Pain, diabetes, acne, dandruff, okay, fine - it makes sense. Hemp oil or CBD oil as treatments for these ailments sounds reasonable. However, the claims lately that this same Cannabis oil can decrease and even eliminate serious seizures in adults and children is mind - boggling. Hey, I was skeptical to put it mildly. That is until I was informed that my son-in-law’s close relative’s child, who has frequent epileptic seizures, was taking CBD oil with amazing results. I was intrigued.
I opened my computer to find out more. Patients with seizures such as epilepsy were finding lasting relief when up to a slew of nine medications had failed them. Even an electrode implanted under the skin did not reduce the number of seizures in a patient. How could a safe organic formula such CBD oil, turn these suffering individual’s luck?
Now I am not only talking about personal websites or Facebook accounts. I checked out Epilepsy.com and the fda.gov sites. You will be as stunned as I was at the facts I have recovered.
Epilepsy is caused by irregular electrical misfiring among brain cells. This causes convulsions of the body, loss of consciousness and even severely altered senses. Most epileptic seizures are from unknown causes although some are attributed to hormonal imbalance, head injuries or even viruses. Epilepsy is the most common neurological disease with about fifty million people worldwide afflicted.
Firstly, I will direct you to a previous blog called, Is CBD the New Miracle Medicine? which educates you on the phenomenal turn around in a little girl’s life when she begins a regiment of Hemp oil (CBD). Her countless seizures per day and week are being drastically reduced by CBD when all other medications failed. No one is advising you without a doctor’s approval to discontinue anti - seizure medications especially if they are working and not causing major side-effects. However, if the medications that are being used presently by the patient are ineffective or the side effects are so immense, then CBD oil could very well change lives.
What if your child’s memory was significantly lost or his stay in school has been one of distraction and seizures? Wouldn’t you want to try the latest treatment that is both compassionate and successful? Each state has their own take on the restrictiveness of obtaining CBD oil. This year I was happy to hear that the legality of Hemp Oil has increased in different states.
Let’s look at the state of Texas as an example. Only certain patients with epilepsy are candidates for CBD under Texas’ restrictive law. About two thirds of epilepsy patients respond to standard medications. However, once an epilepsy patient is on his third medication, without relief from the first two, the chances diminish to less than one percent that the third medication will help. This is where the Texas law comes in. Patients in Texas must get two doctors to approve the use of CBD oil. They are eligible for a prescription if they have, “intractable” epilepsy, meaning that at least two other medications have failed to help the patient. As proof of the effectiveness of CBD oil for epilepsy, epilepsy is the only diagnosis that Texas law allows for the prescription of CBD oil. Morris Denton, CEO of Compassionate Cultivation, has implemented a discount program with the Epilepsy Foundation of Texas, to help subsidize CBD oil costs for low-income Texans.
What is the scientific basis for CBD oil effectiveness?
Medical cannabis has anticonvulsant characteristics. Eighty-five different chemical compounds called cannabinoids are present in CBD oil. These properties work by targeting different points, which are called calcium ion channels, glutamate receptor antagonists, sodium ion channels and the GATA system and receptor agonists, in the brain. Anticonvulsant treatments may affect the neurotransmitters responsible for sending messages or attach themselves to the neurons. This is done to alter the activity of the cell by switching how ions flow into and out the neurons.
In layman’s terms - CBD decreases seizures by activating the brain’s CB1 receptors which are found in the part of the brain that is memory related.
Let’s go back to Texas. Tryston Pearson is an epilepsy sufferer from Galveston. Suffering since he was twelve years old, his first seizure began in 2013. In 2017, his condition became much worse. Trying everything under the sun from many medications to an implanted device, Tryston’s seizures prevailed. He knew that exercise triggered his seizures, so he stopped participating in school physical activities and sports. This caused him to gain weight. He also was nauseous which caused vomiting. Even more serious, his grades and his memory were dropping. His mother reports that when he looked at photos of when he was younger, he had no recollection of the events.
Tryston, who turned seventeen this summer, says his life has changed for the better since he began taking CBD oil this past spring. Amazingly, in his first thirty days of this new treatment, he had just one seizure. Tryston’s teachers only have great reports. He is less distracted and his grades are improving. “And it’s all thanks to Cannabis”, the Pearsons say. Cannabis was a last resort for the Pearsons since all other treatments failed. The Pearsons were astonished by just how quickly, and how well, the treatment worked.
You can do your own research online for more CBD oil success stories.