FALMOUTH — Since 2011, a local doctor has been using medical marijuana and other integrative remedies to treat patients.

But he and his practice were running up against a problem: accurate information on medical cannabis wasn’t readily available to patients.

So Dr. Dustin Sulak, whose Integr8 Health practice is at 170 U.S. Route 1, decided to make the information available on a first-of-its-kind website, healer.com.

“Cannabis is different from a lot of medication,” Sulak said last week.

Sulak said cannabis isn’t just one medication; it’s hundreds, as there are different variations and responses to it. On the website, he said, patients can find the right dosage, how to use cannabis therapeutically without the high, how to become more sensitive to cannabis, and how to control unwanted side affects.

“Healer.com is taking educational material … and making it available to medical users everywhere,” Sulak said.

Brad Feuer, co-founder of Healer.com and CEO of Integr8 Health, said the website is a way to make science and methodology about medicinal cannabis available to people around the world.

“What we found is, this information wasn’t particularly out there,” Feuer said.

Sulak said one issue is information on how to use cannabis wasn’t generally coming from medical providers, but from dispensaries.

“We quickly found we were having the same conversations over and over again,” Sulak said.

Sulak said medicinal cannabis has “incredible potential” to relieve suffering and improve quality of life in those who use it. He said this, along with accompanying diet and exercise, can reduce pain and anxiety along with other health benefits.

“The goal really is to help guide people to be empowered to use cannabis as a medical and therapeutic option,” Feuer said.

Sulak said Healer.com is generally for people new to medicinal cannabis, with the goal of fostering safe and effective treatments. Feuer added that the website will help people learn about medical cannabis before trying it. But Sulak also said Healer.com is for current users who want to switch for medical reasons or increase results.

The website is also for providers. Feuer said medical personnel can give feedback and recommendations to Healer.com.

Sulak said it is the first physician-created website about medicinal marijuana with programming to guide patients on a day-to-day basis. They include a four-day introduction to cannabis, in which Sulak walks users through ways to sensitize their bodies to cannabis and ensure optimal benefits on the lowest dosage. Sulak and Feuer stressed that with cannabis, less is generally better.

The other programs include ways to overcome tolerance to cannabis and reduce dosage levels; ways to take cannabis without getting high or impaired from it; and ways to use delivery methods that don’t involve inhaling, such as a liquid extract. Sulak said after a certain point, taking a dose that is too large will lead to diminished benefits.

“A large majority of new users don’t want to smoke,” Feuer said, adding they may not want to experience the psychoactive effects either. “We have strategies for that.”

Healer.com also teaches new users how to shop for medicinal cannabis, and outlines how specific foods and activities can improve treatment.

Feuer said the goals are to educate people about medical cannabis and to help fund other cannabis organizations around the world. Half the proceeds from Healer.com go to the United Patients Group, a medicinal cannabis information site; the remaining funds sustain the website.

Healer.com costs $24.97 a quarter, or $69.97 for the year; patients at Integr8 Health get free access.

Feuer said Healer.com is way to provide direction to those who need it, “so they don’t have to learn the hard way.”

“If we have information that can help people, we want to share it,” he said.

Colin Ellis can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 123 or cellis@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @colinoellis.

A screenshot from healer.com, the medical marijuana information website developed by Dr. Dustin Sulak of Integr8 Health in Falmouth.

Brad Feuer, cofounder of the website healer.com, is also the CEO of Integr8 Health in Falmouth.

Dr. Dustin Sulak, co-founder of healer.com, is a licensed osteopathic physician. He practices at Integr8 Health on U.S. Route 1 in Falmouth.

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