About 1% of the world’s population has a neurodevelopmental disorder called Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). To improve certain conditions related to autism is Cannabis or Marijuana Treatment. It helps in calming down the autistic child. Find how cannabis and autism are related to know about this treatment.
Recently, many people have turned to cannabis which also called marijuana to help manage the effects of autism in their loved ones, with many reported success stories, too.
Despite the overwhelming numbers of people are diagnosed with autism and the growing number of people are seeking cannabis treatment, very few studies are being conducted on cannabis’s ability to help treat autism.
Find out how Cannabis and Autism are related and how the former helps in curing autism.
Autism Has No Known Cure So Far
For so far, autism has no cure. However, several treatments and educational approaches have been developed to address and improve certain conditions linked to autism.
These treatments can lessen the troublesome behaviors and education can help in providing greater independence to the patients in terms of self-help skills. But no single treatment can prove effective for everyone.
For the treatment of symptoms of autism, only two medications are approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the country.
However, both are antipsychotic drugs which are not always effective and can have harmful side effects. In recent few years, Cannabis (a plant in the family of Cannabaceae) have shown calming, clarifying effect on autistic children. Let’s get into detail about the effects of cannabis on children with autism.
Cannabis And Autism
Many treatment options to cure autism come into action after researches by scientists. None of them have found the exact cure so far.
A plant named as Cannabis (also known as marijuana) has shown some positive effects on people with autism.
Therefore, several clinical trials are looking into whether compounds in cannabis can be used to treat some of the symptoms of autism.
Breath of Life (the company producing the cannabis extracts) is able to break down the cannabis plant to extract different chemical compounds, called cannabinoids, for use in research and medicine.
There are about 140 cannabinoids. The most well-known cannabinoid is tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, which is the primary psychoactive compound in marijuana.
It is not a miracle plant that fixes everything. But on average, it can drop the rage of an autistic child by some points. Sometimes nothing happens at all but even if it’s not dramatic, you can see a noticeable difference.
A study also has been performed to check whether Cannabis Compound Eases Severe Symptoms of Autism. Let us discuss some of the benefits provided by Cannabis.
Benefits Of Cannabis In Curing Autism
ASD is often accompanied by other neurological disorders such as epilepsy, which could arise from an underlying central nervous system condition. Epilepsy commonly occurs in about one-third of people with ASD. The extracts of cannabis were found to be safe and effective for the treatment of epilepsy, which also bothers around 20% of autistic children.
The most well-known properties of marijuana are neuroprotective, anticonvulsant, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic, besides possessing.
Treat conditions like depression, anxiety, and dependence.
Researchers studying the effects of cannabis extracts on epilepsy realized that the compounds helped patients to deal with some symptoms of autism as well.
CBD could decrease anxiety and depressive systems by affecting serotonin receptors in the brain.
In a small observational study, most patients were given a CBD-THC tincture daily for three months improved at least one of the core symptoms of ASD, including social communication, language, or repetitive behaviors.
Recent Studies On Cannabinoids And Its Effect On Autism
In one study of 2010, an autistic child was given THC for six months and it reported significant reductions in the symptoms of autism.
A retrospective study is been performed to assess the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of CBD on children with an autism spectrum disorder.
The results of this study have shown positive results. Behavioral outbreaks were much improved in 61% of patients. The anxiety and communication problems were much improved by 39% and 47% respectively.
Bottom line
Many clinical trials are investigating whether different cannabis compounds can be used to treat autism.
