Nurse Opens A Cannabis Clinic for Chronic Pain Patients
To educate patients and other healthcare providers, this nurse has started her own medical cannabis clinic.
Photo: Nurse.org
Chronic pain is an epidemic in America, and is one of the main reasons Americans go to the doctor or emergency rooms and clinics. To alleviate their pain, many Americans have turned to opioid medications, but after all the reports on how addictive opiates are, chronic pain patients are looking toward different methods of relieving their pain.
Lolita Korneagay, MBA, BSN, RN was one of those people who searched for a solution that will help relieve their pain. Korneagay became an advocate for herself and others with chronic pain by opening a cannabis consulting company called Cansoom. Korneagay isn't the only one who is seeking to find answers to chronic pain with cannabis; she offers licensed nurses the opportunity to become educated about the cannabis industry and start their own clinics.
She said to Nurse.org, “One moment I was on my feet at work, and the next I was bedridden due to symptoms of a chronic illness. I tried everything to minimize the pain, including high dosage pain pills and surgery; however, nothing alleviated it. I wanted my life back! I decided to take matters into my own hands. I researched and discovered the one thing that completely erased my pain--medical marijuana.”
At first, Korneagay did not want to use a drug with a negative reputation, but after extensive research, Lolita began to test different dosages to find the right one for her. After months of research, she found a cannabis treatment plan that worked for her.
Lolita had the background, expertise, knowledge, and tools to understand what she had found. She knew, however, that those who had chronic pain would not have access to this same information. Lolita spent months learning about the endocannabinoid system and created Cansoom.
About the Cansoom Clinic
Cansoom was founded in 2017 and quickly became the most comprehensive Medical Cannabis consultant training program for licensed medical professionals. Lolita designed her company to give consumers with chronic pain the ability to find a medical professional who could help them with medical cannabis treatments.
Today, Korneagay’s hard work and research have paid off. She has made cannabis consumption safe for those who need it to alleviate chronic pain. Cansoom also provides medical professionals the chance to become educated about cannabis consumption for pain, start their own clinics, and become advocates for medical cannabis.
Reports suggest that almost 1.9 million North Americans (including America and Canada) legally use cannabis to manage medical issues. The cannabis industry is expanding quickly, and by 2021 it is predicted that the industry will be a $22.6 billion business, maybe even more!
With this fantastic growth, it is necessary for medical professionals to go through training to teach consumers about the benefits of cannabis and prescribe the correct dosages.
Cansoom was founded to help train medical professionals to become medical cannabis consults. The program involves intensive training before medical professionals can pass on their medical marijuana knowledge to their patients and communities. Nurses who complete Cansoom’s training will earn the moniker of Medical Cannabis Consultant. This title lets others know that they are knowledgeable in prescribing and helping others use cannabis.
After completing Cansoom’s course, they will have expert knowledge to educate patients about:
- Various cannabinoids
- The endocannabinoid system or ECS
- Therapeutic uses for cannabis
- Cannabis dosages and how to administer the drug
- Cannabis care plans
- State and federal laws regarding medical marijuana
Lolita Korneagay’s mission is teaching medical professionals about medical cannabis. This drug can be life-changing for those with chronic pain. There are many health benefits when cannabis is appropriately used, and the stigma of “bad” needs to be taken away from cannabis use. To this end, Cansoom is dedicated to connecting consumers with Medical Cannabis Consultants to make cannabis consumption acceptable for everyone who needs it.
LolitaKorneagay has written a cannabis educational book for nurses. Titled, the Medical Cannabis Consultant’s Handbook, the book is ready to be launched on October 19, 2018, in Los Angeles, California.
What Is Medical Cannabis?
Medical marijuana or cannabis refers to the whole, unprocessed marijuana plant and the basic extracts that treat pain and other illnesses. The drug is not recognized or approved by the FDA for use as medication.
However, scientific research of the compounds in marijuana or cannabinoids have led to two drugs approved by the FDA, which contain cannabinoid chemicals. You can take these prescriptions only in pill form. As research moves forward, more medications may be developed.
Studies have proven marijuana has short and long-term effects on the brain. When smoked, the THC passes from the lungs to the bloodstream. The bloodstream carries the chemical to the brain and other organs. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) acts on brain cell receptors that react to the body’s natural THC-like chemicals. Natural chemicals play a role in healthy brain development and activate parts of the brain that cause the euphoria users to feel.
The short-term effects of marijuana can include altered senses, altered sense of time, change in mood, impaired body movements, difficulty with thinking, impaired memory, or hallucinations.
Long-term effects of the drug can affect brain development. The drug impairs thinking, memory, and learning functions. Researchers are still studying long-term effects and whether changes are permanent. Researchers in New Zealand determined that those who smoked marijuana heavily in their teens lost an average of 8 IQ points. The lost mental abilities didn’t fully return even when quitting marijuana as adults.
Still, the arguments, testimonials, and ongoing debates point to the marijuana plant containing chemicals that can help treat a range of symptoms and illnesses. Because of studies and research, several states have legalized marijuana for medical use (Medical marijuana has been legal in Canada since 2002).
The FDA has not approved medical marijuana because of the cost and time of research. Clinical trials using hundreds of human subjects are needed to determine the risks and benefits of medical marijuana medication. As of now, researchers haven’t managed enough extensive clinical trials to prove that the advantages of the marijuana plant outweigh its potential risk.
Pain is only one reason people ask for a prescription of medical marijuana. Doctors may prescribe medical marijuana to treat muscle spasms caused by multiple sclerosis, nausea from chemotherapy, weight loss, a poor appetite caused by HIV or nerve pain, seizures, or even Crohn’s disease.
If you live in a state where medical marijuana is legal, your doctor could give you a marijuana card. You are then placed on a list that gives you the opportunity to purchase marijuana from a dispensary or an authorized seller.
You may also be prescribed Marinol or Cesamet, which contain THC an FDA approved ingredient in marijuana and can be used to treat nausea and improve appetites.
There is a cannabis-like chemical that combat pain and inflammation in your body. “Marijuana can sometimes help those natural chemicals work better,” says Laura Borgelt, PharmD, of the University of Colorado.
You can use medical cannabis by smoking it, vaporized, eaten or taken as a liquid extract. Beware of the side effects that don’t last long, but included dizziness, drowsiness, short-term memory loss, and euphoria. You may also experience severe anxiety and psychosis.
The FDA does not monitor medical cannabis, but suggests that those who have heart disease, pregnant women or patients with histories of psychosis should never use medical cannabis. No one under the age of 18 should be prescribed this drug.
Lolita Korneagay has the right idea. She has implemented research, trial and error, and medical-based thinking to develop a controlled system that can help those with chronic pain. The ongoing debate, however, is will medical marijuana be addictive and cause the euphoria that can destroy brain cells? The answers are still being investigated, but Lolita Korneagay has developed a clinic-based program that will help those who have lost hope that their pain will ever go away.
