Tina

As a teenager, cannabis was strictly recreational for me.

It wasn’t until I was diagnosed with chronic Sialoliths (salivary gland stones), that my relationship with cannabis took a turn towards pain management and treatment. During 2005 the Sialoliths would cause infections in my right parotid gland, causing it to swell to the size of a golf ball. I was prescribed heavy duty antibiotics to kill the infection.

Once I moved to Flagstaff, AZ in 2011 I was appointed to a Naturopathic doctor and I found out that the pain didn’t have to continue anymore.

Since there is no cure for the cause of what creates the salivary gland stones, cannabis helps me manage the pain caused by the stones. It allows me to be able to eat without pain, especially if I come down with an infection in the gland due to the stones. It also helps when I have to take the heavy duty antibiotics to kill the infection. Typically I am prescribed Augmentin, which makes me feel like I have the flu. If I use cannabis in conjunction with Augmentin, then I can function without the horrible stomach aches that are one of the side effects I get when taking Augmentin.

 

Not only does cannabis help me with the salivary gland stones, but it also helps with my mood.

When I am feeling depressed I can always count on my MMJ to help put me in a better mood. I feel it also encourages my creative side and allows me to focus while painting, dancing, and hiking. The calming effect of cannabis is unlike any other therapy. Cannabis also helps me control my anxiety. Mixed with meditation, I have found the key that unlocks my relaxation success.

I talk to my parents about cannabis medicine all of the time.

I’ve let them know that the cultivation of the plant has changed so much, that there is typically a strain for every ailment. Don’t listen to what you have heard in the past and try it for yourself. I would suggest CBD oil first and then moving on to edibles and my favorite, flower. See if you have a friend who has experience with medicating and if they would help you find what is best for you. Go to a dispensary like my favorite, High Mountain Health. Get information from any one of their knowledgeable budtenders. Don’t just write it off because someone in the past told you it was bad or that only hippies smoke weed. Cannabis is so much more than the weed it has previously been slandered as. I would hate for someone I care about to not try something that may help them in the long run, due to inaccurate information.

 

I’m a pretty friendly person. I usually can find common ground with most people and love to hear stories from friends and family.

One common misinformed opinion about cannabis I used to hear a lot is that you will turn into an addict or never leave your room if you start smoking. Unless you treat it as medicine, there is a chance you could over medicate yourself, but if you figure out the right dosage for you, everything will be more than fine. I’ve never felt addicted to cannabis either. It’s a gateway drug, that one is my favorite misconception. I’ve never medicated and felt the need to smoke crack or do heroin. I was typically always feeling too good or laughing too hard with my friends for that to even be a thought in my head.