By: Cat Ebeling RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-seller: The Diabetes Fix

Alzheimer’s, depression, anxiety, OCD, bipolar, schizophrenia, behavioral problems, ADD/ADHD—the list goes on and on. Mental health issues are increasing by the day.

Pharmaceutical companies make massive amounts of money treating mental health, mood and behavioral disorders. In fact, Americans spend about $188 billion dollars a year on mental health treatments and medications. Of that, $71 billion is on depressive disorders alone. It is estimated that almost 20%, or 1 out of every 5 people in the United States have some form of mental health issue, according to the National Institute on Mental Health (2017).

Medical treatments for depression, autism, attention deficit disorder, insomnia, eating disorders, learning disabilities, drug addiction, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, bipolar, dementia are making pharmaceutical companies billions of dollars!

And then there are things like chronic stress, brain fog, anger management, anxiety, mood swings, sleep issues, irritability, and memory loss. Mental health problems are an ‘invisible epidemic’ that affect 1.1 billion people worldwide.

Physicians have long held onto the belief that the brain and the body do not affect each other. The common belief was that what we put into our bodies did not change anything in our brain. But that is wrong.

We now know, that mood, memory, attention and behavior problems and most other brain diseases have their root cause in the body, especially the gut. Perhaps the conventional medical approach to dealing with brain disorders is totally backwards.

Doctors used to speak of the ‘blood/brain’ barrier in terms of medications, toxins, foods etc. The idea was that most of what we ate or drank did not cross that barrier to the brain. Now we know that that is totally not true.

That holds very true for many of the foods we eat. Toxins in the form of preservatives, hormones, pesticides and other chemicals affect us physically and mentally, and often the result is dementia, ADHD, depression, anxiety, insomnia, brain fog, memory loss, autism, behavior problems and more.

According to Dr. Hyman in his “UltraMind Solution” book—

“There is such an onslaught of stress and environmental chemicals in our world, and it’s no wonder that our bodies and our brains are challenged and not functioning properly. We are exposed to toxins we were never designed to deal with—and nearly all of them cause brain injury…In fact, a recent government survey found an average of 148 chemicals in our bodies. And those were only the ones they tested.”

We are finding it very clear that the brain is very much linked to the body and the gut, and that what happens in the brain affects the body and what happens in the body most definitely affects the brain.

If our health is off somewhere in our body, then the health of the brain is often off too.

While just treating the brain with pharmaceuticals may lead to drug dependence, a dulled reality, and not treat the REAL problem, treating the body’s systemic natural chemistry and gut microbiome can fix brain chemistry imbalances and lead to genuine healing in the entire physical body.

An imbalance in any of system–nutrition, hormones, immune function, digestion, gut bacteria, detoxification, or metabolism can help to explain many of the symptoms that we think of as mental health issues. Most of these imbalances start in the body and show up eventually in the brain as mood, mental health or behavioral problems.

Messed up physical systems in the body actually can clue us into explanations for the depression, anxiety, dementia, autism, and attention deficit disorder that we see today.

Conventional treatments treat only the symptoms—often with powerful drugs that cause adverse side effects and never get to the root of the problem.

The simple truth is that your body and your brain, and all of your physical systems must interact together in one smooth dynamic system. If you improve your physical body’s health, you improve the health of your brain as well.

To illustrate, think about this– does a sugary snack make you feel anxious, jittery, and sleepy, then irritable later? Do you feel groggy and mentally slow after a big meal? Ever exercise hard and then feel calm, relaxed and happy afterwards?

How well do you focus on anything when you are sick?

We know that PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome) is the result of fluctuating hormones, but did you know that alcoholics can actually become ‘crazy’ with something called Wernicke’s encephalopathy that comes from vitamin B1 deficiency and simply treating with this vitamin will cure this condition? Did you know that antibiotics for strep infections can cure some children who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder? And did you know that many schizophrenics often have a gluten sensitivity?

Heal the body, heal the brain.

Changing your diet, nutrients, sleep patterns, exercise, detoxing, balancing your hormones, correcting the bacterial balance in the gut, and removing foods that cause food allergies can all radically transform your mood, behavior and brain function.

These few steps can have a huge difference in your brain function and your physical health:

1. Eat, healthy, clean foods. Avoid any foods that you are sensitive or allergic to.
2. Add in necessary supplements for brain and physical health.
3. Make a habit of exercise, relaxation, meditation, and quality sleep in your daily life.
4. Avoid toxins in your food and environment.

If you can follow these steps for at least 6 weeks, you will see major changes your life, your outlook, and your sense of well being—literally in weeks or days!

Some of the changes you experience may happen almost immediately. If you are gluten sensitive and you stop eating gluten, your gut health and your brain can change within just a week or so. You may notice other major mental health improvements by removing dairy products, corn, and food additives.

More than 90% of the body’s serotonin lies in the gut, as well as about 50% of the body’s dopamine, so feeding the gut bacteria healthy foods, only serves to help your body make ‘happy’ brain chemicals.

Once you begin following these steps you will realize just how good you can feel—and you’ll never want to go back to feeling bad again.

Feed Your Brain the Right Foods

Your fork, you could say, can actually become one of the most powerful tools to use to change your health, your brain and your life.

There is nothing that has a bigger impact on your health. Absolutely nothing.

Here’s how to use that powerful tool:

• Eat REAL Food–Eat whole, real, fresh, organic, local and unprocessed food. If it has more than three ingredients (especially ones you do not immediately recognize), a package, or a barcode, AVOID IT.

• Get Healthy Fats for Your Head—The brain needs omega 3 fat DHA and EPA, which comes from algae, cold-water fatty fish and grass fed meats, along with saturated fats to stay its healthiest.

• Protein Power--Eat high quality, naturally sourced protein for breakfast every day, such as omega 3 eggs, salmon or grass fed meat, plain organic yogurt, or nut butters.

• Boost Your Brain Protectors–Eat piles of fruit and vegetables deeply colored with powerful phytonutrients. The deep red, yellow, orange, green, and blue in foods are a sign of powerful anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, energy boosting, and brain-powering nutrients.

• Eat the RIGHT Kind of Carbs–Eat foods full of fiber, including raw vegetables, raw fruit, nuts, and seeds. This helps to clean out the gut, remove toxins, and grow healthy gut bacteria. A healthy gut has MUCH to do with the brain, and a healthy gut means a healthy brain!

• Remove the Poisons–Eliminate sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, coffee, alcohol, trans fats, food additives and preservatives, all of which poison your brain and disrupt your biochemistry.

If you can just follow these few steps—yes they may be big steps, but you can start instantly eliminating the brain-damaging foods and chemicals from you diet.

There is one other KEY change that is essential–That step is to eliminate the two most common causes of food allergens and hidden reactions in our diet. These come from gluten and pasteurized processed dairy.

Your brain reacts to allergens as well as your body—with increased inflammation. And when this occurs, you can get brain fog, anxiety/depression, autism, ADHD, dementia, and more. Gluten has even been proven to cause some cases of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

You don’t need to break out in hives or have an anaphylaxis reaction to these foods to be allergic. People often have hidden allergies to these foods and not even realize it—especially because these foods are often eaten on a daily basis, so the problem becomes chronic. Actually, that should be the FIRST thing you think of—“I am irritable today, or I feel depressed today,”…Think about WHAT you ate yesterday or the day before.

You can eat a piece of cheesecake on Monday and feel depressed on Tuesday. You eat a bag of cookies one day and the next day you are irritable. Many times, inflammatory reactions occur up to 24 to 48 hours later, but there definitely IS a connection to food sensitivities and changes in mood.

Many people just have ongoing, low-grade, delayed food sensitivities or allergies all the time. What you eat on a regular basis, may be causing a delayed allergic reaction you might not ever know it because those foods are the foods you just can’t do without.

You can get tested for food reactions from a doctor, but this method is not food proof. The best and easiest way is to remove the most common foods that cause reactions. Usually the top two are wheat and dairy.

Then pay close attention to your body and mind when you do this—the first few days may be tough, because you may actually have to break an addiction to these foods, but then you may suddenly feel great!

Remove the poisons in your diet as well including the artificial sweeteners, foods with preservatives, high-fructose corn syrup, trans fats or vegetable oils, and junk food.

Try this for a minimum of two-six weeks. Then challenge those foods and see how you feel, 1 hour, 4 hours, 12 hours, 24 and 48 hours later. You may be SHOCKED!

Supplements for your brain and physical health

Even those who eat the healthiest diet will probably need some additional supplements. These are ESSENTIAL for brain health and physical health as well.

1. Multivitamin–A high-quality, high-potency, multivitamin.
2. B vitamins that include methylfolate and methylcobalamin. These are forms of B vitamins necessary for brain health, nerve function, energy, and fat metabolism. A deficiency will cause anxiety, depression, loss of energy.
3. Vitamin C 500-1000 mg, take 1000 mg a day. Vitamin C reduces inflammation in the body and brain as well as protecting the immune system.
4. Omega 3 fatty acids with high levels of EPA and DHA.
5. Magnesium Glycinate or Magnesium Theonate to promote calm and overall better health.
6. An all-purpose digestive enzyme.

And be sure to incorporate these lifestyle changes into your life—exercise, relaxation and good sleep. Exercise naturally eases stress, releases ‘feel-good’ hormones, balances your gut bacteria, increases blood flow and helps balance blood sugar. Good sleep helps to ‘rewire’ the brain, eases stress and reboots the brain.

You should have the privilege to live a life that is alert, awake, engaged, present, focused, joyful and balanced. Making these changes in your diet and lifestyle, while healing your body will most definitely help heal your brain as well. You cannot have a truly healthy body without a healthy brain too.

Your body, your brain, your gut, and your health. All are one. Nourish your body and your mind will be nourished as well.

We have been told for many years to eat your five a day to keep a healthy body, but this one fruit is revolutionary in brain health…

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References
Report on brain aging at the National Institute on Aging:
Elias, M., 2005. “Want a Sharp Mind for Your Golden Years? Start Now,” USA Today, Aug 17, 2005. [accessed April 20, 2007] http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-08-17-save-your-brain_x.htm.

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Ever heard someone say, “trust your gut”?

If your gut microbiome is off, it can cause you to feel anxious and depressed. What’s more, an unhealthy gut microbiome can actually be the cause of more serious psychiatric disorders like bipolar disorder and even schizophrenia. We used to think these mental disorders were all in our head, but really, they stem from our guts.

Even Hippocrates knew this vital fact: disease begins in the gut, and as we have been discovering, he is exactly right. A gut that is disrupted by antibiotics, a poor diet, or stress can cause anxiety disorders as well as depression. Yes, your gut bacteria have a strong effect on your mood and mental state.

Almost 20 percent of the U.S. population suffers from some type of anxiety disorder, and that only counts the ones who are officially diagnosed. The number of people who suffer from anxiety, depression and other mood disorders is probably much higher.

Anxiety can be paralyzing, causing fear, apprehension, and panic attacks. It affects all parts of life too. Many people turn to pharmacological medications to help, but these often have negative side effects, like being addictive or making you sleepy. And these meds don’t get to the heart of the problem—fixing your gut.

Serotonin and other brain neurotransmitters are thought to originate in the brain, but many of these important brain chemicals are manufactured in your gut. Yes, your gut. And if your gut does not have the right balance of healthy bacteria, it will have a definite effect on your moods.

In fact, the field of psychiatry is actually beginning to understand that a wide variety of mood and mental disorders are related to the gut-brain pathway. Even things like:
ADHD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Your gut and your brain communicate directly through the vagus nerve, as well as your spinal cord. The vagus nerve connects the central nervous system to your heart, lungs, and digestive tract. In addition, many different types of bacteria in the gut help to synthesize 90 percent of necessary neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine and GABA.

These neurotransmitters are responsible for those happy, ‘feel-good’ and calm feelings. The gut microbiome is also directly or indirectly responsible for other important brain chemicals including brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF.

It’s interesting to note that there have been notable differences in the gut microbiome with mood disorders in human studies. In other words, depressed or anxious people have a very different gut profile than a healthy person.

Now, compound the issues of the delicate balance of the microbiome with gluten intolerance or celiac disease. There is a very strong link between celiac disease and psychological state. Anxiety, depression and fatigue are even more common in those with some degree of gluten sensitivity.

Along with an imbalance of appropriate gut bacteria, the inflammation and malabsorption in the small intestine can create problems that result in malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies.

Vitamins and minerals such as B6, B12, folate, vitamin D, vitamin K, iron and calcium are synthesized and absorbed in the gut. Many of these vitamins are also associated with mood, especially the B vitamins, which have much to do with nerve and brain function. A deficiency in these can most definitely cause depression, anxiety and even schizophrenia and dementia.

These vitamin deficiencies and malabsorption severely affect the body’s ability to produce the necessary ingredients for serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine, making someone who has gluten sensitivity even more prone to mood disorders.

In 1967, a doctor discovered that a large portion of the patients in an inpatient psychiatric unit happened to also have had a major history of gluten intolerance. Many physicians have also noticed that their celiac patients were about 10 times more likely to have schizophrenia or other serious psychological disorders, as compared to their non-celiac patients.

In addition, epidemiological studies of Pacific Islanders and other populations have shown a strong, dose-dependent relationship between wheat consumption and schizophrenia. While gluten-free populations studied have extremely rare occurrences of schizophrenia, there are about 1 in 100 cases of schizophrenia here in the wheat eating U.S. And when populations have Westernized their diets to add more wheat products, sugar and beer (which contains gluten) schizophrenia becomes much more common.

Coincidence? I think not.

Gluten also causes tiny micro-holes in the gut, creating a syndrome called leaky gut syndrome. This causes tiny protein molecules from food to leak out into the body, creating an inflammatory immune response and causing food allergies.

The body reacts to these foreign molecules as it would pathogens, attacking them and mounting an immune defense. This not only weakens our defenses against REAL pathogens, but it also creates a whole cascade of reactions in the body like abdominal swelling, joint aches, brain fog, headaches, rashes and more.

Gluten intolerance also can be related to mood swings, depression, anxiety, irritability, anger management problems and social phobias.

A healthy gut microbiome is important to our health and well-being even as babies. It has been found that babies who have been born vaginally have a healthier, more well-balanced gut microbiome than babies who were born via C-section. This is because a vaginal birth helps to populate an infant’s gut with the appropriate bacteria to start life.

Fix Your Gut and Change Your Moods for the Better!

A healthy gut should have a diverse, robust microbiome that protects and nourishes the body.  Unfortunately, many factors present in our daily lives contribute to gut damage:

• Antibiotics
• Refined sugar
• Refined carbohydrates and grains, especially wheat
• Industrially processed vegetable oils like canola oil, soy oil, corn oil, etc.
• Inadequate intake of healthy fiber-especially vegetable fiber
• Drinking too much alcohol
• Chronic stress
• Foods containing grain and gluten

So how do we get back to a healthy microbiome in our guts and back to a happy, healthy, relaxed state of mind? First, realize there is no ONE perfect diet or a perfect microbiome, but we do know the elements that go into creating a healthy microbiome in our guts.

Most importantly, we have to remove the junk food that feeds the unhealthy bacteria and allows it to over populate our guts. Remove foods that contain sugar, refined carbohydrates, and especially foods containing gluten. While there is a lot of controversy out there about who is gluten intolerant and who isn’t, its better to just avoid gluten all together. It’s not so hard to be gluten-free these days, and your body and your mind will be far better off if you just remove the inflammatory substance.

Removing sugar and starchy foods will also help to starve out the overgrowth of candida, and other harmful pathogens, that are most certainly flourishing in your gut if you eat a high-carb diet.

Eat more healthy fiber—from vegetables, primarily. Healthy fiber from vegetables and fruit helps to feed the healthy bacteria in your gut, while ‘sweeping’ away the harmful gunk that may have built up.

Keep your diet to mostly healthy naturally-raised proteins, and organic vegetables. Avoid grains and other high carbohydrate foods. Drink bone broth. Bone broth contains healing ingredients, including collagen and glycerin that help to repair leaky guts and to soothe and nourish your insides, all the while encouraging the growth of healthy bacteria.

Consume lots of naturally fermented foods like (low sugar) yogurt, kefirs, kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, and tempeh.

Consider taking a probiotic—especially if you have recently taken antibiotics. Certain probiotic strains of bacteria are especially helpful to encourage growth of healthy bacteria in your gut. And when you have lots of healthy bacteria, that bad stuff cannot grow. There are a few specific kinds that have been known to be especially helpful to improve anxiety or depression in clinical trials.

Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Bifidobacterium bifidum, and Bifidobacterium longum have all been shown to decrease feelings of anxiety and/or depression in human clinical trials. There are a huge variety of probiotic supplements are on the market, but they can be broken down into five main varieties:

• Lactobacillus
• Bifidobacterium
• Saccharomyces boulardii (healthy fungus)
• Soil-based or spore-forming probiotics
• E. coli Nissle 1917 (healthy form of E. coli)

Everyone’s microbiome is individual and everyone has a different mix of healthy bacteria. It’s best to try a few different kinds of probiotics or try a probiotic supplement that contains 3-5 of the above strains. And give it about 6-8 weeks. While you may feel some relief right away, clearing out those toxic and inflammatory pathogens that are anchored in your gut may take a while—as does re-establishing all those happy, healthy critters.

A healthy happy state of mind starts in your gut. Take care of it, and feed only those healthy bacteria. You may change your entire life for the better!

If you are looking to keep your gut health in check, along with addressing your weight, digestive issues, carvings, and even fatigue, check this out.

Discover the “health” foods you need to remove from your diet NOW.

References:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201103/wheat-and-schizophrenia
https://chriskresser.com/your-gut-microbiome-and-anxiety-whats-the-connection/
https://www.beyondceliac.org/living-with-celiac-disease/psychological-impacts/

The post The Bacteria in Your Gut Determine Your Moods appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

Medical and recreational marijuana continues to be a controversial and highly charged subject, although many states, as well as a few countries, have now made marijuana legal for medical use, and recreational use.

Recent studies on marijuana and its compounds show a variety of therapeutic and medical uses. Marijuana, or cannabis, as it is officially called, contains somewhere around one to four hundred compounds called ‘cannabinoids’. Cannabinoids are one of a class of naturally occurring chemical compounds in marijuana that affect the neurotransmitters in the brain. One of the most well-known cannabinoids in marijuana is tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, as it is commonly known, which is the primary substance in marijuana that creates the ‘high’. Cannabidiol or CBD is another active compound of both marijuana and hemp, which does not affect the brain or get you ‘high’ but is known for its many other health benefits.

Cannabis has two primary strains or species: Cannabis Sativa and Indica. Both strains contain the active ingredients, CBD and THC, and both varieties are used for therapeutic treatments—although they differ significantly in chemical composition and their medical applications.

Sativa strains produce more of an alert, euphoric high, are neuro-protective, anti-depressant, anti-convulsant, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory; while the Indica variety helps to relax muscles, relieve pain, stimulate the appetite, and help with sleep. Many different varieties of hybrid combinations of Sativa and Indica also exist with differing levels of both CBD and THC as well as other active compounds.

The numerous cannabinoids in cannabis create various effects in the body. In the 1990’s a well-known Israeli scientist, Dr. Ralph Mechaoulam, discovered a system within our own bodies that contains receptors for the compounds in cannabis. This system was named the “Ednocannabinoid System”. This EC system actually contains receptors that connect with CBD, THC and at least two other related substances in cannabis.

Interestingly enough, our bodies have these cannabinoid receptors in the brain, lungs, kidneys, immune system and other parts of the body that link up with the cannabinoids in marijuana when it is ingested, inhaled or applied. This is why therapeutic use of marijuana has very specific effects on different parts of the body.

Marijuana has actually been in use medicinally for thousands of years, but in our recent history it has been against the law—until just a few years ago when many states began to allow its medicinal use—and some states now allow both medical and recreational use. CBD oil however, does not get a person ‘high’, and so has come to light recently as a major therapeutic agent for serious diseases and chronic health issues. It is important to note, that the CBD compound when isolated, does not contain any of the psychoactive compounds, and is more readily available from physicians and more likely to be legal in many areas.

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has classified cannabis (mostly because of the THC content) as a Schedule 1 controlled substance. Schedule 1 drugs are the highest level of controlled substances and include heroin, LSD, and cocaine. Schedule 1 drugs are classified as illegal because they have high abuse potential, no medical use, severe safety concerns, and are highly addictive. It seems odd that marijuana is included in this category of drugs, because not only does it not fit the Schedule 1 parameters, but it is considered legal in many states and some countries as a medicinal and therapeutic drug.

This classification makes it rather difficult to study cannabis for all of its incredible health effects. In spite of the difficulties, many studies have been conducted, and both CBD and THC have a wide range of physical and mental health applications, but CBD is used more frequently for health applications because of the fact that it does not contain psychoactive compounds and is more accessible to the general public.

According to a 2013 study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, CBD benefits include anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant, antioxidant, anti-nausea, anti-anxiety, and even antipsychotic. It has been used very effectively to treat cancer, nerve inflammation and pain (peripheral neuropathy), epilepsy, nausea and vomiting, anxiety, schizophrenia and more.

Let’s look at some of the ways that CBD works as a non-pharmacological therapeutic agent.

Relieves Pain and Inflammation

CBD works as well or better than opioids in relieving pain by inhibiting the nerve transmission in the pain signaling pathways, without the tolerance or addiction of an opioid drug. CBD oil is often used by people who have chronic pain. While it works to reduce pain, it also reduces inflammation (often a big part of pain), and overall discomfort that is related to many health conditions.

Studies conducted on CBD and pain management offer great promise, especially as a substitute for medications that may be addictive, harmful to the liver, or have other unwanted side effects. With the current opioid addiction problem the United States and other countries are experiencing, it seems a safe and viable alternative for pain management.

A 2012 study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine found that CBD significantly suppressed chronic inflammatory and nerve pain in rodents without causing any tolerance to the treatment. Another review of multiple studies showed that a combination of CBD and THC was found very effective in treating the pain associated with Multiple Sclerosis, which is often very debilitating in 50-70% of patients.

CBC has also shown a lot of promise for those with pain and inflammation due to arthritis as well. This 2016 study looked at application of a CBD gel to inflamed areas and found reduced pain and inflammation in the affected joints—with no side effects.

Cannabinoids vs. Opioids

A huge benefit of cannabis is the fact that there’s no risk of addiction, overdose or death. In fact, research shows a 20% decline in opioid overdose deaths in states that have legalized medical marijuana, suggesting legalizing medical marijuana nationwide could save up to 10,000 lives a year. Much evidence exists that suggests that cannabis is helpful for those already struggling with opioid addition, helping to ease withdrawal symptoms, and reduce pain. In this survey, 65% of older patients using cannabis for pain treatment were able to decrease or stop using opioid medications altogether.

One of the participants in the survey wrote, “My quality of life has increased considerably since starting medical marijuana. I was on opiates for 15 years, and after six months on marijuana, [I’m] off both completely.”

Well-known physician Dr. Sanjay Gupta recently urged U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to change his stance on cannabis in order to slow down the opioid epidemic. Says Gupta,

            “Not only can cannabis work for a variety of conditions such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and pain, sometimes, it is the only thing that works … It is time for safe and regulated medical marijuana to be made available nationally. Perhaps most important, the compounds found in cannabis can heal the diseased addict’s brain, helping them   break the cycle of addiction. There is no other known substance that can accomplish all this. If we had to … design a medicine to help lead us out of the opioid epidemic, it would likely look very much like cannabis.”

CBD and THC Fight Cancer and Manage Pain

One of the promising areas for CBD oil has been for the treatment of cancer. Doctors working with medical cannabis have used it for cancer treatment side effects, such as nausea, loss of appetite, pain management, and to ease anxiety. And, National Cancer Institute (NCI) has pointed to CBD as a promising possibility for relieving the negative side effects caused by chemotherapy.

Cannabis has been used for many, many years to suppress nausea and vomiting that may come as a reaction to certain chemotherapy drugs. Research has shown that among the many cannabinoid compounds found in marijuana, both the intoxicating THC and the non-intoxicating CBD compounds help to diminish or prevent nausea and vomiting. This 2012 study published in the British Journal of Pharmacology shows these CBD benefits for preventing nausea and vomiting.

More importantly, new evidence now shows that both CBD and THC have some powerful cancer fighting effects as well, with many studies showing its ability to fight brain cancer, breast, prostate, ovarian, lung, thyroid, stomach, colon cancer, leukemia, and melanoma.

Cannabis’s ability to fight cancer is related to two different mechanisms: it’s ability to stop cancer growth by triggering the death of cancer cells (while leaving healthy cells untouched), and its ability to cut off the blood supply and nutrients to cancer cells.

Says Scientific American,

            “… while the available data are limited, research that has been conducted around antitumor effects of cannabinoids so far shows great promise. The International Journal of Oncology published a study last year, for example, indicating that cannabinoids successfully kill cancer cells, and the benefits increase when combined with chemotherapy.

            An early preclinical study we recently conducted also found that cancer cells derived from patient blood samples were differentially sensitive to the two main active compounds in cannabis — tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA).

            A number of other laboratory and animal studies have been conducted in recent years on colon, breast and brain cancers. They indicate that cannabinoids may inhibit tumor growth by blocking cell growth, causing cell death and blocking the development of blood vessels that tumors require to grow.”

CBD and THC Boost Cancer Drugs Effectiveness

According to the International Journal of Oncology study,  cannabinoids possess some powerful anticancer ability when used alone, but actually are even stronger when paired with certain cancer drugs. The best results were obtained when the cannabinoids were paired with the chemotherapy drugs, cytarabine and vincristine.

“Results show a number of cannabinoids could be paired together to generate an effect superior to that achieved if the components were used individually,” the researchers write, noting that CBD and THC together appeared to be more effective than together. When cannabinoids were administered after chemotherapy, it induced greater cancer cell death. When administered before chemotherapy, cell death did not occur as well.

Other research shows that CBD from hemp is powerful against ovarian cancer. Hemp and marijuana come from the same family of plants, but marijuana contains THC (the psychoactive component), while hemp contains primarily CBD, but not THC.

CBD Protects the Brain, Reduces Epileptic Seizures, Helps Ease Anxiety, and is Antipsychotic

Cannabis has actually been used for several decades for some seizure disorders. In fact, in 2015, the American Academy of Pediatrics updated its policy towards marijuana, acknowledging that the cannabinoid compounds, “…may currently be an option for … children with life-limiting or severely debilitating conditions and for whom current therapies are inadequate.”

CBD has been shown to be effective for epileptic seizures, without some of the negative side effects of epilepsy drugs used to control seizures. In one study, children with medication-resistant epilepsy had a 54% reduction in seizures after 3 months on a 98% CBD oil. Another study showed that 84% of the children with epilepsy reported a reduction in seizures while taking the CBD oil. Other benefits included increased alertness (some seizure medications can cause severe drowsiness), better moods, and even improved sleep patterns.

CBD oil also has a pharmacological profile similar to some antipsychotic drugs and is effective in treating schizophrenia, with few to no side effects. Other studies show cannabis can help to relieve depression, anxiety and stress. In one study, self-reported symptoms of depression decreased by 58%, and 94% reported less anxiety and stress symptoms. Cannabis is also effective at treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Some researchers have suggested that cannabis may also be effective for panic disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, and other anxiety-related disorders.

Helps Prevent Diabetes and Heart Disease

CBD has also been found beneficial at preventing diabetes. In a 2006 study on mice, it was found that CBD treatment reduced the incidence of diabetes from 86% in the non-treated group, to 30% in the CBD-treated group. It is thought that one of the reasons for this is that CBD reduces the inflammation that goes with diabetes, and it also aids the pancreas’ ability to produce insulin.

In 2013, the American Journal of Medicine published a study that looked at the benefits of marijuana use on glucose, insulin and insulin resistance among U.S. adults. The researchers found that current marijuana use was associated with 16 % lower fasting insulin levels. They also found significant associations between marijuana use and smaller waist circumferences, a factor that is tied to both diabetes and heart disease. And yes, this certainly seems to negate what us as laypersons think about marijuana’s effect on getting the “munchies” and weight gain!

Higher than normal blood sugar can also cause damage to the blood vessels, leading to heart disease. However, a study done in 2013 and published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, reports that CBD can protect against the damage caused by high blood glucose, reducing inflammation in the blood vessels, thereby reducing the incidence of heart disease along with diabetes.

Where Can I Get Cannabis Legally?

As of June, 2018, thirty states now allow medical marijuana to be sold, although the methods in each state and the laws may differ slightly. Nine states allow both medical marijuana and recreational sales. This website contains some of the information on state sales and regulations for the purchase of marijuana.

Cannabis can be used for health benefits via the following ways:

• Inhaled—This method generally has a very quick effect, as the cannabis is inhaled into lungs and absorbed through the capillaries where it quickly enters the bloodstream. The effects of inhaled cannabis last about four hours.
• Vaporization— Like a nebulizer treatment, cannabis can be heated to a temperature that will release the medication in vapors to be inhaled by the patient.
• Absorbed through the mouth or tongue–Made possible using oils or tinctures, it is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and provides a rapid effect. Highly recommended for non-smoking patients.
• Oral ingestion—Cannabis is also available through pills or other edible cannabis products in the form of gummies, candies, or brownies. The important thing to remember is because cannabinoids are fat-soluble, there may be issues when it comes to absorption depending on the patient’s metabolism. The best solution for this is cannabis butter, which is more easily absorbed.
• Topical application–Cannabis can be also applied as an ointment, lotion, or gel to treat skin inflammations, arthritis, and muscle pain.

What About CBD—Is It Legal?

CBD is more readily available in many states; however, the legality of CBD can vary greatly from state to state. CBD was recently ruled to be illegal—whether it is derived from hemp or cannabis—in states where marijuana is illegal. CBD’s legality was actually just clarified in court (May, 2018) to be a schedule 1 drug—no matter how illogical it sounds—including the CBD made from hemp plants, which contains no THC. Unfortunately, the laws surrounding CBD are a somewhat murky and messy patchwork that leave citizens without crystal-clear answers or protections. Some states have limited-access laws to protect citizens who use high-CBD/low-THC extracts to treat conditions such as epilepsy, while others have none at all.

Bottom line: Cannabis is legal for medical purposes in 30 U.S. states, which means CBD should be also be legal in those states. In nine states, marijuana is legal for both medical and recreational purposes, so CBD should be readily available in those states. Stay tuned as these laws and regulation regarding the use of medical CBD seem to be in flux.

CBD is very safe to use and has little side effects—especially when compared side by side to pharmaceutical medications. Synthetic versions of cannabinoids are also available for therapeutic use as well, but beware, because these are concentrated, they may have some side effects.

While more studies need to be conducted, CBD, THC, and other cannabinoids appear to be highly effective for many health issues and are definitely worth considering. Ask your physician or natural health provider for more information on products specific to your health needs.

Research relating to the use of cannabis can also be found on cancer.gov  (the U.S. government’s site on cancer). Enter “cannabis” into the search bar. You can also search the medical literature through PubMed, which is a public resource (again, simply enter “cannabis” or related terms into the search bar).

References
https://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=006473
https://articles.mercola.com/medical-marijuana-uses.aspx
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180423155046.htm
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/05/16/can-cannabis-fight-tumors.aspx
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/cannabis-versus-cancer/
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/patient/cannabis-pdq#link/_15
https://www.healthline.com/health/cbd-oil-for-pain#chronic-pain-relief
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21827451
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28560402
https://www.epilepsy.org.uk/news/news/study-confirms-safety-cannabis-drug-cbd-64709
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16698671

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