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Jordan Nolan

Eng101

1 November 2017

New Outlook on Treatment

Physical and mental conditions are constantly being treated with medications from the

big pharmaceutical companies that produce synthetic medications that are bad for the body.

Researchers from all over the United States have found an alternative to the synthetic effects of

prescription medications to being medicinal marijuana properties of CBD. Cannabidiol or CBD

is a molecule found in the cannabis plant. CBD connects to our endocannabinoid system, making

it a great natural medicine. The beneficial effects it can bring to the table is pain relief, a decrease

in epileptic seizures, lessen withdrawals of opioid addiction, and assistance of many other

various medical conditions.

One positive effect of CBD is the relief it can give someone with physical pain. There is a

sizable epidemic of opioid addiction in our society today, due to the constant prescribing of pain

relieving medications made from synthetic materials; such as oxycodone or percocet. With new

research of CBD oils, there could be a positive outlook on pain management. This interaction

can be used to reduce opioid doses for pain management and slowly wean patients off opioid

medications altogether as they switch to cannabis based treatments.(Auerbach par.8) Your body

will grow resistance to the opioids resulting in need for constant dose increases and can damage

your liver. CBD is already attached to the surface of our cells, helping with the nervous system

where most pain patients problems are. CBD oil is an assist to our endocannabinoid system to

stimulate the listening receptors.(Jikomes par.7) When our neurons are over excited it can
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affect homeostasis, which is the balance of our body systems and can cause epileptic seizures as

well.

Another positive effect of CBD oil is the decrease or prevention it can bring for people

with epileptic seizures. Individuals with epilepsy suffer from multiple seizures a day, ranging

from double to triple digits, which has caused some of them to lose their ability to eat, talk, or

walk. (Interlandi par.2) In 2013, reports that a chemical called cannabidiol (CBD) had reduced

the seizures of a 6-year-old girl from near-death levels to almost zero sent desperate patients

everywhere on a frenzied quest for treatment.(Interlandi par.1) Seizures are caused by electrical

malfunctions of brain cells. It helps epilepsy patients because CBD has anticonvulsant properties

to it, which attaches to neurons to calm the electrical impulses. (How Does CBD par.5)

Lastly, CBD can bring positive effects to treatment for anxiety and depression. Many of

my family members are in the group of suffers with this condition. They use CBD and it helps

them stay calm and get through daily routine of work, caring for children, or doing household

duties. The prescription medications they took in the past didnt help them at all and they were

still having panic attacks multiple times a day. 5-HT1A is a subtype of the serotonin receptor,

which is important because anxiety and depression can sometimes be treated with medications

that target the serotonin system. Similar to SSRIs, CBD may boost signaling through serotonin

receptors.(How Cannabidiol (CBD) Works par.6&7) For some people synthetic medications

dont interact with their bodies and natural medications are the only thing that works.

As research progresses on CBD chemical research there will be an uplift of positive

effects in our society. Patients with chronic pain, opioid addiction, anxiety, and many other
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disorders will see progression in their prognosis. Most causes of these conditions involve the

brain or nerves and CBD has a great positive interaction with it.
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Work Cited

Auerbach, Ashley. The Biology of Cannabis vs. Opioids for Pain Relief. Leafly, 31 July 2017,

www.leafly.com/news/science-tech/medical-marijuana-opioid-pain-relief-substitute.

Jikomes, Nick. CBD and the Brain: What Does It Do and What Is It Good For? Leafly, 7 Oct. 2017,

www.leafly.com/news/science-tech/what-does-cbd-do.

Jikomes, Nick. What Is the Endocannabinoid System and What Is Its Role? Leafly, 1 Mar. 2017,

www.leafly.com/news/science-tech/what-is-the-endocannabinoid-system.

Interlandi, Jeneen. Can Cannabis Oil Really Treat Seizures? Consumer Reports,

www.consumerreports.org/seizures/cannabis-oil-cbd-treat-seizures/.

How Does CBD Help Epileptic Seizures? CBD International, 12 June 2017,

cbd-international.net/cbd-help-epileptic-seizures/.

Kossen, Jeremy. How Cannabidiol (CBD) Works for Treating Anxiety. Leafly, 22 Aug. 2017,

www.leafly.com/news/health/cbd-for-treating-anxiety