Top 5 Benefits of Marijuana during Menopause
You may be wondering how does marijuana have anything to do with hormones? The relationship between cannabis and hormone balance may surprise you.
As women age they will enter into a time of hormonal decrease, called menopause, which can bring challenging cycles and changes. While there is nothing we can do to stop this natural cycle, experts think that cannabis could be the key to finding balance and relief during this time. Research is still young but data show that endocannabinoids produced by the body are intimately correlated with balancing brain activity, metabolic functions, and hormones throughout the body. Cannabis compounds, or phyto-cannabinoids, can boost endocannabinoid system activity, which is tied to keeping nearly every aspect of health and wellness in harmony.
This article will reveal the ways in which marijuana interacts with our bodies to improve symptoms of menopause. You will learn the top 5 benefits of marijuana in menopause and how to get safe, effective relief from different cannabis products. We aim to help you gain insight into how marijuana can help you to maintain your health, mentally and physically, throughout any phase of menopause.
What is Menopause?
Menopause is the time in a woman's life when her menstrual cycle comes to an end. This most commonly happens between your mid-40’s through early 50's. There are three primary stages to this process, called peri-menopause, menopause, and post-menopause. If you start menopause before age 40 you are considered to be in pre-menopause.
During peri-menopause, the ovaries decrease production of hormones and your cycles become irregular up to several years before the production will come to a full stop. Menopause is considered to be complete after a full year without menstruation and all ovarian hormone production has ceased. After that your body enters into post-menopause, a state of hormonal balance without menstruation for the remainder of your life.
As a woman enters into the menopausal stages, she can experience many different symptoms, including:
Hot flashes
Fatigue
Mood swings
Aches and pains
Weight gain
Osteoporosis
Depression
Insomnia
Anxiety
And more
So how does marijuana help with these symptoms, and what is the correlation between marijuana and homeostasis?
The Endocannabinoid System
To fully understand how marijuana helps us during menopause, we need to understand a few things about the human body and an important physiological system called the endocannabinoid system.
The endocannabinoid system (ECS) exists in our bodies as a central modulator and manager, performing many different physiological functions. It is closely connected with functions of the endocrine system, a group of glands throughout the body that secrete hormones, and others such as the cardiovascular, nervous, endocrine, and immunological systems. The endocannabinoid system’s primary role is to maintain homeostasis, or balance, throughout the body. It does so by using chemicals similar to those found in cannabis, called endocannabinoids.
Endocannabinoids are small molecules produced within the body that interact with the cannabinoid receptors (CB1, CB2, and others) found on the surfaces of various tissue cell walls like the liver and kidneys. CB1, or cannabinoid receptor 1, receptors are mostly found in brain cells and throughout the central nervous system, while CB2 receptors are primarily localized throughout the body’s peripheral nervous system and immunological system.
The body uses endocannabinoids to instruct your body’s homeostatic functions, telling them what they should do in order to keep you alive. Cannabinoids found in marijuana, namely THC and CBD, are capable of bonding with these receptors and modulating endocannabinoid and ECS activity. This is actually how marijuana’s properties affect us, and thus support the process of regulating hormones.
During menopause, internal endocannabinoid production decreases, making it difficult for the body to regulate homeostasis. Studies show that cannabis’ effects can help boost endocannabinoid production and metabolism. This effect indicates incredible potential for cannabis being beneficial in not only menopause, but innumerable other health problems related to endocannabinoid deficiency or dysfunction.
Studies show that a lack of endocannabinoids, or deficiency, and low ECS activity is directly related to the negative symptoms that occur during menopause, and have even been linked to pre-menopause causes. While the relationship between marijuana and our endocannabinoid system is still under extensive research, all theories point in the direction of marijuana being a major assistant to the body’s naturally balancing endocannabinoid system.
Top 5 Benefits of using Marijuana during Menopause
Let's look at the top 5 benefits of marijuana for menopausal women and discover how cannabinoids can help to provide balance and relief.
1. Mood Balance
Mood swings happen commonly during peri-menopause and menopause, and can easily spiral into issues such as anxiety and depression, but cannabis might help.
Studies show us that the endocannabinoid system is directly connected to regulating mood and anxiety disorders. Before menopause, estrogen and endocannabinoids work together to maintain emotions and mood balance. As menopause advances, estrogen levels drop and endocannabinoid production also drops. Those cells of the body, which are sending out signals for help, are left without aid to regulate mood balance and emotional responses.
Cannabis contains phyto-cannabinoids, which are nearly identical to our endocannabinoid molecules and bond to endocannabinoid receptors and other important receptors. CBD, or cannabidiol, a primary cannabis compound, has been shown to bind with the “serotonin” receptor 5-HT1A. In short, this receptor is like a signaling hub for emotional stability and stress response. Researchers think that targeting the ECS with cannabis compounds like CBD help trigger 5-HT1A receptor activity, which could help balance mood swings, emotions, and anxiety.
2. Hot Flashes
You are sitting in an air-conditioned room, but suddenly you are dripping sweat, then feeling chills, both clammy cold and overheated at once.
Hot flashes are definitely one of the telltale signs of menopause onset. They are correlated to our naturally made endocannabinoid called anandamide, which serves a function in regulating and managing body temperature. Chemically, anandamide is most similar to THC, and can even produce a “high” sensation to a certain degree, such as feeling a “runners high” and creative rushes of ingenuity.
Studies show that THC can help with regulating body temperature during menopause, with higher doses having a cooling effect on the system, while lower doses may possibly raise body temperatures. CBD is also known to help increase levels of anandamide by inhibiting the enzyme FAAH, which breaks down and gets rid of anandamide.
Finding a cannabis product with a balanced ratio of THC and CBD could be effective in reducing hot flash occurrences by balancing the body temperature and providing relief from the symptoms.
3. Pain Relief
Pain relief is one of the number one reasons why people turn to medical marijuana use.
Cannabis is known historically for its analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties and has been used in many cultures as a pain treatment solution. Numerous studies have shown the amazing therapeutic relief that marijuana can provide for joint pain, muscle stiffness, and chronic pains caused from illnesses such as cancer, neuropathy, and arthritis.
Women going through menopause can experience many different kinds of pain, including:
Cramping
Muscle/joint aches
Pain during sex
Headaches/migraines
Irritation/dryness of the skin
Breast tenderness
Bloating
Abdominal pain
Pain during urination, etc.
Marijuana plays a heroic role in assisting our endocannabinoid system, allowing us to benefit from its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties.
For intense and chronic pains, we recommend trying a high THC product, such as an indica strain, which will provide ultimate relaxation and even sedation while the marijuana works its therapy.
For muscles, joints, cramping, breast tenderness and skin irritation you could try topical CBD oil that is applied directly to the skin. CBD oils are increasingly being used for pain management, especially for those who want to go about their day without psychoactive effects, but need long-lasting pain relief.
4. Sleep Health
Hormonal imbalance affects every aspect of daily life from wakefulness, emotions, and mood, to pain, stress, and anxiety, all of which affect how well we rest.
Sleep problems during menopause, such as restlessness and insomnia, are often the result of other symptoms such as hot flashes, cramping and muscle pains. There is tons of evidence supporting marijuana as a safe temporary sleep aid. Chronic use and THC consumption, however, may have a negative impact in long-term sleep health and regulation. The trick is to find the right dosage and strain type that works well for you, and use moderately in the nighttime, as it can cause morning fog.
Neuroscientist and clinical researcher dedicated to education and advocacy for women who use cannabis, Dr. Michelle Ross, recommends using 10mg of edible THC product to help hold off night sweats and help you get good nights sleep. She also recommends eating cannabis daily during menopause, especially if you've chosen to avoid doing Hormonal Estrogen Therapy (ERT). Marijuana properties provide a stabilizing effect on hormones, body temperature, and pain levels, ensuring that you will get in a sweet night of deep, rejuvenating sleep.
5. Bone Health
Osteoporosis, or loss in bone density, occurs in one of every three women who are over the age of 50.
Many reports show that there is a direct correlation between the development of osteoporosis and menopause. The reason for this is that estrogen is part of the regulating process of cell regeneration in bones, and estrogen levels drop drastically during menopause.
Studies have proven that cannabis can indeed stimulate bone growth, even after menopause, through activating cannabinoid receptors.
Learn More About Cannabis
Marijuana can provide essential therapeutic benefits and relief for women who experience adverse symptoms during and leading up to menopause.
We hope this information will help you or someone you know to find relief. If you’ve found this article helpful, please feel free to share it with others who might also enjoy reading it. You can learn more about cannabis and its effects on health in our other articles.
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