Ever since entering my fifties, I’ve suffered from mild arthritis in my fingers.
I notice a slight stiffness and swelling in my joints when the weather is especially hot and humid or brutally cold.
My symptoms are not severe enough to require a doctor’s visit. I am unwilling to waste the time and money of a doctor’s appointment when there’s no way I would ever take the prescribed medication. I’ve read up on arthritis medicine. The long-term side-effects are downright scary. Fortunately, I’m able to treat arthritis flare-ups with cannabis. As a plant-based remedy, cannabis-infused medication has no lasting drawbacks. I’ve noticed dry mouth and an increase in appetite when taking specific strains of cannabis. I shop at the dispensary for products with a balanced ratio of CBD to THC. I look for options that also contain CBN or CBG. All of these cannabinoids have shown promise in alleviating pain, inflammation and stiffness. The dispensary offers a wonderful assortment of smokable flower, pre-rolls, vapes, tinctures, topicals, concentrates, edibles, beverages and extracts. I always make sure to purchase some type of topical. Applying a cannabis-infused ointment directly to my fingers provides a quick onset of relief. The pain lessens and I enjoy a better range of emotion. Because topicals don’t cause any psychoactive sensations, I can apply them multiple times per day. I’ve also had good luck with both tinctures and edibles. The tinctures are especially easy to consume and allow precision dosing. I simply place a few drops under my tongue, wait a minute for the cannabinoids to be absorbed and then swallow any remaining liquid. With edibles, the effects can take several hours to be realized but they are intense and long-lasting.