Cannabis For Menopause Symptoms Relief? CBD Benefits - HØJ
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Cannabis For Menopause Symptoms Relief?

    Blog > Cannabis For Menopause Symptoms Relief?

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When it comes to the best herb our planet has ever produced, few things beat the fact that cannabis is incredibly versatile in medicine, being very good at helping with pain and relaxing the body after a stressful moment. That’s why we like weed; it always takes the edge off, and no matter who you are, chances are that this marvelous plant has something to offer you in whatever way you consume it.

Take, for example, the symptoms of a natural stage of life that all women have to go through when they reach a certain age: menopause. Menopause is no joke, and it is responsible for downright miserable times for everyone that has to go through it, with symptoms like hot flashes, chills, night sweats, sleep problems, mood changes, weight gain, slowed metabolism, thinning hair and dry skin, among others.

The age when menopause starts varies between women, being on average at 51 years old in the US, and the severity of the bouts and pains of it can be intolerable for many. Luckily, some recent studies have shown that some relief could be found for these symptoms in the form of a marijuana leaf.


The challenge of studying cannabis

For the seasoned marijuana enthusiast, the idea of weed bringing relief is nothing new; it already has lots of medicinal uses as a painkiller, so making the leap from there to treating menopause is not a stretch by any means. However, the reality is a lot more complicated than that, as it has to do with the fact that studying cannabis in a totally scientific setting it’s still a complex matter, thanks to the fact that marijuana legalization is still pretty uneven in most places. The website EndocrineWeb explains it best:

“The thing is, we’re still learning about how cannabis works in the human body. Conducting clinical research is challenging, especially because marijuana is still illegal in many states. Thus far there have been no peer-reviewed clinical studies of cannabis with menopausal humans. Research into CBD is still in early stages as well (for example, CBD has been found to address depressive symptoms, but so far only in mice).”

So making these kinds of discoveries, even if they seem somewhat obvious in hindsight, have lots of barriers to overcome in order to arrive at the proper studies and conclusions. However, this doesn’t mean that everyday people aren’t already discovering the benefits of cannabis for their conditions; in fact, using weed to treat the symptoms of menopause is becoming more and more common, even outside official medical advice. “A study from 2020 found that nearly 27% of people in menopause used marijuana to ease symptoms. Another 10% indicated they wanted to use marijuana to cope with the symptoms while only 19% used traditional treatments”, says Today Magazine in their Women’s Health section. But are women going through menopause or pre-menopause turning to weed just now, if the more medicinal effects of this plant are already well known? 

The first reason is that, while cannabis acceptance in most societies is slowly growing, certain sectors of the population still tend to be more conservative in their attitude towards weed, and women of a certain age fit exactly into that mindset. However, as the 2020 study mentioned shows, this is changing for the better, and more and more women are ready to give weed a try, often to positive results.

The second reason is that, sadly, menopause is not treated with the seriousness it actually deserves (is a natural part of a woman’s life, after all), so there’s not a lot of momentum behind studying cannabis for this condition, so many people can’t even know that CBD can help them with their symptoms. 

“Historically, women’s health, things that affect women’s health, tend to be under-researched and underfunded, but we do know there are good treatments to deal with the symptoms of menopause, whether it’s vaginal dryness or hot flushes or mood disturbances,” says Dr. Jennifer Lincoln, OB-GYN and author, as quoted by the aforementioned Today Magazine. “They are well studied. We know the doses and formulations.”


What we know...

Regardless of the reasons the cannabis is becoming a good option for treating the symptoms of menopause just now, is good to know exactly what weed can do for you if you are looking for some relief from hot flashes. But first, let us remind you that HOJ is in no way a professional medical outlet, so before trying weed for any kind of relief, seek a physician’s advice. We know that weed is still a taboo subject in many places, but it’s better to always ask first. With that out of the way, let’s dive into it. 

First, we have mentioned before how endocannabinoids are already an important part of our cell’s functions, and low levels of estrogen (like the ones menopause brings) mess up that. “Estrogen is important to the endocannabinoid system because it regulates fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), which breaks down certain endocannabinoids. So, if there are lower (or fluctuating) levels of estrogen in your body, this can affect your endocannabinoid system, which in turn may partly explain some of the effects of perimenopause such as depression, anxiety, mood swings, lower libido, and difficulty sleeping. So, it would make sense that doses of cannabinoids would help out with those symptoms. If only it were that simple”, estates EndocrineWeb.

Menopause and pre-menopause also bring a lot of sleeping problems, with varying degrees of severity for many women, and the components of weed are really good to help with that, especially with strains with high levels of THC. As little as 5 mg of THC a couple times a day can make a big difference at night. And finally, THC is also a good remedy for hot flashes, thanks to the fact that it can bring balance to the endocannabinoids, which also help to regulate the inner temperature of our bodies. 

 

So yeah, if you know someone suffering through menopause, and weed is not on their radar, then the goods news are here. The method in which you use them doesn’t matter (although, for strict medicinal purposes, sublingual administration might be the best), and the good times you will get are a great side-effect, so now you have one more virtue to preach about the best plant in the world. So if you try it, please tell us how it went!

 

Author: Shaggy

 

 

The information on this article is for informative and entertainment purposes only. Nothing here substitutes advice you can get from a medical doctor. If you have any question about medical marijuana use, you should talk to a licensed physician.

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