By Marguerite Arnold


Both acupuncture and cannabis have been used in therapeutic healing regimes for literally thousands of years by Chinese health practitioners. What is just beginning to be understood by Western medicine if not “scientific” standards, however, is how they might work synergistically together.

Even more intriguingly, it appears, that it is not just cannabis, that stimulates the ECS (or endocannabinoid system), but that acupuncture does as well.

WHAT IS THE ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM?

The endocannabinoid system of the body was actually only discovered relatively recently – in the 1990’s - by Israeli scientist Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, also known as the “father” of cannabinoids (at least in the West) as well as the person who discovered THC.

The ECS is a series of receptors called CB1 (which occur primarily in the brain of most mammals) and CB2 (which are present throughout the central nervous system, organs and tissues), that are today known as the fourth major regulatory system of the body. They work to regulate everything from pain sensations, inflammation and immune system response to memory, appetite and mood as well as overall metabolism.

CANNABIS HAS LONG BEEN A PART OF CHINESE MEDICINE

Cannabis is known as “ma” in Chinese, which means “help”, and “numbness”, as well as being the word for the plant itself. It has been used as part of accepted Chinese medicinal practice and herbal lore for literally thousands of years.

As early as 2737 BC, the Emperor Shen Nung, also known as the Red Emperor, wrote a book on “traditional Chinese medicine”, which included what appears to be the first mention of medical cannabis in a medical guide. By 2698 BC, Huang Ti, also known as the “Yellow Emperor”, wrote the Nei Ching, which is also known as the Chinese Canon of Medicine. In it, he describes both the use of acupuncture and cannabis.

Hua Tuo, who lived between 140–208 AD is the first person credited with writing about the use of cannabis as an analgesic and the credited inventor of acupuncture needles. Tuo reportedly used cannabis in conjunction with both acupuncture and to numb pain during surgery.

By 1 AD, Pen Ts’ao Ching detailed in what is believed to be the world’s oldest pharmacopeia (book of pharmaceutical drugs and their uses) how cannabis was already a vital part of overall Chinese medicine, including in conjunction with the use of acupuncture

endocannabinoid system THC CBD CBN anadnamide

CANNABIS AND ACUPUNCTURE TOGETHER – A DUAL APPROACH TO WELLNESS

The practice of acupuncture is the insertion of needles along key points of “energy flow” in the body (also called Meridians). The point of insertions just below the skin’s surface are to unblock one’s “chi”, which is thought to be the source of pain, disease and imbalance.

Recent research also seems to indicate, that what this actually translates into, in medical terms, is less like the tinkling of crystals and more like a process just beginning to be understood within the confines of Western science. Like cannabis, acupuncture appears to stimulate the body in certain ways, working to regulate, heal and optimize major systems of the body, including, intriguingly, the endocannabinoid system.

Research that began in the 1970’s into the science behind acupuncture found, that the analgesic, pain-relieving effects of sticking fine needles just under the human skin in key points, actually does something other than make the recipient look like a human porcupine. In fact, the correct placement of these needles in traditional Chinese acupuncture, stimulate the production of what are called “endogenous opioids”, or those compounds, that function like opioids in the human body. When these are released by the insertion of tiny needles just under the skin, inflammation and pain are reduced.

Furthermore, there is also a direct connection between natural opioids found in the human body and naturally produced endocannabinoids. Through chemical signalling between the two, evidence suggests, that endocannabinoid binding can increase natural opiate output to create an overall reduction in both pain and reduction of an inflammatory response, which is also thought to be one of the main triggers of chronic diseases and conditions of all kinds.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR FUTURE RESEARCH?

What the implications of these findings indicate, in other words, is that the practice of acupuncture actually stimulates the functioning of major regulatory systems within the body, what perhaps the Chinese really meant by “chi”.

As acupuncture begins to stimulate the better functioning of damaged body functions, it may also stimulate the endocannabinoid system to work with it to better regulate the body and (at minimum) control pain.

For this reason, it is highly likely in the future, that research will examine not only how acupuncture stimulates the endocannabinoid system, but how medical marijuana itself can work to further maintain such stimulation, even between needle treatments, to return damaged systems to optimal health.

POSSIBLE CURATIVE USES

It has long been observed, even in Western medicine, that both acupuncture and marijuana can effectively treat conditions like addiction, as well as mood disorders like depression. If the body, in other words, is sending “feel good” signals and its own natural (and nontoxic) form of both opioids and cannabinoids to places where internal systems are damaged, the implications for a range of conditions, starting with opioid addiction, are large.

What this could mean, particularly in the West, is that acupuncture will become a far more accepted part of medical systems – and be combined with cannabis use, which is rapidly legalizing across western economies and countries.

What this could also mean for long term preventive wellness is another issue. At a time when governments and insurance companies are struggling with an aging population and exploding healthcare costs, the mainstreaming of ancient Chinese techniques such as acupuncture in combination with the medical use of marijuana into “Western” medicine (including its coverage under health insurance) has the potential to be at least one curative to the overall issue of rapidly increasing healthcare costs and the lack of political capital to cover the same.

 

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: