353 | id == 353
353 | category_id == 22
353 | category_order == 19
353 | category_name == Trauma
353 | category_color == #C47AC0
353 | slug == FAAH-cannabinoids-PTSD
353 | title == Can Cannabinoids Protect You From PTSD? (FAAH)
353 | meta_description == The FAAH gene influences your cannabinoid system. Click to learn about its link with stress & PTSD.
353 | summary == <p style="text-align:justify"><strong>Cannabinoids play crucial roles in stress response and mental health! Read this post to learn how the FAAH gene impacts the cannabinoid system and PTSD development.</strong></p>
353 | overall_score_text == Your PTSD Score (Based on FAAH Gene)
353 | image == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/background/FAAH-PTSD.jpg
353 | author_id == 9
353 | author_name == Aleksa Ristic
353 | author_title == MS (Pharmacy)
353 | author_order == 45
353 | author_photo == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/author-photo/Aleksa.jpg
353 | author_intro == <p><strong>Aleksa received his MS in Pharmacy from the University of Belgrade, his master thesis focusing on protein sources in plant-based diets.</strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>    <p>Aleksa is passionate about herbal pharmacy, nutrition, and functional medicine. He found a way to merge his two biggest passions&mdash;writing and health&mdash;and use them for noble purposes. His mission is to bridge the gap between science and everyday life, helping readers improve their health and feel better.</p>
353 | reviewer == None
353 | medical_reviewer_id == 11
353 | medical_reviewer_name == Puya Yazdi
353 | medical_reviewer_title == MD
353 | publish_date == 2020
353 | publish_date == 9
353 | publish_date == 25
353 | avg_rating == 5.0
353 | tags_id == 660
353 | tags_name == Anandamide
353 | tags_id == 692
353 | tags_name == Cannabinoids
353 | tags_id == 370
353 | tags_name == FAAH Gene
353 | tags_id == 716
353 | tags_name == Mental Health
353 | tags_id == 6
353 | tags_name == PTSD
353 | tags_id == 50
353 | tags_name == Stress
353 | permissions_favorite == False
353 | permissions_rate == False
353 | content_article == <h2><strong>Summary</strong></h2> <p><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><strong>The </strong><strong><em>FAAH</em></strong><strong> gene helps break down anandamide, a cannabinoid that reduces stress and helps prevent PTSD.</strong></span><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><strong>Gene variants can impact stress response and contribute to PTSD by changing FAAH activity.</strong></span><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><strong>Specific lifestyle changes and supplements may help with PTSD by targeting the </strong><strong><em>FAAH</em></strong><strong> gene.</strong></span></p> <h2><strong>The FAAH Gene, Cannabinoids &amp; PTSD</strong></h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><a href="http://selfhacked.com/blog/the-bliss-gene-faah-snps-rs324420/"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">FAAH</span></em></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene encodes an enzyme that breaks down the main internal </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/49-ways-increase-natural-cannabinoids-without-smoking-pot-including-ways-decrease-cannabinoids/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">cannabinoid</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, anandamide [</span><a href="https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/gene/FAAH"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Anandamide activates cannabinoid receptors and reduces stress &amp; </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/natural-treatments-anxiety/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">anxiety</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25004388/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22776900/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]. It can also delete traumatic and aversive memories and thus help prevent PTSD [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24325918/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5748341/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><a href="https://selfhack.com/blog/the-bliss-gene-faah-snps-rs324420/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Read this post</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to learn about the impact of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">FAAH</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> on mental health, obesity, and more.</span></p> <p><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">The FAAH gene impacts the levels of anandamide, an internal cannabinoid that reduces stress and helps prevent PTSD.</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2><strong>Your FAAH Results for PTSD</strong></h2> <p>*2009279210492649*</p> <p><strong><em>FAAH</em></strong> <a href="../../../snp/rs2295633/"><strong>rs2295633</strong></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3309545/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;G&rsquo; - associated with higher odds of PTSD</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;A&rsquo; - not associated with PTSD</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The &lsquo;G&rsquo; allele is also associated with re-experiencing traumas and negative childhood experiences</span></li> </ul> <p><strong><em>FAAH</em></strong> <a href="../../../snp/rs324420/"><strong>rs324420</strong></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5748341/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25731744/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19103437/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;C&rsquo; - associated with relatively higher anxiety and arousal, two PTSD features</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;A&rsquo; - associated with lower anxiety and arousal</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele reduces FAAH activity and increases anandamide.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">People with the &lsquo;A&rsquo; allele have improved deletion of fear memories and milder responses to threats&nbsp;</span></li> </ul> <p>*5699880984690646*</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2><strong>Recommendations to Improve PTSD</strong></h2> <p>*3335448571749804*</p> <h3><strong>Lifestyle</strong></h3> <h4><strong>Relaxation Techniques</strong></h4> <p><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/63-factors-raising-stress-cortisol-level-backed-science/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Stress</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> can enhance</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> FAAH</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> gene expression and enzyme activity [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4348185/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25083571/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]. Additionally, chronic stress inhibits main cannabinoid receptors (CB1), leading to lower </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/49-ways-increase-natural-cannabinoids-without-smoking-pot-including-ways-decrease-cannabinoids/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">cannabinoid</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> function [</span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3706194/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For this reason, people with higher FAAH activity have an exaggerated response to stress, which may lead to PTSD [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5748341/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The following relaxation techniques can reduce stress and help with PTSD:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mindfulness [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28806536/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29893182/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Applied relaxation [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16568469/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29037266/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30978622/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/health-benefits-yoga/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Yoga</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27502798"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5393408/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28747121/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26133204/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Reducing stress with your favorite relaxation techniques may help with PTSD by targeting your <em>FAAH</em> variants.</span></p> <h4><strong>Exercise</strong></h4> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Exercise may counteract your gene variants by boosting anandamide and stimulating the cannabinoid system [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26438875/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14625449/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Different exercise interventions improved PTSD in multiple trials. While aerobic exercise was more effective at improving anxiety and psychological distress, resistance training helped with specific PTSD symptoms, distress tolerance, and </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/sleep-neurophysiology/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">sleep</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> quality [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29049901/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29076530/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29145076/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15869081/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24911173/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25443996/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31743507/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Aerobic exercise and resistance training may counteract your gene variants and improve PTSD symptoms.</span></p> <h3><strong>Supplements</strong></h3> <h4><strong>CBD Oil</strong></h4> <p><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/cannabidiol-cbd/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">CBD</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the active ingredient in cannabis and hemp, can inhibit the FAAH enzyme [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1573017/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28120232/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Anecdotal evidence reports that CBD reduced anxiety in 3 adults and 1 child with PTSD</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6482919/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">,</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5101100/"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">CBD prevented long-term anxiety effects in a rat model of PTSD [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Cannabidiol+blocks+long-lasting+behavioral+consequences+of+predator+threat+stress"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Note that CBD oil is derived from </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/top-6-unique-super-effective-ways-counteract-negative-performance-effects-cannabismarijuana/?utm_source=seo&amp;#38;utm_medium=selfhacked&amp;#38;utm_campaign=id00002"><span style="font-weight: 400;">cannabis</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, which is a controlled substance in many countries and states. Therefore, make sure to verify the legality of CBD products where you live before seeking them out.</span></p> <p><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">CBD oil may reduce the impact of your FAAH gene on PTSD, but the evidence is limited.</span></p>
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353 | content_learn_more_5699880984690646_text == Based on the variants we looked at, your FAAH gene is associated with slightly higher odds of PTSD. However, this doesn't necessarily reflect your overall risk of PTSD, just one gene related to it. Relaxation techniques and exercise may improve PTSD symptoms by targeting your gene variants. Keep reading to learn more.
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rsIDs = rs2295633,rs324420
rsStatus = rs2295633,FAAH,chr1,46408711,A,C,G,T,33,0,Normal
rsStatus = rs324420,FAAH,chr1,46405089,C,A,,,20,13,HET
