Prof. Kylie O’Brien1,2
1NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Westmead, Australia,
2Torrens University, Adelaide, Australia
Cannabis sativa has had a long history of use in many cultures throughout the world, including for women’s health problems. An ancient Chinese medicine text, the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing, contains one of the oldest medical records of medicinal cannabis (MC) in China, and one of the indications for MC mentioned is female reproductive tract disorders. In the US in 1889, Dr John W Farlow wrote of the use of cannabis suppositories to mitigate menopause symptoms. Surveys of perimenopausal and menopausal women indicate they are using MC to alleviate menopause-related symptoms, including sleep disturbance, depression and anxiety. MC has over 540 constituents, with key phytocannabinoids being cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and over 200 terpenes isolated. The physiological basis for why MC may work is our endocannabinoid system (ECS), an important neuroregulatory and immunoregulatory system responsible for homeostasis of most bodily systems. Components of the ECS are found in the brain, organs including female and male reproductive organs, immune cells and more. This presentation will explain the ECS and examine some of the scientific evidence that suggests MC may be useful in addressing some of the symptoms associated with perimenopause and menopause.
Biography:
Kylie has had a strong academic career in Chinese medicine, integrative medicine and since 2018 medicinal cannabis (MC), previously holding senior leadership positions in the Australian university and private education sector. One of Australia’s leading MC educators, she led an observational study investigating the effectiveness/safety of MC in Australians with chronic pain, anxiety, PTSD and MS, and has published two books to date: O’Brien & Blair, Medicinal Cannabis and CBD in Mental Healthcare (Cham: Springer, 2021) and O’Brien and Sali, A Clinician’s Guide to Integrative Oncology: What You Should Be Talking About with Cancer Patients and Why (Cham: Springer, 2017).