cannabis – Page 2 – Butterfly Sessions

Raw Cannabis And Spirulina Smoothie Recipe

January 7, 2018May 28, 20185 Comments

For those of you who know how much I like to eat the color green AND how much I enjoy all things marijuana, you know that I am in heaven when I can eat raw cannabis. I use it in all sorts of things from smoothies to salads.

One important thing I’ve learned about eating cannabis (and any leafy green vegetable, actually) is that you will get a better nutritional payback when you eat it raw. When you cook a green many of the nutrients are destroyed that work synergistically with each other in your body. Consuming your greens raw ensures you get all the plant has to offer.

When you are eating greens it is worth your time to completely chew (even if it is a smoothie) and allow the food you eat to really mix with your saliva before swallowing. This allows the enzymes in your saliva to mix with the food, start the digestive process, setting you up for optimal nutrient absorption and digestion. Take your time, chew, breathe.

The smoothie recipe that follows was my breakfast one day this week. It gave me energy and filled me up without any psychoactive effects from the cannabis. And it came out the prettiest color of green.

Raw Cannabis and Spirulina Smoothie

30g cannabis leaves

1 blood orange

1 banana

1T hemp seed

1T spirulina

1C coconut milk

1/4C fresh coconut (totally optional)

1) Blend.

2) Drink immediately and enjoy.

The deep green color of this smoothie is amazing. It screams vitamins and minerals and healthy energy.

Eat Raw Cannabis!

Pam Dyer is a Holistic Health Coach who trains people with scoliosis and chronic illness how they can improve sleep, gut health, immunity, and brain function to live full and hurt less. To book a consult with Pam please email: butterflysessions@gmail.com

Let’s Get Real About Depression, Real Healthy

December 21, 2017May 28, 20182 Comments

https://youtu.be/1fkmjJpL3fs

People, like myself, who chronically experience states of mental depression in various lengths and intensities must have coping mechanisms in their mental wellness toolbox to return to a state of wellness.

Following is a list of a few of the big things in my toolbox that I have relied on to get me through depression. They seem simple, but they do help to keep healthier mental wellness.

1. Exercise- Regular physical activity boosts feel good hormones and also makes you feel more at ease and relaxed in your body. Complete something routinely physical for at least 20-45 minutes each day such as walking, swimming, cycling, dancing, hiking, or yoga.

2. Sleep- Having a regular sleep schedule is monumental in giving your brain regular time each day to clean itself and process your day while you rest. Going to bed around the same time each night with a relaxing shut down routine and getting up around the same time each morning with a positive wake up routine will do wonders for your mental health.

3. Water- Hydrate your brain and help your digestive system function optimally. Have a glass of water ready when you first rise in the morning to get your daily hydrating needs off to a good start.

4. Fresh vegetables and fruits- Eat them at each meal for the fiber, vitamins, and minerals that allow your body to function well, heal as needed, and digest food properly.

5. Friends/counselors- Make an agreement with a trusted friend that you can call on each other when you need to talk about depression. Also, seeing a mental health counselor who acts as a neutral sounding board can be helpful in supporting your mental wellness. Especially if you are contemplating suicide, build a tribe you can turn to when things get too dark. You don’t have to be in this alone.

6. Cannabis- This natural, non-toxic plant helps to bring the mind and body into a balanced state of homeostasis, lifting your mood and producing a feeling of wellbeing. Cannabis is my choice over pharmaceutical antidepressants because it is not addictive and does not require being on it for a while to see if it works or take months to wean off of it- it works right away and I can stop using it anytime without withdrawal.

7. Amino acids- Getting enough healthy protein is necessary for your body and brain to function well as a unit. What you feed yourself determines how well the bodily systems and brain will work. Eat hemp, chia, beans, seaweed, or animals to get adequate amounts.

8. Fatty acids- Healthy fat is imperative for a healthy brain. Take unrefined fats that provide plenty of Omega3 fatty acids such as walnuts, hemp, chia, moringa.

9. Sunshine and fresh air- Get some sunshine everyday and Vitamin D3 if that is not possible. Moving in fresh air and out in the elements will lift your spirits especially during long bouts of winter weather.

10. Pets/plants- Have a pet or a plant or a project to nurture, bring you joy, and remind you of being alive outside of your depressed head.

Wishing you sunshine and wellness this holiday season.

Cannabis Infused Peanut Butter Fudge (Vegan)

December 15, 20172 Comments

Chocolate peanut butter fudge made without processed sugar that will help me sleep and relax my body? Yes please.

During an especially strong chocolate craving I came up with this simple, and healthy fudge version that is effective as medication and packed with nutrients.

I used a CO2 extracted cannabis oil, purchased from a local pot shop, that I know had been tested for quality and impurities. I like cooking with CO2 oils because they can easily be added to oils and because they are tested for potency making it easy to dose THC or CBD by the milligram.

MMJ Peanut Butter Fudge

1/2C cacao powder

1/2C hemp hearts

1C coconut milk

1t vanilla

6 medjool dates

1/4C maca powder

1g CO2 cannabis concentrate (option for MMJ version)

1C peanut butter

1/3C chopped walnuts

1) Blend cacao, hemp hearts, coconut milk, vanilla, maca powder, and dates until smooth.

2) Gently heat the peanut butter and coconut oil in a double boiler. Remove from heat and add the cannabis concentrate to the warm oils. Mix well.

3) Combine both mixtures then add walnuts.

4) Place in a 6″x9″ pan and chill in fridge for 15 minutes. Cut into pieces and place into freezer until firmly set. Keep refrigerated or in the freezer until ready to eat.

These turned out to be a pleasant way to medicate. Not sugary but with a rich and fudgy texture and effective daytime mmj potency.

Perfect with an afternoon cup of tea.

5 Ways Cannabis Can Help Chronic Back Pain

December 13, 2017May 28, 20183 Comments

Chronic back pain is a condition like no other. It’s a horrible ailment, actually.

I am one of those people who will always have issues with my spine. While I have been dealing with this stuff since I was a child it wasn’t until my very early 20’s when every doctor I saw started freely prescribing me synthetic drugs to manage my spinal condition.

I’ve tried to avoid taking too many synthetic pills too often because they always end up making me feel like crud, they mess up my digestive system, I don’t ever want to be addicted to them, and the idea of having to take them from now until I die as a way to cope with pain is not a future I am about to roll over for. There are better options to consider.

When I first explored using cannabis as part of my long term pain management I honestly thought that it just worked by acting more like a mental mask or a distraction from the pain. I didn’t fully understand how beneficial cannabis would be for managing the enormity of my chronic spinal condition. Turns out a lot of people I know still believe that cannabis only provides a happy distraction for pain, so, for you I write the following…

5 Ways that Cannabis Helps Manage Chronic Back Pain:

1) Cannabis is a natural pain killer. Cannabis doesn’t just mask pain or distract you from it, it works with your body to relieve physical pain. One of the biggest plusses of using cannabis (for me) has been the pain relief without the unpleasant synthetic drug side effects or the potential risks with long-term use of synthetic medications. When you’re looking at a potential lifetime of chronic pain, you tend to take the long term side effects of pain medication very seriously.

2) Cannabis acts as an anti-inflammatory in the body. Having aches and pains caused by inflammation is a miserable experience and over time can negatively impact your overall health. Cannabis brings inflammation down to relieve pain and discomfort. Ideally, your pain management program will also be able to find what may be triggering inflammation in your body so you can address it from all angles.

3) Cannabis acts as a natural muscle relaxer and suppresses muscle spasms. Back spasms take chronic pain to a whole new level. I used to take muscle relaxers regularly to deal with muscle spasms but now that I have been taking cannabis regularly, muscle spasms and super sore overactive back muscles hardly ever happen.

4) Cannabis calms anxiety. Experiencing chronic pain creates anxiety, stress, and tension in the body. The anxiety, stress, and tension in the body create more pain thus building a vicious cycle of pain that never ends. Using the right strain of cannabis can significantly reduce or eliminate anxiety altogether by calming down the body and nervous system. Once you break the cycle of anxiety from creating stress and tension in the body, less pain will follow.

5) Cannabis helps to lift the depression that can come with chronic back pain. Being in pain every day and dealing with a debilitating back condition is one of the most challenging things a person can go through and there are predictably going to be dark spells along the journey. Pain can create a physical depression and depression can create more physical pain. Cannabis can lift the depression that will benefit not just your body but also your mental health.

Cannabis: The pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory, muscle relaxer that also acts as an anti-anxiety and an anti-depressant. One plant working naturally and synergistically in the body to heal, calm, and create well-being.

Pain is supposed to be one of those things in our body that is there for our benefit. It is our job to listen to what it has to say, respect it, and do what is necessary to relieve it in the healthiest way possible. Cannabis is one effective option and worth considering if you are somebody dealing with chronic back pain.

Peace.

Using Cannabis For Depression

December 3, 2017May 28, 20184 Comments

Talking about depression is tough. Even just writing about it right now is making my skin uncomfortable but I still feel compelled to get out that this is one of the most beneficial things that cannabis has helped me with on top of the chronic pain that I deal with because of ongoing health issues.

If you were to ask the people in my life to describe me they would use words like “bubbly, optimistic, happy, or funny.” Most people don’t know about my very dark side, the depressed one that dwells in a secret closet under a very heavy black cloud. I prefer not to share this part of me to the world. But the reality is that I do deal with depression and anxiety which is very connected to experiencing chronic physical pain and discomfort.

I have never taken prescription drugs for depression or anxiety but I have been using cannabis specifically for my scoliotic spine and experienced the added bonus of relieving my depression. When I look back I can see that I totally have been using cannabis during the blue times in my life, I just would never have admitted to being depressed at the time.

To be really honest occasionally I feel kind of guilty about whether I am using cannabis solely for pain management but also recreationally. I had always associated the getting happy part of marijuana use as recreational largely because that was its purpose as a recreational user until I got my medical cannabis recommendation. I mean, is it ok for me to use cannabis just to brighten my mood when I am feeling blue? The answer is yes.

The compassionate (and logical) side of me has realized that it is totally ok and beneficial for using cannabis for the depression and anxiety. It kind of all goes together. Pain gets worse when you are depressed and stressed. I know that first hand. For me, depression has nothing to do with the fact that I have a good life and I am grateful for every single person, thing, and experience in it.

Cannabis is simply one tool that I use to keep the dark clouds parted so that I can see sunshine too. I also use regular exercise, a healthy diet, meditation, a practice of gratitude, journaling, and positive peers to keep my spirits lifted. Add cannabis to the mix and I become much more equipped to handle what this little body of mine is throwing at me on a daily basis.

There is no shame in saying you deal with depression or anxiety but it can feel that way when the person you are talking to either does not relate or is not open to listening to you talk about it. There is also no shame in saying that you use a non-toxic, natural plant with no risky side effects that not only relieves your pain but also keeps your spirit lifted so you can experience life on a happier level.

In fact, the more that we talk about depression the less power it will have over us and the more compassionate we can be to ourselves during times of darkness, we just might make it through.

Stay lifted my friends.

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