How Medical Marijuana Helped One Individual with Graves Eye Disease

The demand for legalization of medical marijuana is on the rise in nearly every state in The U S as more and more Americans search for alternative medicines for the cure of their ailments as opposed to prescription drugs.

For decades now state legislatures have fought to bring the natural medicinal remedy back on the market.

Now with the high opioid addiction throughout the country even professional medical doctors agree that some patients benefit more from using medical marijuana.

Brenda Carr suffered for years with unexplained symptoms until she her diagnosis of Graves Disease, a disease that mainly affects the thyroids and eyes.

“Between the Hyper Thyroid and the Hypo Thyroids, if you’re Hyper Thyroid then you feel too much and if it’s hypo thyroid you don’t feel enough, “ said Carr. “Like if I’m going to cross the street and car is coming the judgment of how far the car is and how fast it’s coming determines whether or not I can get across the street fast enough.” Carr said her pain was so intense she could no longer care for her dogs. “When they would come and sit on my lap it felt like pin cushions. I couldn’t have anybody touch me,” she said.

Carr said she became involved with the Medical Cannabis study because of her eyes. “I have Graves Eyes, that is specifically prevalent in individuals that smoke cigarettes. They end up getting a disease in the eyes, where the eyes pop out of the sockets. And then they get big,” said Carr.

Carr had to become a non-smoker for one year before she could have surgery to correct her eye condition. After three eye surgeries, Carr participated in a research project at UC Berkeley for individuals who have Graves Eye. They were using Cannabis as an alternative to help with the vision. “With Grave Eyes you get double vision, the eyes are dry, and you will lose your sight,” she said.

According to Carr, during the study they had her utilize various types of Medical Grade Cannabis. “The one that worked for me the best is “Blue Dream”, said Carr. “It is basically the outdoor grow, grown naturally and organically”, she noted.

“Within the study they had me try 7 different types of medicine,” she added.

There are two types of Medical Marijuana, Sativa and Indica. According to Carr, the Indica’s affect made her feel sleepy. Carr also said she did not see a difference in her eyes using the Indica. However according to her the Sativa did relax her eyes and it also corrected her double vision.

Within the year long study, Carr utilized the Medical Cannabis through a vaporized technique, where the Cannabis was blown in her face and inhaled by her. In addition, she lights a bud and let the smoke flow into her eyes. Carr said she kept a journal of the affects she experienced from the usage of the various ways she utilized the cannabis.

Carr noted that after the trial study, her left eye eventually reseeded back into the socket, however, a tube had to be, inserted in her right eye for drainage. “I don’t have the double vision anymore”, she said. Carr notes that she does still experience dry eyes. “If I’m in a situation that’s very stressful for me then, my left eye will begin to protrude or bulge again”, said Carr. When that happens, Carr notes that she uses the Blue Dream Medical Marijuana to correct it, by smoking it in a joint.

However, according to Carr there is a difference between just smoking a joint and smoking it medically.

“Whenever I use my medicine, I sit down in a chair and have my feet planted firmly on the floor and be comfortable, then I take a hit off of the joint and hold it in and I keep my eyes closed and I concentrate on the fact that I want my eye not to protrude anymore. Moreover, I just try to relax myself as much as possible. I then exhale through my nose. I don’t blow it out, I just allow it to come out through my nose,” said Carr. “The medicine penetrates through my body, goes up into my head, and comes down through my nose.” Carr said, typically one or two hits off the joint will fix her existing problem. According to her smoking the medical marijuana, using that technique does not make the patient high. “Like THC makes you high,” said Carr. “But if you have something in your body that is needing it for medical it doesn’t make you high. It is kind of like reacts to the area you need the help in,” she said. Carr says she does not smoke the Medical Marijuana unless she is in a stressful situation and her eye begins to bulge again.

Carr says she has also witnessed the affects of Medical Marijuana in patients with severe Parkinson’s disease. She noted that she witnessed a gentleman escorted into the dispensary by his caregiver because he shook very bad. However, after smoking the medical marijuana using the same medical smoking technique as Carr, the patient was no longer shaking. “He actually walked out of the place on his own. He was not holding on to his caregiver. He walked in holding on to his caregiver and literally walked out on his own. It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen,” she said. “I was just flabbergasted.”

According to her Carr, “You need to bring it into your body and allow it to do its work. So, when you inhale it and hold it in, and you’re comfortable and you allow your body to penetrate, you allow the CBD and the THC to actually penetrate your system, then it’s doing it’s job, ”she said. Carr says there is an unfortunate aspect to the understanding of the usage of medical marijuana. She strongly believes it for medical use and not just for recreational. She notes that she was very lucky in that her eye doctor was very receptive to alternative medical treatment. Carr says her doctor is a researcher and a highly respected teacher.

Carr says she highly believes in the medical marijuana. “Cannabis works, if you allow it to work. It is a natural homeopathic medication because it is not about just smoking a joint. When you’re using it from a medical standpoint then it’s a different way of using it and its like believing in the medication,” said Carr. Carr strongly suggest that if you are taking Cannabis for medical then you need to ask the question, how long is the medicine going to have an affect on your ailment.

Carr says she has seen several other patients with various autoimmune disorders such as Lupus, Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Pain, Fibromyalgia, Glaucoma, Parkinson Disease, and they all found the medical cannabis to be effective in one way or another.

Although there are still many city and state wide legislators fighting to make medical cannabis legal, California recently passed a law making it possible for anyone to have in their possession 1 ounce of medical marijuana, however if they do not possess a valid medical marijuana license card they could be subjected to a fine of $100. Moreover, a recently passed law this year voted for full legalization of the purchase and use of medical marijuana in the state of California.