Dabbing Cannabis for Medical Relief – Is it Worth it?
Dabbing – Can it be medical? Well, depending on whether you consider all cannabis consumption some form of self-medication – perhaps.
For those not aware of what dabbing is. It involves cannabis concentrates and a dab rig. The dab rig is essentially a bong that has a heating element on it, usually a titanium piece, which is then heated with a torch. The concentrate is then swabbed on the heated titanium surface and inhaled, filtered through the water. The result, a lot of THC filled vapor hitting your lungs and getting you higher than Johnny Cash eating cake in a bush.
It is probably one of the fastest acting and highest doses of THC a person can get considering all consumption methods. However, as medical remedy is it effective?
This is where we start looking at things like cannabinoid evaporation temperatures, the entourage effect and what particular cannabinoid will help you more when it comes to dealing with your condition. For instance, you’ll probably want to avoid high doses of THC when you’re attempting to treat anxiety disorders or seizure disorders due to the psychoactive properties of the cannabinoid. CBD would probably do you more justice than THC in this situation.
As my friend explained, the patient in question uses it to treat chronic pain due to a debilitating crash. So, is dabbing the best for chronic pain?
My personal opinion says no
Of course, taking one dab will provide you with immediate relief. There is no question that you’ll get incredibly high, incredibly fast when dabbing. However, when you’re heating up your rig and placing the concentrate on the titanium element, you’re essentially burning off other cannabinoids in the process.
Cannabis is a complex plant and the cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids all work in conjunction to produce something that is known as the “Net Effect” or the “Entourage Effect”. This provides a wealth of other medical benefits that we still don’t really understand.
Now, when it comes to chronic pain, instant relief might seem like the best way to go about it. However, it would probably be better for the patient to utilize a method that provides a more prolonged level of relief. A high potency tincture for example would also provide relief within the first 15-20 minutes after consumption, and would provide a prolonged release of the effects. Meaning, where the peak of a dab might wear off after about 1-2 hours…a tincture could provide you relief for 3-4 hours.
An edible, would provide you relief for 4-8 hours, however the onset is much slower and could take up to an hour before the effects start-kicking in.
If you’re in excruciating pain, an edible won’t do. However, a tincture might.
Secondly, utilizing the net effect of cannabis would provide greater relief as well. Vaporizing your concentrate at lower levels of heat would allow you to take up more minor cannabinoids and terpenoids, which would increase the effectiveness of the entourage effect.
If it works
Then again, I’m no medical professional and I don’t claim to be. Ultimately, the patient feels the relief and while I can cite study after study, if this one method of consumption works for the patient in question, then there is probably something to it.
However, if the patient is unwilling to experiment with consumption methods, perhaps there is a psychological aspect involved as well. The euphoria from the dab hit could act as a way for the patient to escape from the pain, as opposed to being the ideal method of dealing with the pain.
There is still so much we don’t know about cannabis that it’s hard to have a black and white stance on the issue. We’re getting closer, but we’ve still got a long way to go before we truly understand how and why cannabis helps with these conditions.
I personally would recommend that the patient experiments with the different methods and considers what cannabinoids they are wasting from dabbing all the time. I personally find that CBD by itself can act as a pain-relieving agent. However, in the case of the person in question, perhaps a tincture or an edible approach will allow them to require less medication, which would reduce the costs involved with finding relief.
If you truly want to experience the full potential of cannabis, you’ll need to include all the major and minor cannabinoids in the mix. Tinctures are fast acting and longer lasting than dabs. It simply makes sense to me that it could be a viable alternative to dabbing.
Additionally, a tincture or an edible is an “on-the-go” solution. You won’t need to have a rig – a dropper would do. This also makes more sense if the patient in question wants to be more functional in society. Nonetheless, it comes down to the individual to find the right dose, method and frequency of medicating along with the advice from a medical professional.
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