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S4. Bonus Episode: A look at Cannabis in Pediatric Medicine with Dr. Jennifer Anderson
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Dr. Jennifer Anderson joins the show for a bonus episode, where she tells her personal story of her son finding relief from his seizures through cannabis.Dr. Jen fought and endured backlash so that now she can not only provide care to her son but to more families, and so that she could influence Child Services and local lawmakers to allow children to travel with their cannabis medication. Dr. Jen is helping lead the integration of cannabis education into the mainstream medical curriculum for Canadian medical residents. She and her colleagues are forming an initiative that will be a model for how cannabis plant medicine and Western medicine can coexist.
Dr. Jen has demonstrated not only what plant medicine can do, but also the power of a community working together to support the child and the family in their healing journey.
Key Takeaways From This Episode:
- In 2015, Dr. Jen’s son started having seizures, and his epilepsy got continually worse, with dangerous and alarming side effects and symptoms occurring alongside them.
- She tried many forms of treatment until he was turned around by cannabis.
- As Dr. Jen began to advocate for the powers of cannabis, she was met with resistance from people both personally and professionally.
- Dr. Jen worked underground for the first several years and knew that in order to change the system, the had to work with the system in medicine already set in place. This included medicine, dosage, and payment plans for the families looking to use cannabis.
- Politicians are people too. Dr. Jen shares an emotional story about a little boy with a brain tumor that was able to travel because she was able to explain his situation to the governor and Minister of Health of that country.
- One of the biggest barriers in the United States now is that law and research aren’t well informed and working collaboratively.
- Dr. Jen started to make positive waves when she was able to show just how much cannabis had benefitted her son.
- Her county became the first in Canada to actually have cannabis in schools.
- Dr. Jen is now integrating cannabis into family care practice or residency for Family Care Practice because the endocannabinoid system is one most doctors do not learn about.
- We are in a time where patients want more control, and they want more involvement in the care for themselves and for their loved ones.
Quotes:
- “You shouldn't have to be a physician to be able to get stuff for your child.”
- “I never set out to change everything. I've always been somebody who says, well, why not?”
- “How do we change the system while using the system, because implementing a new system is not usually effective.”
- “ I think sometimes we have to start with that mindset that these parents, 99% of them, want the best for their kids. And we just need to help make that possible.”
For more resources visit Kara Ware Coaching S4. Ep5. Thank you for joining Nathan and me as we reimagine Functional Medicine by discovering how to include cannabis into our Functional Medicine toolbox.
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