Lyme Disease is an interesting and perplexing disease. Those suffering from it’s symptoms, may call it something much more horrible, as it leaves many suffering, often for a lifetime. Initially caused by a bite, this bacterial infection affects many systems of the body. Many individuals suffer from the symptoms caused by this infection for years or throughout the remainder of their lives. Symptomatology centers around inflammation, arthritis like conditions, pain and swelling, fatigue, disruption of the nervous system including confusion, anxiety, depression, and often suicide. But does it have to be this way? Is there a solution that may help to alleviate and maybe even heal the common complaints associated with Lyme Disease? We believe there is, we believe that solution is Hemp.

Industrial Hemp was a staple of this continent only a few short hundred years ago. Hailed as the miracle plant by many ancient cultures and herbalism traditions, the plant solved almost all the daily needs of our society. It was easy to grow. It didn’t use much of the natural resources, like water, to cultivate. It did not need any herbicides or pesticides to grow, because it made it own. It cleaned toxins from the soil and the environments in which it grew. It provided the material to make plastics, fibers and cloth, biofuel and herbal medicine.

The ancient cultures used Hemp to help alleviate ear infections and pain, skin disorders and problems even including the worst, leprosy. It was utilized to help shrink tumors. Ancient cultures used it for almost every ailment. Why is Hemp so effective in assisting with so many health complaints? The answer would not come for another several hundred years, in the 1900’s, when a team of researchers in Israel discovered first a highly active compound in Hemp, THC. While researching how this chemical was able to work in the body, they discovered the Endocannabinoid System (ECS). A system within the body that had receptors throughout the body and communicated through a series of chemical responders. They found the body made its own cannabinoids to help bring balance and heal issues. Later research then speculated the ECS to be the “main player” in health and disease.

The ECS controls and brings balance to the body. In medicine this is called homeostasis. When trying to heal any problem or disease the first step, must be to restore balance, because when balance is restored, the natural healing power of the body can go to work. The natural healing power of the body is the best and most powerful way to heal any problem or disease. Restoring balance, however, is a complicated and often long in duration task because so many inputs come into play when restoring balance. You can work to restore balance through food, herbs, lifestyle modifications, and body work. All those ways are good and needed but they take time to restore balance. However if there were a more powerful way to quickly restore balance to the body, healing could occur much more quickly and completely. The ECS is that more powerful way. When the ECS is in balance, it restores balance quickly and completely. When the body is out of balance and not healing, we know the ECS is out of balance.

Like all systems of the body the ECS can be worn down, injured by the thousands of toxic chemicals we encounter on a daily basis, bacteria and viruses. Often in these cases, the body isn’t producing enough of it’s own endocannabinoids. How do we know if the ECS is out of balance? Symptoms start to occur in the body. Diseases continue and do not heal. Pain and inflammation sets in. This is exactly where Hemp becomes of great help to the body. The Hemp plant makes over 400 plant compounds, almost 100 of which are active plant cannabinoids which can act as a supplement and helper to our own ECS. When taking the compounds of Hemp, you help to restore balance to your own ECS which in turn restores balance to your entire body allowing natural healing to occur.

One of the main functions of the plant compounds in Hemp is the ability to reduce inflammation. CBD, a touch of THC (as naturally found and occurring in the Industrial Hemp Plant) and the Terpenes of the plant are what has been linked to the powerful anti-inflammatory properties of Hemp. When inflammation is reduced, the natural healing power of the body can return and pain is significantly reduced. Inflammation is the root of many of the symptomologies found in Lyme Disease. Even the neurological problems seen within Lyme are rooted in inflammation and injury to the nervous system.

There are many types of Hemp herbal medicines available today. Traditional herbalism always teaches the power of “whole plant medicine.” This means herbal and plant medicine is most effective and powerful when used exactly as it is found in nature. This is because there is such a vast variety of active botanical and plant compounds found within every plant, each highly important, and each having a more powerful, or synergistic effect when working together. In Hemp herbal medicine, this is referred to as the “Entourage Effect.” When all 400 plant compounds are left intact to work together, the effect is powerful. With Hemp, this means you want to use only “Full Spectrum,” meaning “Whole Plant.”

Specifically Hemp herbal remedies can assist those suffering with Lyme Disease with the following…

Lowering Anxiety. Anxiety is a frequent complaint in Lyme Disease and pharmaceutical options aren’t usually sufficient. A 2015 study in Neurotherapeutics, a peer-reviewed medical journal, showed substantial evidence of CBD’s ability to reduce anxiety in healthy individuals, people who have anxiety disorders, or seasonal affective disorder. Most people who suffer from anxiety report significant reduction in symptoms while using CBD.

Alleviates Depression. Suicide is a leading cause of death in those with Lyme Disease. A higher level of risk to self and others is associated with multiple symptoms developing after acquiring Lyme Disease. (1) Again, here Hemp can help. The Depression Alliance reports:

  • “CBD has been shown to have antioxidant properties which means that it is capable of mopping up toxic substances obtained from food or generated in the body. These substances are often at the center of inflammatory conditions.
  • Oxidative stress caused by the release of these toxic substances causes age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. CBD has been found to protect against these degenerative diseases of the brain and reduce their clinical progression in patients suffering from them.
  • Clinical trials have shown that CBD oils are effective in the treatment of epilepsy and other seizure disorders.
  • Studies have shown that CBD may have therapeutic benefits for brain disorders such as psychosis, depression, and multiple sclerosis.” (2)

Reduces Inflammation. Many Lyme patients struggle with chronic pain. A 2012 study in Journal of Experimental Medicine demonstrated CBD’s  ability to suppress inflammation and nerve pain. When administered to rodents, the study noted CBD “and its modified derivatives significantly suppress chronic inflammatory and neuropathic pain without causing apparent analgesic tolerance.’’ For humans, this means CBD, along with other compounds, may be an innovative therapeutic option for people who suffer from chronic pain.

A Powerful Anti-Bacterial. Lyme Disease originates as a bacterial invasion of the body. One of the most interesting and possibly therapeutic benefits of Hemp within those with Lyme Disease is the high antibacterial effects of many of the compounds in Hemp.

For a long time Hemp has been regarded as possessing antibacterial activity against a wide range of pathogenic bacteria as well as against some fungi.  The antibacterial character is contributed mainly from Δ9-THC and CBD. However number of studies demonstrated that plant extracts or the essential oils found in the Hemp plant, the Terpenes, in particular have an abundance of antibacterial properties. Terpenes are the aromatic oils giving each Hemp plant its individual fragrance and taste but they have also been known to carry an abundance of medicinal benefits. When combined with other cannabinoids, the synergistic healing nature of Hemp, or the Entourage Effect, truly takes effect. In fact so powerful, Hemp was found to kill one of the most vicious and hard to kill bacteria, MRSA.

In 2008 a first of its kind study conducted by a team of British and Italian researchers found Hemp could stop MRSA in its tracks: hemp. Specifically, the team tested five of Hemp’s most common cannabinoids against six different MRSA strains of “clinical relevance”, including epidemic EMRSA strains, which are the ones responsible for hospital outbreaks. They found that every single one of the cannabinoids tested showed “potent activity” against a wide variety of the bacteria. This study shows that cannabinoids are one of the most powerful antibiotics on earth.

Neuroprotective Effects. Neuroprotective substances protect brain and nerve cells from damage, degeneration, and dysfunction. In Lyme patients, the die-off reactions that occurs when treatments kill the infections, often results neurotoxins overwhelming the body. Some of the symptoms of neurotoxicity include brain fog, depression, dysregulation of hormones, autoimmune conditions, insomnia, seizures, and more. CBD may be helpful in reducing neurotoxicity. In 2003, research showed CBD had a neuroprotective quality by blocking the formation of nitrotyrosine—a marker that indicates damage to the cells. Moreover, the study showed that CBD is a potent antioxidant capable of protecting the brain from oxidative stress.

Reduction in Pain. One of the greatest benefits user experience with CBD is a reduction in pain. In 2008 a study revealed that the cannabinoids found in Hemp were useful in difficult and hard to treat chronic pain, including central neuropathic pain in multiple sclerosis and intractable cancer pain, some of the most difficult pain to treat. (4)  One of the greatest benefits users of Full Spectrum Hemp report is a significant reduction in pain.

Industrial Hemp is a therapeutic potential in a variety of diseases including Lyme Disease. Using the correct Hemp products at the right dosage is vital to healing. When dealing with an invading bacteria and it’s side effects within the body, the dosage must be much higher than what you would see as regular dosage on the side of a bottle. When working with a skilled and knowledgeable Master Herbalist your product selection and dosage can be tweaked to fit your exact symptomatology and health complaints. Buying a product blindly and having no input from a professional on correct dosage is a waste of your money and the effects you experience will be minimal. Instead, work directly with your Master Herbalist to fight Lyme Disease aggressively and completely with the correct dosage of Full Spectrum Hemp. At Align we have a Master Herbalist on staff to assist our customers with correct dosage and product selection.

We at ReAlign are dedicated to the education of the potential of Hemp herbal medicine in many disorders and diseases including Lyme Disease. We have created a pure, organic, third party tested medicinal oils and pain relieving products. All of our hemp batches come with a Certificate of Authenticity. Our Full Spectrum oil is highly potent and contains all the healing cannabinoids and Terpenes found within the Industrial Hemp Plant. We combine this with the Hemp plant’s own oil, hemp oil, which is one of the most nutritious healing superfoods on the planet. By combining these two, we have created a powerful synergistic effect which results in powerful healing products.

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References:

  1. Suicide and Lyme and associated diseases. Accessed from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5481283/
  2. CBD Oil: A Cure for Depression? https://www.depressionalliance.org/cbd-oil/
  3. Cannabis sativa L. and its antimicrobial properties – A review. Accessed from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317185536_Cannabis_sativa_L_and_its_antimicrobial_properties_-_A_review
  4. Cannabinoids in the management of difficult to treat pain. Accessed from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/