By Dr. Nick van Terheyden aka Dr. Nick
Twitter: @drnic1
Host of Dr. Nick: The Incrementalist – #TheIncrementalist
On this episode I talked to Annabelle Manalo-Morgan, Ph.D., Founder, and Chief Scientific Officer for Masaya Medical that is focused on education and the formulation of high-quality, pharmaceutical-grade cannabis products, and author of Mighty Flower: How Cannabis Saved My Son and married to Grammy Award-winning reggae artist Gramps Morgan (If You’re Looking For Me).
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Annabelle is a former basketball player and scientist who shares her personal journey of discovery after the birth of her third child, Marcario who developed incontrollable seizures shortly after birth. She originally pursued basketball as her dream, but thanks to Hurricane Katrina disrupting her plans and her interest in human science, medicine, and cell biology ended up pursuing a Ph.D. in research. Her early experience in basketball was helpful later on providing some of the drive and passion necessary to deal with the challenges ahead
After having her third child, Macario, he experienced a stroke and began having uncontrollable seizures. Traditional treatments were ineffective, leading Anabelle to develop a medication for her son. She secretly formulated a CBD-based medication and administered it through a feeding tube. The results were remarkable, with Macario showing improvements in just a few days and ultimately experiencing no developmental deficits. Inspired by her son’s progress, Annabelle wrote a book called “Mighty Flower” to share her story and offer hope to other families.
Along the way, her incremental learning point was to never take no for an answer and to the importance of being open-minded and willing to explore alternative treatments. She recognized the potential of CBD in promoting neuroplasticity and formulated a stable and consistent medication for her son. By using CBD alone and gradually weaning him off other medications, Macario thrived and continues to benefit from the treatment.
Listen in to hear the importance of being open-minded and allowing the power of exploring new possibilities without divisiveness. Annabelle believes that CBD and other plant compounds can help the brain adapt and heal, not only in young patients but also in older age groups, but importantly emphasized the need for more research and data to support the use of plant-based extracts in medical treatments.
You can read more about her personal journey in her book “The Mighty Flower: How Cannabis Saved My Son”.
This article was originally published on the Dr. Nick – The Incrementalist blog and is republished here with permission.
About the Show
About the Show
For years Dr. Nick van Terheyden aka Dr. Nick, has served as a voice on the impact of new technologies on healthcare, earning a reputation as a leading authority on where the future of medicine is going. Combining powers of observation and real world experience, Dr. Nick has seen many predictions come true and makes the case that innovations in healthcare can be accomplished incrementally, not just by moonshot events. Tune in to hear Dr. Nick: The Incrementalist and his guests discuss what the future of healthcare looks like, how we will get there, and what it will take to improve healthcare for all.
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