Looking for a medical application of CBD that is effective for what you want it to do but that won’t have any narcotic effect? Containing less than 1% of THC, Charlotte’s web is a strain or Charlotte’s Web CBD oil that has already been tested and proven to do the job without sending you flying. It effectively treat conditions such as PTSD and epileptic seizures, and it has already taken the world by storm.
Charlotte Figi’s Story
You may have already heard about this little girl that was experiencing over 300 epileptic seizures per week, but was successfully treated by a CBD-rich strain of Cannabis. The story went viral on the internet not too long ago, when Charlotte was about 6 years old. This particular strain of Cannabis helped her overcome these really bad paralyzing epileptic seizures when nothing else would help.
The seizure began when she was a mere 3 months of age, and a seizure could last for up to 30 minutes.
Years of Fighting
When the first seizure occurred her Parents rushed her to hospital. However, upon examination and after several tests, doctors could find nothing wrong her. They sent her home and all went well for a week, but then the next seizure occurred, which lasted a lot longer than the first one.
From that day on, Charlotte’s life became a nightmare. Uncontrollable seizures, ever increasing in quantity, length and severity, began occurring on a daily basis at a rate of several seizures per day.
Several tests for continually done, but the doctors remained none the wiser until one doctor suggested that she be tested for Dravet Syndrome (also called “myoklonische Epilepsie“) which is a very rare form of epilepsy.
Dravet syndrome is almost impossible to heal, meaning that it cannot be controlled by using medicine. It spontaneously develops in the child’s first year of life and the severity already increases during the second year. Muscle cramps and seizures can last for up to 30 Minutes.
When diagnosed, Charlotte was seemingly healthy. She underwent the same cognitive and physical development as her twin. However, when the seizures began to worsen and prescribed medication lost their effectiveness, Charlotte’s cognitive functions deteriorated to almost non-existent.
At the age of two and a half, her parents took her to the Children’s Hospital in Colorado, where she was positively tested for SCN1A, a genetic mutation that is a common denominator in around 80% of Dravet Syndrome cases. The outcome was devastating as well as a relief, for now they knew what was causing the hell that they and their daughter went through.
Searching for a Cure
Charlotte’s father, Matt, a member of the United States military, gave up his position to stay at home with his daughter. With only a few available treatment options, Matt and Paige began to look for options. At one point they even considered an experimental drug that was developed in France to treat seizures in dogs.
A specialist in Dravet Syndrome who suggested a ketogenic diet, which seemed to work at first, but with many undesirable side effects. Charlotte began to lose bone mass, developed behavioral problems and immune system degraded.
After two years of diet, the seizures relapsed.
The family was about to lose all hope when Matt saw a video of a Californian boy whose Dravet syndrome was successfully treated with a cannabis strain that had a low THC content and was rich in CBD. Scientists had found that CBD reduces the seizure causing chemical and electrical activities of the brain, without any obvious side effects. Ironically, the family was strongly opposed to the legalization of Cannabis at the time.
Benefits of Charlotte’s Web Strain
At that time it had already been determined that Cannabis has a multitude of beneficial medical qualities, and CBD oil had already gained governmental approval as a cure or treatment option for a multitude of diseases.
Note that the role of CBD in a patient with chronic pain or even cancer is already a proven fact. It is also highly efficient for the prevention of seizures. Also note that the particular strain used in Charlote’s case is no commonly used for smoking purposes, but is used to create tinctures that contains extremely low quantities of THC, or nor no THC at all. This strain was named “Charlotte’s Web, after the little girl who was successfully treated by it to the effect that her life was completely normalized.
The Focus on CBD not THC
Because of the extremely low or no existent THC levels in Charlotte’s Web, this particular strain is considered the ideal treatment against seizures.
Related Article: CBD vs THC
No Treatment was left- Only CBD
Interesting to note is that at the time of this discovery Charlotte had degenerated so far that she was no longer able to function. She lost her ability to eat, walk, and speak. She had 300 horrible seizures a week – seizures affecting the entire brain, leading to unconsciousness and muscle cramps.
These constant attacks became life threatening, having caused her heart to stop a few times.
Since they had no other choice because the medical profession couldn’t help, Paige decided to try Cannabis or CBD. It was easier said than done. They needed the support of two doctors before Charlotte could be enrolled in a medical Cannabis program, and the impact of Cannabis on children has not been well researched at the time. Charlotte would be the youngest subject of all time.
- Most doctors were reluctant to support the initiative because it was new territory – even in Charlotte’s case where there were no other options.
- Most studies that claim the above are based on those who started smoking Cannabis in their youth.
- There is not much known about how Cannabis works in children before youth – but Charlotte would never smoke it.
The first doctor who came on board was Dr. Margaret Gedde.
When Gedde learned about the severity of Charlotte’s condition and she had been close to death several times as a result, she saw no option but to support the use of Cannabis for Charlotte.
The second doctor Dr. Alan Shackelford, a Harvard-trained physician who had already worked with medical Cannabis patients.
The Power of CBD
Since this was new territory, and the video saw by Matt was a personal review, no one really knew what to expect so they only gave Charlotte a very small dose of the CBD-rich medicine. The results surpassed their wildest dreams. – was absolutely breath-taking. Charlotte soon became virtually free of seizures.
Charlotte’s Web Cbd Oil
A long story short, Paige contacted the Stanley brothers, the largest breeder of medical marijuana in Colorado. The agreed to supply to Paige and Matt, letting them have the Cannabis variety now aptly named Charlotte’s Web.
They have also established a non-profit foundation that supports those suffering from serious diseases such as cancer, epilepsy and Parkinson’s. They make sure to supply the medical Cannabis at very low prices, so it remains affordable for all those in need.
All they ask is that the patients make a donation that they can really afford. The beneficent establishment also receives large donations from large sponsors who believe in their work to help the Stanley brothers maintain the supply of Cannabis at a low cost. Due to their efforts to help anyone who needs them they have become known as the “Robin Hoods of Marijuana.
How CBD changed the Life of the Figis Forever
A number of studies have now shown that CBD can regulate epileptic seizures without any side effects and Charlotte’s case is the prime example.
Charlotte gets a dose of CBD-rich oil twice a day with her food.
Dr. Gedde has calculated that she needs three to four milligrams of CBD per pound of body weight to keep the seizures in check.
CBD makes it possible for Charlotte’s life to be back on track.
Today, Charlotte lives a largely healthy and uncontaminated life; she suffers only two to three attacks a month, usually as she sleeps. Now she can feed herself, has started talking again and can even ride a bicycle again.
One of the biggest controversies over history is a misunderstanding. Many believe Charlotte is “high” or “stoned”, but she is not. CBD is not psychoactive, so varieties with lots of CBD and little THC don’t give the user the feeling of being high or stoned. It is also worth noting that neither THC nor CBD makes people addicted.
This is not the End, Charlotte’s Web CBD oil changes lives every Day
Charlotte’s story and recovery under the watchful hand of CBD won the attention of the media and quickly became a national story. She became a shining example for all sufferers and threw a light on the extraordinary achievements of Medical Marijuana.
It allowed Dr. Gupta, a famous physician and medical correspondent, who was against Marijuana, to see the benefits that Charlotte received; this encouraged him to do his own research into cannabis and changed his attitude completely.
He is now a great advocate of medicine and has produced a documentary that has informed millions about the real benefits of Marijuana and how the previous propaganda deceived people.
A flood gate has opened; Parents who are in similar situations, with hopes to help their child, now drive to California. The growing pressure from parents, doctors and activists forces the federal government and politicians to rethink their position on cannabis.
Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration has now given the go-ahead to test a purified CBD extract produced by GW Pharmaceuticals and is called Epidiolex. Hopefully this drug will be a widely available option for the treatment of epilepsy.
