CBD for children: is it safe to use?
Is there an age to start using CBD for children?
Faced with its many benefits, from quitting cigarettes to relieving skin problems, many people are now interested in the potential of CBD for children. Indeed, though it is often associated with innocence, childhood also has its share of afflictions, which can be all the more destabilizing at the beginning of life: school phobia, autism, hyperactivity... however, CBD is not recommended for everyone, especially for pregnant women: is it safe to use CBD for children? We will explain it all to you.
CBD for children: an alternative to heavier treatments?
Anxiety and school phobia: when CBD alleviates fears
Childhood is a time of discovery. But sometimes, this outside world that opens up to us can arouse many fears, even turning into anxiety, anguish, and even school phobia, which would affect 1 to 2% of children and 5 to 7% of consultations of child psychiatry.
These disorders are accompanied by many symptoms that CBD can help relieve, making them easier to live with on a daily basis. By interacting with the endocannabinoid system, Cannabidiol regulates blood pressure and heart rate, helping to calm palpitations and respiratory discomfort. It also encourages the production of serotonin, making it possible to better overcome this feeling of danger which many children subject to these disorders know.
For more information on the endocannabinoid system, feel free to consult our article on the effects of CBD.
A finding all the more interesting that using CBD for children offers a more natural alternative to treatments such as anti-anxiety drugs, which some might find too heavy for such young individuals ...
CBD and ADHD
Before adolescence, many children may also suffer from ADHD, Attention Deficit Disorder, a neurodevelopmental disorder that results in difficulty focusing and controlling impulsivity or heightened emotions. It is estimated to affect one in fifteen children.
Since the treatment solutions offered are mainly pharmaceutical, with stimulant drugs, but with often negative side effects, many parents are interested in more natural alternatives such as Cannabidiol.
One of the main symptoms of ADHD is hyperactivity, which CBD can effectively relieve thanks to its action on anxiety and sleep. Its effects on the mood are particularly useful for emotional disturbances.
Better autism management thanks to Cannabis
Often mistakenly considered a disease, autism is also a neurodevelopmental disorder officially recognized as a disability because it affects behavior and social interactions to a greater or lesser extent. It is estimated that one person in a hundred has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Increasingly diagnosed in early childhood, ASD cannot be treated. Nevertheless, many patients turn to medication to manage symptoms. But as with many disorders and conditions, these bring their own set of negative effects, which some parents don't feel comfortable imposing on their offspring at such a young age.
Now, a study conducted in 2019 has highlighted that CBD could also be of great help in relieving these symptoms, soothing anxiety, seizures and mood swings. More easily prone to addiction problems, people with autism might even be able to more easily avoid or escape risky behaviors.
CBD, a solution for epilepsy?
Epilepsy affects more than 500,000 people in France, the majority of whom are children. With a brain that is constantly changing, there are many forms of epilepsy, and in more than half of the cases, the disease appears in childhood.
The most important issue is the management and reduction of epileptic seizures. And depending on the type of epilepsy, drug treatments are more or less effective. This is where Cannabis comes into play, perhaps overcoming the limitations of pharmacology.
For example, there are promising results for Dravet syndrome, a severe form of drug-resistant epilepsy. It is thanks to the story of Charlotte Figi that the action of CBD on epilepsy and the curative potential of cannabis has been discovered. The young Charlotte suffered from Dravet syndrome, which after having tried all sorts of medicines, went from 300 to about one seizure per week by consuming CBD. Her new treatment worked so well that she was even able to stop all other medications. And Charlotte is far from being the only one.
Our guide to CBD for Children
A substance to use with precaution
But despite this incredible therapeutic potential, and even if the studies are very encouraging... they are still too few for its use to be officially encouraged, in the same way as for pregnancy.
Before trying to administer it to your child, the best thing to do is to inform your pediatrician in order to discuss possible interactions with other treatments, and to agree on a dosage.
Our advice on giving CBD to kids
Nevertheless, the final decision will always be made by the parents, and before imposing a heavy and chemical treatment on a child, wanting to try a more natural alternative may seem quite legitimate. If this is your choice, we have prepared some advice for you.
This is valid for everyone, but even more important for a more fragile being: when it comes to CBD, it is essential to use a quality product, which respects European standards, as is the case at Cakespace.
Concerning the type of product, we advise you to prefer oil, which is easier to dose and to administer. Our CBD oils are perfect for this type of use thanks to their very pronounced flavors and therefore more fun for our little ones. Their MCT base and their extraction with CO2, as for them, testify to their irreproachable quality.
It is also possible to add CBD in the form of flower or oil to food. If you want to try it, we have prepared all our tips in this article on CBD cooking!
Now you have all the keys in hand to make your decision! Don't hesitate to visit our blog to discover the other fields of application and benefits of CBD, or to join us on instagram! On our side, we hope that this article will have been useful and we'll see you soon for more content related to cannabis!
Cake it easy,
Joséphine