If you’ve been investigating powerful whole plant hemp oil products and you’re wondering how cannabinoids work for autism, you’re in the right place, because in this article we’ll be covering all things hemp and autism.
Autism refers to a “broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviours, speech and nonverbal communication,” as stated by the website autism-speaks.org
People who display autism related behaviours may also struggle with sensory issues and have negative reactions to sights, sounds, and other sensations.
Does Hemp Work for Autism
In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association created the umbrella term autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to include multiple disorders and syndromes.
Some medical issues that hemp can help autistic people with include seizures, gastrointestinal, and sleep disorders. According to the organization Autism Speaks, one in fifty children are somewhere on the spectrum and begin to show signs of autism around age two to three years old.
There isn’t a definitive set of rules or characteristics that define someone as having autism. There severity, challenges and strengths associated with autism are unique to each individual.
Every person with autism must be looked at for their unique traits, and areas of struggle must be addressed singly, much like the way their autism hemp program would.
Hemp Autism Research
In 2018, Israeli researchers released an article in the journal Neurology, which showed major improvements in the children with autism who did not respond to conventional treatments.
In fact, these children were treated with a cannabinoid found inside whole plant full spectrum hemp called cannabidiol (CBD), and 80% of the parents reported a decrease in problematic behaviours. That is a large and consistent array of feedback from parents, those who know these children best.
Out of that 80%, 62% of the parents noticed a significant improvement in their child’s behaviour.
Additionally, 50% of the children experienced an improvement in their ability to communicate.
This is extremely promising to those in the field researching hemp cannabinoids and how they work for autism.
Whole Plant Hemp & Autism
Whole plant hemp is shown to successfully hemp people suffering with gastrointestinal conditions like Crohn’s disease, colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This is because whole plant hemp works through its powerful anti-inflammatory properties, reducing swelling and irritation throughout the entire body, including the digestive system.
Much of this benefit is due to the activation of whole plant hemp on the endocannabinoid system (ECS), by supplying the ECS with the much-needed cannabinoids to activate and restore balance and order to the rest of the body’s systems.
Inflammation is an immune system response to injury of infection. Whole plant hemp helps to regulate an overactive response to reduce swelling and prevent chronic inflammation.
Additionally, cannabinoids such as cannabidiol (CBD), can block the release of histamines (we wrote about this in our article Hemp Cannabinoids and Allergies), and can relieve gastric issues due to allergic reactions.
As a strong antimicrobial, whole plant works its magic to fight off viral, bacterial and fungal infections.
There are many sources of pathogens, and all of them can contribute to gastrointestinal issues.
Hemp Helps Gastrointestinal Issues Related to Autism
It turns out that those people with autism have a higher occurrence of gastrointestinal issues. Because of this correlation between autism and gastrointestinal problems, further research for the exact cause, links and increased risk factors are underway.
Can Hemp Help Autism-Related Seizures
According to the 2009 journal Paediatric Research, people with autism also have a higher rate of epilepsy and seizures.
Cannabinoids work to block the receptors for a neurotransmitter called glutamate, a primary excitatory neuron that can be attributed to epileptic seizures.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2692092/
Epileptic seizures happen when there’s excessive electrical activity within the neural networks of the brain. By minimizing the reception of glutamate, the risk of seizures is also reduced.
Can Hemp Help with Insomnia
Insomnia is another challenge faced by those with autism. Cannabinoids like cannabidiol provide the ECS with the necessary cannabinoids boost to regulate sleep patterns and obtain quality rest.
Cannabinoids promote relaxation and reduce anxiety, helping one to fall asleep. In small doses, cannabinoids promote energy in the day and reduce the need to nap.
This is helpful for those wishing to maintain a normal sleep pattern, which is most of us. Cannabinoids also have also been shown to be effective in resolving REM abnormalities, which improves sleep quality and reduces the risk of injury from physically reaction to dreams.
For more information, see our other article on CBD and Autism.
If you’ve read this article and you’re still wondering if hemp cannabinoids work for autism, then feel free to read some of our other articles on our Blog, as they may too, prove enlightening. Alternatively, visit our home page to learn more about the endocannabinoid system – the system that brings order and balance to all other systems of the body.
