Monday 8 September 2014

Can Cannabis help Kids with Epilepsy?

 This is something that’s recently been used for children in the middle east, and in Asia to help with convulsions, and to treat different infections. It was then brought over to Europe, and used for a bit, but then of course, the problems with legalization have pushed this to a halt, especially in different medical ways.  Before you review the research about this, here, we’ll go over how it can help those with this condition. 

What it Is 

This is basically a form of convulsions, otherwise known as seizures. It’s a condition that’s neurological that’s usually involving an issue with the way that the electrical activity happens between your brain and whatnot, frying them up to the point where they become imbalanced, and abnormal. 



They usually have different types of seizures too, where you may figure out where they start. Some are focused on an area. Some are more generalized, and there are ones with unknown causes. There are also those that happen often, and those that happen rarely, and usually, this is managed with a professional in the field.

Most of them are able to manage the symptoms that they have, and live lives that are normal, which is why you should talk to your doctor to find out the cause, and the correct treatment, and also, some ways to help alleviate the symptoms of this too. 

Current Treatments 

While there isn’t a cure, right now, there are some treatments. They usually are in the form of medications used to stop the convulsing that are prescribed. There are also other types of ways to treat this that are explored, and other options such as surgery. However, these usually come with other side effects that’ll impact daily life, which is what people need to look at.



How cannabis might help 

Right now, using cannabis for epilepsy is something that’s promising and new, especially with the pedigree of history. The problem, however, is that the current, modern science behind this doesn't really support it as a form of treatment for these conditions. 

People are starting to open up, but due to the messy legality of cannabis, it’s been hard.

But there are those that have benefited from it. One example is Charlotte Figi, who used CBD to help with the seizures that she had.  She was able to mitigate it and was able to have drugs used to treat this get approved.  The CBD within this was able to help treat this condition. There are also broad spectrum and full spectrum types, with everything coming together in order to provide the relief. 

Currently, the research is still very new on the cannabinoids and how they work. All except for, of course, THC, don't actually directly impact the endocannabinoid receptors, but they do work with the system that’s there. Basically, they bind directly to your receptors, offering pain and inflammatory relief. CBD does bind to all of this, offering neurological and also treating the mental dysfunction that’s there. not every seizure responds to this, but THC will be able to help with a lot of things that are there too.



There is now more research than ever before on using this to treat seizures and various other conditions, offering a ton of uses, and with the new research showing how it can impact it, there is some hope for using CBD to treat it. It’s been found that it can mitigate the seizures, and even eliminate the occurrences, all with minimal side effects, and it also reduces the need to use drugs too, another very promising benefit of such.


Sunday 10 August 2014

Cannabis and Emotions

Cannabis is something that’s good for a variety of things. But did you know that you can also use this to help with the emotions that you have. 

How cannabis can help with emotions 

Cannabis is great for emotions because it can help with improving your mood, and focus. THC is one of the most predominant ones, and this actually can work directly with the ECS, responsible for mood, and overall balancing of the body. Some people who use cannabinoids actually also notice that they have physical benefits too, including improving inflammation, reducing the instances of nausea, lowering the chances of pain reception, and even stimulating the appetite that’s there too.  It can improve many different health symptoms that are there.



Now, there are also other types of effects that can also happen too, such as maybe it can make you feel good, and your emotions of happiness and well-being are there.  The short-term results of this include: 

  • Slower thinking 

  • Altered perceptions 

  • Calming and sedation 

  • Improving the appetite 

  • Improving anxiety 

  • Elevating the heart rate 

While there can be side effects, you also may wonder if you can also get different effects from this. 

The consumption and emotional impact 

There are tons of different ways to smoke cannabis, and a lot of emotional impact, especially for those who use inhalation, edibles, vaping, or even tinctures. 

Smoking for instance, is the most common one.  You can also vape too, which is considered the safer way.  This is usually one that doesn’t harm the body too much but smoking too often can put you at risk for bronchitis and other lung issues.

Another alternative is consumption of marijuana through the use of edibles and other beverages.  These take a bit longer, but they are far more potent. 

You can also use these on topical locations.  You might not feel a head high, but it creates a relaxing body high. Cannabis is great for those who are looking to manage emotions, relax, and also it helps ith psychosis, depression, anxiety, and it can also help to make you think clearer. 

How it impacts Processing Emotions 

Your emotion centers within the brain love cannabinoids, especially THC.  The amygdala does regulate anxiety, fear, stress, and other emotions.  The effects of this are documented, but people are still learning. Cannabis does improve the influx of the different cannabinoids.  This is something that’s put into the body, and it can stimulate the amygdala as well, especially the emotional processing.



Sometimes, the stimulation of this could increase depression, anxiety, and symptoms of stress, but this is seen with a lot of strains that are more THC focused. There are other cannabinoids though that are better for this, such as CBD, and it’s been studied a lot to look at the different responses.

It actually does help with reducing anxiety in people, especially those who don’t want to experience the high that THC does, since  CBD doesn’t directly impact the ECS, but instead, it impacts the emotional processing of such.

However, it is important to understand that this can work directly with the CB1 receptors, and the way that the pain is managed. The binding affinity for this can reduce pain, and pain responses.



A good thing to remember though, is that marijuana does impact everyone differently, meaning that if you’re taking this, it can impact you differently than others. But, if you’re prone to anxiety, mood disorders, you might not feel euphoric when you take this, so it’s important to make sure you understand the different responses that can happen too.