If you have not had any luck using traditional medicine to treat epilepsy, have you considered cannabis for the effects of seizures? We’re here to explain the many benefits of medical cannabis to encourage you to try this alternative to treating the effects of epileptic seizures.
About Epilepsy
Epilepsy is described as the recurring process of seizures, with their severity and effects varying on a case-by-case basis. These seizures are often caused by disruptions in specific areas of the brain, creating a powerful jolt of electrical activity. Other symptoms of this chronic condition include convulsions and loss of consciousness.
Nearly four percent of Americans have or will develop epilepsy in their lives; that is over 13 million people in the country.
Epilepsy can be hereditary, although it is rare. The probability of developing epilepsy by the age of 20 is just one percent. The odds of getting epilepsy if one or both parents have epilepsy is in between two and five percent.
Epilepsy is a disorder that can affect various parts of life. An epileptic seizure can occur unexpectedly and right as you may be doing something ordinary. Because of the unexpected nature of epilepsy, a seizure can happen at any time, making it more difficult and perilous to do things like walking across the street.
What Causes Epilepsy?
While a specific case of epilepsy is difficult to identify, there are many symptoms that can cause it. Possible causes include lack of oxygen to the brain, injury to the brain, a brain tumor or cyst, other vascular diseases, dementia, low blood sugar, head trauma, Alzheimer’s disease and stroke. Albeit stroke is the most frequent cause of epilepsy in people age 35 and over.
As stated previously, many cases of epileptic seizures are activated by everyday events, including illness, lack of sleep, too much stress, bright and/or flashing lights, caffeine, medicine, alcohol, drugs, overeating, not eating enough and specific ingredients in food.
Identifying the specific cause, however, is not always simple. One incident doesn’t always mean one thing triggers epilepsy in humans; it is rather a combination of different factors.
Cannabis And Epilepsy
Cannabis, however, is known to effectively treat epilepsy. Studies have revealed that a well-known ingredient in cannabis, known as cannabidiol (CBD) is part of a group of active compounds that contain several health benefits. While cannabis as a whole is known to contain many harmful inhibitors, the oils found in CBD are known to be very safe to use for medicine. It will not cause the user to get high, making it a safe component for people of all ages.
CBD specifically comes from hemp, which is a material that is used to make ink, mulch, fuel, and jewelry. Hemp contains less than one percent of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). While this is an ingredient used to help drug users get high, the amount of THC found in hemp is not enough to do so. CBD has passed legal ramifications involving the production of pharmaceuticals.
While the accessibility of medical cannabis varies depending on the state you live in, getting CBD online is fairly easy. CBD, however, is not a recent breakthrough in medicine; this ingredient has been known to come in many different forms and be used for many purposes for over thousands of years in the pharmaceutical and textile industries.
Epilepsy is among the severe conditions that CBD can treat with great effects. People that suffer from epilepsy can consume CBD and notice a smaller risk of seizures occurring after each use. CBD is capable of reducing or reversing effects that are key contributors to epileptic seizures.
CBD allows the user to sleep better at night, which is something that he or she may not do easily with epilepsy. CBD works to alleviate fatigue and can be used as an alternative to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which come with severe side effects, including heart attack and stroke. These NSAIDs are not all that ideal for people with a history of epileptic seizures.
The serotonin levels in your body are increased thanks to the output of CBD. You can also reduce your stress and improve your mental and emotional health thanks to this wonderful ingredient.
CBD also serves as a strong antidepressant, without any harmful caveats that come with it. Tens of millions of people in the US suffer from anxiety and depression. With better sleeping habits from CBD consumption can come rarer occurrences of depression and similar cognitive disorders.
While CBD is safe to use and consume, it does have a few milder side effects. Users that have tested CBD have been known to gain drowsiness, loss of appetite, and diarrhea.
Why Cannabis Works For Epilepsy
CBD links to receptors in your brain and work against pain relating to conditions aggravated by epilepsy. Just by coming into contact with these receptors, they limit the transmission of pain sensors. CBD also works with other types of sensors in the brain and has some anti-inflammatory properties like NSAIDs do. Unlike recreational drugs, CBD oil does not play a factor in the user’s psychological functioning.
But how CBD works to treat epilepsy specifically is currently not known, however, some studies have suggested that some components of CBD that are used to treat and cure inflammation are the decisive factors behind this fascinating development.
Other studies have discovered that CBD is also helpful in controlling seizures, rather than only reducing the risk of them.
Three of every ten people who are diagnosed with epilepsy have not found conventional medicines to be of any use to their conditions. This makes it all the more reason to try cannabis or CBD to alleviate signs of impending epileptic seizures, as they are proven to reduce the harmful symptoms that come with this chronic condition.
Bottom Line
Cannabis may not be the end all be all cure for your seizures or someone you may know who is suffering from them. It is still being studied and everything is still being worked out to figure out the best uses for it. That being said it may help you or the person you know who is suffering from seizures, so check with your doctor before trying and figure out if it’s the best option for you first.
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