A good cigarette holder is much more than just a prop—it safeguards your throat, fingers, makeup, and clothes. It also makes the most of your stash. Gone are the unattractive roach clips of old. Now there’s a modern cigarette holder for your joint…and it all started with a lip gloss.
Many of us have ditched Big Pharma drugs in favor of more natural health and wellness treatments. One of the most common is using cannabis for pain—especially chronic pain. We’re finding that cannabis and CBD products can be as effective as prescription medications in treating chronic pain. But minus the side effects. Women, especially, have traded in their Advil for CBD tinctures, salves, and prerolls. With legalization spreading across the country, old taboos around cannabis are diminishing. More importantly, doctors can now incorporate cannabis into their arsenal of treatments. That’s Dr. June Chin’s specialty. We sat down with Dr. Chin to get the facts about how cannabis can alleviate chronic pain. Here’s what you need to know.
As a teenager, I was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). AS is a progressive type of arthritis that affects the spine, pelvis, hips, and back. This disease causes extreme stiffness and nerve pain. I spent my younger years trying conventional treatments. That included epidurals, narcotics, muscle relaxants, acupuncture, and physical therapy. But the pain was unrelenting. By the time I got to medical school in San Francisco, I was having difficulty standing for long periods in the operating room. One of the attending physicians saw this and asked me about it. I told him I had AS. I explained that I couldn’t take the meds I needed for relief. they made me drowsy and foggy while doing rounds or attending a 4-hour hip-replacement surgery.
Here I was in a hospital, surrounded by great medical minds. But I was disheartened to find nothing that could help my condition. The attending physician and my mentor, Dr. Levine, pulled me aside and handed me a little brown dropper bottle.
He didn’t call it CBD oil. He just said it was a different type of cannabis plant. I was mortified but desperate. As a medical student, my first thoughts were dire. “You’re offering me pot? You want to make me a drug addict?” I grew up in the Bronx, and there was a huge social stigma around marijuana. Kids who smoked weed were either dropouts or involved in gangs. I also grew up in a very traditional Chinese household. My parents believed in Reefer Madness—the false propaganda that weed led to psychosis and schizophrenia. The tincture Dr. Levine handed me smelled like a combination of alcohol, wet dog, and grass. I didn’t know what to think. But, to my amazement, it worked very well. The pain and inflammation of my arthritis decreased dramatically. My AS stopped progressing, and my health improved.
Even though California legalized medical cannabis in 1996, I didn’t dare tell anyone I was using it. I was a young physician. I didn’t want to jeopardize my career. But once I got my health back, I decided to learn more about cannabis. I started to investigate how it helps manage pain and improve people’s overall health and wellness.
Having suffered in pain for so long. I know what it feels like to tell your doctor, “I’ve tried everything, and nothing has helped.” Now, I’ve been helping patients integrate medical cannabis into their health and wellness for over a decade. Cannabis changed the trajectory of my life. Had it not been for cannabis treatment, I wouldn’t have been able to finish medical school and become a doctor. I had an educational advantage because I did my medical school training in California. The state legalized medical cannabis back in 1996. I was in the middle of a switch box and was able to engineer my circumstances to learn holistic, integrative cannabis medicine.
In medical school, there is “this is how we’ve always done it” syndrome. That’s the conventional, allopathic medicine model. But how did we come to believe that prescription medication is the only or most effective way to treat disease? That’s a reductive approach. In medical school, we’re trained to find what’s bad in your body and get rid of it. This is only part of the puzzle. We often get locked into this one-size-fits-all thinking. There’s no one-size-fits-all treatment when it comes to using cannabis for pain management. Throughout history, botanical remedies have been a mainstay of folk medicine in many cultures. Phytocannabinoid medicine is on that list.
I’m a chronic pain survivor. As a result of my experience, I decided to dedicate my medical career to finding effective, integrative, and holistic approaches to patient care. To reach the best outcome, my patient and I form a therapeutic alliance and inform each other. My goal as a physician is to help patients reach their optimum health. We do that through prevention and proper nutrition. It’s always done with support, empowerment, and education. The medical cannabis movement should be a wake-up call to our current healthcare system. That system is very poor at addressing how to prevent disease.
Over the last 15 years, my medical cannabis career has been based on anecdotal and clinically-applied evidence. I help patients integrate medical cannabis into the context of a full-scope general and holistic medical practice. Cannabis is an empowering medicine. The plant is unique. There’s no precedent for it. There’s no other drug in the world that we’re using both recreationally as well as for therapeutic uses. The historical record for the safe use of cannabis is also unparalleled.
The future is preventative medicine. There’s a whole universe of regenerative medicine, nutritional medicine, and preventative medicine. Those models entail creating health from the ground up. That includes medicinal cannabis. And that’s teaching us all to rethink medicine. There are so many new ways we can treat, heal from, and even prevent disease altogether.
Find a health professional who resonates with you. Find an M.D. who’s your partner in health and healing. Don’t go with someone you’re intimidated by and can’t speak openly with. I’m convinced that health coaches, nutritionists, and allied healthcare providers will play just as big a role as doctors and other licensed clinicians in ushering in the future of medicine. Find the right health practitioner for you!
1 out of 4 women in America today take a psychiatric medication. That’s compared with 1 in 7 men. Women are nearly twice as likely as men to receive a diagnosis of depression or an anxiety disorder. Pharmaceuticals improve the lives of many women. But for others, they aren’t necessary. Or they can cause side effects as bad as the underlying condition. The increase in prescriptions for psychiatric medications, often by doctors in other specialties, is creating a generation of overly medicated women. It makes me wonder if women are making decisions based on sound medicine. Or are they responding to peer pressure or advertising?
Right now, antidepressants are used in the clinical management of anxiety disorders, chronic pain, and even menopausal hot flashes. That’s insane. Also, when a prescription is written for every individual symptom, basic connections are overlooked. For example, more than 90% of depressed patients complain about difficulties falling asleep, sleep disruption, or early morning awakenings. Sleep disruption and depression are closely linked. ¾ of depressed patients also suffer from insomnia symptoms. But one pill for each symptom clouds these obvious links.
Women, as a group, know they’re being overmedicated. Many are finding ways to wean themselves off. In 2018, the cannabis delivery service, Eaze, reported that the number of women buying cannabis products from them almost doubled. And, according to Brightfield Group, women now make up 51% of all U.S. cannabis consumers.
Net net: cannabis can be effective in addressing myriad female-specific physical and mental health issues. That includes chronic and acute conditions. You can also use cannabis to optimize overall feelings of well-being. The plant can provide beneficial cannabinoids and terpenes. Each of these can have a positive impact on women’s health. Microdosing at various times throughout the day is helpful for women to get ahead of their chronic pain. But the right ratio of cannabinoids is key, too.
We have to ask, “What are your goals?” Do you need it to be fast acting? Do you need a sustained, slow release? Or immediate localized muscle relief? This dictates what form factors (e.g., flower, topicals, concentrates, etc.) you should start experimenting with. Then use a combo of various form factors to meet your specific pain relief needs.
I like Cannatonic for day and Blue Dream at night.
Because of the female hormone, estrogen, women are more sensitive to the effects of chemical compounds. In cannabis, that includes both cannabinoids and terpenes. But that’s particularly true of THC. As women, we go through several distinct physiological changes during our lifetime. Those stages drastically alter the amount of estrogen in our systems. Understanding how cannabis can play a part in regulating hormonal flux and easing these transitions can be a health and wellness revelation for women.
For many decades, my parents were against my career as a medical cannabis physician. In Asian American culture, there’s always fear around the cannabis plant. Cannabis is considered the worst drug in Asian communities. That’s because cannabis was thought to be the “drug” that kids were most likely to come into contact with. Ironically, China has been using the plant for over 10,000 years. And China legalized CBD in 2015! This week, I was in the supermarket with my uncle. He’s still against cannabis, CBD, and anything derived from the plant. I pointed to the sign at the supermarket aisle. “Look, CBD is sold here right next to Cheerios!” My uncle’s response was, “Well, I guess CBD is not the ‘bad’ part of the plant”.
Finding out how many women are currently using cannabis can be challenging. The statistics are all over the place. Plus, many women are still silenced by the stigma. Also, women are often not taken seriously. When women have pain, they’re told to suck it up. Just keep going. You have to go to work. You have to take care of your children, partner, and family. Just get on with your life. And before you know it, the pain becomes “normal”. We adapt to it.
Women with chronic pain are some of the strongest women I know. They’ve been living with this kind of underlying pain for so long. Health practitioners routinely minimize women’s experience of pelvic pain, IBS, insomnia, and sexual dysfunction. These complaints are often dismissed as psychological rather than physiological conditions. Despite multiple trips to doctors and specialists, some women go undiagnosed for years. All the while, they’re told that their symptoms could be stress-related.
In my practice, I’m seeing the sickest of the sick. Children who have intractable epilepsy. That includes seizures as a result of traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injuries, cancer, and colitis. I get referrals from other specialists to help treat young patients with medical cannabis after they’ve exhausted pharmaceutical and other forms of treatment. For children with cancer, medical cannabis can help with nausea and pain. Cannabis stimulates their appetites while they’re being treated with chemotherapy and radiation. For children with intractable epilepsy, parents report that cannabis treatment makes seizures less frequent, less severe, and shorter. But there can be side effects. Cannabis can interact with other drugs the patient is taking. To prevent negative effects, I monitor my patients very closely and work holistically with the child’s other doctors.
I also want to caution that cannabis can affect children’s and teens’ brains. Adding cannabis to a normal, functioning endocannabinoid system may actually interfere with a developing brain. Medical cannabis can be a game changer for kids who don’t respond to traditional medications. The children who come into my office are special cases. These are children who can’t find solutions with conventional treatments. There are very few physicians specializing in cannabis medicine who are willing to treat children and work closely with parents to monitor the child closely every step of the way.
Microdosing! That includes:
For chronic pain sufferers, I recommend establishing a regular routine of 1:1 ratio of CBD to THC to stay AHEAD of the chronic pain. Don’t wait for a flare up. It takes the edge off. Patients can also synergistically use NSAIDS with a 1:1 ratio of cannabis. They complement each other. So they synergistically reduce pain by inhibiting endocannabinoid breakdown in the body. They’ll also reduce some side effects of THC. That can be helpful if you don’t want to feel sedated or euphoric. But, if you can skip the NSAIDs altogether, that’s a bonus. Regular NSAIDs use can eat away at your gut lining.
As women and chronic pain survivors, our empathy, intuition, and determination help us to find a way to take charge of our own health. That defines the heart of this book. I recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a more integrative and holistic approach to their health and wellness.
I’m also working with Risa Morimoto on an educational course on cannabis and women’s health. She’s the producer of House Hunters International and the popular YouTube channel Modern Aging. We’re launching next month! So please help me spread the word. We’re offering free webinars on September 30, October 3, and October 6. If you’re interested, you can sign up at www.cbdwomenshealth.co/webinar. You can learn more about the course in advance on YouTube here and here.
You can follow me on Instagram @drjunechin and on DrJuneChin.com
The information in this interview is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Please consult your physician.
When it comes to stash bags and how to store your cannabis, you’ve got choices to make. Do you hide your stash away in a discreet spot? Do you keep it out on the coffee table for easy access? Or do you have a stylish stash bag made especially for it, like House of Puff’s new Crosby Pouch? We polled our community to find out where you’re keeping your stash. Your answers reflect the rapidly shifting attitudes towards cannabis these days. Very happily, in a positive direction. As attitudes toward the plant continue to change, cannabis consumers are starting to feel more comfortable talking openly about their relationship with the plant. Back in 2017, ⅔ of women in the US and Canada hid their stashes. We’re happy to report that, today, ⅔ of our community feels no need to hide their cannabis consumption at all. Now, that’s progress!
Where’s the best place to keep your stash? For some of you, that’s the drawer of your coffee table or desk. One of you has repurposed an old pocket manicure kit to save any half smoked joints. That way, none of your cannabis goes to waste. Someone else in our community uses a wooden wine bin as their stash box. And some of you go for the classic mason jar—which is a great way to keep your flower fresh even if it’s not the most fashion forward.
Convenience is the most common answer we got from our community—signs of refreshing normalization. Having your stash easily accessible makes your life simple. When you’re in the mood for a smoke sesh or want to grab a CBD salve, the last thing you want is to have to search high and low for what you need. One of the most convenient places people choose to keep their stash bag is right by where they typically consume. 80% of women who consume cannabis specifically use it at night before they go to bed (Brightfield). So, if you’re a tincture person, you might keep it in your bathroom vanity. That way, you can easily incorporate it into your nightly routine. Or you might keep it your stash bag in one of your bedroom drawers. And, of course, for people who want to keep their consumption on the DL even within their household, discreet spots are still the way to go. But a lot of us clearly aren’t feeling that need for discretion anymore.
If you don’t yet have anywhere specific to store your cannabis, we recommend getting your hands on a stash bag or stash box that’s made specifically for it. Keeping it secure will minimize the risk of anything happening to what you’ve got. Of course, that’s not the only reason to invest in a stash bag. Most containers made for cannabis contain the odor, too. And even if you’re completely open and proud about your consumption, you still want to keep your stash fresh by using something that’s airtight. If you’re a heavy smoker, you’ll probably need a separate container for your flower. Same for edibles. But if you’re a microdoser, you can likely fit your entire stash into just one bag. It’s also nice to be able to keep all your cannabis products organized and close at hand. Most of our community, 63% to be exact, already own a stash bag.
Coming across the right stash bag for you and your cannabis use isn’t always easy. We get it. We know from personal experience that it can take time to find the perfect one. That’s why House of Puff created the new Crosby Pouch. This posh, pink stash bag is stylish enough to fit your lifestyle—including your designer handbags and your swanky interior design. It’s also odor-resistant, stain-resistant, and antimicrobial. That makes it practical for both at home and when you’re on the go.
You might think that it’s common to lock up your stash. But most of us don’t. Only 11% of the people who responded to our poll put their cannabis under lock and key. Typically, the reason they do is to prevent others, like their children, from getting into it. One mom shared that she keeps hers in the garage. In her house, the garage is just for grownups.
Locking up your stash is one thing. Most people do that for safety reasons. It keeps kids and pets from accessing cannabis. One of you shared that you lock up your stash in a filing cabinet just in case your landlord needs to get into your home. Even though cannabis is increasingly legal, not everyone is on board yet. But attitudes about cannabis are clearly changing because 63% of you don’t hide your stash at all. Considering that, in 2017, 66% of us purposefully hid our cannabis consumption, that’s a stunning about-face! This change seems to be the result of three factors. First, legalization in the US and Canada is definitely a factor. Second, a growing majority of our society now recognizes the myriad medical applications of the plant. Third, with more research and education, the myth that cannabis is more dangerous than other socially acceptable adult-use substances, like alcohol, is being dispelled. So cannabis consumers are starting to feel more comfortable being open about their consumption. We’re certainly all for proudly embracing the beauty of cannabis culture.
Now for the most important question—what are the go-tos in your stash bag? After all, cannabis culture has always been about sharing. Most of you shared that you have a little bit of everything. But one thing’s clear—flower is still the queen! Most of you make sure you always have plenty of your favorite flower strains as well as the accessories you need to consume them. So the most common things you keep on hand, by far, are pre-rolled cones, rolling papers, and lighters.
There are countless products to love, and here are some of your favorites. One of you adores your gold seashell grinder. Someone else in our community is especially loving the uplifting energy they get from the Durban Poison flower that they keep in their stash bag. And a few of you agree with us that your fave accessories are House of Puff’s Le Pipe One Hitters and Nebula Rolling Trays.
One of the best things about the growth of the cannabis industry is that new products are constantly hitting the market. So you can continue to grow your stash. Many of you are on the lookout for new strains to test out. And one of you is looking for a better herb grinder that isn’t metal. Hmmm, our ears are burning…. We can’t say more right now, but keep your eyes peeled in the months to come!
If you’re just getting the whole cannabis smoking thing down, your next question is probably about how to clean a pipe. Since we couldn’t live without our Le Pipe, we’ve got you covered. We know that even after just one hit, your pipe gets dirty. Here’s the cleaning secrets you need to know.
Whether you use alcohol, cotton swabs, or a boiling technique, it’s important to regularly clean your pipe. First, every time you do, you’ll extend its life by keeping plant resin from building up. And, if your pipe is ceramic, you’ll keep that resin from corroding the glaze. Resin might not just render your pipe nonfunctional, it’s also a health thing. Resin buildup can eventually cause ceramic glazes to crack or craze. Any reputable manufacturer will use non-toxic, food-safe glazes. Nonetheless, ceramic glazes are made from natural materials and can contain trace elements of minerals and metal. As long as the glaze is sealed and smooth, you’re totally golden. But if you do see any cracks or crazing develop with age, just to be safe, replace your pipe.
With regular cleaning, you’ll also get rid of blockages that can inhibit your draw on any pipe. Plus, you’ll avoid the awful taste of a dirty pipe. Just like those designer shoes in your closet, you’ve gotta take good care of your puffware!
You can definitely buy fancy cleaning solutions for your pipe. But you don’t need to. What you have in your pantry will work just fine. We find that the solution you prefer depends on what else is important to you. Are you going for speed, an environmentally friendly solution, or a deep clean? No matter what your preference, here’s the inside scoop.
There are tons of ways to clean your pipe. But we know you’ve got a lot on your plate. If you’re looking to do it fast, our preferred method is rubbing alcohol. Hands down—it’s the quickest, and it’s as easy as it sounds. Just soak a cotton ball or swab with alcohol and gently rub all the soot and resin off your pipe. Make sure to get into all the nooks and crannies until any gunk or discoloration comes off. Alcohol isn’t the most environmentally friendly option, but this is your go-to if you just want it done. Literally in seconds, your pipe will be fresh, clean, and ready to go again.
Pro tip: After you finish with the rubbing alcohol, rinse your pipe thoroughly under warm water to remove any lingering medicinal taste or smell.
Kymberly Byrnes from TribeTokes is a big believer in the overnight soak. “I use my glass pipe by GravLabs daily, and it gets so gunked up! I use an old plastic container with a lid from takeout order (REUSE), that I fill with 99% Iso Pure Alcohol—enough to cover the pipe bowl. It soaks overnight with the lid on so the alcohol doesn’t evaporate (99% evaporates quickly). Boom, next morning I rinse it with hot water and I have a clean pipe to puff on.”
You can also use this technique with any of the other solutions we’ve detailed above. You might just have to do a little bit more scrubbing in the morning if you’re not using alcohol.
We feel you. But, unfortunately, no. For the same reason it’s important to clean your pipe regularly, it’s also important to do it by hand. Cannabis resin is sticky, and you’re burning it in your pipe with an open flame. Just like you can’t throw a pan with burned-on residue straight into the dishwasher, your pipe won’t really get clean unless you rub, soak, or boil off any schmutz.
Sticking your pipe into the dishwasher isn’t a super safe method. But, using this microwave method can give you incredible results. Start by filling a microwave-safe container, like Pyrex, with enough water to cover your pipe. Microwave it for 2 minutes. It’ll be really hot, so use an oven mitt to take it out of the microwave. Pour in a generous amount of liquid dishwasher soap and microwave for another 1 minute and 30 seconds. Carefully take the container out, and stir until all the detergent has fully dissolved. Then gently place your pipe into the solution. After a few minutes of soaking, it should be sparkling clean. If there’s any remaining residue, submerge it again and give it a rub with a soft rag or a dish sponge. Once you’ve gotten rid of any stubborn bits, rinse it off and voila! You’ve got yourself a clean pipe in just a few minutes.
Deon Hawkins, of Cannaclusive, was kind enough to share her pipe cleaning secrets with us, too. “When cleaning anything, I strive to be a conscious cleaner, using products that are green, but get the job done. When sanitizing and refreshing my pipe and bong mouthpiece, I use Higher Standards Salt Rox with a combination solution of alcohol and Dr Bronner’s Castile Soap in almond scent. It works best to get out the smell and taste from the alcohol. Finally, I sweep away any debris with pipe cleaners or Q-tips.
If you’re like Deon but want to keep it completely green, try soaking your pipe in a combination of salt and vinegar. Baking soda and vinegar work well, too. @caffeinatedvegan also DM’d us this tip that she uses for her glass pipes: “I like to combine a teaspoon of salt and baking soda with water. Then I bring it to a boil and simmer it for about 10 min.” You could do something similar for your ceramic pipe. Just don’t put your pipe in the solution until after the boil and simmer very gently.
Pro tip: If you encounter any particularly hard bits, you can also throw your pipe in the freezer for a bit and then repeat.
Here’s an option for when you don’t want to use alcohol. We’ve all been there. If you want a more eco-friendly option, we’ve got you covered. You can lose the alcohol and the swabs. Instead, make a solution from water, baking soda, vinegar, and salt. Of course, you can play around with these ingredients to make something that works best for you. Add baking soda, vinegar, and salt to a pot of boiling water. Place your pipe in the water. Make sure you don’t cook your pipe. When your solution starts boiling, you’re gonna want to reduce it. The solution should loosen and remove the residue in about 10 minutes. If there’s any gunk left, you can scrub it off with a scrubber or pipe cleaner. We recommend giving your pipe a final rinse and dry. Then you’re good to go. Check out our video above to see a demonstration of this boiling method and 2 more!
Say goodbye to the harsh chemicals in common cleaning solutions. You can clean your pipe with natural ingredients you already have at home. If you’ve got coarse salt and lemon juice on hand, try this method. Lemon juice can be substituted for isopropyl alcohol. It’s acidic enough to effectively get rid of resin and stains. Lemon juice and salt are also antibacterial and great for neutralizing odors. Simply shake up your accessories in the mixture of lemon juice and salt to strip away residue and gunk. With that and some rinses of boiling distilled water, you’ll get the most natural clean. Use a cloth and a pipe cleaner to wipe off the last bits of residue and you’re set for your next smoke sesh.
Yep, that’s right. You can even clean your pipe with olive oil. Even if you run out of other ingredients mentioned here, we’re betting you’ve always got olive oil or another plant-based oil in your pantry. While slathering your pipe in oil may sound counterproductive, it’s actually a great cleaning option. The resin will soak up the oil and that will soften it, making it easier to get off your pipe. Plant-based oils can also minimize the appearance of scratches.
If you’re a clean freak, you can clean your pipe after every use. But you don’t need to. We agree with Deon’s routine. She shared, “I do this process after 4-5 uses to help cut down any build up from plant matter.”
Once your pipe is fresh and clean, you also might want to buff it with a soft cloth. Is this step necessary? Not at all. But if you’re a perfectionist like us, buffing your pipe will leave it extra sparkly.
For more cannabis basics, check out how to grind cannabis with only the tools you can find in your kitchen.
