Cannabis may be helpful in the treatment of children with autism in an open study

Article Recommended by Dr. David Hepburn:

Brief Report: Cannabidiol-Rich Cannabis in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Severe Behavioral Problems-A Retrospective Feasibility Study.

Abstract

Anecdotal evidence of successful cannabis treatment in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are accumulating but clinical studies are lacking. This retrospective study assessed tolerability and efficacy of cannabidiol-rich cannabis, in 60 children with ASD and severe behavioral problems (age = 11.8 ± 3.5, range 5.0-17.5; 77% low functioning; 83% boys). 

Efficacy was assessed using the Caregiver Global Impression of Change scale. Adverse events included sleep disturbances (14%) irritability (9%) and loss of appetite (9%). One girl who used higher tetrahydrocannabinol had a transient serious psychotic event which required treatment with an antipsychotic.

Following the cannabis treatment, behavioral outbreaks were much improved or very much improved in 61% of patients. This preliminary study supports feasibility of CBD-based cannabis trials in children with ASD.

"Data continues to support the use of CBD as a area to focus in on for treatment of ASD. Studies currently underway (including one being funded by the US Department of Defence) should shed further light on why it helps for some patients and for some symptoms of this complicated disease."

-Dr. Dave Hepburn

To read the full article please visit:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30382443

Dr. Dave Hepburn website:https://doctordavidhepburn.com

Cannabis use is associated with a greater likelihood for suicide attempts in adolescents

Article Recommended by Dr. David Hepburn:

Cannabis use and suicide attempts among 86,254 adolescents aged 12-15 years from 21 low- and middle-income countries.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Evidence suggests that cannabis use may be associated with suicidality in adolescence. Nevertheless, very few studies have assessed this association in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In this cross-sectional survey, we investigated the association of cannabis use and suicidal attempts in adolescents from 21 LMICs, adjusting for potential confounders.

METHOD:

Data from the Global school-based Student Health Survey was analyzed in 86,254 adolescents from 21 countries [mean (SD) age = 13.7 (0.9) years; 49.0% girls]. Suicide attempts during past year and cannabis during past month and lifetime were assessed. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted.

RESULTS:

The overall prevalence of past 30-day cannabis use was 2.8% and the age-sex adjusted prevalence varied from 0.5% (Laos) to 37.6% (Samoa), while the overall prevalence of lifetime cannabis use was 3.9% (range 0.5%-44.9%). The overall prevalence of suicide attempts during the past year was 10.5%. Following multivariable adjustment to potential confounding variables, past 30-day cannabis use was significantly associated with suicide attempts (OR = 2.03; 95% CI: 1.42-2.91). Lifetime cannabis use was also independently associated with suicide attempts (OR = 2.30; 95% CI: 1.74-3.04).

CONCLUSION:

Our data indicate that cannabis use is associated with a greater likelihood for suicide attempts in adolescents living in LMICs. The causality of this association should be confirmed/refuted in prospective studies to further inform public health policies for suicide prevention in LMICs.

“Although causality cannot be established, there is some indication for concern. The adolescent brain is a minefield and neuromaturation, particularly when concerning areas of the brain responsible for controlling impulsive behavior and decision making (executive thought), is not complete until about age 25.”

- Dr. David Hepburn 

To read the full article please visit:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30447436

Dr. Dave Hepburn website:

https://doctordavidhepburn.com

OIL AND GAS BY DR. DAVID HEPBURN

Dr. David Hepburn: 

The two most common delivery mechanisms for medical cannabis are oils or gas (as in vapour). Creams, wafers, sprays, tinctures and suppositories, while useful and fun, universally trail ingestion or inhalation methods.

OIL

Oils can be obtained in a bottle, capsules or even as a vape (not MD-recommended currently). As a pill taking society, many would prefer to use a capsule, given that it looks medical and resembles other capsules in the neighbours’ bathroom. The other advantage of an encapsulated oil is that the dosing is much more accurate. Canada limits capsules to a maximum of 10mg THC per unit. Ingested cannabis oil has the advantage of lasting longer but the disadvantage of taking forever to kick in. 

Once the oilhas been ingested it must wend it’s way past the waffles, kumquats and possibly some of the neighbours’ capsules, then get absorbed from the gut and zip off to the liver for a little sprucing up before being presented to the bloodstream. The liver typically wets the side of a Kleenex and dabs away at the oil until it frowns and turns away. Too late. The liver has converted 9 delta THC into 11 delta THC and, while this new form is effective as medicine, it is rather more psychoactive. This whole process, from mouth to membrane, takes 90-120 minutes which can be a good thing… or….

Cyril Bloggins, not an experienced user of cannabis, has taken note how his wife, Daisy, has had her wrist, bowels and crankiness all improved since she started cooking those new BC brownies. He decides to try one for his own nasty, gnarly, kneecap, so he cuts one from the herd and braces himself. An hour goes by. Feels nothing. 

Sneaks back in and grabs another, and another and noting some Reeses Pieces and marshmallows in the mix, decides they taste pretty good and… he still doesn’t feel anything. Soon half the plate is in Cyril’s central solar system. Cyril… doesn’t get out of bed for three days. He is so stoned that his head is on lock down and Mabel has morphed into Heather Locklear (the early years). Cyril’s natural reaction “I must be allergic to cannabis.” No Cyril, the toxicity is always in the dose and you just dosed yourself into a long doze.  

GAS

Vaporization is to smoking what a unicycle is to a Harley. Doctors are simply averse to suggesting you smoke anything, however vaporizing is a different kettle of kush altogether. Vaporization means no combustion engine and is safer, cleaner, healthier and has less odour. Medically, vaporization involves the same dried flower used for smoking, except, rather than light it on fire, it is heated to a specific temperature that releases the cannabinoids without incinerating everything. It’s like barbecuing a juicy T-bone to perfection or forgetting that the steak is on the grill, coming back six hours later to find a charred moon rock. Given the fact that inhalation of cannabis is felt within a couple of minutes, there are times when inhalation is preferred over ingestion. 

Any migraineur will tell you that they don’t want to wait two hours and their nausea has their stomach begging to be left alone. There are even some types of pain and spasm where inhalation is preferable to an ingested oil. Today’s vaporizers, like their users, come in all kinds of discreet shapes, sizes, colours and odours. 

And, on occasion, combining the two delivery mechanisms is required to get full benefit. Start by adding some oil and then ….fill up on gas. 

Dr. David Hepburn website

doctordavidhepburn.com 

For Healthy tips from Dr. David Hepburn visit

davidfrederickhepburntips.com

Myths about medical cannabis (Second part) - Dr. David Frederick Hepburn

In a previous post we talked about 3 common myths on medical cannabis. Now Dr. David Hepburn is going to explain 2 other common myths.

4. “CBD, non psychoactive, medical, oil, good - THC, psychoactive, recreational, smoke, bad.”

Thinking that the CBD is good and the THC is bad, is a myth that does not benefit at all the uses of medical cannabis. This common myth mentioned by Dr. David Hepburn leads to the question “Is medical cannabis the same as recreational cannabis?” The answer is yes....and no. THC is used for one purpose in recreational users, to get high. But the same THC is also needed to treat various medical conditions that respond better to THC dominant strains, (e.g migraines).

Furthermore THC can make CBD work better and vice versa. However the THC is usually quite a bit lower than recreational users prefer. So the difference is in the intent and content. Recreational users dub CBD “hippie’s disappointment” and have no use for it. However CBD is a vital part of most medical uses.

THC is also medically beneficial in many conditions including: migraines, spasms, Tourette’s, nausea, some types of pain etc. Some states have believed the “THC is bad” myth and have limited it’s use or dosage, thinking that only CBD is medically useful. Big mistake. They are only cheating patients out of the benefit of THC dominant or THC:CBD combination treatments, vital for many conditions. In fact, CBD by itself is much less effective than CBD with either THC or other cannabinoids used inconjunction.

Furthermore, THC can actually have it’s psycho-activite effect mitigated by simply adding CBD. CBD serves (as a negative allosteric modulator) to change the psycho-activity while not changing the medical benefits of THC. The plant is brilliant. And should there, heaven forbid, be a little euphoria due to THC as part of terminal cancer treatment, is it terribly bad to be sick....with a smile?

5. “Cannabis is safe for youth.”

The last myth by Dr. David Hepburn:

The adolescent brain is not like a normal human brain. Prior to neuromaturation (age 25ish unless you happen to be a son of mine), the young brain is being actively pruned and connections created. During adolescence there is an explosion in development and creation of our natural cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2), enzymes (FAAH and MAGL) and actual cannabinoids (anandamide and 2 AG).

These three components comprise the endocannabinoid system (ECS) that is essential to be aware of in order to understand how and why cannabis can be used as medicine. Adding plant (exogenous) cannabinoids to a teen brain, that is busy trying to determine it’s own system, may not only have a deleterious effect in the production of a normally developing system, but may also have an effect on some types of memory, learning and emotions that are not beneficial and may persist for many years, even after neuromaturation.

In fact, the prefrontal cortex, replete with ECS components, is the last part of the brain to mature. This area of the brain is responsible for executive control and, should it not be allowed to develop properly, issues ranging from decision making to impulse control can be thrown for a loop. Cannabis is a drug and needs to be respected as such. Too many youth currently think that cannabis is harmless. They are... mistaken.

To learn more about Dr. David Frederick Hepburn's work on medical cannabis visit:

http://doctordavidhepburn.com/

Dr. David Hepburn: Change how family doctors view medical cannabis (second part)

Continuing with our previous post, here you can find the rest of the interview to Dr. David Hepburn. In this part, Dr. Hepburn will talk about the different methods to consume cannabis, the ethical dilemmas about medical cannabis etc.

Interview (part two)

Is it right for commercial cannabis growers to pay for educating doctors who are the gatekeepers to the clients that buy their products?

That goes on all the time with Big Pharma, they're the ones who sponsor all the big events. This is virtually how we do 90 percent of our education. Routinely on a week-to-week basis, we probably get invitations through the week to two, three, four dinners put on by a specialist and sponsored by a drug company. It's nothing untoward, so to speak. There are other avenues for education – reading journals – but the journals are all supported by pharmaceutical companies, right?

What do you think about clinics specializing in pot prescriptions which say they are charging patients fees because they are helping them navigate the confusing federal medical marijuana regulations?

It's all smoke and mirrors, jiggery- pokery is being done. Personally I think it's unethical, so I charge patients nothing. What I do is I give them the options. I say, 'Here's the list of Health Canada's licensed producers, you can select one based on anything you find interesting on their Web page. Be it the fact that some of [them] offer certain deals with respect to a vaporizer and some require less amount purchased at one time.' Different LPs have different advantages and that is what the patients like.

Are cannabis oils more dangerous than vaporizing the drug?

There are those advantages to it, you can encapsulate them, however there are some disadvantages to them as well. And this is where it's very important to caution people to the appropriate uses of oral or edible or ingestible cannabinoids, and that there is a high variability to absorption rates. 

One of the things I heard down in Colorado is people were coming in and they were taking more and more derivatives of one sort or another. Next thing you know it all kicks in because it can take an hour or two to really take effect. People ask me the dose and I say, 'Just a little bit. Start low and go slow.'

There has been a lot of talk recently about the dangers of 'edibles.' What happens when someone is sent to hospital with an overdose?

They might give them IV, saline, tell them to go home and they'd be fine. It's not toxic. In fact, it's incredibly nontoxic, however it gives them an unpleasant experience that may sabotage the use of it. I probably would never start people on an oil, but what I like about the vaporizers is that you can titrate the dosage easily. You know in 95 seconds if it's going to work and it doesn't last very long.

You know the actual best form of cannabinoids to me is, believe it or not, suppositories? They are far and away the best delivery mechanism over all.

Why?

They go through a different absorption system, you know within 15 minutes you have it absorbed in there and it's actually done through the intestinal mucosa. You get a longer lasting effect than you would get for the vaporizer, but you also get a quicker response than you would get from the ingestible.

In sum up as we can see Dr. David Frederick Hepburn keeps trying to educate the medical sector about the use of medical cannabis.

You can be following his work in the following links:

http://davidfrederickhepburn.com

http://doctordavidhepburn.com

Dr. David Hepburn: Change how family doctors view medical cannabis

Dr. David Hepburn has given talks and conferences throughout Canada and the world, trying to educate his colleagues and the audience about the use and prescription of medicinal cannabis. For several years Dr. Hepburn has been striving to change the resistance that exists in the field of medicine unto this plant and thereby promote its use for various diseases.

In this post we present the first part of an interview that Dr. David Hepburn granted a couple of years ago. In this interview Dr. David Hepburn tries to describe his effort to change how many Canadian doctors view the drug.

The interview

Why did you first become involved in prescribing cannabis about a decade ago?

I was in the group that wanted nothing to do with cannabis, and it actually came from a physician [friend] in Ontario whose mother had cancer. He phoned me up and said, 'My mom is in Victoria, she is an octogenarian, cancer-stricken and her doctor won't help her. My mom would never miss a tax date or jaywalk, and yet the one thing that's helped her with both her pain and her chemo-related symptoms is cannabis.' And would I help her out? Finally I capitulated and said, 'Okay, I will help her apply for the [federal medical marijuana] program.'

I began to explore more into that and I watched this sort of explosion I guess the same way [American neurosurgeon and media personality] Sanjay Gupta would have.

He's made a 180 and I have too.

Why are Canadian doctors are so reluctant to prescribe?

They don't want to be recommending something that we've all been taught is bad for you. The reticence is legitimate, I think that it's normal. 'Hey, listen, I don't know anything about it, I'm not keen on prescribing it.' The standard things that I would hear is, 'We want to see more research into it, etc. etc.' That's a vicious circle – there isn't the research being done because of the fact that the government has made it unreachable.

So you recommend cannabis for conditions and symptoms without the clinical trials that back up such prescriptions?

There remains a lot of good studies to be done. But because it is safe and tolerable and we know it works for a lot of people for conditions in which the research is lacking, that doesn't mean we necessarily rob the person of the opportunity to use it now. We sit in our office day after day and year after year and we hear patients who sit down and say, 'Doc, the thing that really works for me, to be honest with you, is cannabis.' We trust these patients and we know them not to be jaywalkers. When you hear it long enough, you begin to realize that it's something that is working for these people…

Here ends the first part of the interview in our next post we can read the rest of the interview, we invite you to read the next part because we can see how Dr. David Hepburn mentions very interesting things about the uses of medicinal cannabis

If you want to know more about Dr David Frederick Hepburn work visit his websites:

http://davidfrederickhepburn.com/

https://doctordavidhepburn.com/

3 Myths about medical cannabis by Dr. David Hepburn.

Dr. David Hepburn states that the rapid expansion of global interest in medical cannabis also means a rapid expansion of myth information. In this post we will describe three of the five common myths regarding the medical cannabis.

1. The first myth mentioned by Dr. David Hepburn:

“I have to get high to get help.” No nada nyet nein. Of the many cannabinoids available only a small few cause the “stoned” effect, THC being the most common one. However the vast majority, including the medically beneficial CBD, CBG and CBC will not cause that same psychoactive effect.

2. As the second myth Dr. David Frederick Hepburn explains:

“I don’t want to have to smoke medicine.” Few doctors are comfortable with

writing a prescription of “Smoke two of these and call me in the morning.” We don’t want you to smoke anything other than a salmon for the doctor. The advent of oil extraction, and the ability to provide those oils in capsules, has led to this option becoming the most sought after delivery mechanism. Many children with conditions ranging from epilepsy to autism are treated successfully with medical cannabis and none are smoking. 

However, Dr. David Hepburn clarifies that there are situations/ conditions where inhalation is the best delivery method, such as migraines, nausea and some types of spasms and pain. The medical means of inhalation is vaporization, not smoking. 

Vaporization is no more smoking than a flying squirrel is a kangaroo. There is a vast difference in vaporizing dried product and smoking dried product. Smoking means 900 degrees C at the tip and combustion of everything which is then inhaled. Vaporization is only heated to the necessary level to release the cannabinoids, around the 200 degrees C level and is not combusted.

3. Finally Dr. Hepburn points out the third common myth:

 “It will make you psychotic.” That was a slogan of the reefer madness campaign and, in some who have yet to be educated on the matter, it still rattles around the stigma section of their frontal lobe right beside beliefs of a horned Satan and Donald Trump (my apology for the ....redundancy). 

Dr. David Hepburn is emphatic in emphasizing that Cannabis has not been shown to cause schizophrenia. In fact, countries where cannabis use is prevalent have the same incidence of schizophrenia as countries where cannabis is nowhere to be found. While it can most likely exacerbate and initiate first break psychosis in those who are genetically predisposed (ie. those who have the AKT1 genotype), using cannabis is akin to pouring gasoline on a pile of sticks. If there are no underlying embers, it will cause no reaction at all.

In the next post we will describe the two remaining myths mentioned by Dr. David Hepburn

If you are interested In Dr. David Hepburn's next conferences related to medical cannabis please visit:
https://doctordavidhepburn.blogspot.com  or
https://doctordavidhepburn.com 

Stay tuned for our following posts

Which medical disorders? - Dr. David Hepburn

There is sufficient reason to believe that medicinal cannabis can help in cases of:

• pain and muscle spasms or cramps associated with multiple sclerosis or spinal cord damage; 
• nausea, loss of appetite, weight loss and debilitation due to cancer or AIDS; 
• nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy or radiotherapy used in the treatment of cancer, hepatitis C or HIV infection and AIDS; 
• chronic pain (mainly pain associated with the nervous system, for example that caused by a damaged nerve, phantom pain, facial neuralgia or chronic pain which remains after the recovery from shingles); 
• Gilles de la Tourette syndrome; 
• therapy-resistant glaucoma.

Patients and doctors have also reported positive effects on a range of other conditions, including Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, epilepsy, itching, migraine, rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, ADD and brain trauma. These positive effects still need to be confirmed by scientific research. (For more information, go to www.cannabis-med.org.)

At present, medicinal cannabis does not cure the disorders mentioned above, but it can relieve the symptoms associated with them. It may also enable other medication to be given at a lower dosage, and reduce their side effects. It is up to doctors to determine whether treatment with medicinal cannabis would benefit a patient, given his or her diagnosis and circumstances. In doing so, they are not limited to the list of conditions given above. A doctor will only prescribe medicinal cannabis if the standard treatments and registered medicines are not having the desired effect or are causing too many side effects.

For more information, consult Dr. David Frederick Hepburn online material:

Cannabis Hemp Conference and Expo: http://www.cannabishempconference.com/dr-dave-hepburn-md/

Market Wired, Award Winning Columnist Dr. David Frederick Hepburn Embarks on Speaking Tour: http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/award-winning-columnist-dr-dave-hepburn-embarks-on-speaking-tour-2166319.htm

CBC News, Q&A with Dr. David Frederick Hepburn, B.C. doctor going on medical marijuana speaking tour: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/q-a-with-dr-dave-hepburn-b-c-doctor-going-on-medical-marijuana-speaking-tour-1.3213458

Patients out of time: http://patientsoutoftime.org/doctors/david-hepburn-md/

Leafly contributors: https://www.leafly.com/news/author/dr-dave-hepburn

Keynote Speakers Canada: http://keynotespeakerscanada.ca/speaker/dave-hepburn-md

National Speakers Bureau: https://www.nsb.com/speakers/dave-hepburn/

Cannabis Culture, Q&A with Dr. David Frederick Hepburn, B.C. Doctor Going on Medical Marijuana Speaking Tour: http://www.cannabisculture.com/content/2015/09/04/qa-with-dr-dave-hepburn-b-c-doctor-going-on-medical-marijuana-speaking-tour

The globe and mail, On a mission to change how family doctors view medical marijuana: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/on-a-mission-to-change-how-family-doctors-view-medical-marijuana/article25791287/

Cannabis Digest, Teaching Cannabis Medicine in Canada: Interviews with Dr. David Frederick Hepburn and Dr. Robert Sealey: https://cannabisdigest.ca/teaching-cannabis-medicine-canada-interviews-dr-david-hepburn-dr-robert-sealy/

https://phil420.com/tag/dr-dave-hepburn/

https://www.pinterest.com.mx/pin/853643304340545028/

Leafly, Cannabis Shows Great Promise in Treating Cancer—Let’s Not Wreck It With Hyperbole: https://www.leafly.com/news/health/cannabis-shows-great-promise-treating-cancer-lets-not-wreck-hyperbole

Varieties in Pharmacies - Dr. David Frederick Hepburn

There are several varieties of medicinal cannabis which have different compositions and strengths, and thus different effects. There are three varieties of medicinal cannabis available through pharmacies: Bedrocan, Bedrobinol and Bediol. Each variety has its own predetermined strength and composition.

What variety is best depends on the symptoms. For example: there is reason to believe that inhaling cannabis with a high CBD content (like Bediol) provides effective relief for pain and muscle spasms in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Because of the anti-inflammatory properties of CBD, this variety may be more effective than others for patients with inflammatory conditions.

Cannabis with high levels of THC (Bedrocan and Bedrobinol) is preferred for disorders such as Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, therapy-resistant glaucoma and symptoms like weight loss, nausea and vomiting.

In case of chronic neural pain, Bediol is often prescribed first (for inhaling). If this provides insufficient relief, a variety with a higher THC content is substituted. It is also possible to start with Bedrocan (as tea) or combine varieties and methods of administration.

The effects not only depend on your symptoms, there are large variations between individuals, too. Your doctor will discuss with you which variety and what method of administration are best in your case.

Quality

Medicinal cannabis has to meet certain quality criteria. It must not contain any pesticides, heavy metals, fungi or bacteria. This is strictly monitored. Research has shown that the cannabis sold in coffee shops hardly ever meets the quality standards of medicinal cannabis from the pharmacy. It’s cultivated under specific, controlled conditions by growers who are licensed by the Office of Medicinal Cannabis (OMC).

For more information, consult Dr. David Frederick Hepburn online material:

Cannabis Hemp Conference and Expo: http://www.cannabishempconference.com/dr-dave-hepburn-md/

Market Wired, Award Winning Columnist Dr. David Frederick Hepburn Embarks on Speaking Tour: http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/award-winning-columnist-dr-dave-hepburn-embarks-on-speaking-tour-2166319.htm

CBC News, Q&A with Dr. David Frederick Hepburn, B.C. doctor going on medical marijuana speaking tour: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/q-a-with-dr-dave-hepburn-b-c-doctor-going-on-medical-marijuana-speaking-tour-1.3213458

Patients out of time: http://patientsoutoftime.org/doctors/david-hepburn-md/

Leafly contributors: https://www.leafly.com/news/author/dr-dave-hepburn

Keynote Speakers Canada: http://keynotespeakerscanada.ca/speaker/dave-hepburn-md

National Speakers Bureau: https://www.nsb.com/speakers/dave-hepburn/

Cannabis Culture, Q&A with Dr. David Frederick Hepburn, B.C. Doctor Going on Medical Marijuana Speaking Tour: http://www.cannabisculture.com/content/2015/09/04/qa-with-dr-dave-hepburn-b-c-doctor-going-on-medical-marijuana-speaking-tour

The globe and mail, On a mission to change how family doctors view medical marijuana: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/on-a-mission-to-change-how-family-doctors-view-medical-marijuana/article25791287/

Cannabis Digest, Teaching Cannabis Medicine in Canada: Interviews with Dr. David Frederick Hepburn and Dr. Robert Sealy: https://cannabisdigest.ca/teaching-cannabis-medicine-canada-interviews-dr-david-hepburn-dr-robert-sealy/

https://phil420.com/tag/dr-dave-hepburn/

https://www.pinterest.com.mx/pin/853643304340545028/

Leafly, Cannabis Shows Great Promise in Treating Cancer—Let’s Not Wreck It With Hyperbole: https://www.leafly.com/news/health/cannabis-shows-great-promise-treating-cancer-lets-not-wreck-hyperbole