Md / O'Bryan THE GRASS IS GREENER Medical Marijuana, THC & CBD OIL

Reversing Chronic Pain, Inflammation and Disease
1. Auflage 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5439-5647-4
Verlag: BookBaby
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 73 Seiten

Marijuana and CBD. These words evokes a wide array of emotion among many people. To some, they elicit disdain, carrying the stigma of a drug that has been demonized. For others, they are the possible salvation to addressing serious chronic medical conditions. But among the medical community, both CBD and cannabis raise questions. The abundance of research that has been done in this area has often been tainted by the agenda of the people backing the research, leaving many physicians (and patients) wanting for clear answers. Dr. Mary Clifton and Dr. Tom O'Bryan sifted through piles of research to share their findings with you in their ebook, The Grass is Greener: A Beginner's Guide to Medical Marijuana THC & CBD Oil To Reverse Chronic Pain, Inflammation, PTSD and Disease. In their book, they debunk some common myths, inform us on the discovery of the human endocannabinoid system, reveal evidence-based research on the benefits and risks associated with cannabis, and share inspirational stories of fortitude about families whose loved ones suffering from life threatening medical conditions step up to fight in a legal battle to potentially save the lives or improve the quality of life for so many. Does the science back the claims? Discover what science has to say about its applications for use.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Md, Mary Clifton

O'Bryan, Tom

Leseproben

Chapter 2 - Who’s Winning The War on Drugs?

(Legalizing and Decriminalizing)
 

Bringing Mind and Body in Balance: The Endocannabinoid System

You’ll notice throughout this book that I mention the vital importance of research often. One great example of this is the discovery of the endocannabinoid system.We want to think that we know everything about our own anatomy, but the discovery of this system is a perfect example of the opposite. Dedicated scientists are always finding out new things about our body, even when the government prevents them from doing so. An imposed prohibition tried to keep researchers from working with marijuana and finding out the secrets it may hold for the body, and this is why it took us so long to find the hidden gem of the endocannabinoid system.

You’re probably wondering, if this system was so important how did we not know about it?

That’s fairly important. When something does go wrong in your body, receptors work to “fix” the problem, receiving hormones to restore balance.

Your body naturally makes two major endocannabinoids: 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), and anandamide. The cannabinoid sites receive these hormones. These two hormones are interesting as they are in a way the human equivalent of THC and CBD. These natural hormones are responsible for plenty of the things we feel in our day to day lives. One of these feelings is the feeling of euphoria that comes with exercise. We must have known about this on a subconscious level, because colloquially the feeling is known as a “Runner’s High”

Endocannabinoids and their receptors are found throughout the body: in the brain, organs, connective tissues, glands, and immune cells. Research indicates that when you have small doses of cannabinoids from cannabis, it may instruct your body to create new areas for cannabinoid receptors.

When you examine the variety of ailments that medical marijuana has been associated with, this may explain why medical marijuana can be beneficial to such a wide assortment of medical conditions.

You have different types of receptors in your body. It is suspected that there are more cannabinoid receptors than any other type. Two different ones have been identified: CB1 and CB2. It is believed that there is a third, but it has not been discovered yet.

CB1 receptors mainly deal with the central nervous system. When you activate the CB1 receptor, benefits include stress management, regulating anxiety, an increased appetite, decreasing symptoms of nausea, balancing your immune system, and inhibiting growth of tumors.

CB2 receptors are predominantly found in immune cells. When you activate these receptors, you reduce inflammation and heal damaged tissue.

Once your body has returned to equilibrium, producing endocannabinoids are no longer needed. Metabolic enzymes come in to break down everything and degrade those materials, since they are no longer needed in your body. Balance is restored.

This amazing communication system that your body has to promote healing may actually be why your state of mind is important in healing.

Now that researchers know that we have this system, they are able to do more research to drill down and find solutions to a wide variety of illnesses. AND we can better understand the mechanics of our own bodies, which always helps us when trying to determine what avenues to take in improving our overall health.

One Girl’s Fight to Legalize and Destigmatize

Alexis Bortell grew up in Texas. In 2013, at the age of seven, her active childhood came to a sudden halt when she began to suffer from seizures and was diagnosed with a severe form of epilepsy. She was told that until her seizures were under control, she couldn’t swim, use the stairs, or ride her bike. Seizures drove her into the school nurse’s office nearly daily, and a seizure buddy was provided to make sure that she stayed safe and helped to get aid in the event of a seizure. Despite the flurry of medications, the seizure activity continued.

Then one day her mother watched a video that posed a different idea; a treatment not offered in Texas. They flew to Colorado to talk to doctors to see if this treatment would work for Alexis. This treatment was the use of medical marijuana. This is where the issue brought itself to life- Marijuana of any form was illegal in Texas. Alexis and her mother met with the politicians in their home state, trying to spark a discussion on the difficult issue of dealing with her medical problems and staying within the laws of their state Their response was bone chilling, the politicians had moral concerns.

Imagine that! Offering medical treatment to quell seizures is a moral concern, and your politician needs to approve your medication. That was the case for a child suffering with life threatening seizures. I have to contest their concept of morality. I personally feel it is a moral obligation to offer treatment to a sick child whenever you are able. To knowingly allow how to ease suffering and not allow it, now that defies morality.

In 2015, following her most dangerous seizure, it became medically necessary to move to Colorado to get the medical care needed for Alexis. Her seizures were life threatening, and her family was desperate.

While Alexis was now able to secure cannabis oil, otherwise known as Haley’s Hope, they continued their fight to make this treatment available to anyone who would need it for medical purposes. But the hurdle they needed to overcome was clearly evident: destigmatize preconceived opinions about marijuana, and get it reclassified.

“Team Alexis” was born. It comprised of people with various conditions that benefit from medical marijuana and would like to afford the same opportunity to others in their situation. She began fundraising efforts, speaking engagements, and launched a campaign to legalize medical cannabis on a federal level. They sued Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the DEA to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule 1 drug.

The DEA has 5 categories they rank drugs. The DEA says that Schedule 1 drugs have no accepted medical use and a potential for abuse. It is the strictest category available, including substances like heroin, ecstasy, and LSD. The federal judge dismissed the case because they did not petition the DEA first. Their fight continues.

Several states have broken with federal law and created state laws permitting medical marijuana. That now includes Texas. The conditions vary from state to state, and which form of cannabis is permitted varies as well. For instance, under the Texas Compassionate Use Act, residents who qualify for medical marijuana may use low-THC cannabis for intractable epilepsy. This is the only condition that qualifies, and it is extremely limited, but it’s a start.

While many states are on board with allowing cannabis to be used for medicinal purposes, the federal government lags behind in reforming its laws. It appears likely that it will only happen through grassroots efforts, as the swell for demand and acceptance becomes more universal.

For updates on where your state stands, visit http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/state-medical-marijuana-laws.aspx.

Masaya Means Happy

A dear friend of mine, Dr. Annabelle Manalo, developmental biologist at Vanderbilt University, welcomed her baby boy into this world a little over two years ago. Only two hours after she brought him home, he began to have seizures. He had 100 - 200 seizures a day! Doctor’s informed her that her newborn suffered a massive stroke.

After removing 40% of his brain, getting three blood transfusions, flatlining three times, and having a G-tube inserted, he still had seizures, and his medication left him in a zombie-like state. This was definitely not the life she imagined for her son when she brought her healthy little baby boy home.

Specializing in biology, Dr Manalo was keenly aware of our bodies amazing healing abilities, but watching everything he was going through did not feel like healing.

But she was in a unique position. As a government researcher, she had clinical trial certification, so she began to research cannabis.

That desperation from a mom loving her child and wanting to see him thrive led to what Annabelle described as “… the most passionate science research I’ve ever done in my life. In 15 years.”

She threw herself into full-on research mode, learning as much as she could about CBD and the potential for treating epilepsy. She examined studies. She looked at everything on the market. She spoke with CSO’s and CEO’s. Eventually, it became crystal clear. While CBD could reduce the frequency and duration of his seizures, Annabelle wanted something that just wasn’t on the market. She wanted a better form of delivery, higher potency, and better transparency that allowed you to know exactly what you were getting- before she put anything into her baby. So she created her own.

She did not want little boy to have a psychoactive substance like THC and wasn’t comfortable giving her baby any of the lesser researched cannabinoids, so she made her product 99% CBD extract. She developed a patent-pending formulation using a medium for delivery that accentuated neuroprotective. The effect could be seen more quickly and have an even greater impact.

And it did. Within the first week of giving it to her son, his right eye slowly came into view. He began to reach for things with his right hand. Eventually, he was able to eat normally. Her son was never...