"CBD & Seizures in Lennox–Gastaut syndrome"

 

Researchers provide further evidence that the cannabis compound, CBD, is effective at reducing seizures in people with epilepsy.

The new study reveals CBD significantly reduced seizures in people with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Previously, the researchers demonstrated CBD was effective at seizure control in Dravet syndrome.

Cannabidiol (CBD), a compound derived from the cannabis plant that does not produce a “high” and has been an increasing focus of medical research, was shown in a new large-scale, randomized, controlled trial to significantly reduce the number of dangerous seizures in patients with a severe form of epilepsy called Lennox–Gastaut syndrome.

In the new study comparing 2 doses of CBD to a placebo, the researchers reported a -41.9% reduction in “drop seizures” (a type of seizure that results in severe loss of muscle control and balance) in patients taking a 20 mg/kg/d CBD,
-a 37.2 percent reduction in those on a 10 mg/kg/d CBD and
-17.2 percent reduction in a group given a placebo.

“This new study adds rigorous evidence of cannabidiol’s effectiveness in reducing seizure burden in a severe form of epilepsy and, importantly, is the first study of its kind to offer more information on proper dosing,”
says Dr. Devinsky.

"GPR55 The third Cannabinoid Receptor (CB3)"

Finding the CB3 receptor could mean huge medical advancements for cannabis medicine.Originally called GPR55 after the gene that encodes it, the CB3 receptor is an exciting discovery for science. It is now clear this receptor is part of the Endocannabinoid System and interacts with endocannabinoids and phtyocannabinoids like THC and CBD.

Every animal, have an Endocannabinoid System. Cannabinoid receptors are found throughout the body. But where has CB3 been hiding? Well, turns out it hasn’t exactly been hiding. It’s more like researchers didn’t connect it to endocannbinoid activity before now.

Firstly, the two most researched receptors are CB1 and CB2. While CB1 receptors are prominent in the central nervous system, and CB2 receptors typically reside in the immune system. CB3 receptors were incognito, previously identified as GPR55. At first, science didn’t know that this receptor even accepted cannabinoids.

The CB3 receptor stayed hidden from scientists because it’s so unlike the other cannabinoid receptors. It only shares 13% of amino acid identity with them. It simply doesn’t look like it would react with cannabis, so scientists on the hunt for new cannabinoid receptors passed over it for years. This designation means that while the receptor had been found, science doesn’t yet know what activated that receptor.

When CB3 was first discovered in 1999, many doubted it was a cannabis receptor. It wasn’t until real proof came along years later that medical researchers accepted that GPR55 was indeed the 3rd Cannabinoid Receptor.

"SAFE & LEGAL ACCESS TO MEDICAL CANNABIS AND CANNABIDIOL (CBD)"

While not everyone with epilepsy should or would consider medical cannabis or cannabidiol (CBD) as a treatment option, some people living with uncontrolled seizures have reported beneficial effects and reduced seizure activity when using medical cannabis, especially strains rich in CBD. Further research is needed on the effects of medical cannabis on epilepsy, but when recommended by a treating physician, medical cannabis may be the best alternative for some individuals living with drug-resistant epilepsy and uncontrolled seizures.

Access to medical cannabis will support increased research efforts and allow individuals who have failed to gain seizure control an option for treatment.

"Use of CBD in the Treatment of Epilepsy: Efficacy and Security in Clinical Trials"

CBD has received a great scientific interest thanks to its medical applications. 

In recent years, the scientific community has shown interest in this compound also due to its good safety profile and neuroprotective properties  in several neurodegenerative diseases.

CBD also generating interest due to its therapeutic properties such as antidepressant, antipsychotic, analgesic, and antitumor. 


In addition, it has been shown that CBD can significantly reduce two important forms of anxiety, namely obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

CBD shows anti-inflammatory properties in several experimental studies, modulating some pro-inflammatory cytokines and tumor necrosis factor as well as regulation of cell cycle and immune cells’ functions

Moreover, for a long time, the CBD has been investigated for its anticonvulsant effects. Several studies confirmed its efficacy in the treatment of epileptic seizures, especially in pediatric age. In 2016, the first results of  clinical trials showed beneficial effects of CBD in treatment-resistant seizure disorders, including Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) and Dravet syndromes (DS).

The purpose of this paper wich published in  12 April 2019 from the 'Molecules Open Access Journals' is to evaluate the use of CBD, in addition to common anti-epileptic drugs, in the severe treatment-resistant epilepsy through an overview of recent literature and clinical trials aimed to study the effects of the CBD treatment in different forms of epilepsy. 

The results of scientific studies obtained so far the use of CBD in clinical applications could represent hope for patients who are resistant to all conventional anti-epileptic drugs.

"Neuroprotective Effects Of Cannabis" by Sensi Seed

Following on from our recent article on the relationship between cannabis use and stroke, we now investigate the role of cannabinoids in mitigating brain damage caused by traumatic brain injury and ischemic stroke. There is mounting evidence to suggest that their various properties have great therapeutic potential.

-Antioxidative & anti-inflammatory properties

In recent years the evidence for the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties of various cannabinoids has become well-established, and our understanding of the role they play in modulating neurotransmission too has grown. Thus, serious consideration is now being given to their potential as neuroprotective agents. Cannabinoids have been shown to prevent neuronal death in acute neuronal injury, including Ischemic Stroke (IS) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), as well as provide symptomatic relief in Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Huntington’s disease, and other chronic neurodegenerative diseases.

"CBD and Epilepsy"

Epilepsy is a common neurologic disorder, it is estimated that ∼50 million people are affected worldwide. 

About one third of those patients are drug resistant, defined as failure to stop all seizures despite adequate trials of at least 2 appropriate medications.

CBD (cannabidiol) has been shown to be an effective treatment for epilepsy, particularly in reducing the frequency and severity of seizures in people with certain types of epilepsy.

In 2018, the FDA approved a CBD-based medication called Epidiolex for the treatment of two rare forms of childhood epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome. Clinical trials showed that Epidiolex significantly reduced the number of seizures in patients with these conditions.

CBD works by interacting with the body's endocannabinoid system, which plays a role in regulating various bodily functions, including mood, pain, and sleep. It is thought that CBD may help to reduce seizures by interacting with certain receptors in the brain and nervous system.

There has been an enormous interest in developing antiepileptic drugs with novel mechanisms of action. This review discusses the evidence supporting the anticonvulsant properties of cannabis in humans, focusing on cannabidiol.

"CBD & Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome"

Patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a rare, severe form of epileptic encephalopathy, are frequently treatment resistant to available medications. 

Until now there are few controlled studies that have investigated the use of cannabidiol for patients with seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.




But in this study, which was published on March 17,2018 in the Lancet Jurnals, the reserchers assessed the efficacy and safety of cannabidiol as an add-on anticonvulsant therapy in this population of patients.

 The study...

In 24 clinical sites in the USA, the Netherlands, and Poland, reserchers investigated the efficacy of cannabidiol as add-on therapy for drop seizures in patients with treatment-resistant Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.All patients had Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, including a history of slow spike-and-wave patterns on electroencephalogram, evidence of more than one type of generalised seizure for at least 6 months, at least two drop seizures per week during the 4-week baseline period, and had not responded to treatment with at least two antiepileptic drugs.

"9 year old girl has been nearly seizure-free since she started taking cannabis oil"

Teagan Appleby, from Aylesham, Kent, was born with the rare chromosome disorder isodicentric chromosome 15 syndrome, which led to her being diagnosed with severe Lennox Gastaut Syndrome epilepsy when she was just four years old.

The youngster's condition became so bad she was unable to eat and even had to be put in a medically-induced coma after she had five seizures over eight days last summer.

After having one of the worst cases of epilepsy her doctors have ever seen, Teagan has only had seizures while asleep, and none while awake, since she started taking cannabis oil in July. 

Teagan's mother Emma Appleby, 35, claims she was forced to call for an ambulance at least once a week before her daughter started taking cannabis oil. 

Speaking before, Ms Appleby said: 'It just got really bad, very quickly. She seizures every day and she can seizure up to 300 times a day.

'She's lost all of her skills – she didn't have many because she's been delayed anyway.

'Before she had epilepsy she could run around in the garden and feed herself but now she is completely dependent on someone to look after her.

"End Our Pain” campaign... 18 mothers plan to go on hunger strike for sons cannabis treatment"

Unbelievably, a Scottish mother and 17 other mothers in similar situations plan to go on a hunger strike in an effort to pressure the government into providing funding for the medicine their children need!

Murray Gray has a rare form of epilepsy called Doose syndrome that requires a treatment of Bedrolite and Bedrocan.

{Bedrolite is the brand name for the cultivar Cannabis sativa L. ‘Rensina’, is a so-called CBD-only product, with less than 1% THC and 9% CBD and has become the preferred choice of a number of patients with severe, intractable (untreatable) forms of epilepsy.

Bedrocan is the brand name for the cultivarCannabis sativa L. ‘Afina’ wich is the first cultivar developed and it features 22% THC, with a CBD-level below 1%. ... Guess what...both prodused by Bedrocan} 

Those drugs was prescribed by a Dutch doctor in March but at a cost of £1,200 a month, his mother, Karen Gray has had to rely on fund raising efforts such as a recent sponsored walk across the Forth Road Bridge and an upcoming Race Night planned for November

'I smuggled cannabis oil to help my son'

Former police officer Lisa Quarrell never imagined she would break the law - but this year she began smuggling a cannabis product into Scotland.

Lisa, from East Kilbride, travelled to the Netherlands to bring back a medical cannabis oil to give to her six-year-old son Cole, who has severe epilepsy.

Cole has had brain surgery and tried many anti-epileptic drugs, but nothing was helping his seizures.Lisa has spent thousands of pounds to bring the drug back illegally.She told BBC Disclosure: "I'd sell my house. I would. I can't let him get sicker. I need to get him better. There's nothing else for it."

But now her smuggling days could be behind her after Cole was prescribed cannabis oil legally by a private London hospital.Lisa, left policing five years ago to look after Cole, who was diagnosed with severe epilepsy as a baby.

A bad day for Cole could mean up to 16 seizures, most of which would happen at night.She said: "He'll convulse, he'll click in his mouth, his eyes will roll back, he'll drop to the floor with no notice.It's the most heart-breaking thing to watch. Two-and-a-half minutes has never felt so long as when you're watching your child take a seizure."
"Cole had never had a dream because he didn't get to sleep long enough or deep enough to ever have a dream."

"Beyond the CB1 & CB2... The Therapeutic Promise of TRPV1 & GPR55 Receptors"

If you’re familiar with cannabis science, you know about CB1 and CB2, the receptors located throughout the body that are triggered by cannabinoids like tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). 
It’s via these receptors that THC and CBD are able to bring about some of the therapeutic effects that cannabis is known for.

While CB1 and CB2 get the most attention—likely because we know the most about them—there are other receptors in the body that also respond to cannabinoids, like TRPV1 and GPR55. These receptors are influenced by THC and CBD, as well as anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), endocannabinoids made by our bodies.

"Research on the TRPV1 and GPR55 receptors shows cannabinoids may hold promise in treating cancer and Dravet syndrome".

We’re beginning to gain a better understanding of TRPV1 and GPR55. Both hold much therapeutic promise, and CBD may be one of the ways to unlock this potential.

"Cannabidiol Significantly Reduces Seizures in Patients with Severe Form of Epilepsy"

Researchers provide further evidence that the cannabis compound, CBD, is effective at reducing seizures in people with epilepsy. The new study reveals CBD significantly reduced seizures in people with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Previously, the researchers demonstrated CBD was effective at seizure control in Dravet syndrome.

Cannabidiol (CBD), a compound derived from the cannabis plant that does not produce a “high” and has been an increasing focus of medical research, was shown in a new large-scale, randomized, controlled trial to significantly reduce the number of dangerous seizures in patients with a severe form of epilepsy called Lennox–Gastaut syndrome.

"Study Discover The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids"

In March 2016, the Health and Medicine Division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (the National Academies) was asked to convene a committee of experts to conduct a comprehensive review of the literature regarding the health effects of using cannabis and/or its constituents that had appeared since the publication of the 1999 IOM report Marijuana and Medicine. 

-The resulting Committee on the Health Effects of Marijuana consisted of 16 experts in the areas of marijuana, addiction, oncology, cardiology, neurodevelopment, respiratory disease, pediatric and adolescent health, immunology, toxicology, preclinical research, epidemiology, systematic review, and public health.


Given the large scientific literature on cannabis, the breadth of the statement of task, and the time constraints of the study, the committee developed an approach that resulted in giving primacy to recently published systematic reviews (since 2011) and high-quality primary research for 11 groups of health endpoints. For each health endpoint, systematic reviews were identified and assessed for quality using published criteria. Only fair- and good-quality reviews were considered by the committee. 

"Study Appears the Bennefits of CBD To Healthy Volunteers & Epileptic Patients"

Anecdotal reports on the antiepileptic properties of marihuana (Cannabis sativa) are known since ancient times. Rosenthal in 1971 mentioned medieval Arab manuscripts in which cannabis is describedas a treatment for epilepsy, as diuretic, anti-emetic, anti-epileptic, antiinflammatory, painkilling and antipyretic properties, among others. During the 19th century several medical reports were published on the ameliorative effects of cannabis extracts on several forms of convulsions.

In spite of promising results and its low toxicity,the use of cannabis preparations for medical purposes progressively decreased.  This was due to the absence of standardized preparations, the unknown chemical composition, and the psychotropic secondary effects produced by cannabis. 

This study supported from the US National Institutes of Mental Health and published on acsalaska.net.

‘Medical cannabis keeps my epileptic son alive’

When 12-year-old Billy Caldwell's medicinal cannabis was confiscated by British border forces last month, his life-threatening seizures returned almost immediately. His case sparked a fierce debate and access to his medicine hangs in the balance. In an exclusive interview, his mother, Charlotte, calls for urgent changes to UK drug laws...

"Does CBD Have Medical Benefits for Dogs"?

As with any pet wellness trend, when it comes to CBD oil for dogs, there’s a lot of information floating around online.

Of course, you want to do what’s best for your pup, which leads to the question: What do I need to know about CBD oil?

Every animal with a spinal column has an endocannabinoid system (ECS), which scientists estimate evolved more than 600 million years ago and has been carried forward across the millennia.

This ancient system—discovered through the work of several researchers between roughly 1965 and 1995—is named for Cannabis sativa L., the plant species that most dramatically affects it.

Its basic functions have been summarized as to “relax, eat, sleep, and protect.”


Ok all this, but how CBD Is Thought to Help Dogs...???

Researchers are still learning CBD’s specific effects on dogs, but here’s how the compound is thought to work:

Dogs have an endocannabinoid system (ECS), just like humans. 
The ECS is a network of cellular activators and receptors in the body that regulate physiological processes, including pain, mood, inflammation, stress, and more. 

CBD binds to and activates the vanilloid, adenosine, and serotonin receptors in a dog’s ECS and helps to regulate pain perception, inflammation, temperature, and more. It also boosts dopamine levels, helping to reduce anxiety and improve mood. 

CBD also blocks GPR55 signaling, which decreases cancer cell reproduction.

Meet the First Baby Ever Treated with Cannabis Oil at The Hospital

"For The First Time Ever, Cannabis Oil Will Be Used In A Hospital, 
 To Save A 2-Month-Old Baby Girl..."

In December, Nicole and Ernie Nunez brought their beautiful baby girl, Amylea, into the world. However, when they brought her home, things quickly took a turn for the worst.

Effect of Cannabidiol on Drop Seizures in the Lennox–Gastaut Syndrome

BACKGROUND

Cannabidiol has been used for treatment-resistant seizures in patients with severe early-onset epilepsy. We investigated the efficacy and safety of cannabidiol added to a regimen of conventional antiepileptic medication to treat drop seizures in patients with the Lennox–Gastaut syndrome, a severe developmental epileptic encephalopathy.