Beach Evening Seizures

It was fun for a bit, but I'm not sure what happened for another bit because Sophie had a bunch of seizures. Was it the THCa? Was it the last dregs in the bottle of CBD? Too much THC, perhaps? The seizures kept coming, unusually. They were very small -- which is also unusual, but constant. I didn't feel worried, though, which is unusual. We're skipping a dose of the CBD and perhaps stopping the THCa. Big sighs all around for a day that's done. Tomorrow is another day, as they say.

It's a big world and some thoughts about THCa

Once upon a time ....***





I honestly don't have much to say these days other than the occasional rant against the machine. I'll spare you my wrath and ire today.

Sophie continues to suffer from some withdrawal symptoms, so  we've added in a few drops of THCa, having learned that it's helpful in treating seizures, and the side effects of withdrawal from benzodiazepines, etc. Here's a brief description of it, via The Leaf Online.

Found in the trichomes, Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCa) is the acidic precursor to THC, which actually exists in only minute quantities in the living plant. In living cannabis, THCa is the most abundant cannabinoid and terpenoid, potentially reaching over 30% of the dry weight of any cannabis plant. Immediately after harvest, the THCa begins to be converted into THC, a process quickened by exposure to heat and sunlight. One main reason cannabis is cured is to convert the THCa into THC, as well as drying it out to make it easier to burn, thus releasing the remaining THCa as THC. Knowing about decarboxylating cannabis is crucial in making edibles, where one pre-cooks the bud  before making it into butter to raise the potency by converting THCa into THC.

Like all cannabinoids that exist in the living cannabis plant, THCa is non-psychoactive, though it still stimulates the appetite like THC. It also is a powerful anti-inflammatory, helps fight cancer and other tumors, aids with sleep, and more. Also like THC, an oral test has already been developed to detect THCa. While some sources show THCa to be a stable compound, Aphios research chemicals claims that it is very unstable and will breakdown into THC within weeks. It may have to do with the preparation of synthesized THCa used in their laboratory versus an active live-plant based THCa, but without further research the stability of THCa and how quickly it converts to THC is unknown.

Therapeutic Uses

Analgesic – Relieves pain.

Anti-Emetic – Reduces vomiting and nausea.

Anti-Inflammatory – Reduces inflammation.

Anti-Insomnia – Aids with sleep.

Anti-Proliferative – Inhibits cancer cell growth.

Antispasmodic –  Suppresses muscle spasms.

Modulates Immune System – THCa has been shown to both improve and potentially suppress the immune system functions.

Neuroprotective – Slows damage to the nervous system and brain.

An interesting thing to think about (at least for me) is that all of our tinkering with CBD and THCa is not replicable in these studies that some universities and big pharmaceutical companies are doing. In other words, we are working with a whole plant medicine, the whole plant, and we raise and lower the dose and then observe. We have found that Sophie has better seizure control with a smaller amount of CBD than a larger one. We have also found that she does better overall with a coconut-based oil rather than an olive oil. The studies being done at the University of California at San Francisco, the ones spearheaded by one of the mocking neurologists on the panel, are in a sesame oil base AND are synthetic AND are pure CBD (no THC at all) AND are pushed up to extremely high dosages. When this neurologist told us about the "explosive diarrhea" that was "under-reported" by apparently "untrustworthy mothers," what I thought was, "How the hell are they getting that much oil into the kid and doesn't sesame oil cause diarrhea?" I'll also admit to having a grand chuckle inside my tiny little mother mind at explosive diarrhea causing alarm, given the side effects that Sophie has been subject to over twenty years -- irritability, joint pain, depression, anorexia, depleted iron, impacted stool, increased seizures, ataxia, dizziness, headache, ulcers, suppressed immune system, strange fevers, skin rashes, hallucinations, etc. 


Anyhoo.

I'll keep you posted on the THCa. One thing I've noticed, so far, is less seizures. Again, that's anecdotal and observed by my tiny, little mother mind.

















***For those unaware, the photo is on La Brea here in Los Angeles on a billboard that often displays weird and mysterious photos. As you can see, it's Bruce Jenner in all his Olympian glory. I have vivid memories of crushing on him -- believing him to be the most beautiful man on the planet. He doesn't look like that anymore. He doesn't look like anyone anymore. Bless his heart. Life is weird and the world is big.

Inclusion, Disability, Iraq, and THCa

There's so much to ponder these days, don't you think? There's that Tumbler going around written by a young woman who cares for her disabled 31 year old sister because her parents died. They live in California and are facing the alarming lack of services and obstacles to getting those services that those of us who already live here are aware of to a nauseating degree. I and some other folks are "on it," though. Stay tuned. Then there's an interesting discussion on my own Facebook page, centered around this article, about the segregation of children with physical disabilities from the elite private schools in Washington, D.C. Some of the commenting got a little testy, including my own, but it's discouraging to think that in 2014, we're still having to not just fight for equal access and inclusion for all children but continue to bring awareness to these issues -- even in the biggest most progressive states in the country.

Sigh.

On another note, our more than a decade long war that resulted in hundreds of thousands of lives lost, thousands of those Americans, trillions of dollars spent and country bankrupted both financially and morally, seems to be imploding again.  That foreign policy "initiative" might have been the worst one our country made in history. And if I have to see or hear that crazy John McCain say anything else about it, I might scream. Honestly, the man should just retire to his hometown in Arizona and play golf. What do you think? Should we just continue to bury our heads in the proverbial sand or protest in some concrete way?

What do I know, though, about anything really? It's a full moon tonight -- the Honey Moon -- and while Sophie's seizures have picked up a bit, maybe because of it, I'm looking forward to seeing it from Calabasas where I'll be driving Henry later for his first club lacrosse practice. In the meantime, for the record, we've added THCa to Sophie's cannabis regime. I'll keep you posted.