In today’s CBD health news, learn more about CBD has been touted as a natural treatment for the Anxiety disorder. But is CBD good for anxiety? Meanwhile, the Dutch government has committed €1.4 million to investigate the effects of cannabis oil on children with treatment-resistant epilepsy. Lastly, the Japanese government will permit the medical use of cannabis to treat individuals with incurable diseases, while cracking down on recreational users.
Specialists Discuss CBD for Anxiety for New Users
Original Source: Experts weigh in on what new users should know about CBD for anxiety
CBD has been marketed as a natural anxiety disorder treatment.
CBD is available at gas stations, spas, farmers markets, and grocery stores. It comes in sweets, tablets, tinctures, lozenges, and patches.
Does CBD help anxiety?
Cannabidiol for anxiety: experts weigh in.
CBD is an active component in marijuana, according to Harvard Health. Hemp, marijuana’s cousin, is where CBD comes from. CBD doesn’t get you high as THC does. It isn’t addicting by itself. Hemp-derived CBD is legal since hemp is legal.
The body’s endocannabinoid (eCB) system interacts with CBD. According to Harvard Health, the endocannabinoid system regulates most neurotransmitter levels and actions. The immunological and gastrointestinal systems benefit from it. The body has endocannabinoids and receptors. Internal and external stressors are integrated by the eCB system.
anxiety CBD
CBD does not alleviate sadness or anxiety, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. There aren’t enough controlled scientific research to recommend CBD for anxiety or depression. Experts suggest CBD may alleviate anxiety and sadness, but more research is needed.
Yet Staci Gruber, director of Marijuana Investigations for Neuroscientific Discovery (MIND) at Harvard’s McLean Hospital in Boston, recently co-authored a short study of 14 patients with moderate to severe anxiety that demonstrated CBD’s promise: After four weeks of full-spectrum CBD treatment, “patients reported lower anxiety as well as improvements in mood, sleep, quality of life and measures reflecting their self-control and ability to think flexibly.” Even better, they had no major side effects.
Considerations for anxiety treatment with CBD. CBD is a supplement, not a drug. As Gruber warns, “buyer beware.”
It’s helpful to know the differences between Whole Plant or Full Spectrum CBD, Broad Spectrum CBD, and CBD Isolate Compound.
Full-spectrum CBD includes THC, terpenes, and flavonoids. These parts work together to improve treatment. THC is below 0.3% in full-spectrum CBD. Marijuana’s “high” comes from THC. If used regularly, a full-spectrum CBD product’s THC concentration doesn’t induce a “high.” THC may induce a positive drug screening test if a person has used marijuana before.
Wide spectrum CBD is full spectrum CBD that has been processed to eliminate THC. It’s not THC-free.
CBD isolate is CBD without plant components like THC.
It’s crucial to verify CBD strength with an independent lab. “Avoiding items with toxins like heavy metals, aflatoxins, mold, or yeast is vital,” says Gruber. This can be confirmed by lab tests.
Before consuming CBD, consult a primary care doctor. Blood thinners can interact with it.
Dr. David Streem, a Cleveland Clinic psychiatrist, reportedly noted, “Trying a CBD product with advice from your doctor is less harmful.” “But, be aware of the product’s effects. If it bothers you, quit using it.”
CBD dose for anxiety?
CBD products don’t have dosages. Product type determines dose. For instance, CBD Isolate needs a larger dose. Gruber suggests starting with a modest dose and progressively increasing it until the desired effect is achieved.
Dutch Government Funds Whole-plant CBD Epilepsy Study
Original Source: Dutch government pledges €1.4million for study on whole-plant CBD in epilepsy
The Fair Use of Medicines program has awarded €1.4 million to the UMC Utrecht Brain Center and other Dutch organizations for a four-year study of high-CBD oil’s impact on severe epilepsy in children.
Bedrolite, a Dutch Transvaal pharmacy’s whole-plant high-CBD oil manufactured from Bedrocan medicinal cannabis, will be used in the research.
Seizure length, sleep, and alertness will be examined as well as the oil’s effects on seizure reduction.
In summer 2023, 50 participants will begin the experiment, which will treat the first patients by year’s end.
The trial requires patients to suffer at least eight epileptic seizures per four weeks and not having taken CBD oil to treat them.
Researcher Floor Jansen
After the study, lead researcher Floor Jansen thinks neurologists can better anticipate which patients may benefit from CBD.
She said, “Our research focuses on the individual. Instead of a group, we evaluate the drug’s efficacy per patient. We’re interested in reducing assaults, but we also consider other patient outcomes. Consider less emergency medication for extended episodes, a shift in attentiveness, or a better night’s sleep.”
requests that the UK government follow suit
UK children with treatment-resistant epilepsy receive bedrolite, including two on the NHS.
While many of these have experienced a considerable reduction in seizures and improvements in quality of life, regulators have consistently urged for further “high quality” evidence before these medications may be dispensed more widely through the healthcare system.
The Netherlands’ news has spurred requests for the UK government to fund clinical research.
Intractable Epilepsy’s chair, Jo Griffiths, wants the UK to match the €1.4million for Bedrocan product randomised control trials (RCTs).
She told Cannabis Health: “Intractable Epilepsy aids families with private medicinal cannabis expenditures, provided it has been prescribed for at least six months.” But, some families cannot afford a private consultation. Gold standard RCTs are needed to give full-extract medicinal cannabis to all children and young adults with intractable epilepsy.
“Therefore, we are asking on the UK government to match the Dutch government’s €1.4million towards trials and launch an NHS trial using the same oils.
“The NHS has prescribed the same oils to two children in the UK during the past four years, while others pay privately and some families are going to the unregulated black market.”
Except than Epidiolex for Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome seizures, the British Paediatric Neurology Association (BPNA) does not promote cannabis-based drugs. Due to “no evidence” of these items’ safety and efficacy, it asserts.
Intractable wrote to the BPNA, which said it was “ready to engage” with Dutch colleagues to create a “bigger evidence basis.”
Intractable wants an observational research of whole-plant cannabis oils’ effects on long-term users.
She said, “Alongside a UK RCT, we would like to examine the Health Select Committee’s 2019 observational trial for those already using full-extract oils.”
“It would be sensible of the government and NHS to take part in these trials to build the evidence basis that over 50 youngsters have proved over the last four years.”
Last year’s NHS trial updates remain unfulfilled.
The then Minister for Care and Mental Health, Gillian Keegan, told Parliament in March 2022 that the NHS and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) were “working closely” on two RCTs to examine the effects of CBD, CBD plus THC, and a placebo.
There have been no updates on these studies.
Medical Marijuana Legalized in Japan
Original Source: Japan to legalise medical cannabis
Local media says that the Japanese government would propose numerous legislation to the Diet, Japan’s national legislature, during the current session, including one to revise the Cannabis Control Act.
Japan prohibits cannabis possession, sale, cultivation, and medication production. The proposed change would allow cannabis-derived medications for refractory epilepsy sufferers.
The US FDA and European health authorities have approved Epidyolex, a pharmaceutical CBD oil used to treat uncommon resistant epilepsy, for use in Japan.
Yet, the proposed change would criminalize recreational cannabis users.
Cannabis consumption is not currently penalized to prevent hemp growers from inhaling intoxicating chemicals from the crop.
10,000 years ago, Japanese people used cannabis and hemp. Hemp, one of Japan’s oldest crops, is utilized for food, clothing, and Shinto rites.
The Japanese government seeks to curb youth cannabis use by cracking down on recreational use.
CBD market of hope
Together with this medical change, the Japanese CBD industry is growing significantly, reaching €120 million in 2022.
Products containing CBD, extracted and made only from the mature stems and seeds of the cannabis plant, are legal in Japan.
However, the importer must establish that CBD products do not contain THC and are extracted entirely from the stem and cultivated seeds. Imports and market prospects would grow if rules were based on extract composition rather than plant parts.
Vaping CBD is Japan’s preferred method. Its popularity is due to Japanese e-cigarette restrictions banning nicotine-containing vapes. CBD-containing liquids simulate vaping sans banned substances.
CBD topicals are prominent in Japan’s skincare sector.
Summary of Today’s CBD Health News
Overall, The Anxiety and Depression Association of America claims there is insufficient scientific evidence to support CBD’s use as a depression or anxiety treatment. CBD may help anxiety and depression, but there haven’t been enough controlled clinical trials to prove it. However, Staci Gruber, director of Marijuana Investigations for Neuroscientific Discovery (MIND) at Harvard’s McLean Hospital in Boston, co-authored a short study of 14 individuals with moderate to severe anxiety that indicated CBD’s potential: “Patients reported lower anxiety as well as improvements in mood, sleep, quality of life and measures reflecting their self-control and ability to think flexibly” after four weeks of full-spectrum CBD treatment. Better yet, no significant side effects occurred.
On the other hand, The Fair Use of Medicines programme of the Dutch government has granted €1.4 million to the UMC Utrecht Brain Center to conduct a four-year study on the effects of high-CBD oil in children with severe epilepsy.
Finally, the Japanese government aims to file numerous legislation, including one which would see the amendment of the Cannabis Control Act, during the current session of the Diet, Japan’s national legislature, according to local media sources. The current laws in Japan prohibit the manufacture of cannabis-based medicines as well as the possession, sale, and cultivation of cannabis for recreational and medical purposes. The proposed change would allow patients to utilize cannabis-derived medications for diseases including refractory epilepsy.
