Cannabidiol (CBD) and Brain Health

Presented by: Michael Lewis, MD, MPH, MBA, FACPM, FACN

Recently, there is much renewed interest in industrial hemp-derived cannabidiol, or CBD for health maintenance and certain medical indications. Seventeen years ago, a Nobel prize winning neuroscientist at the National Institutes of Health filed for a patent describing CBD oil as a nonpsychoactive neuroprotectant and antioxidant. The U.S. patent has application in limiting neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke and trauma, or in the treatment of neurogenerative diseases such Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases.

The science behind the body’s endocannabinoid system, particularly in the brain, and the interaction with endogenous cannabinoids and phytocannabinoids will be explored. Clinical experience using hemp-derived CBD with head injury patients and particularly the value of using CBD for anxiety that often occurs following a head injury will be discussed.

The science behind the body’s endocannabinoid system, particularly in the brain, and the interaction with endogenous cannabinoids and phytocannabinoids is evolving. Clinical experience using hemp-derived CBD, particularly the value of using CBD for anxiety will be discussed. Hemp-derived CBD oil is an exciting newly rediscovered nutritional product that is gaining widespread use throughout the United States. Understanding the science behind the endocannabinoid system will allow practitioners to understand the value of CBD and when to use it in select patients. Additionally, Cannabis-derived CBD legal status is fluctuating and will be explored.

This presentation was recorded at the 2018 Integrative Healthcare Symposium Annual Conference.