Cannabidiol is a chemical compound discovered in the cannabis plant, sometimes referred to as CBD. Because it does not include THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana, CBD does not cause a “high.” However, it can assist to decrease anxiety and reduced levels of stress— symptoms prevalent to individuals with autism. There is currently some proof that CBD can help relieve particular symptoms and enhance autism spectrum conduct in kids and adults, but study in to CBD’s safety and effectiveness is in its earliest phases.
What is Autism?
Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a wide range of conditions with social skill challenges, repetitive behaviors, speech, and nonverbal communication. Autism impacts an estimated 1 out of 59 kids in the United States today, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
There is no understanding of the causes of autism and no cure— and the prevalence is rising. The CDC updated its autism prevalence estimates in April 2018 to 1 out of 59 kids, up from 1 out of 166 in 2004. Medicines that have damaging side effects, doctors traditionally treat symptoms with antipsychotic drugs. Some kids are not responding to these drugs.
Claims about CBD
CBD claims vary from realistic to nonsensical. For example, some websites and businesses claim that CBD can cure cancer. On the other side, CBD appears to relieve some untractable symptoms of illnesses such as epilepsy, sleeplessness, and anxiety— all prevalent problems for autism individuals. “The most substantial academic proof, according to Harvard Health Publishing, is for its efficacy in treating some of the cruelest childhood epilepsy syndromes, such as Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), which typically do not react to antiseizure drugs.
CBD & AUTISM
The function of CBD oil in reducing autism symptoms is twofold. First, CBD oil can assist some kids with autism relieve autism-related behavioral symptoms like anxiety, aggression, self-injurious behaviors, and social interaction problems. Second, CBD oil can help kids with seizures that co-occur. Of course, the experience of each child with CBD oil is unique, but beneficial CBD oil advantages for autism and epilepsy are reported in countries where medical marijuana is illegal parents. Because CBD is not psychoactive, most parents prefer medical marijuana to their kids.
Many kids who use CBD oil for autism and epilepsy discover the same (or better) relief from their symptoms as traditional anti-anxiety and anticonvulsant drugs with the bonus of fewer side effects. Researchers are still working to define how CBD oil can help autism anxiety, but anecdotal evidence is adequate for many households at this time.
What do researchers say?
Israeli researchers have discovered more compelling evidence that medical cannabis is an efficient autism spectrum treatment for kids. Researchers treated autistic kids with elevated levels of CBD, a non-intoxicating cannabinoid found in the marijuana plant, in this soon-to-be-published research in the journal Neurology. Conditions enhanced in 80% of kids. The kids also had no improvement with standard drug therapies.
The research was conducted by Dr. Adi Aran, Director of Pediatric Neurology at Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem, who treated the 60 kids with high-CBD cannabis oil (20% CBD and 1% THC). The kids were treated with the oil for at least seven months.
Parents responded to evaluation questionnaires after the therapy period to characterize the situation of their child. Questions were questioned about modifications in behavior, levels of anxiety, and communication capacity. 0 percent of parents reported a reduction in problem behaviors, with significant improvements reported by 62 percent. Half of the children’s communication had enhanced. 40% significant declines in anxiety reported.
The Bottom Line
Children taking cannabis extract enhanced 49% and 53% on two scales in which physicians and parents measured the symptoms of autism and disruptive conduct. This enhancement compared with 21 percent and 44 percent, respectively, in placebo children. Therefore, CBD is effective in treating a lot of diseases including autism.
