Stephen Holt's Blog

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.

The post What is Lorem Ipsum? appeared first on Dr Stephen Holt.

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.

The post What is Lorem Ipsum? appeared first on Dr Stephen Holt.

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.

The post What is Lorem Ipsum? appeared first on Dr Stephen Holt.

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.

The post What is Lorem Ipsum? appeared first on Dr Stephen Holt.

Motor tasks – Things that leave positive effects on it

Motor tasks in humans are the skills that involve large muscles of the body like arms, legs, trunk, head etc for various activities like running, jumping, skipping etc. Though parents strive to do their best in doing things that can leave positive effects on motor tasks of their kids, they don’t succeed in their effort sometimes.

There’re lots of misconceptions surrounding this effort. For example, parents often think that toys can help their kids in attaining good motor tasks, but sometimes, simple machinery use can do the trick. Also, by nature, kids are the most interested in sound and movement. So, shaking a simple key ring can stimulate them. As they become older, effects of machinery use can be leveraged by bringing them age-appropriate toys.

There’re lots of activities that can help in nurturing positive effects on motor tasks of children. Gross motor development can be promoted by specific activities like jumping rope, running at different speeds, pitching bean bags, and filling and emptying containers, among others. Shared reading can also prove to be a great method for encouraging motor tasks.

Parents should keep in mind that during the stage of development in kids, mastering large- and small-muscle skills makes a big impact on the child’s success in the future. Thus, it makes sense to help them develop strong motor foundations.

If required, parents should contact occupational therapists who can assess the measures needed to improve the core muscle strength necessary for performing a broad range of skills like event participation etc.

 

Call to action:

What steps do you suggest for improving the motor tasks ability in children? Drop your comments in the section below. You can also connect with me on social channels like Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads. If you have time, do check my books for more valuable reads.

 

References:

Buttfield, Joana. “Big muscles make a big difference to fine motor skills.” Kid Sense, Accessed February 13, 2019. https://childdevelopment.com.au/blog/big-muscles-make-big-difference-fine-motor-skills/

eXtension. “Play Activities to Encourage Motor Development in Child Care.” eXtension.org, September 8, 2015. https://articles.extension.org/pages/25802/play-activities-to-encourage-motor-development-in-child-care

 

 

The post Ways to trigger positive effects on motor tasks appeared first on Stephen Holt.

Evaluating standardized cannabis dosage

One of the great aspects of cannabis is that one can use different ways to leverage its medicinal properties effectively. However, knowing proper medical cannabis dosage is important because what suits one may not suit another. In fact, standardized cannabis dosage is determined by several factors, some of which are the strain of cannabis used, the mode of consumption, as well as the patient’s biochemistry, history and experience of cannabis use, his/her mood or mindset, exercise regimen, sleep pattern, and diet. This explains why the same cannabis dosage can trigger different experiences in different individuals. Thus, while one may feel over-stimulated and stressed, another may enjoy stress relief from the same dosage.

Why newbies should begin with an oral edible

Those new to edible cannabis should begin with an edible that can be held in the mouth (such as lozenges, oils, mints, dissolving tablets, troches, and gummies) and absorbed mostly though the oral blood vessels in the cheeks and under the tongue. This mode is recommended to avoid the probable erratic absorption through the gut.

Starting small is the key

Small doses of certain cannabis (THC for example) are often found to stimulate, while large doses sedate and may even have unpleasant consequences. That’s why it’s recommended to start with a smaller cannabis dosage and gradually increase the dose. In certain cases, such increase may initially produce stronger effects but result in weaker therapeutic effects later on (as the patient builds tolerance). Since everyone responds to cannabis differently, it’s important to know the right dosage of this psychoactive drug before administering it.

 

Call to action:

What’s your opinion on the right cannabis dosage? Share your thoughts with me in the comments section below. To make the conversation flow, you can contact me via Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. If you’re interested in reading more about medical marijuana, make sure to check out my book “The Cannabis Revolution”.

References:

Lee, Martian A. “CBD & CANNABIS DOSAGE GUIDE.” PROJECT CBD, May 16, 2018, Updated April 1, 2019. https://www.projectcbd.org/how-to/cbd-dosage

Sulak, Dustin. “Part 2, Cannabis Edibles Dosing Chart: Find the Right Dose.” Leafly, April 19, 2018. https://www.leafly.com/news/cannabis-101/cannabis-edibles-dosage-guide-chart

The post Know about cannabis dosage appeared first on Stephen Holt.

Comprehending top 5 effects of CBD

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a constituent of marijuana, which doesn’t cause a “high” by itself. It has been talked about a lot over the past few years due to its medicinal properties. Here are the top 5 effects of CBD.

Treating seizures

The strongest scientific evidence of CBD’s effectiveness is in treating some epilepsy syndromes like Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) and Dravet syndrome, which usually show no response to anti-seizure medications.

Treating anxiety and depression

CBD oil has displayed promise as a mode of treatment for both anxiety and depression.

Treating insomnia

Studies have found cannabidiol to be effective in helping people suffering from insomnia by making them fall asleep.

Treatment of chronic pain

A study published in the European Journal of Pain that used an animal model showed that the application of CBD on the skin may help lower inflammation and pain triggered by arthritis. Another study displayed the system by which CBD hinders neuropathic and inflammatory pain. Though more human studies are needed in this area to substantiate CBD’s efficacy in pain control, these studies surely bring hope.

Heart health benefits

Some recent research results have indicated that cannabidiol could bring many benefits for the human circulatory system and heart. A study found this ingredient to be a potent, efficient and natural treatment for high blood pressure.

Though there’re still insufficient evidences to back up these claims, the indications of how CBD could help are enough to spring hope in those patients’ who are suffering from some of these ailments.

 

Call to action:

What is your opinion on CBD’s beneficial effects? Let me know in the comments section below. You can also connect with me on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads to keep the conversation flowing. If you have time, remember to check my book “The Cannabis Revolution”.

 

References:

Grinspoon, Peter. “Cannabidiol (CBD) — what we know and what we don’t.” Harvard Health Publishing, August 24, 2018. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/cannabidiol-cbd-what-we-know-and-what-we-dont-2018082414476

Kubala, Jillian. “7 Benefits and Uses of CBD Oil (Plus Side Effects).” healthline, February 26, 2018. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cbd-oil-benefits

 

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Things you always wanted to know about cannabinoid receptors

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is made up of cannabinoid receptors, endocannabinoids (also called endogenous cannabinoids), and the enzymes that make and break down endocannabinoids. Since the word “cannabinoid receptors” may seem close to the word “cannabis”, one may think that it perhaps refers to the human body’s capability of accepting and processing cannabis but this is far from the truth.

Cannabinoid receptors are G protein-coupled receptors, which are present throughout the body – from the connective tissues to the brain. ECS functions as the body’s balancing system. Its communications are made up of messengers and receptors, which help the ECS check that everything is working smoothly in the body and even helps it confirm if anything should be rebalanced. As part of the ECS, cannabinoid receptors play an important role in encouraging the appropriate physiological function of the immune system, muscular system, gastrointestinal system, nervous system and more.

To understand what is cannabinoid receptors, the focus should be on two types of cannabinoid receptors – CB1 and CB2. While the former is primarily found in the central nervous system, the latter is found only in the peripheral tissues. Together, these two receptors play an important role in mood, memory, appetite regulation, and sensations of pain. Drawing upon this connection between the cannabinoid receptors and pain, these receptors can be activated – either from external sources or within the body, to trigger certain physiological changes. From increasing/suppressing appetite to decreasing pain, boosting happy feelings etc, a lot of such changes can be caused.

 

Call to action:

What is your opinion on how the cannabinoid receptors function? How do you think they can help patients suffering from various medical conditions? Let me know in the comments section below. You can also connect with me on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads to keep the conversation flowing. Don’t forget to check my book “The Cannabis Revolution” to know more about cannabinoid receptors and related things.

 

References:

CBD OIL review. “Overview of the Cannabinoid Receptors.” Accessed February 21, 2019. https://cbdoilreview.org/cbd-cannabidiol/cannabinoid-receptors/

Green Relief. “Cannabinoid Receptors 101: Why Do We Have Them.” Updated June 28, 2018. Accessed February 21, 2019. https://www.greenrelief.ca/blog/cannabinoid-receptors/

The post Overview of Cannabinoid receptors appeared first on Stephen Holt.

Overview of cannabinoid entourage effects

Both hemp and marijuana belong to the Cannabis Sativa L. species. Plants of this species come with several hundred chemical compounds (such as terpenoids, cannabinoids, and more) that are different from each other. These compounds interact with the human body and mind to different degrees. Over the years, the two cannabinoids that have received the most attention are non-intoxicating CBD (cannabidiol), and psychoactive THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). It’s the interactions between cannabinoids and terpenes that trigger particular biochemical effect on the body, which is called the entourage effect.

Before knowing more about cannabinoid entourage effects, it would help to trace back its origin. It was in 1998 when Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, who’s popularly called the “father of cannabis research” and his team used the word “entourage effect”.

Those still wondering “what is entourage effect?” may consider THC as a rockstar, who performs much better when accompanied by a crew (CBD) and reaches its full potential than when it’s alone. Similarly, when the multiple compounds of the Cannabis Sativa L. species are combined in their natural state, a much bigger, multiplied effect is generated. This happens because different compounds of the plant are capable of boosting each other’s chemistry, thus making the plant, as a whole, more effective in treating several diseases and symptoms.

It’s important to note that not all synergistic effects are helpful. Different combinations trigger different reactions from the cells. While a compound can amplify the effect of another, a different compound can diminish the effect of another. A lot of research is going on at present to test interactions between cannabinoids and terpenes and find powerful entourage effects that could help in treating inflammation, pain, addiction, depression, cancer, anxiety, epilepsy, and bacterial infections.

 

Call to action:

How do you think entourage effects can help humans? Let me know in the comments section below. You can also connect with me on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads to keep the conversation flowing. If you have time, remember to check my book “The Cannabis Revolution”.

 

References:

Cooper, Jon. “Entourage Effect 2.0: The Entourage Effect is Real, but Full-Spectrum Cannabis is Not the Answer.” CANNABIS BUSINESS TIMES, August 9, 2018. https://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/article/ebbu-entourage-effect-cannabis-guest-op-ed/

Simon, Matt. “THC! CBD! TERPENOIDS! CANNABIS SCIENCE IS GETTING HAIRY.” WIRED, June 11, 2018. https://www.wired.com/story/cannabis-science-entourage-effect/

The post What do you mean by entourage effect? appeared first on Stephen Holt.

Cannabis cultivation – Key steps to remember

 

For one who’s planning cannabis cultivation for the first time, growing it indoor may seem to be too costly. On the other hand, a small outdoor garden can yield quality cannabis without big monetary investment. For those looking to learn about the steps of growing cannabis outdoors, here’re the major ones that are needed to be considered.

 

The climate

Though the plant is highly adaptable to different conditions, it’s susceptible to extreme weather. High winds and heavy rains can cause damage to the plants and reduce yields, while excessive moisture can result in mold and powdery mildew etc. In addition, sustained temperatures below 550 F can cause damage while temperatures above 860 F can cause the plants to stop growing.

 

Right spot

Marijuana plants need a minimum of 4 to 6 hours of direct sunlight each day. If the cultivation is done in a hot climate, it’s good to place the plant in an area that gets a constant breeze. On the other hand, those living in cooler climates should consider planting near something that retains heat.

 

Seed germination

To germinate the seeds, they should be placed inside a pocket and dampened with water, and finally kept in a warm place. After around a week, the seeds should open and plant tissue should show. When it comes to outdoor cultivation of cannabis, it’s good to consider the beginning of spring to put the seeds into soil.

During the growing periods of the plants, they should be watered regularly only when its soil has dried up. In the last phase of a plant’s life, the buds should be checked for mold, especially if the plant is grown in humid environments.

 

 

Call to action:

Have you ever grown cannabis on your own? If yes, what were your experiences? Let me know them in the comments section below. You can also connect with me on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads to keep the conversation flowing. To learn more about cannabis, you can check out my book “The Cannabis Revolution”.

 

References:

Leafly. “How to Grow Marijuana Outdoors: A Beginner’s Guide.” www.leafly.com, Accessed February 19, 2019. https://www.leafly.com/news/growing/outdoor-cannabis-grows-101-everything-you-need-to-start-growing-o

Eagland, Nick. “How to grow your legal marijuana plants: A beginner’s guide.” The Province, October 15, 2018. https://theprovince.com/cannabis/cannabis-culture/cannabis-accessories/how-to-grow-your-four-legal-marijuana-plants-a-beginners-guide

 

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