Live science republished an article originally published at The Conversation looking into the “true state” of medical cannabis research, and the benefits of hemp oil.
Science looking to prove what patients experience obscures hemp oil benefits
As was discovered by quantum physicists in the previous century, the way we look at something influences the outcome. Or more generally put, science postulates and proves. The angle of the article is from the perception of a psychologist, Steven Kinsey, Assistant Professor of Psychology at West Virginia University and Divya Ramesh Research Associate, University of Connecticut.
The specialist who wrote the article claims not to have any political position on cannabis legalization. He studies the cannabis plant, and its related chemical compounds. Wouldn’t one then assume the author would be a biologist or doctor rather than a psychologist?
A selection of our products
Too much is unknown about cannabis
One point that is absolutely clear, no matter what your background may be, is that science has yet to prove the benefits of hemp oil that so many people are reporting. From a research point of view, cannabis is considered a “dirty drug” because of all the compounds and their effects, which are poorly understood. Therefore, only two cannabinoids have been studied fairly extensively, but there might be more with medicinal value. Then there are the other compounds in cannabis: terpenes, flavonoids and more, all working in concert. Can a single cannabinoid impart all hemp oil benefits? Surely not!
The author of the article chose to look into chronic pain and epilepsy to illustrate what is actually known about medical cannabis according to his view. He argues that most of the studies on pain relief rely on subjective, self-reported pain ratings, which is considered a significant limitation. Only a few controlled clinical trials were done, and no conclusive statement can be made on whether cannabis effectively treats pain.
Another approach of research is to look at combination therapies where experimental cannabinoid drugs are combined with existing drugs. The theory behind this being that less of both drugs are needed, and side effects are reduced.
The expert says “well-designed epilepsy studies are badly needed” adding that apart from “sensational news stories and speculation on the internet” the research supporting the reduction of seizures in epilepsy is based on rodent studies, rather than studies on people. It seems remarkable that he is unaware of the recent clinical trials on Epidiolex, a CBD-based medication. Has Live Science published an outdated article?
Hemp oil benefits
Hemp oil benefits have been described by patients who experienced a radical change in their condition. Some of these results could be regarded as empirical evidence. For instance, there are reports of babies, who can’t be considered as being biased, or able to experience the “placebo effect”, no longer having seizures after being given CBD oil.
The main sticking point when it comes to hemp oil benefits and science, is that science wants to know the hows and the whys. People saying their pain is lessened, and babies no longer having seizures, simply isn’t enough evidence to amount to scientific proof. Should scientists believe what people say? And if they did, would it be a change for the better or for the worse?
