Michelle Sexton ND
Naturopathic Doctor
Enhancing the Landscape of the Body/Mind
Michelle Sexton, Naturopathic Doctor
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, University of California, San Diego
Meet the Doctor
Dr. Sexton is a Assistant Adjunct Professor in the Department of Anesthesia at the University of California, San Diego. Her role at UCSD is to engage in cannabinoid research and to bring cannabinoid medicine into the clinical medical curriculum.
Dr. Sexton is a physician/scientist, having extensive clinical experience and basic science, translational and clinical research. Her clinical work focuses on body/mind healing.
Dr. Sexton has been helping her patients fine-tune their endocannabinoid systems since 2008 . Her approach is backed by six years of formal study of cannabinoid pharmacology at the University of Washington, in addition to her Naturopathic Doctoral degree awarded from a 4-year accredited institution, Bastyr University.
Dr. Sexton sees patients for education on utilizing medical cannabis and other naturopathic approaches to treat chronic conditions. The overall approach to treatment may include:
- Herbs
- Nutrition
- Lifestyle changes
- Self-discovery
- Care and feeding of the Soul
Personal empowerment, renewing connection to nature, and teamwork are central to enhancing quality of life . Dr. Sexton enjoys surfing, swimming, gardening, guitar-playing, giving back to the community, grandkids and engaging in life-giving outdoor activities in her spare time!
Dr. Sexton graduated from Bastyr University in 2008. She completed NIH-funded pre-doctoral (T32) and post doctoral fellowships (F32) at The University of Washington in the Departments of Pharmacology and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. There she examined the effects of Cannabis on immune parameters in patients with Multiple Sclerosis. She is an internationally recognized scientist with research published in peer-reviewed journals. Recent projects include documenting the natural history of administration of Cannabis to pediatric patients and a Cannabis Use survey.
Photos & Videos
Click on the image below to hear Dr. Sexton's current research on cannabis use for chronic pain!
Cannabis and opioid reduction for chronic pain
Does cannabis help with pain? Watch this video to learn more about the evidence on this topic. Dr. Sexton presented this at the Center for Medical Cannabis Research 2019 symposium at the University of California San Diego.
Am I Too Old to use Cannabis?
Research suggests that cannabis may be rejuvenating for the aging brain!
THC
One of the medicinal compounds in cannabis
Affects nerve cell "plasticity", or adaptability
Facilitates release of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that can improve cognitive function.
Up-regulates KLOTHO, which is an anti-aging compound
Restored cognitive function in older mice
May be an approach, at low dose, for addressing cognitive impairment!
Effective as a pain reliever
(Click on the link to read the original research)
Dr. Sexton and colleagues surveyed cannabis users and found differences in acute effects in older individuals compared to younger users!
Cannabis users over the age of 50: experienced significantly less "cognitive" side effects than younger users
Less difficulty concentrating
Less difficulty with word-finding
Less forgetful
Fewer short-term memory problems
Less likely to have stimulation of appetite (getting the "munchies)
CBD: Older individuals in our study were more likely to be "shopping" for cannabis with high CBD, which means it is lower in THC content.
Another healing compound found in cannabis.
May allow for lower dosing of THC to be more effective
Reduces side-effects of THC
Has anti-inflammatory potential
Has been shown to have anti-anxiety effects
May have antioxidant effects in the brain
Not likely to have strong effects on pain
Effective doses may vary
PROJECTS
Cannabis As A substitute for Prescription Drugs
The use of medical cannabis is increasing, most commonly for pain, anxiety and
depression. Use of prescription drugs may be decreasing
in states where medical cannabis is legal.
In this survey, 46% reported using cannabis as a substitute for prescription
drugs. The most common drugs substituted were narcotics/opioids (35.8%),
anxiolytics/benzodiazepines (13.6%) and antidepressants (12.7%).
See the peer-reviewed publication!
Not only "patients", but also adult users, substitute cannabis for pain medications, anti-anxiety and anti-depressant drugs, among others. Women are substituting 4x more often than men. There are gender differences in the response to cannabis.
Dr. Sexton is a technical advisor and editor on the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia Cannabis Monograph and Therapeutic Compendium.
"Cannabis as a Substitute for Prescribed Pain Medications: Theory and Clinical Practice" is a talk Dr. Sexton gave in June 2017 in Melbourne Australia at the United in Compassion Conference.
to learn more about a personalized approach to your health
and for professional help
with withdrawing from prescription medications.
Processing can significantly change the chemical components, as described in this report by Dr. Sexton and her team:
Vape-pens may not be the best choice for patients, when accessing medical cannabis. One reason is that pesticides may be concentrated along with cannabinoids and terpenoids. Another reason is that "excipients", added ingredients to make the concentrates pourable, could be harmful to health. Third, the "name" of the chemotype may not really describe what is in a vape pen cartridge.
Dr. Sexton's published research on her ongoing
"Cannabis Use Survey"
can be found by clicking on the links.
This paper on Medical Use of Cannabis is one of the top-cited articles in the Journal: Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research!
"A Cross-Sectional Survey of Medical Cannabis Users: Patterns of Use and Perceived Efficacy"
"Sex Differences in Cannabis Use and Effects: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Cannabis Users"
You can purchase Dr. Sexton's Book "Cannabis Use Survey" through Amazon. This book contains the raw survey data: uncensored and unedited responses of cannabis users. Readers can experience the full impact of the frustration or appreciation of users, while also getting a feel for the education and life experience of cannabis users at large.
EDUCATION
Bastyr University
2003-2008
Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine
Texas Tech University
2000-2003
Bachelor of Science in Horticulture
North American Registry of Midwives
1990-2003
Certified Professional Midwife
