Wendy Love Edge is a mother, wife, artist, author, TV show host, journalist, activist and a survivor. Against the odds of modern medicine, Wendy took back her health, and life, while helping others to do the same.
Pictured: Wendy on the left, Topher Kogen on the right
In 2013, Wendy Love Edge was totally disabled. She was diagnosed with several autoimmune diseases. At that point, Wendy was unable to drive, suffered from double vision, and wasn’t able to take care of herself. Wendy faced sickness after sickness, with a destroyed immune system, and experiencing adverse effects from the massive amount of pharmaceutical drugs her MD had prescribed. Modern medicine couldn’t save Wendy. She was told by her Doctor that early death was certain, by either the autoimmune diseases, or caused by the pharmaceuticals prescribed to treat her conditions. At that time, Wendy believed her Doctor, and accepted that her fate was sealed.
That same year, Wendy’s wife decided a separation was necessary. Before she left, she told Wendy that she knew if she left, she’d find her strength. Not too long after, Wendy’s inner voice told her that her body knows how to heal itself. She began to research ways to do just that. Still unable to do many things for herself, Wendy reached out to a friend to do a grocery run for her. The friend was unable to help, but did recruit the help of a mutual acquaintance.
Wendy was in the process of weaning herself off of the prescribed pharmaceuticals, and experiencing opioid withdrawal. When the acquaintance arrived at Wendy’s home with groceries, she asked Wendy if she had considered using Cannabis as a treatment. Wendy was hesitant, concerned about adding a new drug into her life, while she was in the difficult process of weaning off of morphine, but decided to give it a try right then and there. Much to her surprise, Wendy experienced immediate relief from body pain and withdrawal symptoms.
It had been quite some time since she had consumed Cannabis. Wendy had toked with friends in high school, and a couple more times in college. She had a career in healthcare, where consuming Cannabis came with the risk of job loss, so she had abstained for years. In hindsight Wendy knows that her high school Cannabis use, helped her then deal with PTSD, anxiety, and depression that was a result of childhood sexual abuse. While in bed, convinced she was dying, Wendy had written a book about her childhood experiences, under a penname.
With her eyes being reopened to the miraculous plant, Wendy began using Cannabis on her journey back to health. Following her intuition, and trusting her research, Wendy also started eating right, stretching, meditating, exercising, and using herbs. Within 2 weeks of consuming Cannabis, her double vision was gone. Wendy found that by making these changes in her life, the autoimmune diseases became manageable. Her wife was right, Wendy did find her strength.
Wendy before on pharmaceuticals and after using cannabis
The couple remained separated during a time of healing and personal growth for them both. The wives allowed each other the time, and space, to work on themselves, while still having occasional contact. Life had not been easy for them together, during Wendy’s total disability. With the outrageous cost of healthcare in The United States, the couple had often visited food banks, and sold belongings, in order to eat.
Wendy was nearly bankrupted while just trying to survive the multiple medical conditions, and also had a desire to help others with similar struggles. She started making plans to start a nonprofit organization. After 6 weeks of no contact, Wendy’s wife sent her some music she had been working on. An original song titled: ‘Bulldozer’. During meditation, Wendy would often visualize a yellow bulldozer pushing a pile of prescription bottles away from her. This synchronicity, made it official, the name of her non profit would be: Bulldozer Health.
Bulldozer Health became a non profit organization in 2014 to help low income patients have access to medical Cannabis. This was done so on a free basis, by donations from medical providers to patients. No money was exchanged. Bulldozer Health used a grassroots fundraising approach, holding concerts to raise funds. The non-profit helped income challenged patients obtain medical Cannabis recommendations from a doctor, as well as helping with other alternative health visits, such as chiropractic, and acupuncture.
For 6 years, Bulldozer Health helped many patients with financial difficulties take back their health, while reminding them that they have the power to do so. Unfortunately 2020 has brought new changes to our world due to Covid-19. Fundraising events are no longer possible. After a great 6 year run helping so many, Bulldozer Health will sadly be no more. All remaining funds from Bulldozer Health will be donated to the Matt Adams Foundation, a non profit that aids others on the road to opiate recovery. It’s a bittersweet ending of a great thing for Wendy. She’s looking forward to what will come, as well as putting some focus onto the lack of patient homegrow rights in Arkansas, as well as a government imposed medical Cannabis shortage across the state, with only 5 cultivators to supply patients.
After 3 years of separation, Wendy and her wife got back together. They found themselves and what they wanted. Their love continues to endure, and shows the world what true love is all about. Wendy continues to educate and entertain others through The Wendy Love Edge Show With Topher Kogen, The CBD Gameshow, and articles she writes for Cannabis Chronicles of Oklahoma. Her wife recently launched a radio station, WJAE420, focused on music and Cannabis. Keep an eye on Wendy’s current and future projects. She is a light of hope for self empowerment, showing others it’s possible to take control of your life and health.
Originally written by: Kerry Cannon for cannabisactivismnow.com
High THC Cannabis Oil has been used by numerous people for centuries, but it was banned in the second half of the 20th century, as a result of the rise of the billion-dollar pharmaceutical industry.
Mike with a batch of 60 gram syringes
Mike Wise is a skateboarder and national champion wakeskater with The University of Texas where he graduated with a degree in Radio-Television-Film in 2009. He has never been a fan of doctors, so when he got diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2014 he decided to take his health into his own hands.
Nowadays, he is one of the most well known activists in the world fighting for the legalization of cannabis oil. Using this treatment, he has cured over 3,500 people from a variety of diseases including extremely terminal ones such as Cancer and Glioblastoma (brain tumors).
Since moving to Europe in 2017, he has spoken at over 30 different countries all over the world on this topic. He is also currently filming a documentary with Rick Simpson to tell his story and help to get this information out to the public.
He states that cannabis oil can cure a vast variety of serious health issues, like diabetes, arteriosclerosis, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, asthma, psoriasis, as well as some of the deadliest forms of cancer.
Mike recently recounted his story to a magazine in the Czech Republic: “I always tell people – Cannabis will cure you, and you will see that at present, it is the best cure there is in the world!”
He began his story: “It was 2014. I had been dealing with symptoms related to Crohn’s disease since 2000. As an athlete, I was always busy traveling and competing. Doing so caused much damage to build up in my body after years of this abuse. The symptoms got worse and worse until I began vomiting blood every morning at 4am when I would wake up, and several times throughout the day; every day.
I had been studying plants as a hobby for years, and had been growing cannabis illegally since 2005 to smoke and occasionally make into edibles. After moving to Colorado in 2014, I began to learn a lot more about growing from other local growers and about cannabis as a medication from other local activists, caregivers, and enlightened doctors. I was filming a movie about families who had to move and relocate from another state to access medical cannabis in Colorado for their children entitled: ‘Illegally Alive’, which you can watch for free with this link. www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOn142GAjsU
During the production of the film, I got in touch with Rick Simpson and flew out to Zagreb, Croatia to interview with him in person. While I was out there, we attended a conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia where Rick was speaking. I had to run outside in the middle of the conference to vomit. Rick saw me and said: ‘Mike, you really need to get on this oil brother’.
After getting the kick in the butt I needed from the godfather of cannabis oil himself, I ingested 90 grams in 120 days of high THC oil and cured all my symptoms relating to Crohn’s disease. This first 45 grams I ingested orally, the second 45 grams I took via suppository. Now I only take 1 gram per month as a maintenance dose.
It’s important to note that I never elected to undergo any surgeries. I did not let the doctors mutilate me and remove any organs or other body parts. I also completely changed my diet eliminating all processed foods, sugars, and carbohydrates. If I ingest any of these substances, I will need to take oil to prevent any new symptoms from showing up. I also eliminated as many sources of stress from my life I possibly could.
After curing myself, I decided to share my story publicly on social media. I immediately began to receive hundreds of messages a week from friends and acquaintances of friends. Everybody needed cannabis oil for their brother, mother, sister, daughter, father, grandmother, grandfather, etc…
I decided to get my Caregiver License in Colorado and immediately planted 500 seeds in my basement and began to supply the oil to anyone who asked. I have never turned anyone away since I started making the oil for myself and others started asking for it. I even used to make it for free. I would tell patients if they could bring me the materials and solvent needed to make the oil, then I would make it for them for free and would not charge them for my time or labor.
Mike with his plants in Colorado
To take my activism a step further, I created an activist run and oriented company called: ‘OG Labs’. On my website (www.oglabsgenetics.com) anybody in the world can now reach me and have the oil made and sent discreetly to their doorstep to any state or country in the world. I believe, as the great Thomas Jefferson did, that ‘if a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so.’ I am hoping that by openly offering the oil for sale publicly, that other activists around the world will see what I am doing and feel empowered to stand up and make the oil for patients in need as well.”
Cannabis oil therapy is equally effective in all cases, for it knows no age limit. It can even be given to babies. People who publicly claim to cure cancer are threatened with 5 – 40 years imprisonment, according to laws in North America. Mike says the preparation of this miraculous oil is extremely easy. The standard protocol starts with several drops of cannabis oil three times a day.
“The usual dose I start cancer patients on is 60 grams within 90 days. If the patient has undergone any chemotherapy or radiation they will need much more than 60 grams”, he explains.
“Cannabis is not a miracle drug in the sense that most people think. The cannabis itself doesn’t necessarily cure you; your body heals and cures itself. Cannabis simply triggers this reaction to occur. You see, cannabis works like a key inserted into a lock. Your bodies contain what is known scientifically as CB1 and CB2 receptors spread throughout it’s entire system and on every organ. When cannabis gets into the body and into these CB1 and CB2 receptors it works like a key opening a lock, the receptors then began firing correctly and any imperfections or illnesses which are contained within your body will immediately begin to get healed because these receptors are literally located everywhere within your body.”
“This is significant for 2 reasons,” he continues “cannabis can help to heal or cure nearly any illness or disease because these receptors send signs to your body and organs to begin functioning correctly and to stop misfiring. In the case of cancer, these receptors will tell the body how to identify cancer cells and can help to specifically target and kill them without the use of any harmful or invasive treatments.
The second reason this is important is regarding chemotherapy and radiation specifically. I personally believe that these treatments do more harm than good. There are numerous studies out there stating that more people die from cancer treatments than from the cancer itself. To put it plainly, chemotherapy kills more people than it heals. After treating so many patients with cannabis oil, I began to notice a pattern. Patients who have taken chemotherapy or radiation always require more oil than the standard 60 grams in 90 days.
I know some patients who have taken dozens of chemo sessions, and have now consumed over 350+ grams of oil. They have consumed a lot of oil, and continue to take it today; but they are still alive. They often come to me after the doctors have given up on them, with only weeks to live. Their bodies are extremely frail and damaged. I believe that this is from the chemotherapy.
It is not a targeted treatment. It kills all cells in your body, unlike THC cannabis oil which helps to identify and kill only the cancer cells. This is why patients who are diagnosed with cancer and have not done any chemotherapy or radiation typically need 60 grams in 90 days before switching to a maintenance dose, as opposed to those who have done chemotherapy or radiation. They need more oil because their bodies are far more damaged from both the cancer, and the chemotherapy; as opposed to being damaged by just the cancer itself. Your body needs more oil, and more time to rest and heal from all the damage incurred.”
And, it is never too late for the patient to start cannabis oil therapy. Mike believes that every country in the world should allow their citizens to cultivate and use cannabis for medical purposes. He also points out that pharmacies should be opened for those who can’t cultivate it if they can supply it at fair rate for all people, not just the rich.
“Little is known that cannabis has been used as one of the most healing remedies for hundreds of years before Christ.
In the ancient Persian religious scripts, which among other things describe the most healing herbs, cannabis takes the first place,” concludes Mike.
His biggest wish and goal is to live in a world without cancer where every person can legally cultivate as many cannabis plants as they would like on their property or in their home, and where every person in the world can legally and openly consume cannabis in every place where you can legally smoke tobacco or cigarettes. Until that day comes he tells us that he will continue fighting for our rights to do so.
If you have access to materials and would like to watch his detailed video on how to make it yourself, you can do so here: https://fb.watch/pauNSt-HqK/
He also hosts a page completely dedicated to cannabis patients on Facebook which can be found here: www.facebook.com/MikeWiseShow
You can watch Mike’s latest documentary ‘Rick and Me’, which details his healing journey with cannabis oil, for free using the following link:
Planting means preparing a patch of ground, fertilizing it and then planting seeds or plants, right? Yes, some people are still planting in gardening beds, and while those are still my favorite, I admit I’ve come to appreciate really nice, lofty, raised garden beds. Here’s why.
YOU’RE IN FOR A GARDENING TREAT
If you’ve never used raised garden beds before, you’re going to be pleasantly surprised. They have so many advantages over ground planting:
It’s a lot easier on your back and knees.
You can constantly improve the soil conditions to achieve perfect growing soil in your beds.
Your plants get some protection from critters and insects.
They give your garden a wonderfully neat, organized look.
There are fewer weeds in a raised bed.
Roots can grow deep into the soil to produce strong, healthy plants.
Does it sound good? Here’s how you can get started with raised beds.
EASY ON YOUR KNEES, BACK AND FEET
As you can see, it’s easy to walk around the raised beds to weed, water, harvest and just enjoy your growing plants. You don’t have to worry about bending, kneeling or walking through muddy planting beds.
Raised beds work for flowers, vegetables, fruits, shrubs and small trees.
TRY A COMBINATION OF GARDEN TYPES
Ideally, you should have a combination of ground plantings, raised beds and potted plants for a vivid, varied garden that you’ll enjoy every day.
WHERE TO GET THE BEST RAISED GARDEN BEDS
Raised bed gardening is even easier if you don’t have to worry about building the beds. The online store Wayfair has an outstanding selection of premade wooden planting beds.
Have you ever planted in raised beds? Did you enjoy it?
Law change hailed by supporters as chance for country to benefit from rising global demand for medicinal cannabis products
Malawi follows in the footsteps of other African countries, including South Africa. Photograph: Denis Farrell/APGlobal
Malawi has passed a bill decriminalising cannabis for medicinal and industrial purposes, almost five years after a motion to legalise industrial hemp was adopted.
The country follows in the footsteps of Zimbabwe, Zambia and Lesotho, neighbouring south-east African states that have legalised medicinal cannabis, as well as South Africa, where medicinal and recreational use was decriminalised in 2018.
“Today is a very glorious day for me personally and, I think, for the entire nation,” said Boniface Kadzamira, the former MP who tabled the topic in 2015, following the successful passage of the bill on Thursday.
The economic potential of the fast-growing global medicinal and industrial cannabis industry has been the main driver of the law change in Malawi. In 2019, the World Bank said Malawi “remains one of the poorest countries in the world despite making significant economic and structural reforms to sustain economic growth”. The national poverty rate was more than 50% in 2016.
While Malawi is famous internationally for its recreational cannabis strain “Malawi Gold”, the bill to legalise medicinal and industrial production faced huge opposition from social and religious conservatives in the country.
“It is my strong view that cannabis will in the long run replace tobacco to become our major cash crop – that will contribute hugely to the GDP,” said Kadzamira, who explained that the industry will create employment opportunities in the farming and industrial sectors.
Agriculture offers employment to nearly 80% of Malawi’s population. Tobacco is the country’s major export, and the global decline in its use has impacted the economy. Malawi’s tobacco industry is also marred by exploitation, as international companies such as British American Tobacco have sought cheap labour – including child labour – and low tariffs on raw tobacco for export.The children labouring in Malawi’s fields for British American TobaccoRead more
“We don’t want to replicate what has happened in the tobacco industry. Malawians should participate, not as tenants, but as equal partners in this new sector,” added Kadzamira, who wants cannabis products to be processed in-country.Advertisement
Invegrow became the first company in Malawi to get government authorisation to conduct research trials on low-THC industrial hemp in 2015. Run by Tanya Clarke, a British entrepreneur, Invegrow completed trials in 2018 and was one of the groups that advised on the draft bill.
Invegrow has processed hemp products such as paper, bricks and cosmetics in Malawi, Clarke said. The next step for the company will involve work with the government to investigate local varieties, as imported seeds were used in the trials.
“There will be lots of people interested and looking at Malawi at the moment, but the next step is to make its investment climate favourable and positive,” said Clarke.
She added that she hopes the medicinal cannabis industry, which is less accessible to local entrepreneurs, will “bring foreign currency and exchange to the country, and that [it] should be done responsibly”.
Clarke said government consultations during the drafting of the bill were inclusive, paving the way for the industry to “open a lot of doors for lots of different kinds of people here”, and stressed the importance of traditional farmers and growers being involved.
Malawi’s Rastafarian community has been among those advocating decriminalisation and contributing to discussions on the draft bill. Though Rastafarians in the country face stigma, attitudes are changing; last month, the country’s high court ruled that dreadlocks must be allowed in school lest Rastafarian children be excluded.
On Thursday evening, Lazarus Kadiwa, 36, was minding his friend’s craft shop in central Lilongwe. “As we Rasta, we make food with ganja, we can make soap with ganja, we can make clothes with ganja, we can make medicines,” he said.
“We’ve been looking for this all these years. It’s our chance to do business with the government, because we need to have our own licences to plant our own ganja,” he added.
Lazarus Kadiwa said Rastafarians would ‘celebrate’ the decriminalisation of cannabis. Photograph: Alice McCool
“People are going to celebrate,” smiled Kadiwa. “Rastas are going to sing and chant and shout, because we know at last we’re going to make something through this healing of a nation, ganja.”
Chatinkha Chidzanja Nkhoma, technical director of Malawi Hemp Association and a prospective cannabis farmer, is also excited for the future. Nkhoma explained that traditionally Malawians have used cannabis to treat illnesses “from fever and smallpox to mental health problems”.
“As a young mother, I was taught to give my baby cannabis when he developed chicken pox,” Nkhoma said. “Hemp will be the new economic frontier, which will greatly benefit Malawians.”
Malawi’s minister for agriculture was not available for comment in time for publication.
Garlic is one of the most delicious and versatile vegetables we can consume, with a myriad of potent medicinal properties, a unique aroma, and a distinguishing taste that are valued all around the world.
It is low in calories, but rich in essential nutrients, manganese, vitamin C, potassium, selenium, and calcium.
Garlic improves overall health in numerous different ways. Its consumption lowers the risk of heart disease and lowers cholesterol and blood pressure. It also reduces the risk of sickness by an incredible 62%, by strengthening the immune system.
According to Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DMN, CNS:
“Intensely aromatic and flavorful, garlic is used in virtually every cuisine in the world. When eaten raw, it has a powerful, pungent flavor to match the truly mighty garlic benefits.
Garlic is particularly high in certain sulfur compounds that are believed to be responsible for its scent and taste, as well as its very positive effects on human health.
At this time, there are more than 5,100 peer-reviewed articles that evaluated garlic’s ability to prevent and improve a wide spectrum of diseases.
Eating garlic regularly is not only good for us; it has been linked to reducing or even helping to prevent four of the major causes of death worldwide, including heart disease, stroke, cancer, and infections. Other than the most extreme, rare situations, I believe every person on the planet should consume garlic. It’s extremely cost-effective, super easy to grow and tastes absolutely fantastic.
The best way to reap the health benefits offered by garlic is to consume the organic one, which, fortunately, can be grown with ease at home.
The best time to plant your garlic is fall after the frost has passed and the soil is cool. You can also plant garlic in late winter when the soil thaws, but the ones planted in fall form larger and better bulbs.
Here are the details you need:
Take a larger pot and fill it with potting soil.
Break a bulb of garlic and place the cloves in loose damp soil, few inches deep, pointing upwards.
The garlic does not need much water, but keep the pot in an area exposed to the sun
Cut the greens when they reach 3-4 inches, and leave an inch so they can regrow again.
When the greens dry up and turn brown dig out the cloves, as each of them has formed a full bulb.
You can take a clove of the bulb and start this all over.
Now, you have an endless supply of garlic to enjoy its amazing healing properties!
How ineffective are current Alzheimer’s disease treatments? Quite. So much so, in fact, that David Cameron, the Conservative former prime minister of the United Kingdom – a supposed BFF of Big Business and one can only deduce, Big Pharma – called out the pharmaceutical industry for its “failures undermining dementia research and drug development.” A huge multi-billion-dollar industry being called out by a world leader isn’t something that happens every day.
But then again, Cameron’s sentiments have plenty of merits. Per Scientific American, dementia drug research has failed miserably. In a mega-study investigating 244 drugs across 413 clinical trials, researchers found that just one drug was approved. In other words, 99.6 percent of the experiments amounted to nothing. Just this past January, another company discontinued not one but two Alzheimer’s drugs during the final stages of clinical trials.
So, what is going on? Well, it’s one thing for a politician to lambast an industry for their lack of progress and next-to-nil results; it’s quite another to pinpoint and act upon the catalysts of dementia. It certainly doesn’t help that the drug industry is so entrenched into the health care apparatus either, as this discourages looking at alternative methods of care. Mix in public ignorance about natural remedies (yes, including marijuana) and the outlook doesn’t appear favorable.
But researchers may just be edging ever closer to a real solution to the Alzheimer’s problem – and it isn’t in the form of an expensive pill. What is it, then? Well, if studies are to be believed, it’s the use of cannabis.
In this article, we’re going to discuss some interesting findings concerning the use of cannabis and Alzheimer’s disease. We’ll briefly touch on the problem of Alzheimer’s in today’s society as well as the problems posed by conventional dementia treatments.
ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE: AN OVERVIEW
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by a gradual loss of memory, learning ability, communication, and judgment. In some cases, these cognitive functions decline to a point where the person becomes entirely dependent on caregivers for daily activities.
Alzheimer’s is typically found in those over the age of 65, of whom approximately 1 in 14 adults are affected. The highest concentration of patients with the disease are those over the age of 80, with 1 in every 6 meeting the criteria for diagnosis. This type of Alzheimer’s, also known as Late-onset Alzheimer’s is the most common, accounting for nearly 90 percent of all cases.
Only 6 to 8 percent of patients develop symptoms before the age of 65 – a condition known as early-onset Alzheimers – with those affected having a family history of the disease.
The rarest form of Alzheimer’s is called Familial Alzheimer’s disease (FAD), which is believed to be wholly inherited. In affected families, members of at least two generations are found to have had Alzheimer’s disease. FAD accounts for less than 1 percent of all Alzheimer’s cases.
Alzheimer’s disease symptoms are classified into three categories: mild, moderate, and severe.
COMMON SYMPTOMS OF MILD ALZHEIMER’S INCLUDE:
Difficulty completely once-routine tasks
Impaired sense of judgment
Impaired sense of direction or getting lost
Increased anxiety and aggression
Lethargy and lack of purpose
Memory loss
Monetary difficulties
Poor decision making
Repeating the same questions
MODERATE SYMPTOMS INCLUDE:
All of the symptoms mentioned above
Further deterioration of memory
Poor judgment and worsening confusion
Requiring assistance when doing simple tasks (e.g. bathing, grooming, using the bathroom.)
Significant changes in personality and behavior.
SEVERE SYMPTOMS MAY INCLUDE:
All of the signs mentioned above
Losing the ability to converse or speak
Complete dependence on others for many tasks
Declining physical abilities (e.g. inability to walk or sit up straight, rigid muscles, etc.)
PROBLEMS ABOUND WITH DEMENTIA DRUGS
It’s not just that so few drugs are approved for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia; the problem is also that they are ineffective and downright counterproductive in just about every conceivable way. Let us briefly discuss the problems with current dementia treatment.
THEY’RE EXPENSIVE
First, Alzheimer’s prescription drugs are costly. While Medicaid covers much of the costs, prescription drugs for dementia can add up to hundreds of dollars per month. For seniors who live on a fixed income, this amount may be unattainable, forcing them to choose drugs over other necessities like food, or vice-versa.
THEY CARRY NASTY SIDE EFFECTS
Among the pervasive side effects of dementia medicines are abdominal cramps, bruising, confusion, constipation diarrhea, insomnia, muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and weight loss.
THEY’RE INEFFECTIVE (EXCEPT FOR ONE)
While the statistics may vary, they seem to agree on this point: Alzheimer’s prescription medications aren’t very effective at doing what they say they’ll do. In a meta-analysis of 41 randomized control trials published in Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy, the research team concludes that there is not one drug that reduces neuropsychiatric symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
Memantine is the sole dementia medication that carries significant benefits. In both the previous meta-analysis, and the second analysis of 30 studies published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, memantine (brand name “Namenda”) significantly improved learning, cognition, and memory. (Furthermore, compared with the other type of dementia medications – acetylcholinesterase inhibitors [e.g. donepezil] – memantine has relatively few and less severe side effects.)
CANNABIS AS AN ALZHEIMER’S AND DEMENTIA TREATMENT
“When we investigated the power of THC … we found that [it] was a very effective inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase. [We] also found that THC was considerably more effective than two of the approved drugs…” – Kim Janda, Ph.D. (source)
It’s a good thing that marijuana use is becoming less and less taboo – especially for those with medical conditions. To give you an idea of just how widespread cannabis is as either a primary or secondary treatment option, consider what it’s been thought to help treat:
Alzheimer’s disease (of course!)
Anxiety
Cancer (by killing cancer cells and slowing tumor growth)
Chron’s disease
Chronic pain
Eating disorders
Epilepsy
Excessive weight loss (in people with AIDS and cancer)
Glaucoma
Inflammation
Loss of appetite
Mental health conditions such as schizophrenia and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Nausea and vomiting (from chemotherapy)
Multiple sclerosis (MS)
Muscle spasms
UNDERSTANDING ALZHEIMER’S
To understand how cannabis may help treat Alzheimer’s, we must first understand the underlying neurophysiology of the disease. To this point, researchers attribute the onset and progression of the disease to the buildup of a sticky plaque protein called beta-amyloid. It is thought that the protein disrupts communication between neurons in the brain and causes cellular death. It is these effects of the beta-amyloid, neuroscientists say, that causes both the cognitive and neuropsychiatric problems seen in Alzheimer’s patients.
An active compound in marijuana called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) may help to remove the toxic buildup of beta-amyloid, say researchers from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California. Moreover, THC may also help to reduce inflammation in nerve cells. Dave Schubert, the leading neurobiologist at the institute, believes that his team’s study is the first of its kind to demonstrate these dual properties of THC.
Schubert’s team may have made another novel finding: the inflammation produced in the brain may stem from beta-amyloid buildup within the neurons – not immune-like cells within the brain as thought previously. Moreover, “THC-like compounds (within) the nerve cells themselves may be involved in protecting the cells from dying,” says Antonio Currais, a researcher in Shubert’s lab.
Schubert’s team attributes these the anti-inflammatory, beta-amyloid reduction properties to THC to activation of the brain’s “switches,” or receptors. Research has shown that endocannabinoids activate these receptors, causing intracellular signaling within the brain. As THC has similar molecular activity as endocannabinoids, they have similar effects of the brain’s receptors.
FINAL THOUGHTS
In related research, Schubert’s lab discovered that a potential drug known as J147 produces similar effects of beta-amyloid proteins and reduces the inflammatory response in the brain. Schubert’s team has found that the J147 drug works by manipulating a mitochondrial protein called ATP, which performs the role of providing cellular energy to neurons. As of this writing, J147 is said to be nearing clinical trials – the first step, albeit a long one, in gaining approval for mass manufacturing and distribution.
As of this writing, the Salk Institute is advancing its research on THC and endocannabinoids as a potential Alzheimer’s treatment.
Hold the phone. I just found out you can regrow food in water without dirt. Could gardening get any better when you have two black thumbs?
I think not. And my black thumbs aren’t the only reason I’ve been hesitant to garden. It can be costly too, but ever since I found ways to water my garden for free, I’m all over it.
Then my step-mom showed me how to regrow food in water – she had a couple heads of lettuce in a bowl in her kitchen. But as it turns out, it’s just one of several veggies that can grow without dirt, and without much effort too.
It’s great news for those buying organic vegetables, but even if you aren’t, it’s a simple way to stretch those grocery dollars just a teeny bit further is to regrow food in water!
WHY SHOULD YOU REGROW FOOD IN WATER?
There are plenty of reasons to regrow food, but the most important ones to me are:
(1) IT’S ABSOLUTELY FREE.
You already bought the vegetable. All it costs is a few tablespoons of water – but if you’re smart about it, you can re-use water you’ve already used elsewhere, like from boiling pasta or water that you collected while waiting for the shower to get hot. Then it wouldn’t cost you a dime!
(2) IT’LL TRIM YOUR GROCERY BUDGET.
Little ways to save money really do add up to bigger savings, as long as you’re diligent about using them.
Now, you won’t get a huge harvest out of any of these items, but it is still food and every little bit helps. Even if it’s a few leaves of lettuce to scoop your tuna salad with, you can regrow food you didn’t have before and won’t have to buy.
(3) IT MAKES ORGANICS MORE AFFORDABLE.
Affording organic food just got easier! If you start with organic food, you’ll regrow food that’s organic… so you’ll reap the benefits of organic greens without actually paying for them!
(4) IT’S EASY.
Do I have to explain further? I mean, stick the plant in water and watch it grow. Really – it’s that easy!
I’ve listed below all the vegetables that can legitimately grow in water and water alone.
Sure, there are plenty more that can START in water and then be transplanted to soil. And yes, beans will sprout in water too – but unless the vegetable will grow into more vegetable that can be eaten as-is with only a cup of water, I kept it off this list.
GENERAL GUIDELINES TO REGROW FOOD IN WATER
You don’t need a lot of water – just enough to cover the roots. About 1/2″ of water seems to be sufficient otherwise the food can get moldy and slimy.
Be sure to check the water every 2-3 days to ensure that A) there’s enough water, and B) no rogue lettuce pieces fall off and slime up your bowl.
You can regrow multiples of the same plant as long as you’re not overcrowding the area.
I haven’t tried this myself, but using a fertilizer could help with the yield when you regrow food – especially if this is more than a fun side project. I would recommend this Dr. Earth organic liquid fertilizer or a hydroponic fertilizer.
10 WAYS TO REGROW FOOD IN WATER
BOK CHOY
Cut off the bottom of the stalk and place in a small bowl of water. New growth begins from the center in 1-2 days with significant growth in less than a week!
CABBAGE
Place the root end in a shallow bowl of water and watch it regrow from the center. Be sure to harvest on the smaller side to get the best flavor.
CARROT GREENS
You can’t regrow an actual carrot, but you can regrow the carrot tops! Place the cut-off end of a carrot in a shallow bowl of water. Harvest the greens as they grow and add to salads. Better yet, make this amazing carrot top pesto and stop spending money on store-bought!
CELERY
Cut off the bottom 2″ of the stalk and place in a small bowl of water. New growth begins from the center in 3-4 days. It might take awhile for a full stalk of celery to grow, but you’ll get great growth in the center for flavoring dishes. If you don’t know what to do with the leaves, dehydrate them and make your own dried celery powder.
FENNEL
Cut off the bottom 1″ of the base so that the roots are intact and place in a small bowl of water.
GARLIC CHIVES
Garlic chives are the green that grows from a clove of garlic and can be added to dishes that traditionally call for green onion chives like salads and baked potatoes. Place a garlic clove in a small cup and add water to the bottom without submerging. Roots will grow in a few days and shoots will grow shortly after!
Tip: Garlic starts to lose it pungent flavor when the shoots grow, so if you find a rogue clove in your fridge or pantry starting to shoot, place it in a cup of water to grow chives instead of throwing the clove away!
GREEN ONION
Keep the white part of the onion with any roots that are in still intact. Place in a glass with water and you’ll have a never-ending supply of fresh green onion!
LEEKS
Cut off the bottom 2-3″ of the stalk and place in a cup of water. New growth will come from the center of the plant. Usually only the green part of the leek is used in cooking, but it can be used interchangeably with onions for a delicious, mellow flavor.
LEMONGRASS
Cut off 2-3″ from the bottom and place in a tall container with 1/2″ or so of water. New lemongrass shoots will grow from the center.
LETTUCE
Cut off the bottom of the head of lettuce and place it in a small bowl of water. New growth begins from the center of the in as little as 3 days and you’ll have a new half-head of lettuce in about 2 weeks. I’ve heard romaine re-grows best, but I’ve had success with green leaf and red leaf lettuce too.
GOT MORE SCRAPS TO REGROW FOOD?
There are plenty more vegetables that will regrow using just a small scrap of the original food. These listed below can be started in water, but should be transplanted to dirt for full growth and harvest.
avocado
basil
beets
cilantro
ginger
lemon balm
mint
mushrooms
onions (white/yellow/red)
parsnips
pineapple
potatoes
rosemary
sweet potatoes
turnips
And of course, you can save the seeds/pits from apples, cherries, lemons, nectarines, peaches, peppers (sweet and hot), plums, pumpkins and tomatoes to grow your own new vegetables!
We have several heads of lettuce regrowing on our kitchen table, which makes for a pretty and practical centerpiece! If you had a shelf near a window, you could keep all your plants there and just harvest when they’re big!
Just think – if we did all of the above ways to regrow food, we might not ever have to shop at the grocery store again!
Who would have thought you could find this self-sufficient beauty 15 minutes away from downtown Los Angeles? If you want to grow your own food and make sure that everything you put on the table is 100% healthy and free of any chemicals, take the example of this next L.A. based family. The Dervaes grows their own food and everything they consume in a year comes from their own household. The family owns a property of 1/10 acres where they grow over 400 species of plants, their own vegetables, poultry and they even have their own beehive. All their products are chemical free and green and their sustainable way of life is a great example to follow by everyone who wants to control what they are eating. Growing your own food also means saving a lot of money and the Dervaes managed to earn over $20000 last year. To learn more, check out their website here: https://urbanhomestead.org/about/
North America’s biggest companies have seen their market values lose billions, prompting comparisons to dotcom bust
A customer sniffs a display sample of marijuana at a retail shop in Vancouver. Photograph: Elaine Thompson/APWilliam Turvill
Cannabis may be legal in Vancouver but visitors looking to score are likely to run into a seemingly counterintuitive suggestion: try the black market.
Recreational marijuana was legalised across Canada in October 2018. And yet on Reddit, the specialist forum website used by millions every day, many of Vancouver’s cannabis connoisseurs still swear by their underground supply.
This is one of the major issues facing North America’s marijuana companies, which experts say are in the midst of a dotcom-style market crash.
Canada and 11 US states have legalised recreational use of the drug, and a little over a year ago companies that cultivate and sell cannabis were seen by investors as one of the hottest tickets in town. Now billions of dollars have been wiped off the market values of the industry’s largest companies.Advertisement
The North American Marijuana Index, which tracks listed firms in the sector, has plummeted about 80% in the last year and is at its lowest value since 2016, before much legalisation had taken place.
The market capitalisation of Canopy Growth, the biggest firm in the sector by value, has fallen from $24bn in April last year to just over $6bn now, according to figures from the financial data firm Y Charts.
Around $2bn of that loss has come in the last week. Coronavirus fears, which have dragged down stocks across the globe, have not helped. But a large part of Canopy’s latest share price drop came after the firm was forced to admit that it was struggling in Canada.
The company announced last Wednesday that it would be closing two cultivation greenhouses in British Columbia – the western Canadian province where Vancouver is found – leading to 500 job losses. Canopy, which will be focusing on more cost-effective outdoor cultivation, also cancelled plans for a third greenhouse in Ontario.
Bosses blamed the cutbacks on Canada’s recreational market, which they said had “developed slower than anticipated”.
The consensus on Vancouver’s cannabis-focused Reddit feeds is that the legal market is struggling to attract buyers because its product is more expensive but lower in quality than the black market alternative.
“The government’s pot is too expensive. The government doesn’t show you a picture of what you’re buying before you buy it, so you cannot be informed as a consumer. The government weed has been full of bugs, mouldy or too dry in some cases, and often takes too long to get there,” one user said.
“The legal stuff is garbage,” said another Reddit user. A third said: “Friends don’t let friends smoke government weed.”
The sentiment is not confined to the realms of Reddit. Canadian government survey results released last month found that 40% of the country’s marijuana consumers admit to having obtained the drug illegally since legalisation.
Omar Yar Khan, national cannabis sector lead at the consultancy firm Hill & Knowlton, says legal sales have fallen short of expectations for a number of reasons. Legal prices – driven up by taxes – have been a factor in helping keep the black market “as rampant as ever”, he says.
But Khan, who advises several cannabis companies on public affairs, also believes firms have suffered in Canada at the hands of regulations that restrict their ability to develop brands.
There are strict rules around advertising for cannabis companies. Khan said: “It’s very hard to draw loyal consumers away from the illicit market to a legal market when there is very little brand identity amongst the consumer groups.”
Companies have also been held back in their efforts to open stores, often by local authorities that are against cannabis being sold in their areas.
“There just aren’t enough legal licensed points of sale across the country,” Khan said. “I think in Ontario now we’re up to about 30. But there are over a thousand beverage alcohol points of sale. So if it’s not convenient for consumers to access the product through the legal system, why would they ever leave the legacy illicit market?”
Anthony Dutton, a co-founder and former chief executive of Cannex – a US-focused marijuana firm that is listed in Canada and was recently renamed 4Front following a takeover – believes share prices in the sector have been driven down by certain firms overpromising to investors. He believes some of these companies are likely to collapse or be taken over by stronger rivals in the future.
Dutton, who remains a shareholder in 4Front and still advises the firm, likens the current woes of listed cannabis companies to the dotcom crash of the early 2000s.
“The market got ahead of itself, started to drink its own Kool-Aid, and it was a classic example of any bubble,” he said. “So what we’re seeing now, thankfully, is a lot of the companies that probably should never have been financed – and probably should never have gone public in the first place – are slowly withering on the vine and they’ll just disappear.
“Now there will be a consolidation around half a dozen strong operating companies, including 4Front, and those will be the companies that will take it into the next cycle.”
He added: “It’s just like in the dotcom boom. Oracle, Microsoft and other big companies were all around then, and they were profitable. And when the little companies began to fail, Microsoft and Oracle and the others picked up the ones they wanted, and the others they just let die.”
Kevin Sabet, the head of Smart Approaches to Marijuana – a campaign group that opposes lifting laws on the drug – says the legalisation of cannabis has been a “boon” to the black market in many areas because it means consumers are less concerned about trying the product.
Sabet, who has advised White House administrations on drug policy, also believes cannabis companies have misled their investors and politicians about the societal and financial benefits of legalisation.
“The cannabis business has been oversold to investors as a sure thing to get a great return,” he said. “I think there was a big hype over cannabis that has ended up being a reputation it could never live up to.”
Storing fresh fruit and vegetables from the garden is an easy task in the summer months. However, once the cooler months roll around, the abundance of produce is so overwhelming that not even our fridges can keep up.
Utilizing fridges as our main source of food preservation isn’t always the best, either. There are several downfalls that come with using a refrigerator to preserve food. For example, the nutritional value of foods will decrease if kept for over several weeks, and if your home experiences a power outage, all of that food could potentially go to waste.
How Did Our Ancestors Preserve Food?
You might have wondered at some point in your life – how did my ancestors preserve a whole winter seasons worth of frost-intolerant produce? While the techniques vary widely across cultures, the main method of food preservation was by utilizing a root cellar, storing large amounts of produce in the cool underground. This allowed them to enjoy the benefits of fresh vegetables throughout the cold winter months and far into spring.
Historical records indicate that the Indigenous peoples of Australia were utilizing the technique of burying food in the ground to preserve it more than 40,000 years ago. The Incas historically introduced the production of chuños to South America – a way of preserving potatoes by exposing a frost-resistant potato variety to the very low night temperatures of the Andean Altiplano, freezing them, and then exposing them to intense sunlight during the day (1). By the 17th century, walk-in root cellars started to become popular in England.
With the variety of food preservation techniques around the world, it is clear that root cellars served an amazing purpose. Imagine storing a whole harvest’s worth of your food in an area that required almost no energy to power? Sounds pretty great to me.
What Is A Root Cellar?
A root cellar is basically an underground room for preserving fruit and vegetables for several weeks to months at a time. Many homes have them built in the basement, but they can also be structures separate from the home. When properly built, root cellars are cool in temperature, have the correct humidity levels and are well-ventilated.
While many cannot just get up and build their own old-world root cellars, a little common sense and wisdom of temperature and humidity guidelines will allow anybody to whip together an ideal plan for prolonging produce shelf-life throughout winter.
Keeping the rules of root cellars in mind, we should pay attention to temperature, humidity and air circulation.
1. Temperature
Cooler temperatures help to preserve produce by slowing the rate at which they release ethylene gas, thereby slowing the rate at which they go bad. While the ideal temperature of a root cellar varies depending on what fruit and vegetables you will be storing, it should be between 32 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Humidity
Humidity levels will also depend on how fresh your produce stays. Most produce stores best in an environment where the relative humidity is high – between 85-95 percent. Most root cellars are naturally humid, as they are constructed of the earth, but it is still a good idea to include a hygrometer (a device that measures humidity) in your root cellar. If the root cellar is too dry, you can increase humidity by sprinkling water on the floor, or by packing vegetables in damp sawdust. If humidity levels are too high, you can increase ventilation or add barrels of rock salt.
3. Air Circulation
Proper ventilation will allow for greater temperature control, as well as controlling the number of ethylene gases produced by the fruit and vegetables being stored. If these gases have no way of escaping, your entire root cellar will quickly rot. There should be at least two vents, one high and one low. Warm stale air needs to float out of the top of your chamber, as fresh cooler air makes its way through the bottom.
4. Darkness
Light accelerates the decomposition of fruit and vegetables. Storage in complete darkness is the best way to preserve the shelf-life of produce.
Many people have devised make-shift root cellars if they don’t have the resources to make an “official” root cellar that comes with some homes. The videos below describe just how to do so.
Types of Root Cellars
1. Trash Can Cellar
This homemade, inexpensive version of a makeshift root cellar is an easy way to store root crops. Potatoes, carrots, kohlrabi, beets, rutabagas, turnips, and parsnips are perfect for this type of storage. This cellar is made using a metal trash can and dug underground so that the mouth of the can lays flat with the top of the earth.
2. Barrel Root Cellar
A barrel root cellar is basically the same as a trash can cellar, except using a very large plastic barrel.
3. Straw Storage
Straw storage might be the easiest for most people. You put layers of straw followed by layers of potatoes (or other root veggies) in a large basket or wooden barrel. You can store this in a dark, cool area of the home, and they should last months.
How To Store Fruit and Vegetables Without a Fridge
If you’re wanting to extend the life of your fruit and vegetables, utilize the following tips. As a rule of thumb, do not wash any produce prior to storing. Washing them will reduce their ability to keep throughout the months. Instead, provide enough drying time for the dirt on the outside to dehydrate, and then brush off any large clumps.
When stored properly, all of the vegetables below can last a very long time. Most people think that only root vegetables like carrots, beets, potatoes, and onions can last several months, when in fact, tomatoes, cucumbers, and cauliflower can last just as long if properly stored.
Here’s how to store your fruit and vegetables long-term:
1. Apples This fruit can be dangerous to store with other produce, because as they age, they release ethylene gas, which causes other produce to rot, too. Isolate apples in shallow containers with lids. They keep best in 80-90% relative humidity and prefer temperatures of around 32-40 degrees Fahrenheit. Check them often, and if you see any signs of rot, remove the bad apples immediately.
2. Beets Beets can withstand more humidity than apples, but they prefer the 32-40 degree Fahrenheit range. Before hard frost hits, hoe dirt over the protruding shoulders, keeping the foliage exposed. As winter begins, add mulch to the rows with up to a foot of leaves, straw or hay (more for colder climates, less for warmer). This method can also be applied to carrots, parsnips, turnips, celery, rutabagas, cabbages, leeks, kale and with some success, spinach. The longer you keep cold-tolerant produce in the ground, the better. Cool fall and winter temperatures actually increase the sugar content in many vegetables like beets and carrots (thus, making them taste ten times better!).
3. Brussels Sprouts This vegetable is very frost-hardy and can be left in the garden until late fall. They can be kept in a root cellar, but a lack of moisture will shorten their life span. Keep brussels sprouts at a temperature of 32-40 degrees Fahrenheit and a high relative humidity level of 90-95%.
4. Cabbage Can withstand light frost when it is young, and moderately severe frost when mature. You can utilize the same method of mulching beets with cabbage. They prefer cooler temperatures of 32-40 degrees Fahrenheit, and high moisture levels of around 80-95% relative humidity. You can pull out the entire plant (roots included), and this will ensure the cabbage lasts a little bit longer. If a stump of cabbage is left in the ground for the following year, however, a smaller leafy cabbage will emerge the following season. If you decide to pull out the cabbage with roots included, you can store them by tying a sturdy string to the roots (like hemp cord) and then let them hang upside down in the cellar.
5. Carrots As described above, carrots can be kept in the garden under mulch, much like beets. They prefer temperatures of 32-40 degrees Fahrenheit, and relative humidity of 90-95% in a root cellar. If you are storing in a cellar, harvest before the soil freezes and cut the stems close to the carrot. Store them in a bucket of leaves or sawdust with a loose lid.
6. Cauliflower Prefer cool temperatures of 32-40 degrees Fahrenheit and very moist relative humidity levels of 90-95%. You can wrap cauliflower in leaves to extend their shelf-life.
7.Celery Prefer cool temperatures of 32-40 degrees Fahrenheit and very moist relative humidity levels of 90-95%. They don’t tend to last too long into the winter months,
8. Celeriac This vegetable, which is actually the root base of celery itself, is one of the best keeping vegetables during the winter months. Trim off the longer roots, making sure not to cut too close to the bulb. Store in damp sawdust, sand, or moss, at an ideal temperature range of 32-40 degrees Fahrenheit. They prefer a very moist relative humidity of 90-95%.
9.Garlic This spice needs to be air-dried in a warm, arid area for 2-3 weeks before storage. Remove the root and store at 32-50 degrees Fahrenheit with 60-70% relative humidity and good airflow.
10. Leeks Try to grow frost-hardy varieties if you’re wanting to keep for the winter months. They can withstand a bit of snow, and the mulching process (as described above with beets) may be used up until the ground freezes. Harvest with some roots still attached, and store upright at 32-40 degrees Fahrenheit, preferable in wet sand. Try not to wet the leaves during storage. They prefer relatively high humidity of 90-95%.
11. Onions Require curing until the necks are tight before storing. To cure, spread them in a dry area with lots of airflow, or hang them upside down. They prefer temperatures of 32-40 degrees Fahrenheit, with a relative humidity of 60-70%. Make sure to store them in breathable containers like mesh bags or crates.
12.Parsnips Store well in uncovered ground until a solid freeze, at which point they should be mulched. The frost improves their flavour for a delicious spring harvest. If you harvest during winter, store them in damp sawdust at 32-40 degrees Fahrenheit, and a high relative humidity of 90-95%.
13. Potatoes Potatoes should be cured in a dark place for 1-2 weeks at 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit. After this, they prefer cold temperatures of 32-40 degrees Fahrenheit, and moist relative humidity of 80-90%. You can also store potatoes outdoors by piling an insulating material like straw or hay on top of unused winter garden space with a few inches of dirt on top. Keep a ventilation hole, clear of dirt, on one side of the pile and a drainage ditch around the perimeter equipped with a small runoff canal. Throughout the winter, you can reach through the ventilation hole and fish out the produce. If you have a tarp, you can cover the top of the pile (not the ventilation hole) to prevent the storage mound from eroding away. If you have lots of potatoes that need storing, and more than one pile is not an option, layer the pile with 4-6 inches of the insulating medium, followed by a single layer of potatoes, followed by 4 inches of soil. Repeat the layering process.
14. Pumpkins Cure pumpkins as you would a winter squash (see below) with the stem attached and stored around 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit. Relative humidity should be around 60-75%.
15. Sweet Potatoes These guys can be stored all the way till spring if properly cured and stored. To cure, let them air-dry in a warm humid environment of 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit and 90% relative humidity for 10-14 days. This will toughen the skin and improve its flavor. Sweet potatoes store best in an unheated room of 50-60 degrees, with a moderate relative humidity of 60-70%, taking great care not to let them drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
16. Turnips This root veggie should always be harvested before a heavy frost hits. Remove the tops, and store as you would carrots in a moist insulator such as sawdust, moss or sand.
17. Winter Squash Should be harvested before a hard frost, when the skin is tough enough to prevent penetration from a pressed thumb. Allow the seeds to fully develop before consuming them. Leave the stem on the fruit and cure for 10 days at 75-85 degrees Fahrenheit. Store them in a moderately dry and warm spot, where the temperature doesn’t drop below 50 and preferably stays below 60 degrees. The best relative humidity for storage falls between 60-70%.
