A Medical Cannabis Journey with Autism for Her Son: Mieko Hester-Pérez

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At age 9 Joey weighed 42 pounds and his mother, Mieko Hester-Pérez , was told he had six months to live. The child, who had been diagnosed with autism at a year and a half after birth, suffered from malnutrition due to the severity of the disorder, constantly screamed, often self-harmed and took up to 13 medications.

The international speaker and expert in these therapies will offer two conferences during the MedCannBiz fair in Plaza las Américas.

That was the moment when the mother, who lives in California but has a family on the island, began researching treatment options to help her son gain weight and improve his quality of life. This is how she discovered medical cannabis and became one of the first mothers to advocate and publicize its benefits in treating severe symptoms of autism.

In fact, Hester Pérez will be one of the speakers, along with Dr. Jaime Claudio , at the MedCann.Biz event on medicinal cannabis that will be held in Plaza las Américas, from next Thursday, December 16, to Sunday, December 19. Hester Pérez will be at the event on the 18th and 19th at 10:00 am

“In principle, cannabis was not my first choice, I come from a very conservative Christian family. I did not know the industry and I am not a consumer, but I needed to improve my son’s quality of life and with cannabis I succeeded ”, says the now expert in medical cannabis therapies for the family in the pediatric area, international speaker. and co-founder of The Unconventional Foundation for Autism.

In her son’s case, she says, the cannabis he was consuming was edible, specifically, chocolate brownies. “But I only gave him cannabis every 15 days, it was all that his endocannabinoid system needed, although there are some children who may need cannabis every day or every four hours,” he explains and describes how his son began to eat better, to do eye contact and to recognize the people around them.

In fact, she says the improvement in her son’s quality of life was almost instantaneous. “With the use of cannabis we were able to replace what was lost in his endocannabinoid system. My father was against the use of cannabis, but the day my son recognized it, he was one of my biggest supporters. The improvement in the school was also remarkable. From not participating in anything to receiving a letter of appreciation for your educational progress from President Barack Obama. Nobody would have imagined that cannabis was going to be so effective. “

But in late 2011, Joey was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and passed away in April 2018 at the age of 19. But that sad event did not stop Hester-Pérez’s interest in publicizing the benefits that children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can obtain.

“Cannabis has proven to be one of the most effective treatment options. I have seen that many more families have opened the door for this option, not only for autism but for families who have people with terminal conditions or extreme cases of mental illness, ”he adds.

Safety of medical cannabis in children

Since medical cannabis began to be legalized in some states in the United States, the American Academy of Pediatrics has warned about its use in children and adolescents due to the risk of addiction and mental illness. Especially when using tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the active compound in marijuana plants that provide psychoactive effects.

However, Dr. Jaime Claudio, family doctor and professor of Cannabis Medicine, points out that these statements are not up to date with the information available today. He mentions, for example, the observational studies that have been done in Israel in which they used a measure of 20 milligrams of CBD (cannabidiol that is not psychoactive) and 1 milligram of THC and, he said, it has been effective in children with autism.

“Cannabis has to be dosed in a precise and graduated way in patients with autism. Mieko and I are very committed to bringing state-of-the-art education and recommendations with the specifications that are required to give medical cannabis to children ”, emphasizes Dr. Claudio, while mentioning the endocannabinoid anandamide that, with the use of cannabis, promotes the increase of oxytocin “the hug hormone”, which is one of those that appears altered in autism.

“Autism spectrum disorder is a chronic condition that requires a comprehensive treatment approach. People with ASD have varying degrees of deterioration in social and behavioral function, and management should be individualized according to the child’s age and their specific needs ”, explains the doctor and emphasizes that there are already at least 12 published investigations regarding Cannabis use in children with autism, with a lot of observational information.

“Of course, with cannabis, we need to do larger-scale studies. But in Israel, which is the giant of medical cannabis research, studies have been done in recognized institutions. I understand that the position of the American Academy of Pediatrics is a policy of caution, but the reality is that the more you understand the nature of autism and how the endocannabinoid system works, you can see that there is a great opportunity (with the use of medicinal cannabis) ” , reiterates Dr. Claudio, after emphasizing that autism is not a disease.

“It is a disorder that affects the way in which children perceive information, which causes problems in social interaction and communication,” he explains. To which are added restricted and repetitive behavior patterns, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, insomnia, attention deficit, and irritability, among many other symptoms and characteristics, such as epilepsy and even gastrointestinal problems.

“These are issues that we will be discussing at the cannabis fair to guide and certify minors and adolescents who qualify for treatment with this modality,” says the doctor, highlighting that there is enough observational data related to the benefits of using cannabis in children with autism.

So far, according to Dr. Claudio, of the medications used to treat autism, none of them go to the cause or to the center of the problems that affect this population the most. For example, it says that melatonin is given to treat insomnia and Ritalin for attention deficit. In addition to those used for irritability, which is antipsychotics and has a fairly limited safety profile, as well as many side effects.

In contrast, he gives an example of the use of cannabidiol or CBD and its effect in children with aggressive behaviors who self-harm, which has a “normalizing behavior” effect. “It is very interesting since there are no signs of sedation, the alert state is correct and remains without problems, but the behavior is stabilized in many cases,” explains Claudio, although he points out that the degree of involvement of each patient should be assessed.

“What we want is to make sure that parents are educated in the use of cannabis with the precise dose and that it is combined with other therapies that might be available, such as behavioral interventions, among many others,” says Claudio.

In a similar way, Hester-Pérez expresses herself, who has an autism information website for everyone who wants to contact her for guidance. “My collaboration with Dr. Claudio is based on the desire to create an educational and clinical program that fills the information and treatment gaps between conventional therapy and medicinal cannabis for Puerto Rico, the United States and other countries,” explains the educator, who highlights that his son left him a gift “and I have to repay what he gave me.”

“My family is from Puerto Rico and being at this Med Cannabis event is an opportunity to help, it is something that I feel I should do. It is also a way that Dr. Claudio and I can support more families with children on the autism spectrum. It’s something very personal to me, ”says Hester-Pérez, who today is a very influential figure in the medical cannabis community around the world.

“We are all committed so that the evaluation and recommendation to minor patients is personalized in terms of formulation and dosage,” adds Dr. Claudio. It also emphasizes that the conditions that could qualify to use cannabis are children on the spectrum of autism disorders, epilepsy and those who require palliative care for cancer or chronic pain conditions.

More details
– The MedCann.Biz fair will take place from December 16 to 19 at Plaza las Américas, in the old premises of the GAP store.

– Interviews will be conducted and qualifying minor patients will be certified.

– The authorization of two doctors is required, one will be Dr. Jaime Claudio as a specialist consultant who will be working with the medical faculty of Relax Medical, in conjunction with the renowned educator in medicinal cannabis, Mieko Hester-Pérez.

– For more information, visit www.prmedcannbiz.com or call (939) 338-3303.