Tag: #cannabinoidmedicine

TSC Talks Covid 19 with Dr. Uma Dhabalanan

TSC Talks Covid 19 with Dr. Uma Dhabalanan, MD., MPH., FAAFP.,MRO.,CMS

Here is the audio version of the Facebook Live episode that aired on March 26, 2020. The YouTube link for the video is: https://youtu.be/cIp6BinWD6c

In this episode, Dr. Uma joined host Jill Woodworth on TSC Talks Facebook page to engage in a discussion on the impact of  the novel Coronavirus, COVID19 We’ll talk about the personal impact, local impact in MA on the cannabis community, and beyond MA, info on symptoms, knowing when to stay home and when to contact a doctor, what we can do to decrease our risk and boost our immune system. Dr. Uma shared thoughts on the importance of learning from this global pandemic, and how we can come together despite social distancing, and hold onto hope that there is life after Covid19, and hope is important as we walk through this very challenging and confusing time. Thank you for watching and/or listening !!🙏

Dr. Uma Dhanabalan MD MPH FAAFP MRO CMS is is a highly respected physician trained in Family Medicine, Occupational & Environmental Medicine, specialized in heavy metals, a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, a Cannabinoid Medicine Specialist and Medical Review Officer.

She created the TotalHealthCareTHC model where she “Educates Embraces Empowers” patients and promotes cannabis as a treatment option at Uplifting Health and Wellness, in Natick, Massachusetts. She is an advocate, activist, and educator and speaks globally about cannabis as a plant medicine. Her mission is to change the Stigma regarding Cannabis and for the world to know about the Endocannabinoid System through education.

Dr. Uma can be found at http://totalhealthcarethc.com/ on Facebook UpliftingHealth AndWellness. Namaste.💙 Additional Links as follows:

Dr. Uma was a previous guest on TSC Talks. Her podcast link: https://tsctalks.com/tsc-talks-guest-dr-uma-dhanabalan/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Uma-Dhanabalan/100008556311630
https://www.facebook.com/upliftinghealthandwellness
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.uma_thc/, https://www.instagram.com/uplifting_health_and_wellness/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-uma-dhanabalan-md-mph-faafp-mro-cms-02843040/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/drumasays
https://necann.com/news/speaker/dr-uma-dhanabalan/

Check our FB page and website: https://tsctalks.com and stay tuned for more incredible content. 💙🙏
Dr Uma Covid 19

TSC Talks Guest Ruth D. Fisher

TSC Talks guest Ruth D. Fisher

I thoroughly enjoyed having Ruth D. Fisher, PhD, Cannabis researcher, and analyst, Co-Founder of Cann Dynamics, as well as the author of The Medical Cannabis Primer, on TSC Talks! I heard about Ruth’s book from another recent guest, Nikki Lawley and promptly ordered it, and reached out to Ruth for an interview. It’s a phenomenal resource, one that I have on my desk and refer to frequently. Before I launch into the episode notes, here’s a great description of the book written by Dan Larkin, that I found helpful:

“Getting clear, concise, and easy to understand information about cannabis is tough. There are lots of resources, but which ones can you trust? How can you be sure the information isn’t biased? How are you supposed to even understand all the terminology and science? Is it even legal?

All of this becomes doubly important if you’re researching medical cannabis as an alternative to conventional treatments or pharmaceuticals. You or someone you love may have recently been diagnosed with cancer, epilepsy, autism, MS, or PTSD. You may have been dealing with chronic pain. Whatever your personal reason, you deserve access to clear, concise information about medical cannabis….That’s where “The Medical Cannabis Primer” by Ruth D. Fisher, PhD and edited & designed by her brother, A. Arthur Fisher, comes in. They’ve assembled a comprehensive, easy to read compendium of cannabis knowledge that’s full of unbiased information and easy to understand charts, graphs, and images.”

Ruth shares that it was through the process of helping her brother, who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, find adequate treatment, that she ended up researching cannabis. Raised by a father who was a private practice physician, a successful children’s eye doctor, and Ruth’s idol, she speaks of his influence, “My dad was also an iconoclast, he didn’t take things at face value, just because people said so. He did research in his area of medicine, and he questioned authority. And he encouraged us to do the same. He would send us stuff to read a lot. And he would send an article and say, “read this article.!”, I’m like, “Dad, just tell me what it says.” He says, “No, I want you to read it yourself”. And that was always a pain. But at some point, I realized he didn’t want to bias, the presentation of the information with his view and his perspective. He wanted us to read it for ourselves and develop our own perspective or interpretation on what we thought of it. I always thought that was very interesting. It took me a long time to appreciate that”

Another formative factor Ruth mentions as shaping her life view was graduate school. “I’m an economist. In economics, you learn that everything is supply and demand. So, you learn how you know all markets are shaped by the forces of supply and demand and you kind of understand things in those terms…. What’s really interesting, and it what was finally drummed into me is that when you read a study, that it doesn’t matter what the results are. If your data and methodology aren’t valid, if they’re not found, then the results don’t matter. They’re meaningless. That was really, really important in forming my attitudes about reading research and trying to evaluate whether or not I should consider them to be valid, based on the methodology and the data used. And it really, really impressed upon me the importance of good methodology in order to provide valid results.”

Here are a few quotes from the transcript of our interview highlighting Ruth’s entry into the cannabis industry and her realization that educating herself was necessary, “So I got into cannabis about four or five years ago. My brother started having health problems. And it turns out he was eventually diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. And MS manifests itself differently in different people and the manifestation he gets is pain, a lot of neuropathic pain from different sources. And he was on a lot of different drugs trying to control or manage the pain and they all have really, really ugly side effects. And while they were helping some they weren’t really doing enough. And my brother’s neurologist said, you know, maybe you could use benefit from cannabis.”

“So, I will say that, yes, I had also smoked cannabis or pot in college and decided to, you know, wasn’t my thing. And I knew that it was out there in the medical world, but really didn’t pay any attention to it. I come in now, and the situation is, my brother has a lot of pain. He has chronic pain. And all I know is I want to do anything I can to help him minimize his pain. And so, I go into cannabis and my job as I saw it was to go in and figure out if cannabis was for real, and if so help him figure out what would help him. And so my goal here was to cut through all the BS and I didn’t care what anyone had to say whether they were pro or anti, all I cared about was finding something that would help reduce my brother’s pain. So, I drew upon all my past experiences in approaching things and I started reading…the first question was, well, what is cannabis and how does it work on the body? And I started reading about that and wow, it was kind of overwhelming.”

Ruth explains the challenges to finding well-rounded information and unbiased research on cannabis for multiple reasons and goes into detail on why this is so. Here’s one quote elaborating on this issue:
“In 1937 with the Marijuana Tax Act, the funds for research essentially dried up, not fully -there was a trickle of funding- but they largely dried up, except for NIDA. And so, you had this, and then in 1970, with the Controlled Substances Act when cannabis was officially categorized as a schedule one drug, all of a sudden, there’s this one department within the National Institute of Health that had all this money to study the bad effects of cannabis. If you want to study the good effects, then it’s really hard to get funding and it’s really onerous. There’s a lot of restrictions, you have to file with the DEA and get permission from them. You have to go through all these hoops with the government. It’s really difficult and it’s really stigmatized. You know, it could hurt your career if you do this.”

She summarizes the state of research, “when people in the healthcare industry say there’s no evidence that cannabis has been shown to be safe and effective, what they mean is not that there are no studies period, what they mean is no large scale clinical trials. And a large scale clinical trial is very expensive. And it’s generally done by someone who’s seeking FDA approval for a pharmaceutical. There are certain cannabis pharmaceuticals out there. And they’ve gone through a number of clinical trials. But again, those are isolates. And people who are doing the whole plant medicine and who are finding really amazing results. They But they don’t have the money to fund large scale clinical trials. And I’m not trying, I’m not trying to make an excuse. I’m trying to explain why that evidence doesn’t exist.”

This episode is rich with information and I personally learned a ton through the process of preparing for and interviewing Ruth and then reading her book. I’ll leave you with a final quote but please take the time to listen to this thorough, fascinating and very personal discussion providing not only information on medical cannabis such as dosing, forms of use, whole plant, but the many factors that have influenced healthcare opposition, recent advances, risks and more.

“The big problem I had is the people..doctors who are closed to it, and who have patients who are afraid to tell them that they’re using cannabis because now you’re missing all the interactions. And now you’re going to have people using it with zero oversight from their doctors, and you’re going to cause all sorts of problems. So, I think the first step is for the doctors to start learning from the patients and just being open to it. I know that my brother had a neurologist, and very early on, he had some really, really bad symptoms. And very early on, he was going through things and he got to the point many times where he’s like, I am willing to try anything to address this problem. And at one point, you know, he got to diet, and he put himself on a very limited diet. And lo and behold, that solved a lot of his problems. And he went to one of his neurologists, his neurologist who’s making different recommendations. And my brother said, Well, you know, I changed my diet, and that has really helped. And the neurologist said, Yeah, you know, I’ve heard that from other patients, but I really know nothing about nutrition, so I can’t really comment on that. And Eddie,eventually that doctor did end up becoming informed on nutrition and actually now incorporates that into his programs.”

Here are Ruth’s links:

Order: https://www.amazon.com/Medical-Cannabis-Primer-Ushering-Marijuana/dp/1885176023
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rfisher/
https://medicalcannabisprimer.com/
https://www.quantaa.com/
https://canndynamics.com/
https://incolor.net/news
https://www.cedfoundation.com/2019/06/07/ruth-fishers-cannabis-primer-book/
https://www.techzone360.com/topics/techzone/articles/2020/01/30/444355-canndynamics-co-founder-educate-engage-cannabis-the-blockchain.htm
https://www.independent.com/2020/01/06/the-medical-cannabis-primer-cuts-through-the-crap/
TSC Talks Guest Ruth D. Fisher

Thank you for listening. All of our podcasts can be found at https://tsctalks.com/podcast/

TSC Talks Guest Michael Pedersen

TCS Talks Guest Michael Pedersen

It was my pleasure to have Michael Pedersen, Host/Producer of Cannabis Update Podcast, Founder of Distinct Media as well as Station Manager of Multicultural Broadcasting Corporation, Inc. in Calgary Alberta. “Michael has worked in broadcasting and managed radio stations since 2005. Before radio, he worked in the Vancouver film industry as a post-production editor and location sound recordist. He has produced an estimated 7000 audio commercials for radio along with countless jingles, stingers, sonic brands and more. Distinct Media now produces radio commercials & audio for video for small to medium-sized businesses looking to get a “distinct” form of brand awareness in multiple markets across Canada & beyond.” He also is a husband and father of two young boys.

I appreciated Michael’s willingness to come on the podcast and share some pro-tips related to podcasting and marketing that have already proved helpful. He infuses his work with loads of enthusiasm, wit and genuine interest in all subject matter. It was a lot of fun to chat about common challenges in podcasting, experiences interviewing in the cannabis space as well as hear his thoughts on the state of the cannabis industry in Canada vs the US, and more.

The Cannabis Update Podcast is a podcast that gives leaders & organizations an opportunity to tell their stories and share information. Based on a long-form interview format, the podcast has featured countless industry leaders, giving them an opportunity to communicate their message in a timely and professional manner. This podcast falls under the umbrella of Distinct Media, which he also founded & currently directs.

Here’s a quote from Michael discussing the podcast, “My day job is a general manager at a radio station in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. So, my background is in production. So naturally, podcasting is something that I liked originally like, I like listening to them. And when the cannabis whole, the whole business of cannabis in Canada started to evolve and grow, I saw a need for a podcast that sort of interviewed industry players. So with my production background, and with my interest in the cannabis space, I thought, well, this is perfect, why don’t I just jump in and start so that’s really why I started and I had friends who were investing in Cannabis Stocks in Canada. And when I looked into it, I thought, well, there’s got to be a podcast out there, I can listen to where I can learn about the companies. And there wasn’t, I thought, Oh, geez, I got it. I better do something here. So that’s kind of like how I started, and the podcast has evolved over time. Now it’s a little bit more culture and not always business. You know, some science I try really get into the individual, the personalities of the people in the space, so people get to know who’s kind of steering the ship in these companies, you know, a little bit more than simply numbers and figures”
He talks about podcasting challenges and how he created Cannabis Media Collective to bring several podcasts together, “Why not create a place where all of us can produce and publish together so that if you subscribe to one thing, the cannabis media collective, every single day, you get a new podcast from a new producer? And you don’t have to go around and have 50 subscriptions and try to read through them and all that. The only thing about it though, is it’s a lot of work. And it’s hard to monetize it, like anything. And yeah, it’s hard to make money off it. So, you have to really like it has to be in your heart. You have to want to do this. And you have to write to make it work in your schedule. I have two little boys. So, I’m up at 5 am most days producing and editing and sending emails and all that because that’s my time. I can’t do it at your school time.”

He mentions challenges getting paid for his work and how he addresses this, “I’ll interview your multimillion-dollar CEO. I’m going to send you a media kit and here My price is (xyz) and they’ll say like, Oh, we don’t have a budget for this. And I say, well, you gave me that big song and dance about how huge you are and how you’re going to be the next Coca Cola of CBD. I don’t understand why you can’t afford a few hundred dollars for me to put in probably four hours work for you and help you promote yourself?”

We also discussed his thoughts on the cannabis industry as a whole, “Well, I think that we’re in a very, very interesting place. And you know, as far as the science that surrounds the cannabis plant is concerned, you know, and I speak for Canada, I think the US is the same. We’ve been prohibited since like the 1920s. People haven’t even in controlled laboratory environments that have not been allowed by law to even look at the plant, which is bonkers. But now, that’s all changing, and we have a lot of extremely qualified PhDs chemists that are really looking at it on a molecular level. I think you’re going to see in the next decade, a lot of change in the medical environment. But unfortunately, it could turn out that pharmaceutical companies buy up all the technology trademark everything and turn around and sell it to make a profit all over again. Like, it’s not to say that this is going to change the world, this could actually just turn into another pharmaceutical avenue of revenue for those guys. And that’s what I fear.”

Talking about the differences between the Cannabis market in the US vs. Canada, “And in Canada, it goes province by province, as far as local regulations go on the cannabis plant and retail and that sort of thing. So, I’m in Alberta, and within a year in Alberta, we had 350 stores in our province 350 with a population of about 3 million in the whole province. You take British Columbia, which has a way larger population, a way longer history of cannabis culture. You know, so much great legacy market cannabis has grown there to this day, and they’re like, super restrictive. They’re just starting to roll stores out now. And it’s crazy, but it just boils down to the provincial government and what they decide that they want to do for their own provinces. Some provinces are rolling along making tons of tax revenue. And other ones are still trying to figure out how to make the model work, which is crazy. So, you look at comparing Canada in the US. You go into a legal dispensary in Oregon. They’ve got so many cool products; you know what I mean? Edibles and different things and you can learn about them. And it’s almost like, you know, microbreweries for a beer or something. We don’t allow that. Yet. The problem with craft in Canada is that the government requires so much paperwork, for example. And if you want to do a craft facility, you have to build it first before you can apply for a license. So, think about the kind of money you need just to get the ball rolling. They’re making it almost impossible craft market to proliferate. Now, will it change? I’m hoping so. And now what they’re doing is they’re creating co-ops. A lot of craft growers or potential craft growers are saying, Let’s work together. Let’s build almost like a union. And let’s approach it together and all apply together and help each other that way. So that’s it. Probably the biggest differences between Canada and the US.”

Regarding medicinal Cannabis in Canada, “we do have clinics in Canada, and most of our major cities now that specialize in diagnosing and prescribing cannabis-related medicine. They tend to be more on the private end because we have socialized medicine here in Canada. But you can go in there and they have doctors who are making their best efforts to be knowledgeable about cannabis as medicine. So that’s changing but the thing is, cannabis isn’t really regarded federally as medicine the same way that a prescription might be for some pharmaceutical. A lot of medical cannabis patients in Canada are upset by that, there are different taxes that apply. You can’t get it the same way, can’t source it. Still a lot of rules and loopholes. If you want cannabis to help you sleep, or maybe stimulate your appetite, there’s a whole system you have to go through in order to qualify for it and then get a prescription. They have to order it, and it has to come in the mail…totally different. So, we still have a long way to go with medicinal cannabis here.”

Finally, a parting quote from Michael, followed by his links and recent articles, “Now you can’t be afraid to evolve and when you see somebody doing something and you go ‘that would make it better,’ just go forget it. I’m doing it. Bang. And that’s not to say change everything but don’t be afraid of change.”

Michael’s Links:
Cannabis Update Podcast: http://www.cannabisupdate.ca/
Distinct Media: https://www.distinctmedia.ca/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-pedersen-98263213
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cannabisupdatepodcast/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CannUpdatePod
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrDyXDaJaoMtFwsXsHi6xhA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cannupdatepod/
Article: https://timlowing.com/read-the-lowdown-here/f/michael-pedersen—canadian-cannabis-update

All of our podcasts can be found at https://tsctalks.com/podcast/

TSC Talks Canna Combo Mini Pod

TSC Talks Canna Combo Mini Pod

A mini compilation of a few Canna conversations; Blaze Therapeutics, Michael Pedersen, Tyrone Williams & past guest Mike Robinson.

1-“Blaze Therapeutics exists to offer plant-based solutions to the rare disease, the US Veteran, and professional medical communities that target the improvement of overall health, wellness, and quality of life. We believe in amplifying the beauty of life through the pursuit of wellness.

Blaze Therapeutics, Nadia Bodkin-Rare Disease Advocacy Professional, Executive Officer, Philanthropist and Vincent Crowley-Senior Vice President-Blaze is comprised of a team of experts concentrated from the healthcare, patient advocacy, nutraceutical and cannabis industries. Blaze Therapeutics is engaged in supporting the open market through Responsible Distribution of plant-based dietary supplements and the Rx market through the pursuit of FDA approved cannabis-based nutraceuticals.”
Website: http://www.blazetherapeutics.com

2-Michael Pederson, Host, Producer of Cannabis Update Podcast. “This podcast features stories about the leaders and organizations involved in cannabis legalization in Canada. This is not a “Pro Pot”​ podcast, but a balanced representation of news and information pertaining to legalization”
Website: https://www.distinctmedia.ca/cannabis-update-podcast

3- Tyrone Williams-Proud Father👣 Direct From Source Supplier🌿License THC and Hemp Product Acquisition and Quality Control Specialist. I’m a second generation grower with 20 years in indoor hydroponic space design and quality control. Specializing in licensed farm direct THC products of the highest quality. The products personally rigorously tested and vetted from only the best quality. I have designed products that have proven positive results that I will be introducing to the market, if anyone is interested in an investment opportunity. https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyrone-william-5b4b45195

4- Mike Robinson -Cancer Survivor/Cannabis Activist, Founder, Global Cannabinoid Research Ctr., Chief Operating Officer at Nanobles, Inc. “Cannabis is Medicine and it’s important it’s recognized globally as such by all nations. Setting the pace now to educate those providing healthcare is imperative for both patients and providers. As a cancer survivor with severe epilepsy that quit a 24 yr. pharma opioid addiction with the use of Cannabis oils to overcome, choosing a healthy alternative medicine was the key to my own success – and for many is the key to exit the Pandora’s Box of addiction, illness, and so much more.”

https://www.mikesmedicines.com/mikes-other-publications/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-robinson-~-cannabis-heals-256b3192

Thanks for tuning in! Stay tuned for Blaze Therapeutics up this week and keep on keepin’ on.
https://tsctalks.com