Is Cannabis a New Panacea For Chronic Depression?

Your hobbies don’t bring as much joy and happiness as they used to. The food is not so tasty; the friends are not so pleasant to spend time with anymore. You see the world in dark and gloomy colors. Depression can hit us at any age, and dealing with it might be very hard.

For many years, people sought a remedy for the invisible enemy that deprives a person of the pleasure to live. There is all manner of reasons for depression, but in today’s article, we will discuss a potential way to cure it.

It is not a secret to anyone that Cannabis has many benefits and is prescribed by doctors worldwide for those who suffer from depression and anxiety. But how effective is this innovative remedy? And is it better than traditional methods to cure depression? Want to know the answer? Then, stay with us.

Due to the restrictions the governments of many countries put on the research regarding marijuana, there is still a lot of work to be done for those who want to be sure of the effects Cannabis has on the human organism. However, the research that did manage to be performed illuminates the positive impact of it on our health.

First and foremost, one should be able to draw a line between CBD and THC. These are two different components of Cannabis. The difference lay in the fact that the first one does not have psychoactive substances. In simple words, it will not make a user feel ‘high.’ However, in spite of not giving euphoria, CBD has a relaxing effect on the human brain. Nowadays, this substance can be bought in stores, on the Internet, or even using Curbside Pick Up.

It has a direct influence on the serotonin receptors in the brain, which are responsible for one’s mood, and the level of anxiety. The 2018 research conducted on animals has proven the positive effect of CBD on the transmission of serotonin and the elimination of anxiety and pain.

Therefore, the influence of CBD is very similar to the one antidepressant has. It hits the receptors that make a person feel happy and artificially stimulates them to release more hormones of happiness.

You may say, ‘Wait, but then I’ll always have to take CBD to make my brain want to feel happy.’ No, that’s not true. Whoever created and programmed our organisms should be proud of their work. Our brains function as highly intelligent and well-organized mechanisms. The neural networks created while we have positive emotions will record the feelings we experience and make them our new habit.

Therefore, in order to train our brain not to be depressed, we might need to force it to feel happy for some time by means of antidepressants or CBD. After the moment when the neural networks that remember us being happy are strong enough, we don’t need an artificial mood booster, because we will be able to feel happy by ourselves.

CBD also influences our amygdala and makes it less alert. This part of the human brain is responsible for our self-preservation instinct. It’s the amygdala that makes our hand move away very fast when we touch a hot object. And it’s the amygdala that makes us run away very fast when a dog wants to attack us.

But, very often, this part of the human brain turns on the self-preservation instinct at the moments when it’s not needed. It makes us feel stressed and anxious in public meetings or angry at our partners when we have a small argument.

Indeed, in the twenty-first century, we don’t need to try to survive all the time. We have a comfortable and relatively safe life. But our amygdala doesn’t know about the development of society. It remains almost the same as an average caveman had. Therefore, those who suffer from chronic depression should train their amygdala to turn off in situations when it’s not necessary and not make them feel anxious and depressed.

But it’s very difficult to change how your brain functions by yourself. Very often, we cannot distinguish our reason from emotions. CBD ‘relaxes’ the amygdala, and it stops turning on the siren when there is no danger. It makes the person feel calmer and less depressed. After the time when the amygdala stops making a person feel tense and alert every now and then, they can stop taking medication or CBD.

So, CBD will help to combat depression, only those who are conscious of their problem and understand that they are retraining their brain to think and act in a new way. Once you take responsibility for the issue in your hands and use medical marijuana as an additional tool, you can combat this issue.

Remember that you should always consult your doctor before starting any treatment. Home remedies rarely have a positive impact on human organisms. Treat your mental health in the same way as you’d treat the well-being of the body. And remember that you’re never alone with the problem. There are many specialists and organizations that are eager to help you.