Check out all things around my TEDx talk at Pillarsofwellness.com/tedx
It is rewarding to get feedback and start discussions around the opioid crisis across the nation. As we progress, we will post our interviews and discussions to help bridge the conversations. Please send me your questions at quesitons@chalmerswellness.com about any of the research as you can help with the crisis through your discussions.
This podcast features some questions that have been sent in from viewers of my TEDx talk.
· How much do I Emphasize the Importance of shutting off the amygdala?
· Can you consider cannabis as a nutrient?
Video:
Insert Blurry bury player.
The following is a transcription of this podcast from questions@chalmerswellness.com.
Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:00:03] This. Doctor Chalmers, welcome to Wellness Insights with me, Dr. Chalmers. Which part of the brain is can have the ability to affect and how does this impact anxiety? Well, if you specifically are talking about anxiety, that’s the amygdala. So the amygdala is in the temporal lobe and it is responsible for all the bad things in the world. Fear, hate, anger, terror, stress, anxiety, all that stuff. So that’s the big issue with how it affects the brain and affects the amygdala. And we want it to affect the amygdala. It does not affect the pons, like I said earlier. So you can continue to breathe as much as you want to.
Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:00:32] It has more impact on the temporal lobe than anything else, which is really good because that’s where epileptic epilepsy comes from. So we can actually suppress temporal firing, which a so a seizure is abnormal firing in the temporal lobe. Okay. So we can decrease firing in the temporal lobe.
Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:00:50] Guess what? All of a sudden we’ve decreased seizures and that’s what we see with all of cannabis in epilepsy. So that’s why epilepsy and cannabis works so well together because of that suppression of abnormal firing in the temporal lobe. It does have some suppression function to the frontal lobe. So you’re not gonna be able to think nearly as well that, you know, depending on how much you’ve consumed and where you’re at, you know, you might have anywhere from 0 to 10% functional command loss.
Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:01:18] I will tell you that as a personal thing, something I’m super not proud of. There’s been lots and lots of times in my youth where I would drink too much and then drive home. I know it’s stupid. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever done. It’s terrible, but I’ve never consumed cannabis and then thought, you know, I should drive. In fact, there’s been a couple of times where I was supposed to leave at a certain time and I went, No, I don’t feel like I’m good to drive. I’m going to wait 30 minutes, which has never happened with Canada, with with, with alcohol.
Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:01:44] So as far as making bad decisions, I have not seen it. You’re going to say to silly stop because that you think is profound. But that’s about it. And the worst thing you’re going to do is eat too much. That’s from what we’ve seen. That’s basically what’s going on. How much do I emphasize the importance of shutting out the amygdala? My entire practice is based around the quality of life. Wellness is the quality of life over time. Shutting off stress is the number one thing I try to do. And so shutting down the amygdala, calming it down, the thing that tells you that everything is terrible, that you’re you’re scared, that you have stress, that you know, all the negative things fear, hate, anger, terror. How about how much how important to shutting that off? Really important. Really important.
Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:02:25] So, yeah, like this is a daily thing. Like, we should start working on this. How do I connect anxiety and stress, the functioning amygdala? I just kind of told you it is directly 100% linked. So I will tell you this. This is kind of silly joke, but it’s also kind of silly. True. I will consider cannabis a nutrient because the definition of nutrient is something that the body requires in order to function normally and survive. If you didn’t have any cannabinoids in your body, your brain would no longer work. Your endocannabinoid system which is inside of you right now. Regardless if you’ve ever consumed cannabis, it is in there. And we’re using cannabinoids to make the brain and spinal cord function.
Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:03:04] Your entire CNS is directly dependent upon those chemicals to function. So adding in a different cannabinoid structure that helps your body to function, helps your brain to function in the way that we want to. I’m going to consider that a nutrient tongue-in-cheek funny, kind of true, that type of thing. So but that’s that’s just a fun thing that I have to throw out. If you guys have any questions, hit us up questions at Chalmers wellness dot com Thanks.
The following are some excerpts from my 6 first articles and research on the opioid epidemic.
In 2018, we had 2 million people clinically addicted to opioids in the United States. However, because there’s very few clinically or socially acceptable alternatives that number went from 2 million in 2018 to 3 million in 2022. I’ll do the math for you that’s 21,000 people added to the addicted list each month, every month for four years.
Dr. Matt Chalmers If you think that’s about our Death numbers are even worse. In 2019, we lost 50,000 people to Opioid Overdose, or in 2020 we lost 70,000 people to
opioid overdose that’s 140% increase in one year.
I have been studying this plague and researching how we can turn this plague into simply a memory. It was truly an honor to be on the TEDx stage talking about the epidemic, and more importantly bringing solutions to the forefront.
Check out the full talk from the TEDxUCincinnati YouTube Channel
Insert full ted video :
Also, please take a look at my other 6 articles on this topic in the last several months below.
What is the difference between opioids and cannabis? You would be surprised what the research shows.
What is the psychological stance on using cannabis for pain relief?
Research matters in discussions around cannabis, and medical uses. What do you think?
What do you think about cannabis? Well, my opinions have changed through additional research.
Addressing the opioid addiction is a huge issue in the United States, and together we can make a difference.
Check out all things around my TEDx talk at Pillarsofwellness.com/tedx
Check out Chalmers Pillarsofwellness.com for Wellness updates! And ask me any questions you have at questions@chalmerswellness.com. I answer all of them and look forward to hearing from you.
The Chalmers Wellness Stubstack just launched. Comment, Like, and Interact with other people on their wellness journey. Communities can make a difference. DrChalmers.substack.com
Dr. Matt Chalmers
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only. Before taking any action based on this information you should first consult with your physician or health care provider. This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions regarding a medical condition, your health, or wellness.
Additional resources and references:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2657360/
Same study different write up. Shows suppression of BL amygdala
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4360235/
Again referencing the same study same conclusion
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2841401/
Showed that baso-lateral specifically R lateral activation of the amygdala helped suppress the feelings of pain and thus decreased the reported subjective pain felt.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3549497/
Activating the 5 HT1 receptors in the BLA can suppress the learned failure response and thus reduce future anxiety. Viewing anxiety as perceived failure (conditioned defeat) in the future that holds fear now as if you are living in the failure at the moment. The 5 HT1 receptors help increase serotonin levels to the cleft.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3242817/
More on 5 HT1 receptors
Showing that Delta 8 is just as effective with less side effects as medications already on the market.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34797727/
Cannabis
Showing that cannabis greatly reduced pain and the only real issue was cost and stigma. Reduced opioid use by 64% with a 17% reduction in opioid fatalities.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK574562/ (5)
Many of the studies showing negative effects of cannabis on pain were set up to fail. Cannabis has been shown to be better than codeine
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK224384/
Pretty solid overview of how the receptors CBR1 work and where they are. The evidence that CBR1 is almost entirely inhibitory to neuronal tissue is pretty apparent. This widespread systemic placement of ligand based and cytoplastic receptor function that again is inhibitory shows a cannabinoid specific and dose dependent functionality of cannabis all over the body save the upper brainstem where the breathing center is. Activation of CBR1 greatly reduces excitotoxicity and reduces glutamate which by itself could stop seizure activity.
This also demonstrates significant protection against oxygen deprivation and reperfusion so the benefit to concussion and all oxygen deprivation function like epilepsy, and Parkinson’s where oxygen deprivation is a significant issue especially from sleep apnea issues.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5877694/
Showing that the medulla has a low amount of CB1 receptors
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2826.2008.01671.x (6)
Opioid issues:
https://www.addictionresource.net/opioids/overdose-deaths/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35105535/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK553166/
Nearly 70k deaths in 2020
https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/deaths/index.html (2)
Death rate of 2019 just under 50k
https://www.aha.org/news/headline/2020-07-16-cdc-drug-overdose-deaths-46-2019 (1)
More info government numbers
https://www.hhs.gov/opioids/about-the-epidemic/opioid-crisis-statistics/index.html
More death numbers with graphs and age delineation
https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates
Estimated 2 million Americans are addicted to opioids 2018
https://psychiatry.org/news-room/news-releases/nearly-one-in-three-people-know-someone-addicted-t (3)
Nearly 3 million Americans addicted in 2022
Opioid receptors in the pons:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22747535/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3545180/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2642894/
Opioid vs cannabis overdose
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6135562/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4392651/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33367882/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5563007/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4392651/
Deaths from cannabis
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32370933/
Many of these studies look like they are trying to blame cannabis. The sidney study showed that of men with Aids that smoke cannabis they still died of Aids. They are somehow trying to tie the cannabis to Aids deaths its from 1997.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK425742/
Also many of the deaths that are attributed to cannabis are not solely or even closely related to cannabis. Many of them are motor vehicle accidents, most 47% had high levels of alcohol, and many of the deaths were suicide, while still others had other drugs in the system. It is very hard to find cannabis deaths where only cannabis was involved.
Cannabis and blood pressure
This area of research is very odd as there is evidence that cannabis lowers blood pressure when they gave it to people that already had high blood pressure. However, from a we looked at people that used cannabis and we saw higher blood pressure they also mention that the people in the study also used a lot more alcohol. I lean on the study where they already had the BP issue and cannabis helped. Again the mixing of other substances, drugs or alcohol, makes many of these studies useless.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5237375/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33483174/
Reducing the amount of opioids via coadministration of cannabis shows promise
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6135562/
Anxiety and cannabis
Shows that cannabis is a solid choice for anxiety from a prescription point.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7531079/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8458732/
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How medical cannabis could reduce pain Matt Chalmers TEDxUCincinnatiHighlights of the Ted Talk
00:00 – Intro
00:36 – Statistics from the Center for Disease Control or the CDC
01:24 – Opioids are the most addictive substances we have available to us medically for pain
01:48 – Dr Matt Chalmers experience with Opioid Medication
03:08 – Cannabis is the solution to our Opioid Epidemic
04:12 – One of the ways that Cannabis is substantially healthier for us and better than opioids is the way that actually works in the brain05:22 – Cannabis the higher the Euphoria from Cannabis, makes it unusable for daily life
05:56 – It’s impossible to Dose Cannabis
06:17 – Sublingual Strips are extremely doseable
06:43 – Cannabis Produces Substantial unwanted Psychological effects create anxiety and things like that
07:10 – Amygdala holds all the bad things about mankind Fear, Hate, Anger, Terror, Anxiety
07:52 – My ten year old son had have surgery to remove a plate and six screws from his arm
08:56 – The Research is showing that states that legalize Cannabis see a 24% drop in Opioid Overdose Deaths the first year after legalization
09:32 – Our society cannot sustain the levels of Addiction and Death we are currently allowing
10:25 – Outro
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