Healthy Crush Medical Disclaimer
Hey guys! I’ve got a complicated, controversial and important topic to talk about today — one that’s become very close to my heart and that I’m becoming more and more involved with.
Cannabis. :)
Just the words cannabis, marijuana, pot, weed, etc can conjure up a lot of different stigmas – I know it did for me, too.
If you’ve been following my instagram story or you’re subscribed to my weekly Friday newsletter, you’ve seen that I’ve been talking a lot about medical marijuana (and medicinal mushrooms, but that will be another post).
As I mentioned in my newsletter today, I am sensitive to the fact that the topic of cannabis brings up resistance for many people. I get it. Personally, I spent the second half of my 20’s sitting in 12-step meetings, where there’s a zero tolerance attitude towards all drugs, so becoming a cannabis activist is the last thing I ever anticipated. I am very sensitive to the topic of drugs and addiction in general. But this is information that I’ve found myself caring about immensely – and it may help someone – so I can’t keep to myself, even if it may be controversial and ruffle some feathers.
And as Steve DeAngelo says in The Cannabis Manifesto:
“As I learned more about cannabis, my understanding of it evolved. Before encountering the plant, I had viewed cannabis as an intoxicant, because that’s the only way it had been described to me.
And then I discovered the preventative and curative properties of cannabis. It’s ability to control seizures, lift depression and anxiety, shrink cancer tumors, and prevent alzheimer’s. I fell in love with the plant. I couldn’t stand the idea of its value being overlooked or people being persecuted because they recognize that value.
Choose cannabis for wellness, not intoxication.
Cannabis should have never been made illegal. Cannabis has ALWAYS been a medicine. It prevents, cures and relieves some of the most grave medical conditions plaguing humankind. The real criminals are those who deny patients the treatment they need.”
I haven’t shared about this on the blog yet, because I wanted to gather enough information before I did – and I also wanted to be far enough away from the “inciting incident” that propelled me into cannabis research to be able to speak about this from a relatively calm place.
The inciting incident that propelled me onto a cannabis journey:
The day before Thanksgiving, my dad (arguably the best guy in the whole world) was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. If you don’t know anything about pancreatic cancer, well, it’s not an exciting diagnosis to get. Not that any cancer is. But let’s just say pancreatic cancer is considered one of the more challenging ones.
The “finding out” phase was the most difficult for me and my family. We spent most of Thanksgiving with tears brimming in our eyes, eating our tasteless food and not knowing what to say.
Shortly after, though, we got into solution mode. We started to do some research. My wonderful sister helped to get him transferred to one of the best cancer hospitals in the world (Dana Farber). He is undergoing traditional chemotherapy treatments with the hospital, so I got to work on my research for how I could best support him nutritionally through the process.
The more we researched and the more healing stories we discovered, the more hopeful – and even joyful – we became.
One of the first things I heard about in the cannabis field was recommended to me by one of my closest friends, Nicole — she said, “you should do some research on CBD oil.”
I immediately stayed up all night researching, and found a ton of information that seemed promising about CBD oil and cancer. I found a place in NYC (The Alchemist’s Kitchen) that sold bottles of CBD oil, and I bought a tincture and some capsules to take to my dad.
But I wanted to understand why I could purchase these CBD oils in stores without a problem, but other CBD oils had to be purchased at a dispensary. What was the difference? What’s the deal with CBD vs. THC? What are the laws?
Nicole gave me the contact info for Meg Worden, who does “Cannabis Consultation” phone calls – and I got in touch immediately. I knew that if I was going to dive into the world of cannabis products, I needed some specifics on where to start. Meg was amazing and pointed me in the right direction regarding the laws in Massachusetts (where my dad lives), and what our next steps should be.
I found out that CBD is the non-psychoactive part of the cannabis plant, and THC is the part that makes you feel high. It’s also the THC part that dictates legality.
CBD (cannabidiol) from the hemp part of the cannabis plant doesn’t contain THC (or, contains .3 percent or less), which is why I could purchase that hemp-derived CBD oil at a store.
CBD on its own (the kind I could purchase at a store) has been known to be effective in treating anxiety, PTSD, sleep issues, pain, inflammation and more, without the psychoactive effects of THC.
Here’s a good overview on CBD and Hemp from WikiLeaf.
CBD oil that contains higher levels of THC than .3 percent, from the marijuana (leaf) part of the cannabis plant, is only legal in medical or recreational marijuana states.
Here’s a map of the marijuana laws by state as of 2017 (although this is rapidly changing, so keep checking).
In researching the different kinds of medicinal properties of cannabis, my dad and I found that many people were using full extract oil to (allegedly) kill cancer cells.
When I say full extract, I mean it contains both CBD and THC, a 1:1 ratio, and is super concentrated. So it’s not the kind you can just purchase at any store – you need to get it from a dispensary.
This is what it looks like (from Healthy Pharms, a local dispensary).
If you’re looking for another medical marijuana dispensary in MA (Great Barrington or Bridgewater), I’ve heard great things about Theory Wellness.
THC is considered to be particularly medicinal when it comes to cancer. The higher level of THC in the product you’re consuming, the more medicinal it can be, but the more psychoactive effects you may feel.
Some of the resources we looked at to find this inormation:
Marijuana: Miracle Cure documentary
Part 1: watch here
Part 2: watch here
(There’s a part 3 and I can’t find it online — but it was on the AWE network).
The National Cancer Institute (Cancer.gov) says that cannabis has been shown to kill cancer cells.
Rick Simpson Documentary (Run From The Cure) and Rick Simpson Oil or “RSO”
The Cannabis Manifesto book – I’m reading this now
Man Treats Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer with Cannabis Oil
How To Pick The Best Medical Cannabis Oil
…..and many, many searches on CBD oil, cannabis and cancer.
After seeing all of this, we knew we had to at least give it a try. I mean, if people are saying it kills cancer cells!? How could we not?!
To be clear, we did run it by my dad’s oncologist at the beginning of the process. While he didn’t say it could officially treat cancer, he also didn’t tell him not to try it.
In Massachusetts, even though technically it’s been approved recreationally, those laws aren’t put into place logistically yet. So we found out that my dad would need to get a medical marijuana card in order obtain this full extract oil.
This was our process:
He met with a cannabis doctor (we found one at CannaCareDocs.com) to get approved and added into the system as a medical marijuana patient. The doctor spent a long time talking to us and looked at his medical records from the cancer hospital before giving the approval.
After he got approved by the cannabis doctor, he was able to register in the system and elect me as his caregiver so I could accompany him to the dispensary to help him figure out what to get.
Once his registration officially went through (about a week later) we were able to go to the dispensary and get the full extract oil.
What’s been happening since he started using CBD oil and full extract CBD:THC oil:
Before he got approved for his medical card, he was the taking CBD capsules (non-THC ones — these ones). He said after taking these for a few days, his joint pain went away, which he’s had for years — he started noticing when he walked up the stairs.
I personally started taking CBD oil too (non-THC kind — I have no interest in feeling high) — and it’s been amazing for me for sleep. Here’s the CBD oil I’ve been taking before bed, which you can order online: Supherbals CBD oil.
Since starting my dad on the full extract 1:1 THC:CBD oil from the dispensary:
He’s been taking about the size of 1/2 a grain of rice to 1 grain of rice 3x per day since he got his medical card. He just squeezes it out of the syringe onto a cracker and eats it.
As far as dosing goes, I can’t officially recommend medicinal dosing, but I can tell you that most people say START LOW AND GO SLOW. So the goal is to take a small amount and increase it slowly, as much as you can handle of THC without experiencing any unwanted psychoactive side effects. If you do feel something and you don’t want to, the recommendation we’ve heard is from the cannabis doctors is to cut back and increase it more slowly.
When you go to a cannabis doctor or dispensary, they can make recommendations for you based on your condition.
Healthy Crush Medical Disclaimer
So far, after about a week of taking it:
The nausea that he’s had for months from the pancreatic tumor and more recently, worse nausea from the chemo, is completely gone.
His appetite is back up after losing interest in food during chemo. He’s gained 3 lbs back after losing about 40! Other digestive symptoms he’s had for months seem to be improving as well.
He’s feeling GREAT.
We have no idea yet if this cannabis oil is having any effect on his cancer cells, but he feels really good, and his doctor didn’t say it could hurt – so we’re going with it — not to replace any traditional treatment, but to compliment the cancer treatment from the hospital.
With all of this incredible information about cannabis out there and how people are using it as medicine, I’m becoming more and more aware that so many people could benefit from cannabis for very serious illnesses, but they aren’t able to legally get access to it.
According to this article, Cannabis As A Tool To Fight Opioid Epidemic:
“The biggest players in the anti-marijuana legalization movement are pharmaceutical companies, alcohol and beer companies, private prison corporations, and police unions, all of whom help fund lobby groups that challenge marijuana law reform. Corrections Corporation of America, one of the largest for-profit prison companies in the United States, has spent nearly $1 million a year on lobbying efforts. The company even stated in a report that “changes with respect to drugs and controlled substances . . . could affect the number of persons arrested, convicted, and sentenced, thereby potentially reducing demand for correctional facilities to house them.”
According to a report in The Nation magazine, among the largest donors to organizations fighting marijuana liberalization are Purdue Pharma, makers of the painkiller OxyContin; Abbott Laboratories, which produces the opioid Vicodin; and Janssen Pharmaceutical, a J&J subsidiary that manufactures the painkiller Nucynta.
“There is big money in marijuana prohibition,” notes the Center for Responsive Politics, a non-profit research group based in Washington, DC, that investigated this link to anti-legalization lobbying efforts. The organizations that received money from these companies lobby Congress to maintain marijuana’s classification as a Schedule 1 drug, in spite of the fact that more than twenty-two thousand people die every year in the United States from overdoses of pharmaceutical drugs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Three out of every four pharmaceutical overdose deaths involve prescription painkillers—more than heroin and cocaine combined.
It appears that drug companies want to downplay the medical benefits of marijuana in order to maintain or increase the sale of their drugs; alcohol manufacturers do not want competition for their customers from legal cannabis; and private prisons need to fill their beds with convicted drug offenders.”
Well, this lights a fire behind my eyes and makes me even more passionate about helping to remove the negative stigma from cannabis so it can take its rightful place where it deserves to be — as a potent and powerful medicine.
So much more to say, but I wanted to give you guys somewhere to start since I’ve been psycho-posting about cannabis on my insta stories and a lot of you have asked me for details.
More to come….
Love,
Jenny.
A few more organizations to check out:
If you want to learn more about cancer, and you like reading big big books…check out The Emporer of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer. Because understanding the jabberwockey is the key to slaying it. I’ve been slowly making my way through it and learning SO MUCH.
Regardless of the medicine, attitude is everything. And this is my dad’s attitude:
Thanks for reading and for the support you guys have been giving me — I love you!
Melissa Foley says
Hi Jenny, I’m glad to hear your dad is experiencing a bit of relief. Question for you about the CBD oil you are taking. I have a jar I wanted to experiment with too, but am not entirely sure what to take it with. Do you add yours to a drink or food? Just take a dropperful? All the best to you and your family, Melissa
Jenny Sansouci says
Hi Melissa! I’ve been taking about half a dropperful under my tongue before bed. Do you have a tincture like the one from Supherbals I posted the photo of? Good luck and I hope you love it!
Jenna Zaffino says
Hi Jenny,
I’m watching your stories and sending all of the good energy in the world to you and your family. I know the holidays must have been rough and I want you to know that you’ve got a lot of energetic support coming from the amazing community that you’ve created. Sending so much love your way!
Your post got me curious about the Supherbals for sleep and I bought some and all I can say is as a sober mom of a super active 3 yr old a business owner and a person who suffers from severe internal anxiety, to be able to release into a restful sleep with no side effects and without getting high has been a total gift.
Thank you. I’m wishing the most healing start of a new year to you and yours and will look forward to seeing you in person again at a future event.
xx Jenna
Greg Prasker says
Such an honor to be shouted out on this blog and so glad we our Sacred CBD Oil has been helping both of you sleep. Deep gratitude. 🙏🏻💚
Lee says
Jenny, my name is Lee I’m Greg’s partner. I want to thank you for your beautiful mention in this amazing article. Very informative and inspiring article! I’m so glad our CBD oil is helping you and I can’t thank you enough for the support.
Jenna, I am glad it is also helping you and I want to thank you as well for your support. We love helping people live a more quality life and these stories inspire Greg and I to help even more people (and eventually animals). Much love to you both! Thank you and have a wonderful new year!
Lee
XOXO
JJ says
Jenny, you write that your Dad started taking CBD capsules, but you are using CBD oil. Can you explain the differences? Also, once he started medical cannabis, did he continue with CBD capsules – or not necessary?
Wishing your Dad complete healing and health … he’s so fortunate to have you there.
Greg says
Hey JJ.
Great questions. Generally speaking, capsules and oil are the same. The capsules are filled with the oil so it is just a different delivery system. I do prefer sublingual as the oil just infuses right in under your tongue. People also vape it and eat it and spray it and drink it. So many different ways with many more to come I’m sure.
We have customers that take the prescription THC from a dispensary and supplement it with oil. High THC strains generally have next to no CBD Oil in them. I’m not sure how many mg the THC:CBD 1:1 of CBD it has.
nancy says
Hey Jenny,
The ratio and the mg should always be printed on the label.
Another thing, there are two kinds of CBD. The hemp CBD oils are not regulated, but also not as good – they just don’t work as well.
CBD Capsules are oil filled capsules. You can also buy it in a syringe – which I think is better because you have total control of quantity.
And when you choose a CBD: THC ratio, the two work synergistically together.
Thus the CBD in higher dose will allow you to ingest without getting as strong a THC effect. I have some that are more like 2:1, gives me the relief I need but does not get me high at all.
But if anyone is worried about drug testing at work, be careful. It takes a little while to get this out of your system.
Simone Turner says
Jenny, have you heard of Andrea Drummer? She is a cannibus chef in Los Angeles. Check out her site here: http://www.laweekly.com/restaurants/this-private-chef-is-using-marijuana-to-take-gourmet-dining-to-a-higher-level-7420743
Also there a fellow IIN’er who uses CBD in her Breast massgae oil. Her name is Nadra Rae and she’s the owner of Holistic Heights. You can find her breast oil on her site at http://www.holisticheights.com
Thanks for sharing this and I’m grateful for all the info you find in you research journey that you are always so willing to share with us. Hugs!
Greg says
Interestingly enough, Queen Victoria used to use CBD for breast pain from PMS. It has been documented as far back as the 11th century for PMS symptoms.
Simone Turner says
Wow Greg! I didn’t know that bit about Queen V. Learning is forever expansive. Thanks for sharing!!!
Sarah says
Hi Jenny, I am a fellow IIN grad. (2012) & I have been following you for a few years now, but more recently subscribed to your newsletter. It’s like we are living the same reality at the exact same time. I live in MA near Sturbridge. My dad was diagnosed with esophageal cancer last June after my mom insisted on a endoscopy because he was having a hard time swallowing & coughing a lot & researched to find what it could be. He was not set to have another endoscopy for 2 YEARS!! But my mom pushed Thank GOD and they said it was Stage 1. He underwent a 6 hr rare surgery @ St. Vincent’s in Worc., MA last July. This surgery is only performed 2-3x’s per year because most are beyond that stage & unable to have the surgery and only 5-10% Of the patients that can, survive. Well, my Dad was 1 of the 5-10%!!
However, the doctors never checked his lymph nodes prior to the surgery and during surgery they removed 12. Of the 12, 2 tested positive for cancer. They said had they known prior to surgery, they would’ve done radiation on those areas, but now they couldn’t because in this surgery they removed part of his esophagus, a piece of his stomach, detached his stomach & moved it up behind his heart. It was too late. It could be anywhere now they said. They wanted him to start chemo. in September, but we said No way. We knew there was no way he would be able to handle the side effects of chemo. He had lost 30 lbs with thr surgery and was barely eating what a 5 year eats in a day. We decided to seek an Naturopathic doctor for alternative care. We ended up with one in Portsmouth, NH about 1 1/2 hrs from us. My mom and Dad traveled up there once a week for the last 2 1/2 mths for High-Dose Vitamin C treatments, not knowing the entire time if the cancer was still in his body or not.
Near the end of November my Dad seemed to start showing outward signs of pain in his right side, but didn’t want to do much about it. (He was sick of the doctors..can’t blame him there.) So a few weeks went by (its now and my Dad had a normal follow-up appt. with his PCP. He ordered an x-ray & said he had 2 fractured ribs (still healing from the surgery) along with a muscle atrophy (weak to no muscle) from cutting into it during surgery. They told him to start lifting weights everyday starting with 1lb and increasing by a pound after 7 days. Within 4 days he was in even more pain. We called his Oncologist, described the pain and where it was and they ordered a Catscan of the mid to lower stomach.
In our minds, we had a feeling it was cancer. I immediately starting thinking about the Cannabis. I had been researching it for over a year. My Aunt passed away last May after a quick 2 mth battle with Stage 4 lung cancer that had Metasasized to her bones and I had read it could help with pain & kill cancer cells. Unfortunately, it was too aggressive and we didn’t have enough time to try it with her. But I knew my Dad needed something for pain. He didnt want to take any pharmaceuticals (we think because he saw what my Aunt went through and how she couldn’t communicate.) I immediately called a “friend” to get some edibles. It was now Sat., Dec 30th. I got him 2 “cookies” to try, starting only with a 1/4 of one. That same night, the Oncologist called and said it is more than just fractured ribs and weak muscles, I need you to come in. Of course, he wouldn’t say over the phone, which made us so upset because it was a holiday weekend and the office wasn’t open until Tues.! All I can say is Thank God for the cookies. They worked so good for his pain. As soon as my mom saw they were working, they went to Canni care in Worc. And applied for the Medical Marijuana card. We are hoping it comes in this week so we can go pick up the High Dose THC:CBD oil. And a known side benefit, my Dad is EATING a lot! Hoping to see some weight us on the scales soon like your Dad.
Our entire family went in for the results last Wed., Jan. 3rd. His cancer had spread to his BONES! :( He had lesions in his T10 & T11 vertebrae. The pain he was feeling in his front right side was really nerve pain radiating from his back to front via his ribs. He was ordered to Radiation with the 1st appt on Friday, the 5th. They also asked him if he would go to Dana Farber for a 2nd Opinion. At the Radiation appt, the Radiologist Oncologist, said they couldn’t do any Radiation because his vertebrae are crumbling! He would need to see a Neurosurgeon about surgery to fuse his bones first. So I said, “We are not staying in Worcester for the Neurosurgeon.” My husband had just had 2 herniated disks replaced with a Neurosurgeon in Boston @ St. Elizabeth’s, the same Neurosurgeon who did surgery on my Aunt’s back before she got worse. Boston is so much more advanced. My cousin, who works at St. E’s, was able to get him into see Dr. Cronk this Thursday before the Dana Farber appt.! It will be a long day, (an hour drive both ways and hitting rush hour traffic on the Pike heading home) but with the cookies and the CBD oil, I picked up on Sat night, we know he will be ok.
So, that’s my story. Everything you’re living, minus the chemo. I will keep your Father in my thoughts and pray the cannabis helps him. Also, I’m not sure if you or your sister are aware that there is a Dispensary in Braintree. I was told it is has the largest selection in MA. Take care! And maybe we will have the opportunity to meet at Dana Farber one day soon. :)
Miss J says
Hi Jenny,
This is such a great post on CBD oil!! I recently started using it on my dog in lieu of pain meds for his arthritis. :)
Anyway I’ve been following you for several years now and truly felt empathy when you shared the news about your father. He is blessed to have you around during such a difficult time and I was curious to know if you’ve ever heard of Sea Buckthorn oil? This may be helpful for your dad with regards to his chemo treatments.
Sending healing vibes your way!
Kennedy says
Glad your dad got some relief! This was full of great and interesting information put in an easy to understand way, thank you for sharing!
Winnie says
Interesting read on medical marijuana. I learned a lot about the benefits of marijuana. Glad your dad is feeling better!
Isabella says
Jenny, this is an amazing story and I’m so happy that your father is experiencing relief from oils! I hope you and your family the best and hope they CBD oils keep helping with his pain relief!
Melina says
Thank you for bringing up the topic of medical marijuana and how it really helps people that are sick, although traditionally it is frowned upon subject. Thank you for sharing photos, beautifully blog..visually and informed writing.
Hannah says
Hi Jenny! I am so glad your dad is feeling better! I’ve heard the cannabis and CBD are extremely helpful in so many ways, my great grandma looked into it years ago when she was battling cancer. I’m glad to see that it’s helping him :)
John M says
This is such a polarizing topic, I’m really glad to see more and more understanding come out regarding how many benefits cannabis can have. I’m so happy to hear about how your dad is doing. My mom is a breast cancer survivor, so I understand what it’s like to watch your childhood heroes have this struggle. You’ve done an amazing job of staying strong :) Great read, thank you so much.
Mary says
What an amazing idea. It’s so fascinating to hear about the effects of CBD, and to see it having an impact on someone important to you. Best of luck to you and your dad!
Luke says
Medical cannabis can work wonders, some of my family has been taking it for joint pain and absolutely loving it! Happy to hear it’s been working for your dad as well!
Austin says
That’s so incredible that your dad gets relief from CBD oil, seems like such a miracle worker sometimes! Really interesting read, love your attitude!
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nexvan says
Hi Jenny! I am so glad your dad is feeling better!