There are countless methods of medicating as a medical marijuana patient. From various consumption methods to understanding your optimal dosing level, it can get confusing! That’s why we’ve launched our PrestoDoctor Shop, a curated medical marijuana shop that features products patients can trust.
We’re particularly excited to introduce GoldLeaf. GoldLeaf is changing the way patients heal through their interactive cannabis journals. They’re designed to understand, track, and adjust a patient’s medical marijuana journey. We talked with Charles McElroy, from GoldLeaf, to learn more about their mission to change the medical marijuana patient experience.
What is a patient journal?
It is a guided and informative notebook for medical cannabis patients to help them track their therapy & be proactive about their health. We offer a templated approach to entries, helpful infographics & other curated sections specifically designed for medical cannabis users. We worked closely with a variety of doctors and medical specialists, including leading cannabis neuroscientist Dr. Adie Poe of Habu Health, to create a useful and approachable workflow. With so much information to remember when using medical cannabis, this journal offers a way to record the important factors, all in one place.
What information should a patient know to record an effective cannabis journal?
As many doctors will tell you, there is more to cannabis therapy that just ‘the plant’. Noting factors like other medications you might be using, time of day, diet, and water intake are just as important as the cannabinoid concentrations, terpenes, and dose. They all have a part to play in ones reaction to therapy. In order to find trends and actionable insights, documenting these pieces and being specific about your experience can make all the difference.
What are the benefits for a patient to record in a cannabis journal?
There are many benefits to using a journal to record your experiences & therapy– for any pursuit. On the surface, journaling encourages mindfulness, and being in the right state of mind is helpful when approaching any wellness activity. Journaling also helps with memory. When you write, you’re forcing your mind to re-compose thoughts and slow down. Through the memory benefit, you are more likely to understand key factors from past sessions. Tracking your therapy experience in a journal will also allow you to record the MANY parameters unique to each session: cultivar, growing specifics, lab results, delivery method, timing, and of course, your state of mind. Having the whole picture is important when deciding any modifications to your therapy. It is also a useful tool to share with your doctor or caregiver.
Are there any strategies to make the most out of a cannabis journal?
I think patience is an important factor when creating a good & usable journal entry. The whole process is a meditative practice, and remembering to ‘slow down’ will increase the quality of the entry, and the enjoyment from the user. This is more and more difficult in our daily fast-paced lives, but taking your time will yield better results. Beyond that, I think it is important to learn and understand where your cannabis was grown, and how it was grown. The lab tests are helpful, but don’t paint the whole picture. Sun-grown cannabis, for example, almost always has higher terpene levels (if cured correctly), but these will dissipate at a faster rate than cannabinoids over time. Noting the grow style and harvest date and other small factors will help you understand why one cultivar was more helpful to your ailment than another, and seeing these trends will help you replicate successful treatments.
What makes you excited about what you do?
I love refining the user experience. I have worked in design & UX for many years and I love using these techniques to refine the workflow & layout of our journals. I’m also a big advocate for collaboration, and working with other experts to develop our ‘first-of-their-kind’ patient journals has been one of my career highlights. The educational angle of what we do at Goldleaf is also exciting to me. I love being able to teach and share information in new and beautiful ways through design.
Company Bio:
Goldleaf creates highly usable and thoughtful printed supplies for the cannabis community. Motivated by the idea of empowering medical patients & enthusiasts by offering functional & educational materials, Goldleaf focuses on clean design & science-forward content to make each of their items approachable, informative and highly unique. Their acclaimed journals & educational prints are widely used in the cannabis community and recommended by a variety of medical professionals and industry influencers.
