by Paul Fassa
Health Impact News

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Someone has a stroke every 53 seconds. Most are ischemic, which deny blood and oxygen to brain tissue cells due to blood vessel constrictions or obstructions. Hemorrhagic strokes, which occur from leaking or burst brain blood vessels, are in the minority. (Source)

Strokes cause brain and neurological damage since a portion of the brain is denied blood and oxygen long enough for brain cell death and tissue damage.

Most medical professionals consider the damage irreparable. This irreparable damage is a leading cause of disability, often involving speech, which is sometimes partially overcome with costly and extensive rehab.

Cannabis to the Rescue as CBD Only; Without THC, the “Euphoric” Compound

Often major damage comes from the effort to rapidly restore blood flow for ischemic stroke victims, known as reperfusion, in order to keep the victim alive. Recent research in China using pure cannabidiol (CBD) discovered it is a safe deterrent that at least minimizes permanent damage from strokes. From that study comes this conclusion:

“In summary, our results suggest that CBD exerts a potent neuroprotective effect against ischemia/reperfusion injury by attenuating intracellular oxidative stress, enhancing mitochondrial bioenergetics, and optimizing glucose metabolism via the pentose-phosphate pathway, thus strengthening the antioxidant defenses and preserving the energy homeostasis of neurons.” (Study source)

Whether with reperfusion from near death or not, there is sufficient brain damage that can be considered irreparable from either ischemic or hemorrhagic strokes. CBD from cannabis can also be helpful for recovering fully from strokes, as it has proven effective and safe with many other neurological damage issues and epilepsy. (Source)

That’s great to know because it enables many to equip themselves with pure CBD since it’s legal in many states that won’t allow THC cannabis for medical purposes. You can access that list here. Of course states that allow medical applications of full plant cannabis with THC permit CBD also.

What About Whole Plant Full Spectrum Cannabis with THC?

A study in Israel concluded that increased dosages of CBD alone results in a bell curve of efficacy. In other words, increased dosages of CBD peak then decline in effectiveness, an almost classic diminishing returns issue.

The study was originally set up to determine the efficacy of CBD and full plant cannabis extracts for treating inflammation compared to over-the-counter pharmaceutical inflammation reducing medicines. Along with determining CBD and other cannabis extracts were superior, the researchers concluded that high dose CBD should include the other cannabinoids of whole plant cannabis including THC to overcome this bell curve effect.

According to cannabisreports.com, this study, of which the full text was parsed and analyzed by this online cannabis encyclopedia source, “… shows the importance of treating ailments using the full range of cannabinoids available.” (Source)

A doctor who is highly experienced treating California patients with cannabis agrees. Dr. David Bearman, M.D., in a Huffpost article explains,

Many clinicians believe that using CBD as an isolated compound not only diminishes its therapeutic value but does not take full advantage of the medicinal value of cannabis. This is because of the entourage effect, the concept that the totality of the therapeutic constituents of the plant acting together are more effective than any single isolated compound acting alone.

Dr. Bearman challenges what he calls the “selling point” of “non-euphoric” for pure CBD without THC by pointing out there are several pharmaceuticals that attempt to alter emotions and moods on the market. So what’s wrong with a medicine that induces a euphoric feeling?

He points out how higher levels of CBD in full plant extracts that include THC balance out THC’s side effects. That’s what the Israeli study seemed to advocate with full plant extracts, high CBD levels. Dr. Bearman explains in great detail why smoking works well for that feel good high, but it is not as effective medically as cannabis edibles and oils consumed orally.

Oral applications of full plant cannabis with THC involves the liver’s metabolic process and the small intestines’ slower absorption, which allow for more biochemical adaptations and refined metabolic processing within the whole body’s endocannabinoid system’s receptors. Smoking or vaping into the lungs bypasses the liver and small intestinal involvement.

Dr. Bearman also points out how Big Pharma and government agencies are proponents of synthetic single molecule medicine, which of course allows patents for royalties and mark-ups for profit while often causing more harm than good without healing. Perhaps they use the “science is better than nature” concept for creating medicine to hide their profit motives from the public. (Source)

A Miraculous Recovery from Extreme Brain and Neurological Injury Using Cannabis

Over twenty-five years ago, Debbie Wilson was struck down in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant by a clueless driver in a pick-up truck. Upon impact, she was knocked to the ground head first. Then the driver inadvertently backed up over her.

Initially, she struggled with common traumatic brain injury symptoms. Eventually, her suffering morphed into a catalog of ills including: PTSD, seizures, Alzheimer’s, chronic depression, anxiety and type 2 diabetes, and finally epilepsy. Debbie was having seizures in her sleep.

Her 19 years of head banging from epileptic seizures, even while wearing a helmet, caused more brain damaging concussions that led to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or CTE, the football player’s disease. The CTE apparently precipitated her Alzheimer’s disease.

Pharmaceuticals proved ineffective and caused numerous deleterious side effects, including serious damage to her intestines. Doctors were also actually considering a frontal lobotomy at one time.

A final solution?

One of her sons finally encouraged Debbie to try cannabis. She was in Chicago at the time, but had heard of a clinical study involving CBD in Michigan. She was accepted and noticed immediate improvements.

Upon urging from her son, she began smoking marijuana and receiving some comfort from her agony. Her only positive change from many years of suffering from her brain injury and the mainstream medical treatments led her to Oregon as a medical refugee for complete cannabis access with educated medical supervision.

She began using full plant extracts orally with full plant cannabis that had a high CBD content to ameliorate the THC’s “side effects” and boost the cannabis edible’s overall neuroprotective aspects. As she proceeded, one brain injury consequence after another, including epilepsy and Alzheimer’s, began falling away.

And her ability to get off the vast amount of pharmaceuticals that were creating horrible side effects accelerated to the point where she got off them entirely.

All this healing happened over the span of a very few short years from 2010 to 2013.

The following 2014 video is Debbie’s articulate and knowledgeable personal testimony before the final healing of her neck manifested. That’s why the neck brace is being worn.

Debbie Wilson is so much better off than she has ever been since her accident that she was invited to talk before a Brain Injury Alliance of Oregon conference in 2015. The talk is almost 45 minutes. But you can access it to see she no longer needed her neck brace then and/or get more details about her story.