Doctor Richard Silver, Medical Director
Dr Silver is uniquely qualified to assess patients who may benefit from medical marijuana. As founder of Silver Lake Wellness Center and a licensed physician for over 40 years, he has diverse clinical experience including 13 years of addiction medicine.
In addition to providing recommendations for medical marijuana to patients with qualifying conditions, Dr Silver is helping to train other physicians in Ohio to do this important work.
Is Medical Marijuana Right for You
The Cannabis family of plants has been used medicinally and recreationally for thousands of years.
How and Why does Marijuana Work as Medicine?
In spite of widespread use throughout history, it wasn’t until Raphael Mechoulam isolated THC in 1964 that we knew what the psychoactive ingredient was. The isolation of THC was the stepping-stone to finding the human endocannabinoid system 28 years after THC was discovered.
The endocannabinoid system unknown to us prior to 1992 consists of various receptors throughout the body such as CB1 and CB2 that are affected not only by marijuana, but by naturally produced chemicals within us called endocannabinoids. Cannabinoids derived from plants are phytocannabinoids while cannabinoids made within us are endocannabinoids.
It is the similarity between our bodies’ cannabinoids and marijuana’s cannabinoids that results in the beneficial effects of cannabis.
The endocannabinoid system in animals predates the appearance of marijuana on this planet by several million years, interacts with all the other systems, and is vital for life. The first endocannabinoids isolated were Anandamide and 2-AG which help maintain homeostasis, protect brain function, support memory, mood, modulate pain, inflammation, appetite, immune function, and numerous other effects.
A quote from an online article entitled “Get high on the Endocannabinoid system” published by US int’l library of medicine at NIH in 2013 and written by Bradley Alger, PhD is as follows:
“The endogenous cannabinoid system—named for the plant that led to its discovery—is one of the most important physiologic systems involved in establishing and maintaining human health. …the endocannabinoids are literally a bridge between body and mind. By understanding this system, we begin to see a mechanism that could connect brain activity and states of physical health and disease.”
While phytocannabinoid and endocannabinoid understanding is in its infancy, it is clear that medical marijuana exhibits many potential benefits for a variety of seemingly unrelated conditions. Because of these diverse effects, this plant may be one of the most important medical tools available to healers in the future.
What About Practical Considerations for Patients Now?
A recommendation for medical marijuana is not the same as a prescription that indicates a specific drug, dose, directions for use. Therefore trial and error may be necessary to find the best medical cannabis product for each person.
Until a person knows what strain of cannabis works best for them, it is better to select your marijuana product based on the amount or ratio of cannabis ingredients rather than the name of the cultivar. If you know the amount and ratio of THC, CBD, terpenes, and other potentially beneficial compounds, you can then compare therapeutic benefit between products more easily than relying on reputed benefits of certain strains.
Potential Side Effects
Adverse reactions vary from person to person and can include anxiety, decreased motivation, fatigue, tachycardia, and sometimes panic or paranoia. There have also been rare reports of hallucinations but it is questionable if the MJ were the cause.
While there are potential undesirable effects in some people, unlike opioids, alcohol, sedatives,
and stimulants, it is notable that there has never been an overdose death attributed
to marijuana. And minor adverse effects can usually be minimized by decreasing
the content of THC component when choosing your marijuana medication.
Ohio Medical Marijuana Card
ASK US HOW?
Discounts for current Silver Lake Wellness patients, veterans, Social Security disability and medicare patients.
Contact us:
info@mmpohio.com
440-832-7009
FREE prequalification on the phone
CALL NOW!
Visit our Website: mmpohio.com
- Qualifying Conditions
- Dispensary Locations
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Request an Appointment
Primary office:
11890 Kinsman Road
Newbury, Ohio 44065
Secondary location:
7537 Mentor Ave., Suite 106
Mentor, OH 44060
Our Mission
Our mission is to help improve a patient’s quality of life by making the medical marijuana process easy, comfortable, and secure while providing you with compassionate care.
