According to Dr. Joycelyn Elders, former US Surgeon General, “the evidence is overwhelming that marijuana can relieve certain types of pain, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms caused by such illnesses as multiple sclerosis, cancer and AIDS – or by the harsh drugs sometimes used to treat them. And it can do so with remarkable safety. Indeed, marijuana is less toxic than many of the drugs that physicians prescribe every day.
Persons diagnosed with Lyme disease can use marijuana one of two ways. They can smoke it to reduce symptoms, or use cannabis oil to combat the condition. Rick Simpson, the man who pioneered cannabis oil, states that much of the healing qualities of the plant are lost in the smoke.
Advocates of cannabis oil state that it is not only an effective way to manage symptoms of Lyme disease, but can also help the body heal.
Cannabis oil is an extremely concentrated substance that is extracted and reduced from a very high amount of cannabis into a substance with a good balance of THC and cannabinoids.
Alexis was diagnosed with late-stage Lyme disease and was initially given antibiotics to manage the painful symptoms. She took these antibiotics long enough to sustain damage to her gastrointestinal tract, and was hospitalized with hemorrhagic colitis.
Doctors took Alexis off of the antibiotics and put her on pain medicine that did not touch her discomfort, so she started smoking marijuana. This took away most of her nausea, allowed her to eat again and helped manage her pain and her moods.
According to Alexis, she needed morphine and lorazepam intravenously to do the same thing that two grams of cannabis does. Now, Alexis is looking at cannabis oil as a possible long-term solution to her Lyme disease.
Shelly’s story
Shelly’s Lyme disease caused her to have up to ten seizures a day for well over a year. She started smoking marijuana and switched to a vaporizer and her seizures stopped completely.
After this, she heard about cannabis oil and decided to give it a try. She was using the oil for a month and was able to return to both work and school. She was also able to enjoy a social life and live on her own without the need of a caretaker. Her hope is that the cannabis oil will completely cure her of the Lyme disease so she can live without fear of the symptoms coming back.
Pamela’s story
The radio show High Noon interviewed Pamela, who suffered from Lyme disease. Pamela, like Alexis, had a very difficult time with pharmaceuticals and started to vaporize cannabis instead, later switching to cannabis oil.
She found that the oil completely removed all of her symptoms, and she was soon no longer bed ridden. After a short time, she ran out of the oil and the symptoms came back, confirming for her that it worked.
Cannabis is a vegetable
Vegetables are known as “herbaceous plants grown for an edible part, usually eaten as part of a meal.” Parts of a plant used may be the leaf, root, stem or flower. We enjoy some vegetables raw, others cooked.
However, when we heat a vegetable it loses a great deal of its beneficial nutrients and enzymes. By definition, cannabis is no different – it too is a vegetable and it also loses a great deal of its nutritional value when heated.
Dr. William Courtney, MD, is a member of the American Academy of Cannabinoid Medicine, the International Cannabinoid Research Society, the International Association of Cannabis as Medicine, and the Society of Clinical Cannabis.
Heavily involved in cannabinoid research, Courtney has treated more than 7,000 patients using cannabis as medicine. He is presently working passionately to educate both laymen and professional health practitioners regarding the benefits of this amazing plant, and the need to preserve strains with unique medicinal profiles while restoring safe access to cannabis worldwide.
Raw cannabis contains a highly digestible globular protein which is balanced for all of the essential amino acids. It contains the ideal ratio of omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids, and is the only known source of essential cannabinoid acids. According to Dr. Courtney, over 7 billion people worldwide would benefit from access to cannabis as a functional food.
Courtney is not the only one advocating for a restored appreciation of this ancient plant. Dr. Donald Abrams is chief of hematology and oncology at San Francisco General Hospital and a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.
Dr. Abrams has conducted in depth research on the medical use of cannabis, and says: “If cannabis were discovered in an Amazon rainforest today, people would be clambering to make as much use as they could of all of the potential benefits of the plant. Unfortunately, it carries with it a long history of being a persecuted plant.”
A little science
There are over 480 natural components within the Cannabis Sativa plant – more than 70 have been classified as “cannabinoids,” unique chemicals to this plant. Perhaps the best known, or at least most talked about, of these chemicals is THC, the substance that is mainly responsible for the psychoactive effects of the plant. However, it is the lesser known compounds, CBD and THCV, found in the leaves and tri-chrome covered flowers of the raw plant, that deliver the nutritional and therapeutic punch.
The great news is that these substances are non-psychoactive. In fact, these non-psychoactive compounds found in the buds and the leaves are loaded with antioxidants. CBD has been found to be a strong anti-cancer compound that has the ability to prevent and reverse a number of chronic illnesses.
The human body contains a built-in endogenous cannabinoid system, which comes complete with cannabinoid receptors. Therefore, inputting CBD from marijuana can help to normalize the body’s functional systems, including communication between cells and immune system function.
In the December 2004 issue of Scientific American, an article addressed a molecule in cannabis that was capable of two-way communication with nerve cells. According to the article, one-way traffic to nerves is the main cause of inflammation in the body.
When immune cells are constantly attacked and there is no communication with the nerves to tell them to ease up , inflammation becomes chronic and this leads to a host of other problems. When cannabinoids are added to the mix, they work to provide this two-way conversation and shut down the internal chaos.
A good way to think about CBDs is to think of them as regulators, bringing out-of-whack systems back into order. This is what makes it so good for so many conditions. Recently, the FDA approved CBD, and the federal patent for CBD compares it with vitamin A and vitamin E, and shows that CBD is more powerful than either of these.
People who have compromised immune systems, chronic inflammation, cellular dysfunction and even cancerous cells can benefit by consuming CBDs, according to Dr. Courtney. And, the best way to benefit from the CBDs in cannabis is to juice raw marijuana leaves and buds.
Russo notes that people who may not produce enough cannabinoids on their own naturally might be at a higher risk of such illnesses as glaucoma, migraines and irritable bowel syndrome.
Research shows that CBDs may also be therapeutic for diabetes, arthritis, sleep disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, epilepsy, diabetes and chronic pain.
Life applications
Kristen Peskuski suffered from a host of debilitating conditions including lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, endometriosis, interstitial cystitis, anemia, chronic bacterial infections and hypoglycemia before she began juicing cannabis.
Kristen, who tried smoking medicinal marijuana, did not have nearly the same results as she did when she began juicing. Since she began juicing she is off of all of her antibiotics, painkillers and anti inflammatories, and has even had a child which her OBGYN felt would have been originally impossible with her history of endometriosis.
A two-year old child who had undergone all western treatment possible for brain tumors – including a 24 hour surgery, chemotherapy and radiation – was given little hope of surviving. As a last resort, the child’s parents started juicing raw cannabis leaves and giving her a shot glass a day. After one month, the brain tumors shrank and stopped growing.
Although Dr. Courtney acknowledges that smoked cannabis can be used as a medical therapy, he believes that the healthiest way to benefit from this plant is to use it in a preventative manner in its raw form. When cannabis is heated – smoked or cooked – 99 percent of the benefits are passed over.
Courtney claims that cannabis is “the most important vegetable on our planet” because of its ability to boost the immune system, act as an anti-inflammatory, improve bone metabolism and boost neural function.
How can I benefit from juicing raw cannabis?
Even if you are otherwise healthy, you can still benefit from juicing raw cannabis. Here are seven reasons why including it in your daily health regime may be a good idea.
- Raw cannabis will help boost your energy
- Raw cannabis is loaded with antioxidants
- Juicing raw cannabis provides a concentrated source of essential nutrients
- Raw cannabis provides the perfect balance of omega 3 and omega 6
- Raw cannabis is a potent anti-inflammatory
- Raw cannabis is not psychoactive
- Raw cannabis is a complete protein
Juicing considerations
If you live in a state where you have legal access to fresh raw cannabis, or can grow your own, Dr. Courtney recommends the following:
- Use fresh and clean buds and leaves only. Organic is best.
- Do not use cannabis that has been dried.
- Use 15 leaves and 2 large buds per day.
- Mix other vegetables such as carrots to cut the bitterness. Try 1 part cannabis juice to 10 parts carrot juice, divide it up into 3 servings, and take before each meal.
Legislation
There are presently twenty American states that have recognized the therapeutic value of marijuana, although the federal government continues to classify it as Schedule 1 drug with no “accepted medical use.” This is in spite of the fact that they have been funding research on marijuana for years.
Those advocating for its use are concerned that as long as it is classified as a drug, many millions of people will miss out on this amazing superfood. Meanwhile, groups such as Cannabis International and others continue to educate the public and speak to as to how legalization could, in fact, change the world.
Note: There are no real studies confirming the use of cannabis oil for Lyme disease, many people just find that they are experimenting with what works best for them. As we reported in an earlier article, Coconut Oil and Cannabis Capsule – A Medical Miracle, the oil is being used with success to also treat cancer.
While many remain suspicious of the therapeutic benefits of cannabis, those that have had a positive experience with Lyme, cancer or any number of other conditions continue to speak out about their experiences with the hope that they can educate and inform others.
For CBD oil contact post@healthyeats.nl
sources:
http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000141
http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000141
http://www.medicaljane.com/2013/01/19/cannabis-the-foundation-of-health/#
http://www.canna-centers.com/cannabis-science#CBD – Cannabidiol
http://www.whydontyoutrythis.com/2013/02/health-benefits-of-juicing-raw-cannabis.html
http://www.projectcbd.org/
http://www.thealternativedaily.com/
http://www.greenbridgemed.com/2010/07/16/chronic-pain-and-cbd-cannabidiol/
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