Is drugging your Homeschool child with pharmaceuticals the best option?

 

By Timothy Mathew MHA, MBA, US Army (RET)

 

It seems that if your child has been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD/OCD or others, they love to throw out the pharmaceuticals.  Methylphenidate HCl is usually the goto drug and is sold under the more common names like Ritalin, Concerta, Metadate, Daytrana, and Quillivant.  The question we, as parents need to ask is “Are these the only or best option for your child?”

 

The side affects of Sleep issues and lack of appetite are considered low risk side affects, but are they?  A lot of parents disagree.  As an alternative to the lab created drug, a lot of parents are switching over to Cannabidiol (CBD) products instead.  Could a natural remedy from nature be as good as or better than one made in a laboratory?  Many parents who have made the switch say "Yes."

 

CBD and THC are sometimes mixed up.  The cannabis plant is separated into 2 classifications:  Hemp and Marijuana.  Most are familiar with Marijuana and it’s typical association with being “high.”   This happens because there is a high amount of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the flower. THC is a cannabinoid (kind of like a vitamin) found inside the cannabis plant. Marijuana can have over 20% THC per weight of the flower.  At that level, THC can induce hallucinations, cause delusions and cause significant psychomotor impairment. 

 

CBD is also a Cannabinoid found inside the cannabis plant.  Hemp and Marijuana are kind of like opposites when it comes to the ratios of CBD vs THC.  Marijuana is high with THC (insert Dad joke laugh) and a low amount of CBD.  Hemp, on the other hand, is high in CBD and the THC is 0.3% or less.  With the Farm Bill Act of 2019, Hemp is Federally Legal.  Marijuana laws different from state to state. 

 

CBD is not a “cure all” but of people will argue that it is a “cure a lot”.  The most common reasons people use CBD is for Stress/Anxiety and Joint Pain/Inflammation.  We will leave the metabolic processes out of this article, but I find it pretty fascinating for us geeks.  It has also been linked to help kids of all spectrums focus better for longer periods of time.  Whether they are at school or learning from home, this could significantly help their academics.   

 

Here are some other issues that CBD has helped people with: Acne, ADD & ADHD, Addiction & Alcoholism, ALS, Alzheimer's Disease, Anorexia, Antibiotic Resistance, Anxiety, Arthritis, Asthma, Atherosclerosis, Autism, Autoimmune Diseases, Bipolar, Cancer, Colitis & Crohn's Disease, Depression, Diabetes, Endocrine Disorders, Epilepsy & Seizures, Fibromyalgia, Glaucoma, Heart Disease, HIV & AIDS, Huntington's Disease (HD), Inflammation, IBD, IBS, Kidney Disease, Liver Disease, Migraines, Mood Disorders, Motion Sickness, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Nausea,  Neurodegeneration, Obesity, OCD, Osteoporosis/Bone Health, Pain, Parkinson's Disease, Prion Disease, PTSD, Rheumatism, Schizophrenia, Scleroderma, Sickle Cell Anemia, Skin Conditions, Sleep Disorders, Spinal Cord Injury, Stress, Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and Weight Loss.

 

The most important thing to remember when investing in CBD for medicinal use, is that all CBD is not created equal.  Full Spectrum, Broad Spectrum, Isolate, Nano are some differences.  Lab tested potency is another big thing to focus on.  If they don’t provide an easy to get to lab test, DON’T TRUST IT.  FDA did a test and only 2 out of 24 cbd products had the amount of CBD they advertised.   

 

If you need any additional information such as recommended dosages or what type of CBD is best for different situations, please reach out to us at info@hcbdh.com