I had an awful week. When I say awful, I mean in and out of doctors’ offices and the ER, odd people showing up at my door, and getting very little sleep. My husband had to go to the East Coast for a few weeks, and about a week after he left, everything went to hell.
First, both kids got sick with fevers; then my daughter was bitten by a dog and had to go the hospital, and finally, after countless sleepless nights, I fainted one morning on my way to the coffee maker and needed stitches in my chin.
Lucky for me, I have an amazing family that came to my rescue to give me a much-needed break! One family member, who wishes to remain anonymous (we’ll call her Alice) flew out from the East Coast with an adventure planned for us. After seeing a Grand Lake hotel featured on HGTV, she told me we absolutely had to go there and she made reservations for the weekend. Alice lives for this stuff!
So, after packing up the kids, (and me with a huge bandage on my chin, still unable to talk much) we began our two-hour trip to the lake. We had driven about a half hour and had just gotten off of Route 70 and onto Route 40, the road that takes you through the mountains, when we saw a sign adorned with a large green cross and “21+”. The shop, located in an adorable little village, was called Serene Wellness. Knowing that this would be the last opportunity before we entered the mountain towns, I jokingly asked Alice if she would like to stop and pick up some weed for the weekend. I got a surprisingly excited “yes!“
I sent Alice into the shop to choose what she wanted, and she came back with edible lemon drops and cannabis oil for her skin. Alice suffers from psoriasis, which flares up frequently and is hard to treat. When the shop owner told Alice cannabis oil does wonders for the arthritis in his hands, she decided it was worth a shot.
Alice began a cannabis oil skincare regimen that she kept up during the rest of her stay in Colorado. She had four days to use the oil before her return to a state that does not allow cannabis use for ailments such as psoriasis. I decided to do a brief interview on her thoughts regarding the entire process, and what kind of results she saw after use of the product.
Were you at all hesitant to use cannabis oil? Why?
“No, I was not at all hesitant to try cannabis oil. Because of my skin condition, which leaves me really uncomfortable, I was willing to try anything.”
What were your thoughts on the shop? Was it intimidating in any way? Was everything neat and organized?
“It wasn’t intimidating at all. The man was very pleasant and informative. He really wanted to help and let me know how the oil was helping his arthritis. He knew what he was talking about. [The shop] was very organized, and it really made me feel comfortable.”
When did you begin to notice relief of the symptoms of psoriasis?
“I felt a difference the very next day. When I had to stop using it, it got worse again.”
What are your final thoughts on the product? Would you use it again?
“I’d definitely use it again. I was really upset that I couldn’t take it outside of Colorado. It really did help my skin.”
I did a bit of research and found that Alice’s experience was not unusual among those suffering from psoriasis that also tried cannabis oil, and there is science to back it up. “Cannabinoids inhibit keratinocyte proliferation, and therefore support a potential role for cannabinoids in the treatment of psoriasis. Cannabis might treat psoriasis, due to the anti-inflammatory properties of its cannabinoids, and the regulatory effects of THC on the immune system.” Furthermore, “cannabinoids are readily absorbed through the skin. This is the ideal method of treating psoriasis, as it avoids some of the toxicity associated with systemic therapies.” How awesome is that? If you have psoriasis and you are looking for a new treatment, it just might be worth it to try a product containing cannabis oil. As for those lemon drops… well, let’s just say we had one relaxing weekend!