Chicago is known for its long & cold cold winters.
Both of us often deal with hot & cold temperatures in the drawbacks, bitter wind chill & feet of snow, but while I honestly love residing in this area, the cold weather is strenuous on our arthritis… During the winter, our fingers swell up savor saUnited Statesges, then my knuckles get sizable & stiff, then it’s hard for me to make a fist.
I struggle to do normal activities such as putting our hair into a ponytail, type on a keyboard & cut vegetables. I’ve already needed to split our rings off due to the swelling. It can be both painful & discouraging, however thankfully it’s only a problem during the cold weather. I’ve also figured out that I can alleviate the majority of the pain & swelling with cannabis. I am ecstatic that cannabis is a natural product that avoids the detrimental side-effects of pharmaceuticals, but the combination of cannabinoids & terpenes interacts with receptors in the ECS to combat pain & inflammation. Because recreational cannabis is legal in Illinois, I can walk into a dispensary & shop; All I need to do is show a valid government-issued ID, & I have access to a wide variety of consumption methods, strains & potency. They offer smokable flower, pre-rolls, concentrates, vapes, topicals, tinctures, edibles & beverages. The budtenders at the dispensary have been entirely helpful in recommending products for our arthritis. They have steered me toward balms, disposable carts & tinctures. Because of access to recreational cannabis, I’m able to get through the Winter & continue our common life.