A Surprisingly Safe and Natural Solution

In 2014, the Farm Bill made hemp products legal in the USA, and CBD hit the shelves in many states. Since then, CBD has been said to help reduce pain, reduce anxiety, help fight disease and cancer, help us sleep, reduce tremors from Parkinson's and Epilepsy, and the list goes on! When I refer to CBD, I mean hemp-derived CBD that has .3% or less THC, which is not intoxicating.

If you had asked me in 2014 if I thought all of this was true, I would have been skeptical, probably shrugged my shoulders, and said, "Who knows?"

Ask me today, and I will stand here with my hand on my heart and swear it will be true.

Does this mean that I believe it's a miracle drug and can magically fix anything? It's not quite like that. Let me share what I do know. It helped to save my mom's life.

I'll introduce myself. Hi! I'm Michele Finn, caregiver, aromatherapist, and CBD educator.

In 2017 my mom, only 57 at the time, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. It came out of nowhere, and she was almost gone before we knew what was happening.

At the time, I had never used CBD and hadn't even heard of it! Little did I know it would change my and my mom's trajectory entirely!

 How could a hairy plant, whose stalks are used to create ship sails and rope, whose seeds are used for topping salads and making plant-based milk, and whose roots are ground up and added to salves, help save lives?

It turns out that this plant, in one form or another, has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years! The first documented use is from 2800 BC when it was listed in Emperor Shen Nung's (regarded as the father of Chinese medicine) pharmacopeia. *1

When my mom was going through treatments and living at the hospital, I started using essential oils in her hospital room. Imagine this. I knew that lavender was relaxing, peppermint could help soothe an upset stomach, and citrus was uplifting. That was the extent of my aromatherapy knowledge, and yet… It was enough to help comfort my mom when she was anxious, soothe her when food didn't taste good, and cheer her up when she needed to walk and stay mobile.

As I dove into the aromatherapy world, I was amazed at how deep you can go! And then, I got lucky! Or, as I see it, the stars aligned.

I made a connection with a world-renowned essential oil chemist. I explained that my mom was battling cancer and I wanted to supplement her care with natural remedies. He connected me to an aromatherapist to study under and taught me about CBD.

He generously connected me to a local supplier. We discussed my mother's conditions, medications, and goals, and I started to give my mom CBD occasionally. We didn't really notice anything at the time. My mother was having complications from the transplant, and we were constantly putting out life-threatening fires.

Then, we accidentally found the key to getting results. I had asked my mom to please take her CBD every night and every morning to help ease the pain of being in a hospital bed. She agreed. I found out later to appease me. :) We upped the dosage, and we got consistent. And then things started to change for the better.

We went from 1-3 monthly emergency room visits to none for a year and a half. She went from battling chronic GVHD (from the transplant) to going on a cruise with my cousin and getting to see Cozumel and Jamaica!

It turns out that, according to Dr. Raphael Mechoulam and many other cannabis researchers, CBD cannot only reduce inflammation, pain, stress, and anxiety through our endocannabinoid system, but it can also help us sleep and hold back GVHD.2 GVHD is sometimes life-threatening and beyond. *2 *3

Life has never been the same since my mom's cancer diagnosis, and I didn't expect to become a caregiver when she was so young. Yet, I am so grateful to go into another year learning how to teach others how to care for themselves and their loved ones in a natural and beneficial way. I also get to help remove the stigma from CBD and show people that our local farmers can grow the same high-quality hemp as other states, if not better! And I get to this with my mom still here with me, thanks not only to her incredible medical team and modern medicine but also thanks to hemp CBD and the holistic care that was provided along the way.

In gratitude & curiosity,

Michele Finn

Jubilee of Wellness

Michele Finn, creator of Jubilee of Wellness, is a 200 hr certified aromatherapist, with an independent line of CBD & Essential Oils, inspired by caregiving for her mother. You can find her at the New Albany Farmers Market on Saturdays and at www.jubileeofwellness.com.

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1. https://www.sydney.edu.au/lambert/medicinal-cannabis/history-of-cannabis.html#:~:text=The%20use%20of%20cannabis%20originated,father%20of%20Chinese%20medicine)%20pharmacopoeia

2. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10288473/

3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26033282/