Saturday, September 20, 2014

Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

When I thought about an uplifting research story that dealt with benefits to children and families I immediately thought about a local story I had heard about in the news.  6 year old Jayden David suffered from epileptic seizures due to his medical condition, Dravets syndrome.  His father had tried everything including medications, 22 a day, that helped stop the seizures but would leave his son immobile from the side effects.  When his father gave him a liquid form of the nonpsychoative form of marijuana the effects were alarming.  Jayden’s daily seizures stopped and he was a happy functioning child again. 

The full article is here:
Porter, B. E., & Jacobson, C. (2013). Report of a parent survey of cannabidiol-enriched cannabis use in pediatric treatment-resistant epilepsy. Epilepsy & Behavior, 29(3), 574-577. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/10/health/medical-marijuana-child/

I also found similar stories here:

And a survey report here:

Since it is a controversial topic for adults even, there is still official research to be done on this subject but I can see how if it were accomplished the positive effects would help children and families in ways that they never thought possible.  That is why research is so important, the benefits can change lives.

2 comments:

  1. Wow, Rosana. That is a pretty neat story! I'm not sure how I feel about the topic, but I think it's great that research is being done. I bet the family is so happy to not have the side effects from all those drugs!
    I have enjoyed reading all the posts this week about uplifting stories with research. I agree with you that research is so important because its benefits can change, and oftentimes, save lives!

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  2. Rosana,
    This article you shared was very surprising as I wasn't expecting it to lead to medicinal marijuana; as you stated a very sensitive subject. I first must say that I am happy that the family found relief and treatment for their son; as a parent I could not imagine experiencing such emotional experiences with my children.

    Secondly, although such a controversial subject, I believe the research dedicated to medicinal marijuana has proven the benefits of such treatment, from pain and illnesses related to cancer as well as cancerous treatments such as chemotherapy. I think it would be a considerable alternative to drugs and harmful treatments.

    Thanks for sharing this interesting article!

    Jamilla

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