Cannabis saved my life, but let me tell you about my Barbara, Cannabis, and Diabetes.
Editor’s Note: Any testimonials or endorsements found on this site are for anecdotal purposes only. The information in Rxleaf testimonials is not intended as direct medical advice, nor should it be relied upon as a substitute for consultations with qualified healthcare professionals who are intimately knowledgeable about your individual medical needs.
When I was growing up in southern California, I became an adult under the Reagan years. I whole heartedly believed Nancy Reagan when she told me to, “Just Say No”.
Then my wife got sick.
Barbara and I were married in 1986. While pregnant with both of our children, Barbara had gestational diabetes. It went away after our son, but decided to stay after the birth of our daughter.
Diabetes resulted in several eye surgeries and eventually Barbara became legally blind. Despite very good control of her sugar levels, some years later Barbara suffered the onset of kidney and heart issues. She went onto kidney dialysis and frequently underwent balloon angioplasty.
During this period, Barbara was prescribed strong opioids and benzodiazepines, resulting in lethargy, depression and a life of constant doctor visits. It was not a good quality of life; she would often become confused and started spending more and more time sleeping.
Medical Cannabis Brightens The Future
Then Arizona’s Proposition 203 made medical cannabis a possibility and the future brightened. Not being able to smoke, Barbara first tried a brownie recipe. There was much laughter and then a very good night’s sleep. Once she had tried several methods, she settled on a vaporizer.
Within several months Barbara discontinued using opioids and benzodiazepines, lost weight and was able to use her wheelchair less and less.
It was my pleasure to take her by the arm as she would walk into doctor visits, opting to leave the wheelchair on the back of the truck. Even better, she ‘woke up’. Barbara lost all the fog and fatigue she’d known for so many years. Her appetite improved while even continuing to lose weight. Her depression lessened and she started having fun again.
I was the next one to get a cannabis license, even managing to grow a few (sickly-looking) plants. It was a wonderful time.
Then, shortly before what would have been our 28th anniversary, Barbara suffered a sudden, fatal, heart attack.
Already suffering from PTSD, Barbara’s death spun me into a dark, depressive emotional state. Then I started sleeping all the time. My appetite became nil, and life became oppressive. I even found myself considering suicide.
I Too ‘Woke Up’
Luckily, our local dispensary started carrying a variety of Cannabis called ‘Chocolope’. Upon using Chocolope for a short time, I too ‘woke up’.
Today I have a grandson, my blood pressure is under control without pills, I’ve lost weight, I’m walking – I recently surpassed 100 km – and go about my day with an occasional smile. I talk to my Barbara when I need to – complicated grief sucks – and I’m starting to look towards the future.
Cannabis is not for everyone, but in my humble opinion, it is a topic upon which everyone should read. Cannabis is serious medicine but is safer than anything else available.
I’m proud that within my lifetime this incredible plant has gained recognition and acceptance, at least within a number of states. I hope that by the time my grandson can choose whether or not to use cannabis, the world will have finally realized that we were fools for ever banning it.
When you have a moment, please look beyond the rhetoric and find out for yourself whether or not cannabis should be a choice in your life. It changed Barbara’s life and it saved mine. It might do the same thing for you.
The RxLeaf Take on Cannabis and Diabetes
In one story, this patient explains how cannabis changed two lives — and helped fix a family broken by illness. It’s a perfect distillation of the power cannabis holds over both physical and mental disorders, and how, with the right medicine, the human spirit can thrive in the worst of circumstances.
What’s remarkable about this story is its plea for knowledge. The author does not ask people to take his word for it. He humbly requests that other children of the “Just Say No” movement shore up their knowledge about cannabis and diabetes.
To honor that request, let’s dive in.
Cannabis and Diabetes
Type II diabetes — also called adult-onset diabetes — is becoming a worldwide scourge. Poor access to nutrition, bad diets, and a lack of health knowledge has led to more than 34 million cases in America alone (or about one in ten people), according to the CDC.
Luckily, researchers are investigating whether cannabis might both prevent or treat type II diabetes.
A review of research published in Epidemiology (2015) found that eight independent replication studies all concluded that cannabis consumers are at a reduced risk of developing diabetes.[1]Alshaarawy O, Anthony JC. (2015) Cannabis Smoking and Diabetes Mellitus: Results from Meta-analysis with Eight Independent Replication Samples. Epidemiology. 2015;26(4):597‐600. … Continue reading
A different study, published in the American Journal of Physiology (2007) found that CBD has “significant therapeutic benefits” for diabetic patients. CBD seemed to help many symptoms of diabetes, including serious ones such as atherosclerosis.[2]Rajesh M, Mukhopadhyay P, Bátkai S, et al. Cannabidiol attenuates high glucose-induced endothelial cell inflammatory response and barrier disruption. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. … Continue reading
It seems that a little bit of weed might help stave off diabetes or, if it’s too late for that, help tackle the many-pronged symptoms in ways that don’t lead to a zombie-like unawareness the way benzos do.
Beyond Diabetes
But this story wasn’t just about diabetes. It also showed how cannabis helped the patient with his PTSD — which has been shown to be linked with an endocannabinoid deficiency — as well as fatigue, high blood pressure, and mental health.
Cannabis came to the rescue over and over again — healing this family from physical and emotional tragedy. It did so much for a man who requests only that others do a little reading, so they too might reap the benefits of cannabis. Or consequently, know why others should be able to try.
