Podcasts · Live Well Be Well with Sarah Ann Macklin | Health, Lifestyle, Nutrition
The Cannabis Expert: The Painkiller Alternative for Chronic Pain, Endometriosis & Migraines
· 1 h 12 min
Episode The Cannabis Expert: The Painkiller Alternative for Chronic Pain, Endometriosis & Migraines
Have you ever been told that the thing you need to get better doesn't exist on the NHS but quietly, it does?
This week I'm joined by Dr. Simon Erridge, medical doctor, UCL researcher, and one of the UK's leading voices in medical cannabis.
Simon has a way of cutting through the stigma and the noise and what he shares isn't about getting high. It's about patients who've tried everything, suffered for years, and finally found relief.
What we explore together:
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What medical cannabis actually is and why it's nothing like what you probably picture when you hear the word cannabis
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Why the UK is one of the highest opioid-prescribing countries in the world, and what that tells us about how we treat chronic pain
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What's actually happening in the brain with PTSD and how medical cannabis can help decouple the trauma from the memory itself
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The shocking contamination rates in illicit cannabis, and why the black market route puts people at real risk
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Who shouldn't use medical cannabis, and the conditions where it's not appropriate
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The full range of conditions being treated right now: from migraines, Crohn's disease and MS to anxiety, depression, OCD and cancer-related symptoms
If you or someone you love has been living with chronic pain, PTSD, endometriosis, or any condition that feels like it has no solution this one is for you.
Love, Sarah Ann 💛
My book ‘Healthy Shouldn't Be This Hard’: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Healthy-Shouldnt-Be-This-Hard-ebook/dp/B0G1DHNRV5
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Timestamps
02:44 — Introduction: What is medical cannabis and why this episode matters
03:48 — Simon's background: how he got into medical cannabis research at UCL
05:12 — Why the UK hasn't legalised cannabis like the US and Canada
07:46 — What's available on the NHS vs. private clinics
10:28 — The typical patient: who actually gets prescribed medical cannabis
12:40 — Opioids vs. cannabis: the UK's hidden opioid crisis
23:34 — 80+ research papers — and the most surprising result
24:04 — Illicit cannabis contamination: mould, E. coli, salmonella, lead
28:17 — Migraines: why cannabis works both preventatively and during attacks
35:44 — Endometriosis: 176 million women, chronic pain, and medical cannabis
39:09 — The opioid reduction study in endometriosis patients
44:13 — How long before PTSD patients feel the effects?
46:01 — The stigma in the therapy community around cannabis patients
52:15 — How to advocate for yourself when you've already been dismissed by a doctor
57:01 — Can medical cannabis trigger psychosis? The real risk explained
59:22 — Why the word "cannabis" itself might be the problem
63:50 — Will the UK ever legalise cannabis?
65:10 — The full range of conditions medical cannabis can treat
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