BY RUTH HILL R.N.
The 16th Annual Concert for Autism returns to the Tack Room Tavern Indio CA. at the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. The Main Event was Saturday, October 21, from 3 p.m. to midnight. Autism (ASD) is a developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life. It impacts the normal development of the brain in areas of social interaction and communication skills. A person with ASD may exhibit repeated body movements, unusual responses to people or attachments to objects, resistance to changes in routine, and aggression. ASD is the fastest growing developmental disability in the country.
Vaccines and Autism: A Tale of Shifting Hypotheses
Childhood vaccines were considered the culprit, due to thimerosal, a preservative toxic to the nervous system. Today, the most commonly used vaccine preservative is aluminum, not thimerosal. According to a 2018 study, people with autism were found to have high amounts of aluminum in brain tissue.
In 2014 a senior scientist at the CDC admitted to omitting data suggesting 3.36 times increase in autism in African American males who received the MMR vaccine before the age of 36 months. The latest estimates show that 1 in 30, or 3.49%, of children ages 3 to 17 were diagnosed with ASD in 2020.
Environmental Toxins Affecting Autism
Stephanie Seneff has for decades investigated possible causes for the high rates of ASD in American children. Her YouTube video shows the increased risk for ASD when children are exposed to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup weedkiller that is also present in many foods.
Analysis of Safety and Efficacy
A study by Lihi Bar-Lev Schleifer and Raphael Mechoulam in 2019 looked at 188 children with ASD. They administered a cannabis product of CBD:THC 30:1.5. The parents were instructed to give a starting dose of (15mg:0.75mg) 3x/day. THC 3% was added to the evening dose of sleep disturbances. Individual doses ranged from 15mg TID to 300mg TID. It could take up to 2 months to find an optimal dose.
179 of the children continued treatment at 1 month. There is evidence in the literature that cannabis requires consistency and may see improved benefits the longer the child is on the dose prescribed. 48.7% reported significant improvement. 31.1% moderate improvement: 14% reported that cannabis did not help. 5% experienced side effects of sleepiness bad taste, restlessness, reflux, and lack of appetite.
Biomarkers Determining Effectiveness of Cannabis
Dr. Bonnie Goldstein is a pediatric physician, specializing in treating refractory childhood diseases with cannabis. Her groundbreaking research used cannabis-responsive Biomarkers, chemicals in our body, that are part of chemical pathways that help our cells to function. These chemical biomarkers can be picked up in saliva, or blood, and used to measure specific behaviors or diseases. An example is when a physician measures the white blood cell (WBC) count when someone gets an infection. WBC count is an example of a biomarker for infection. Another biomarker is the PSA level which shows prostate cancer.
Goldstein’s research measured 31 biomarkers for autism, that shifted physiological changes when cannabis was ingested. A number of studies found children with autism have low levels of anandamide (THC), which is a natural endocannabinoid that we make. Low levels, or a deficiency, of anandamide is present in autism. CBD is not a direct replacement for anandamide. It can help make the body’s own anandamide work better, but some patients need THC. We know from Dr. Mechoulam and others, that THC seems to be the direct replacement for anandamide.
Looking to the Future
Michelle Babitz, an Autism Special Needs Specialist, is creating a Soul of Autism Mastermind support community. Students and their families will be able to access this community 24/7 for advice and help. If you are interested in this endeavor visit michellebabitz.wixsite.com/soul-of-autism/support-guide. All founding members will also receive a copy of their e-copy book: “I Am David, A Journey to the Soul of Autism”
Learn Cannabis Education, Dosing Without the High on the 1st Saturday of the Month from 11 AM to 1 PM at the Vault Dispensary Lounge. Register Here. We are dark in September. send comments to cannaangel16@gmail.com.
