by using Hemp Extract. Due to stress, excessive stimulation of the nervous system from WIFI devices, nutritional deficiencies and toxicity, our ECS is under duress.

Thanks to research that has once again revealed what the ancient cultures have known for millennia, the Hemp Extract from the cannabis plant is transforming health.

After dealing with an insane medical system, people with CFS/FMS, and even those with simple day-to-day fatigue, often come away wondering if they are crazy.

The simple answer?

NO!

At least not any more than anybody else!

Nonetheless, with all that you have been through, let's take a look at this issue in a little more depth. We have a bad habit in medicine. If a doctor cannot figure out what is wrong with the patient, the doctor brands that patient a "turkey." Imagine calling an electrician because your lights do not work. The electrician checks all the wiring, can't find the problem, and says, "You're crazy. There's nothing wrong with your lights." You flip the switches and they still do not work, but the electrician just says, "I've looked. There's no problem here," and walks out the door. This is analogous to what many people with CFS/FMS and day-to-day-fatigue experience. I apologize on behalf of the medical profession if we've called you crazy just because we cannot determine the cause of your problem. It is inappropriate, abusive, and downright cruel.

Unfortunately, some patients become so frustrated by being told that their CFS/FMS or day-to-day-fatigue is "all in their head" that they are in a catch–22. They feel if they acknowledge that they also have emotional issues, just like everyone else, they are validating the wacko doctors who say that their illness is all emotional. Rest assured, however, that extensive research proves that CFS/FMS and day-to-day fatigue are real and physical.

One of many studies that proved CFS and fibromyalgia are real was our placebo-controlled study. This is so because 90 percent of the people who received the active SHINE treatment improved dramatically (90 percent average improvement in the quality of life) and those receiving placebo did not. (See the full text of the study and detailed free info and tools on how to get well at www.Vitality101.com.) If it were "all in your head," the placebo group would have improved as much as the active group. This means that anyone who says it's all in your head is no longer simply a nitwit. Now they are unscientific nitwits. Give yourself permission to be human. You are no more and no less crazy than anyone else.

People often ask if they should get counseling. The simple answer is, as in any other severe illness, the time to get counseling is if and when you feel like it.

How to Tell If You Are Depressed
Research has shown that there is a very good way to tell if people are depressed. It is as effective as or more effective than many of the complicated depression questionnaires such as the Beck Depression Inventory.

• What is this new high-tech technique?
• Simply ask the person if they are depressed.
• Not sure if you're depressed?

Here is one more important tip. Ask yourself if you have many interests. If the answer is that you have many interests but are frustrated that you have no energy to do them, then you're probably not depressed. If you have no interests or have lost interest in the interests you used to have, then you likely are depressed and it is good to treat that along with the SHINE protocol. Depression can accompany any severe illness such as cancer, but we wouldn't dream of telling people with cancer that they were simply crazy.

Whether or not you are depressed, you may consider a type of therapist for emotional support and guidance. Be careful whom you choose, however. Make sure "psychotherapist" is one word—not two! Talk to your friends and relatives to find somebody who is good. Your physician may also be an excellent resource.

The Mind-Body Connection
I suspect that all illnesses have a psychological component. Although the highly stressed executive may have a bacterial infection such as Helicobacter pylori or excess acid causing their ulcer, it helps to remove the three telephones from their ear while treating the infection and excess acid.

I find that most people with CFS/FMS are mega-type-A overachievers. To some degree, this psychodynamic often applies to day-to-day fatigue as well. We are approval seekers who avoid conflict to avoid losing approval. We often grew up seeking approval from somebody who simply was not going to give it—no matter what. And we take care of everybody except one person—ourselves. Does this remind you at all of yourself?

Being empathic, we also often found ourselves being emotional toxic waste dumps for other people. It almost seems like we would attract every "energy vampire" in town. How do you tell an energy vampire? After an interaction with them, they tell you how much better they feel—and you feel like you were energetically sucked dry.

The Antidote
So how do you break the psychodynamic? It's pretty straightforward. In fact, it can be summarized in two letters.

N-O.

Learning to use this wonderful word can free you.

Here's how.

When somebody asks you to do something that will take you more than two hours, tell them that you are sorry but the doctor (that's me) told you that I would wring your neck if you took on anything more. Tell him that the answer is probably no, but you'll get back to them in the next twenty-four hours if you change your mind and are able to. Then walk away.

Most often, when you get home you will feel great like you have dodged a bullet. Since it was left as the answer being no unless you got back to them, you are now off the hook. If, on the other hand, you feel that you really wish you had said yes, and that it would feel really good to do it, you can always call them and change your mind.

Simple—yet effective.
In general, I encourage you to decide to say yes or no based on how things feel, more than based on your thoughts. Although it is good to do your homework and check into things, once you have finished this, see how things feel. If it feels good to say yes, then do so. Otherwise, say no.

Why is this so? Our mind is a product of our programming as a child. It basically feeds back to us what we were told that we should do to be accepted by and get approval from parents, our religious organizations, television, and God knows how many other authority figures. Our feelings, on the other hand, reflect our intuition and also let us know what is authentic to us.

So simply remember the wonderful word "no." It is a wonderfully versatile word. It is a complete sentence. It can be said gracefully or as a very firm "NO!"

There is even a great T-shirt that says, "What part of 'No' didn't you understand?"

Three Steps to Happiness

Having worked with thousands of severely ill patients over the last thirty-five years, I have found there are three steps that will leave you feeling happy, no matter how ill you are:

1. Be authentic with your feelings. This means to feel all of your feelings, without the need to understand or justify them. When they no longer feel good, let go of them.

2. Make life a "no-fault" system. This means No Blame, No Fault, No Guilt, No Judgment, No Comparing, and No Expectations, on yourself or anyone else. This means you'll be changing habits of thinking. For example, if you find yourself judging somebody, simply drop the judgment in mid thought when you notice it. And no judging yourself for judging others.

3. Learn to keep your attention on what feels good. We sometimes are given the misconception that keeping attention on problems is more realistic. That is nonsense. Life is like a massive buffet with thousands of options. You can choose to keep your attention on those things that feel good. You'll notice that if a problem truly requires your attention at any given time, it will feel good to focus on it. Otherwise, you're living your life as if you have two hundred TV channels to choose from, but you're only watching the ones you hate—to be "realistic."

For more on this, I invite you to read my e-book "Three Steps to Happiness!: Healing Through Joy."

I have treated thousands of people with Fibromyalgia worldwide. As with most illnesses, people do best by treating the physical, spiritual and mind/body components as a whole. It's time for you to Get Well-NOW!