Article By: Sharon Letts California cannabis patient and Northern California native, Jim McAlpine, founded the 420 Games– a health-minded event showcasing cannabis in a new light for endurance and pain management, shoving the stigma of the non-productive stoner off the proverbial couch for good. He’s also founder of the mainstream San Francisco Ski & Snowboard […]
Article By: Sharon Letts
California cannabis patient and Northern California native, Jim McAlpine, founded the 420 Games– a health-minded event showcasing cannabis in a new light for endurance and pain management, shoving the stigma of the non-productive stoner off the proverbial couch for good.
He’s also founder of the mainstream San Francisco Ski & Snowboard Festival, and the New West Summit, a cannabis industry conference with a focus on education, also held in San Francisco each year.
McAlpine makes his home in Marin County, across the bay from San Francisco, with his wife and two kids. He’s a family man first, an athlete second, and a cannabis advocate a close third.
He first used cannabis in college for a diagnosed case of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), but he’s admittedly been helped since with more than a sharper focus.
ADHD, as defined by the Mayo Clinic, is a chronic condition affecting millions of children, continuing into adulthood. The main symptom is the inability to sustain attention on the task at hand, with impulsive behavior.
Typical medications for the disorder are stimulants- Adderall, Ritalin, and Concerta, with side effects that include, anxiety, chronic headaches, sleep disorders, weight loss, and increased heart rate.
According to MedicalNewsToday.com, the medications are said to correct the levels of neurotransmitter in the brain, called Dopamine; and cannabis is said to have the same impact on those levels.
“Aside from needing cannabis for my ADHD, I also use it for anxiety, sleep and joint pain,” McAlpine shared. “It’s an amazing alternative to the many pharmaceutical drugs I’d been offered to take to deal with all my issues.”
A study found within the National Institute of Health’s website (NIH), cannabinoids (CBDs) activate the cannabinoid receptors found within the body’s endocannabinoid system (eCS); signaling cytokine proteins which cause inflammation. CBD helps the body’s immune system fight off infection, while reducing inflammation, for a speedy recovery from sports and other injuries.
“Cannabis treats everything, as well as keeping me in a state of optimal health. It’s not a drug, it’s a holistic herb and vegetable – a superfood that’s part of my daily diet,” he added.
According to the Oxford Living Dictionary, a superfood is “a nutrient-rich food considered to be especially beneficial for health and well-being.” In other words, food is food, buts superfoods are loaded with enough vitamins and minerals to build the immune system and help prevent illness.
To qualify as a superfood, a wide range of disorders and ailments must be helped from a single plant. A quick search of RealFarmacy.com, turned up a list of superfoods including, chamomile, tea tree, lemon balm, sage, comfrey, and stinging nettle, to name just a few of the extensive list.
Though mainstream lists of superfoods leave off cannabis, another search found many articles posing the question, is cannabis the next big thing in superfoods?
Since cannabis is a known antioxidant, fighting inflammation and infection while building the immune system, it’s safe to say, the plant belongs on the superfoods list, via conducive reasoning alone.
McAlpine’s workout begins in the morning with minimal medicating, then increases mid-day, ingesting up to 50 milligrams of activated THC in a medible. His go-to is a little caramel made by Choose Love from Berkeley, California. Dosing is in 10 mg. increments, as needed.
In many states legal for cannabis as medicine, ordinances dictate 10 milligram packaging and dosing for safety and ease. Protocols include starting with a low dose, then waiting up to two hours or more for effect, then taking more, as needed. Titrating up to a higher dose or down to regulate dosing and tolerance is common, and can be compared to pharmaceutical dosing practices.
Throughout the day he’ll medicate as needed with a vaporizer pen, helping to reduce stress, anxiety, and to retain focus.
By nighttime, he’ll ingest another 100 to 150 milligrams of an activated THC medible before bedtime, giving him a good night’s sleep.
“I know if I take a good dose before bedtime, I’ll wake up feeling refreshed – having gotten some serious REMs. I’ll also have less inflammation in my body overall – meaning, less pain throughout my day, with no need for the prescription pain killers that used to slow me down.”
In an age of one state after another legalizing for use of cannabis as recreation, McAlpine feels its real use is for remedy, adding, “I don’t use it for intoxication or recreation, I use cannabis to just feel normal and productive on a day-to-day basis.”
Cannabis & pain, study National Institute of Health:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2828614/
British Journal of Anesthesia, paper on cannabis & pain:
https://academic.oup.com/bja/article/101/1/59/358987
Trial on pain management using cannabis:
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