CBD oil: Simplified
Benefits, science and our personal family story with CBD use for epilepsy
CBD seems like all the rage right now so I thought I'd do a blog post simplifying the miracle oil, answering some basic questions and highlight the benefits to see if it may be right for you. There's no question that CBD is a product that seems to be everywhere right now, in oils, balms, coffee shops and pop up stores. But even with the legalization, many people find CBD confusing and there seems to be a stigma around it's use.
SO WHAT IS CBD?
CBD, short for cannabidiol, is a chemical compound found in the ancient plant Cannabis sativa. Let's demystify this though - cannabis sativa refers to the plant itself - both with and without THC. You are probably familiar with the abbreviation THC, which is the psychoactive cannabinoid in cannabis. The plant with THC is marijuana. The plant without THC is hemp. More specifically, marijuana contains more than 0.3 percent THC and hemp contains less than 0.3 percent THC. Make sense? Additionally, CBD with over 0.3 percent can only be found in states that have medical marijuana dispensaries or permit adult use legally.
SO, IT CAN'T GET ME HIGH?
Nope. But, both THC and CBD can be psychoactive (affecting the mind), which is why it's so great at treating anxiety and depression. Again, only THC can be intoxicating, creating the high, not CBD.
CBD - psychoactive (mood altering) helping anxiety and depression
THC - psychotropic (changes brain function) drug that alters behavior
BENEFITS, BENEFITS
CBD is definitely gaining momentum in the health and wellness field, with some scientific studies showing that it eases symptoms of chronic pain and anxiety. I personally think that the biggest benefit is it's ability to reduce inflammation in the body and that it is a neuro-protectant (preserves brain structures).
Scientists are continuing to discover that both cannabis with THC and whole plant CBD are promising treatments for a number of conditions.
Here are a few roles that CBD plays:
Antioxidant
Anti-inflammatory
Anti-convulsant (anti-seizure)
Anti-depressant
Anti-psychotic
Anti-anxiety
Neuroprotectant
The Top 6 Benefits that had the most validation
I suggest reading up on why they work but I didn't want to get too science geeky on a blog post. :)
Reduces Anxiety and Depression
Relieves pain
Reduces and prevents acne (due to anti-inflammatory properties)
Has Neuro-Protective properties (studies on epilepsy, MS, Parkinsons and Alzheimers)
Can alleviate cancer - related symptoms
May benefit heart health - by lowering blood pressure
SHARING OUR STORY
My personal experience with CBD oil comes from watching the transformation with my own son, William (who goes by Will). When Will was 7 years old we experienced a bizarre event in the middle of the night. He came into our room with wide, terrified eyes. He grabbed me tightly, unable to talk and pointed to his mouth as he was drooling uncontrollably. His left arm appeared paralyzed, the left side of his face was drooping and his words weren’t coming out. As a clinician, I was certain he was having a stroke. Trying to hold my composure, I held him tightly and brought him to the bathroom. Before I could call out to my husband to call an ambulance, Will seemed to completely snap out of it, talking again and moving his arm.
We monitored him closely for the rest of the night and took him to the pediatrician first thing in the morning. They worked him up for Bell’s Palsy and Lyme disease and ordered an EEG. They assured us that because of his age and no real risk factors, he likely did not have a stroke.
We got the EEG fairly quickly and Will was able to wear it at home for a sleep study. He was a great sport about the whole thing and even joked that he wished it was Halloween so he could be Frankenstein. We always try to keep things pretty light hearted in our home. Fortunately, he had 2 seizures while wearing the EEG (one that we knew of and the other he slept through) which made for an easy diagnosis of Benign Rollandic Epilepsy. We later learned this is a common childhood seizure disorder, and it is optimistic that he will outgrow it in teenage years. Fingers crossed.
In a short time, Will continued to experience almost nightly seizures and was not getting good quality sleep. After a follow up with a neurologist, it was recommended that because of the frequency of his seizures and the possibility of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) - which by the way was an awful conversation that we were wildly unprepared for - that he should go on an anti-seizure medication. When I say “should” I really mean, the neurologist basically told us we were putting our child at risk for death if we didn’t medicate him. So after discussing the horrific list of side effects, we went home with a prescription for Levetiracetam (or Keppra, as it’s better known as) in an attempt to do what was best for our son.
To say Will’s body didn’t respond well to Keppra is a giant understatement. In the week following that appointment, we experienced a shift in our son that was unrecognizable. My sweet, loving, curious 7 year old was angry, inconsolable, irritable and aggressive. After days of hoping his body would adjust to the new medication, the final straw was him being so withdrawn he asked what would happen if he put a bag over his head. He also lunged at his brother in a rage and put his hands around his neck. This was not normal or playful behavior at all. We were all having difficulty co-existing and although I knew it was the medications fault, not my son, it didn’t make it easier living with these behaviors. The neurologist agreed that this was not a good medication fit for him and called it an ‘allergy’. She then recommended a medication alternative, this one with just as many listed side effects.
As a parent, you know to trust your gut instincts. Mine screamed that there was something else. We of course started with a second opinion which was scheduled for 4 months out. That seemed like far too long, so I began researching alternative treatments.
Enter CBD. You know when you hear something once and you brush it off? But then within the same week you hear it like 3 more times and then you finally decide to see what all the hype is about? This was CBD for us. I had heard about it loosely and assumed it was all the rage because weed was becoming legal. I also almost dismissed it because it felt wrong associating the word cannabis or canna-whatever with a child. Until I read, and read, then read some more.
Quickly, here are some statistics about epilepsy
Every year, 150,000 Americans are diagnosed with epilepsy and it’s on the rise
Sixty percent of epilepsy cases have no known cause (Will also had a MRI and sleep study) neither gave us more answers
One-third of individuals with epilepsy live with seizures because no other treatment methods work.
So back to why CBD has been a game changer for us. First of all, it worked!! Shortly after Will’s diagnosis, he began having multiple seizures a week. His anxiety sky-rocketed because he was always worried about when he would have another one. To make matters worse, he experienced 2 episodes of having them at school (which is atypical for his diagnosis - they usually happen at night) resulting in an inability to participate in many gym activities and needing a chaperone for school outings. Honestly, small problems in the grand scheme of things, but when you are 7 years old, this is a big deal. But back to CBD.
WHY IT WORKS
According to Laura Lagano, co-founder of the Holistic Cannabis Academy, CBD blocks NMDA receptors, enhances GABA receptors and stabilizes ion channels to reduce seizure activity. It also acts as an anti-inflammatory and neuro-protectant, which helps bring balance back to a misfiring brain. Equally important, CBD has an anti-anxiety effect which helps with the stress of having an unpredictable seizure disorder.
For us personally, we noticed changes in less than 2 weeks. Will’s seizures virtually stopped and we noticed that his anxiety was less pronounced. I wish that it would help with the eye rolling, but no luck yet. He’s still a typical (now 9) year old boy. Since we started him on CBD his seizures have been limited to about one seizure every 5-6 months, compared to 3-4 a week like we were experiencing.
Big win for Will!!!
HOW MUCH DO I TAKE?
Dosing is tricky for kids, but basically as long as the CBD has less than 0.3 percent THC, which is considered hemp, it is 100% safe and cannot be intoxicating. I can share our personal experience with dosing, but I am by no means an expert and I would encourage you to speak with a holistic practitioner or expert at the store where you are purchasing your CBD. First, everyone has an endocannabinoid system in their body, (a system involved in regulating a variety of functions including sleep, appetite, pain and immune system response) so it’s nearly impossible to ‘over dose’ or have too much. It is also one of the reasons why doctors can’t prescribe (only recommend) CBD because there isn’t a universal dosage. Having too much CBD would result in feeling sluggish or tired, but would likely not give you a ‘high’ feeling as there is too little, if any, THC.
For Will, we were encouraged by the store owner to start with 500 milligrams twice a day using ¼ of a dropper. You can see how dosing can get tricky because there is a variety in sizing of bottles, strength of the product and size of the person. A general rule is so start low and increase until you get your desired results. In our case - the desired result was to not have seizures. We achieved this fairly quickly and stayed at this does for about 6 months. We learned that triggers for Will’s seizures are growth spurts, sleep deprivation and viral infections. Of course, the only factor in our control in these scenarios is sleep, and if he is experiencing the other 2 factors, we up his does as necessary.
Here’s a helpful reference that I found from CBD oil review that puts dosing into perspective, whether you are looking to treat anything from stress to terminal illnesses.
The following chart from Mayo Clinic provides specific dosage recommendations for various illnesses:
Loss of Appetite in Cancer Patients: 2.5mg of THC (orally), with or without 1mg of CBD for six weeks. [S]
Chronic Pain: 2.5-20mg of CBD [with or without THC] (orally). [S]
Epilepsy: 200-300mg of CBD (orally) daily. [S]
Movement Problems Due to Huntington’s Disease: 10mg of CBD per kg of body weight daily for six weeks (orally). [S]
Sleep Disorders: 40mg-160mg of CBD (orally). [S]
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) symptoms: Cannabis plant extracts containing 2.5-120 milligrams of a THC/CBD combination daily for 2-15 weeks. Patients typically use eight sprays within any three hours, with a maximum of 48 sprays in any 24-hour period. [S]
Schizophrenia: 40-1,280mg oral CBD daily. [S]
Glaucoma: A single sublingual CBD dosage of 20-40mg (>40 mg may increase eye pressure). [S]
Clearly, I'm on board with what I consider a safe, miracle plant and I think it's a fantastic adjunct to a holistic health approach. CBD is a wonderful supplement to a healthy lifestyle and the benefits can only be maximized with an anti-inflammatory food plan and exercise.
HEARTFELT WARNING
I chose to share our family's personal story because I hated the idea of my young child being on a medication that came with a host of side effects, and I wanted to share how it enhanced his life in hopes of helping someone else. I also 100% understand this will not be everyone's experience. Not mentioned was the fact that we had ups and downs with the quality of CBD and where we bought it. It's important to note that CBD is being produced without any regulations, resulting in products that vary widely in quality (another reason why healthcare providers are hesitant to prescribe it). If you are considering CBD for yourself or a loved one, please ask questions and purchase it from a reputable, trusted source.
Otherwise, enjoy the benefits and I'd love to hear changes you've noticed!
With Love & Gratitude,
Lisa