Cannabis for Health: Become a Coach

By Elisabeth Mack RN BSN MBA

Health coaches, holistic healers, nurses, and their patients will unravel the myriad of cannabis products to discover the health benefits of cannabis as a medicine. In addition, they’ll get insight into how cannabis works in the body with practical guidance on dosing to reduce suffering and improve their quality of life.

Author Elisabeth Mack (RN, BSN & MBA in Healthcare administration) shares her personal healing experience using medicinal cannabis. Her holistic methods using cannabis oils reduced her need for 12 pharmaceuticals per day, enabling her to go days without a pill. To shorten the experimentation for other she wrote one of the most practical cannabis books with advice for daily use, providing patients the ability to heal without the high, as quickly as possible.

The author is also the Founder and CEO of Holistic Caring, which bridges the gap between conventional and cannabis therapeutics. Her company provides care for patients through zoom consultations across America and globally.

This handbook of cannabis will help health coaches and patients understand the research and applications of healing the Endocannabinoid System. The book provides practical advice on how to shop for CBD, THC, CBG, CBN THCA, CBDA and terpenes. Finally, based on the author’s professional experience training hundreds of healthcare professionals and thousands of patients, readers will get practical guidance on administration routes, including tinctures, topicals, oils, vapes, patches, and more.

Cannabis for Health: Become a Coach, acts as a guide to good health with lifestyle medicine tips to help healthcare professionals more easily reduce suffering in their patients. It’s time to change the paradigm from disease-focused care to empowering patients and professionals to holistically improve their health and well-being with safe experimentation with cannabis as a medicine.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Apr 23, 2020
• ISBN: 9781728359434

Elisabeth Mack RN BSN MBA

Elisabeth Mack is the Founder & CEO of Holistic Caring, bridging the gap between conventional and cannabis therapeutics for patients and providers across America. A successful RN, BSN for 35 years, she used her MBA in Healthcare Administration to establish systems and programs to create Cannabis Health Coaches across the globe. After healing herself, her passion became to train others how to use cannabis medicines to treat chronic conditions and boost health and wellness. Elisabeth is on the Boards of the American Cannabis Nurses Association, Los Angeles NORML, and the California Cannabis Chamber of Commerce.

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© 2020 Elisabeth Mack, RN, BSN, MBA. All rights reserved.

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ISBN: 978-1-7283-5944-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-7283-5943-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020907077

Published by AuthorHouse 04/23/2020

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CANNABIS FOR

HEALTH: BECOME

A COACH

Elisabeth Mack, RN, BSN, MBA

Medical Cannabis Consulting & Educational Services

Holistic Caring

San Diego, California

Summary: This is a handbook to understand Cannabis as Medicine. It is written for all levels of healthcare professionals, yet also geared to be an easy read for all to be a health coach. The content is introductory, and comprehensive, with real life examples of how to make practical the medicines represented in legal states. This work will satisfy those interested in learning about cannabis medicine in America today by covering the history, research, science, available products, clinical considerations, dosages and titration of medicines, and practical applications of cannabis medicine today. Because cannabinoids are facilitators to health, a functional medicine viewpoint is applied to the treatment planning, which will help patients and clinicians implement this knowledge in a holistic fashion. Finally, opportunities to blend these discussions into modern practice are not without risks. This book elaborates how to educate and support patients in various healthcare settings that promotes health and wholeness for them, and safe business guidance for the providers of care.

CONTENTS

Section 1   Introduction

Historical Use of Cannabis as Medicine

History of Cannabis in America

Legality of Cannabis Medicine Today: Challenges for Patients, Purveyors, and Providers

Problems Finding Providers

Section 2   A Brief History of the Science and Research of Cannabis as Medicine

The Endocannabinoid System: What It Does, and Why We Are Hardwired for This Plant

Cannabinoid Receptors: CB1—Where Are They and What Do They Do?

Cannabinoid Receptors: CB2—Where Are They and What Do They Do?

Change in Number of Receptors

Phytocannabinoids Mimic Endocannabinoids

Components of the Plant: Cannabinoids, Terpenes, and the Entourage Effect. What Do They Each Hold in Potential?

Delta-9- THC

Cannabidiol (CBD)

Other Cannabinoids

Terpenes16

Entourage Effect

Endocannabinoid Deficiency

Extracting, Testing, and Selling Medicines

Extraction Methods

Laboratory Testing

Shopping for Medicines

CBD: Cannabis Versus Hemp; Full Spectrum Versus Isolate²²

Modes of Administration: The Ways Patients Can Take Cannabis as Medicine Today

Oral Ingestion

Sublingual Oral Mucosa

Inhalation/Vaporized

Topical or Transdermal

Basics of Dosing: Clinical Observations

Drug Interactions—Medscape Interaction Checker

Side Effects

Managing the Effects of THC²⁹

Managing the Effects of CBD²⁹

Set and Setting

General Dosing Guidelines

General Considerations

Dosing Guidelines with Ratio Products

Dosing Calculators for Adults and Children: CBD, THC, THCA

Tracking and Gauging Efficacy

Blending Cannabinoids into the Treatment Plan

Cannabinoids and Functional Medicine

A Holistic Treatment Plan

Integrating Cannabis Therapy into Medical Environments

A Cost-Benefit Analysis

CBD/Epidiolex—First Cannabis Medicine Approved in the United States

Section 3   Cannabis and Conditions

Introduction

Cancer and Cannabis Overview

Cancer and the Treatment Side Effects

Acute and Chronic Pain

Acute Pain

Case Study

Chronic Pain

Case Study

Case Study

Autoimmune

Autoimmune Conditions

Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Crohn’s, and GI Disorders

Case Study

Migraines

Neurological Conditions

Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s Diseases

Case Study

Case Study

Mental Health

Anxiety, Depression, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Insomnia and Sleep Issues

Pregnancy

Pediatrics

Seizure and Autism Disorders

CBD for Pediatric Anxiety

Geriatrics

General Geriatric Care

Palliative Care and Hospice

Overall Wellness

Summary for Healthcare Professionals

A Moral Purpose

Section 4   Obstacles and Opportunities

Discussing Cannabis Options within Healthcare Environments

Cannabis Nursing Organizations

Entrepreneurial Tips

Opportunities

Risks

A Business Template

Networking and Medical Cannabis Affiliations

Epilogue

Appendix A   The Cliff Note Summary of the ECS and Cannabis Medicine

Conditions Being Treated with Cannabis

Side Effects and Interactions

Closing Thoughts

Appendix B   Pediatric Dosing Guidelines from The Realm of Caring

Appendix C   Client Appointment Process for a 90-Minute Consultation

Appendix D   Antiepileptic Drug Potential Interactions with CBD; Courtesy of The Realm of Caring www.theroc.us

Appendix E   CA Department of Public Health Form 9044, Medical Marijuana

Appendix F   Holistic Caring; Intake Form (short).

Appendix G   Tracking Log

Appendix H   Abbreviations

PREFACE

Much like spirituality, the cannabis medicine journey leads away from conditioned thought. Before we can learn cannabis as medicine, we first need to unlearn what we have been told. 100 years of stigma has clouded our collective minds, and the truth needs to be taught on how corporate interests, racism, and the mindset of simply following orders put this plant out of reach for generations. Courage is needed to think new thoughts and apply this information into the world. There are senior citizens who benefit greatly from their tinctures yet won’t tell their doctor or their kids for fear of being punished. The patchwork quilt of legal protections is even more maddening because Cannabis remains a Schedule 1 drug at the federal level.

The current system makes no sense. Where I live and work in San Diego, cannabis is big business for adult use (recreational), where it is regulated and taxed like alcohol. The ‘lifestyle’ folks made it part of everyday party life, instead of the medicinal aspects they campaigned on. It’s also booming in the biopharmaceutical parks as molecular biologists generate cannabinoids in petri dishes. Elsewhere in America cannabis possession will land you in prison, and people still think they’ll go crazy if they use it. Business is chaotic, lobbying is controversial, and investment capital is very difficult to acquire. Healthcare professionals willing to learn how it works as medicine must be a special lot to help patients take this option.

An open mind and a willing heart is needed to take on this imperfect system. The ability to gain another option in the health toolkit is what motivates. The chance to bring healing to others that they won’t get from pharmaceuticals inspires. This journey begins by looking honestly at the flawed systems in place and being able to ponder other ways of healing. Plant medicine was never something I entertained in the last 33 years as a licensed medical professional. I was never taught diet, movement, stretching, meditation, connection or spirituality. Not one on my own doctors ever mentioned these things – yet these are what usher in health. Through this manual, you will learn how cannabinoids can become catalysts of healing and make the eternal good possible through body-mind-spirit medicine.

I have an affirmation posted on my bathroom mirror; It’s about them, balance for you. This work has been all consuming. In California, people can go to a dispensary and buy what they need to reduce pharmaceuticals and improve their quality of life. But the bud tenders don’t practice medicine, and medical professionals can’t explain how these formulations work. As I had open access to heal myself, I studied, read, attended conferences, and compiled research and my notes from the field as I began to work with patients. This book chronicles a progressive feat to answer those who ask, Can cannabis help me? How? My lens is a unique as I spent 10 years in hospitals, 20 years in operations and sales for insurance companies, and 5 years specializing in cannabis and functional medicine. I see the connections that need to be developed between process, providers, products, programs, and patients and it excites me to do so.

The potential and promise of cannabis used as medicine shouldn’t have to wait until the system is perfected for one to begin. We’ve always had experiential learning, and this is a worthy foray for patient and provider. Be open and curious, and apply the medical model of assessment, planning, implementing, and evaluating. Cannabinoid receptors are the most numerous in the body, regulating homeostasis and fine tuning every other physiological system. The pleiotropic nature of cannabinoids makes them ideal to explore for any condition. The safety profile is better than other medicines. Cannabis medicines can improve the health and wholeness of body, mind, and spirit in an effective and efficient manner. Progress may be found for people who gave up hope because nothing else helped.

With the advent of modern botanical formulations and ratio dosing of CBD and THC, we have the ability to improve health, quality of life, and reduce harms from pharmaceuticals. Cannabis oil is not a panacea, and sometimes it doesn’t help enough to warrant the cost and the hassle. It takes time to dial in and some patients give up because it’s not predictable like a pill. This book is a guide to understand the basics of the plant, the products available, safe dosing guidelines, conditions best treated, and clinical considerations that professionals must know.

It takes courage to write a book, but freedom allows me to think independently, work on what I choose, and answer a call even when it seems crazy. When my phone rings with a referral from a local physician asking for help, I know we’re making progress. Cannabis saves lives as well as dollars, and policymakers must learn how to include it in a new healthcare paradigm. Empowerment and self-care grants accountability for health engagement as people learn to read their body and find their personalized dosing of cannabinoids. The book closes with an invitation and resource section for professionals who would like to join the cause.

There are so many people I’d like to thank for helping guide and inspire my work. It is an honor to bring this project to fruition, and my mentors were many of the originals in the industry. Without being taken under a few wings, I would have never had the exposure to figure things out. Thank you to the caregivers, healers, and medicine makers who do the right thing with a lot of risk and little reward. I pray you will be repaid in karma and grace. Thank you to my editor and the back and forth guidance that created this work. Thank you to the organizations in the appendix that host meetings, conferences, webinars, and circulate fresh daily news diced with insights and original research. Thank you to the pioneers in cannabis nursing who fight for patient’s rights and for qualifying conditions to be added to state laws. Thank you to the holistic providers who are already finding shelf space for CBD within their treatment plans. Thank you to my close friends who strengthened my resolve with shared meals, laughter, dancing and prayer. Thank you to my fabulous team of nurses caring for patients and helping the practice thrive. Thank you to my mother who listened to my doubts and encouraged me to speak up and use my voice. Finally, I thank God and the universe for bringing me to this path, and for sustaining my faith. I’m grateful that prayers and dreams really do come true.

In health, Elisabeth Mack

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Elisabeth Mack is the Founder & CEO of Holistic Caring, bridging the gap between traditional and cannabis medicine for patients and providers across America. She has been an RN, BSN for 33 years and her MBA in Healthcare Administration led her to create a Cannabis Health Coaching licensing program to train others to successfully use cannabis medicines to treat chronic conditions and boost health and wellness. Elisabeth is on the Boards of the American Cannabis Nurses Association and LA NORML.

SECTION 1

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INTRODUCTION

My introduction to cannabis was like most—high school kids passed me a joint when I was 15, and it was a nice way to disconnect the emotional teenage brain and relax. Like most, I avoided it as youth became adulthood, and I did not think of cannabis until I crashed my bicycle at age 49. I needed surgery, so I took a leave from my position of sales management for a major insurance carrier. I was widowed the prior year and was battling the demons of loss, depression, and uncertainty of purpose. A leave of absence from work allowed me time to heal my body, but also to unwind my mind and soul from my grief and trauma. I added holistic therapies of acupuncture, chiropractic, spiritual counseling, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR); changed my nutrition to an anti-inflammatory diet; added yoga and meditation to my treatment plan; and was determined to find health and wholeness in a deeper way.

During a chiropractic visit, my doctor recommended I try a medical massage, and the massage therapist there was using cannabidiol (CBD) in the oil. I immediately recognized that this was not regular massage oil as it smelled skunky, and my curiosity led me to ask what was different. The massage therapist proceeded to tell me that it was CBD from cannabis, and that I have receptors that interact with the molecules in the plant to help balance my body, calm my skin, and lessen inflammation. She asked me what I did, and I replied, I am an RN, MBA, looking for my next stage in life. It was during that hour on the massage table that my eyes were opened again to pot and now, the promise of cannabis.

Through my concurrent soul work, I also decided I did not want to return to my job making money for an insurance company. This began my midlife journey into the exploration of this sacred plant, and I discovered I had been called to play a role. I spent a year studying every book on cannabis I could get at the library or buy online. I signed up for emails from burgeoning websites like Project CBD, Leafly, and Cannabis Reports. I went deeper and read hundreds of research articles on the science from around the globe on PubMed.gov using the search terms cannabis, cannabinoid, CBD, THC, and tetrahydrocannabinol. Always a networker, I started showing up at local meetups and new groups formed to launch the cannabis industry. This led to national conferences where I attended United Patients Group, Patients Out of Time, MJ for MDs, and Women Grow. I discovered how many ways a person could use cannabis now, what each type could do to help the body, and the potential for deeper healing of the mind, body, and spirit. And, I learned how cannabis might be able to replace pharmaceuticals.

I visited the Pot Doc to get my MD recommendation letter to use cannabis and started to experiment on myself. I found medicines from artisan formulators, laboratory testing for chemovar profiles, and dispensaries that openly sold the primitive goods (in 2015). What I did not find was someone to sit down with me personally and explain how to use it medicinally. So, I experimented, recording my observations to determine validity with the literature I was reading. As time elapsed, I increased the amount of CBD I ingested, and the holistic measures I had taken on began to work better. I lost weight, slept better, exercised more, prayed deeper, connected with others, and began to laugh again. I also reduced pharmaceuticals one by one for arthritis, muscle spasms, asthma, depression, blood pressure, sleep, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

As I tracked my results and connected progress to the cannabinoids, I felt like I was receiving a calling. My spiritual awakening asked and answered the question: What is the message the universe is giving me, and how can I make this experience useful to others? I wanted to help others find the health, wholeness, and

Reviews for Cannabis for Health

[Dana Young · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very informative and I'm not in the medical field.
This book could be for people who believe in cannabis as medication and want to educate themselves about dosing, terpenes, and different ways to consume cannabis. I plan on purchasing an actual book from Amazon as a reference!