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icantw84it · 7 years ago

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The “Acquired” Savant Syndrome

TBI induced talents…

Could such dormant potential exist within us all?

Darold A. Treffert, MD

A 10-year-old boy is knocked unconscious by a baseball. Following that traumatic blow, he suddenly can do calendar calculations. He can also remember the weather, along with other autobiographical details of his daily life, from that time forward. An elderly woman who had never painted before becomes a prodigious artist after a particular type of dementia process begins and progresses. Another elderly patient with dementia has a similar sudden epiphany of ability, but this time in music. A 56-year-old builder, who had no particular prior interest or skills in art, abruptly, for the first time in his life, becomes a poet, a painter and a sculptor following a stroke that he miraculously survived. An 8-year-old boy begins calendar calculating after a left hemispherectomy for intractable seizures. These are examples of what I call the “acquired” savant, or what might also be called “accidental genius.”

Is it possible such dormant potential resides in all of us but might not, except for CNS injury, otherwise surface? The acquired savant suggests just that. The challenge, of course, if that is so, is how to tap those hidden abilities without having endured some CNS catastrophe.

Before 1996, most of the savants I had met, except for Alonzo Clemens, were persons who were born with autism or some other developmental disability, and in whom some marvelous talent “exploded” on the scene during infancy or childhood, most often at about age 3-4. One could refer to these cases as congenital savant syndrome (present from birth).

Acquired savant syndrome, in contrast, are instances in which dormant savant skills emerge, sometimes at a prodigious level, after a brain injury or disease in previously non-disabled (neurotypical) persons where few such skills were evident before such CNS injury or disease. This circumstance, of course, raises the question of whether such dormant capacity exists in everyone, only to surface, perhaps as a backup system, when there is such CNS injury or illness.

Alonzo Clemens is such a case of acquired savant syndrome, since, according to his mother, Alonzo’s remarkable sculpting skills appeared after a head injury sustained in a childhood fall. Alonzo’s incredible abilities can be seen in the profiles section of this Web site. After I met Alonzo in 1984, I began to review the savant syndrome literature to see if other such cases of acquired savant syndrome had been reported in the past. Indeed, there were several such reports. Minogue (1923) presented a case in which musical genius appeared in a 3-year-old child following meningitis. And Brink (1967) described the case of Mr. Z. who demonstrated savant skills, behavioral traits and abilities that emerged at age 9 after a bullet wound to the left brain left the patient with a motor paralysis on the right side, along with becoming mute and deaf. Following that traumatic brain injury, some new special mechanical abilities and other savant skills emerged. In 1991, Dorman reported a case in Brain and Cognition in which an 8-year-old boy began to show exceptional calendar calculating ability after a left hemispherectomy.

Then, in December 1996, I read a case report in Lancet written by Dr. Bruce Miller and colleagues in which they described three patients “who became accomplished painters after the appearance of frontotemporal dementia.” They described one such case in detail, a 68-year-old gentleman with no particular art interest or ability in whom rather spectacular artistic skills emerged as the dementia proceeded.

In the October 1998 issue of Neurology, Dr. Miller and co-workers described two additional patients (now a total of five) with this same type of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) who likewise displayed new artistic skills in the setting of progressive brain disease. Consistent with the findings in other “congenital” savants reported to that date, in these five older patients whose artistic skills and abilities emerged after the onset of FTD, the creativity was visual, not verbal; the images were meticulous copies that lacked abstract or symbolic qualities; episodic memory was preserved but semantic memory was devastated; and they exhibit intense obsessive preoccupation with your art skills. SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) imaging studies showed a predominance of left brain injury.

These researchers hypothesized that selective degeneration of the anterior temporal orbitofrontal cortex decreased inhibition of visual systems involved with perception, thereby enhancing artistic interest and abilities. Such artistic interest and ability was relatively dormant until the FTD disease “released” those hidden abilities. Some would characterize that phenomenon as a release “from the tyranny of the left hemisphere”.

Frontotemporal dementia accounts for about 25 percent of the pre-senile dementias and differs from Alzheimer’s dementia in that, in FTD, the pathological processes are regional, rather than generalized, and are asymmetric, often affecting the left anterior temporal region, as in these five patients. This 1998 article discussed the five patients individually in detail, and also illustrates some of the artistic works that were produced during the progression of the dementia process.

These researchers hypothesized that “selective degeneration of the anterior temporal and orbitofrontal cortex decreased inhibition of the more posteriorly located visual systems involved with perception, thereby enhancing these patients’ artistic interest and abilities.” They also quote Kapur (1996), who used the term “paradoxical functional facilitation” to describe such a “release” phenomenon where loss of some skills permits emergence of others. Miller concludes this article by saying “FTD is an unexpected window into the artistic process,” and indeed it is.

By 2000, Miller had increased the number of his FTD/emergent artistic ability cases to 12. But now this expanded group included some persons with previously dormant musical abilities, instead of art abilities, that surfaced with progression of the dementia process. Even more interesting, however, was the expansion of this research to compare the functional imaging findings (SPECT) on six of those older persons, previously non-disabled, with the imaging findings of a 9-year-old autistic savant artist (DB). That comparison showed “remarkable parallels” between the older FTD patients and this young autistic artist. Both involved loss of function in the left temporal lobe of the brain and enhanced function in the posterior neocortex. The similarities of neuropathology as seen on SPECT imaging in a 9-year-old autistic savant, and these older FTD patients, who share artistic skills in common with very different disabilities, is striking and intriguing.

In 2005, Lythgoe and co-workers in London documented a case in Neurology of a 51-year-old artist whose skills surfaced, for the first time, after a sudden-onset sub-arachnoid hemorrhage involving bilateral cerebral artery aneurysms. The aneurysms were repaired with coils. Following that, the patient, fortunately, showed little associated dementia or impaired verbal abilities. CT scans 16 days after admission confirmed there was no focal injury. Neuropsychological testing revealed a normal IQ level, some verbal disinhibition, and some mild executive function impairment. The final impression was “mild frontal dysfunction.” The authors concluded that “it is possible whatever frontal damage our patient sustained led to a relative disinhibition or paradoxical functional facilitation of these areas.”

Prior to the stroke, the patient had no particular interest or ability in the creative arts. But several weeks after the corrective surgery, the patient began to “fill several notebooks with poems and verse; he had never written poetry prior to that time. Following that he began to paint expansively and expressively, spending almost all of his time painting and sculpting.” Several television documentaries have included segments on this acquired savant story. The London program My Brilliant Brainincludes an excellent segment on this individual whose paintings and sculptures are better seen than described.

In a different, but related vein, Mel, Howard and Miller (2002) raised the question of what would happen to an already accomplished artist, in contrast to the patients above in whom new talent surfaced, with a progressive frontotemporal dementia process? They presented the case of a trained and talented art teacher who, at age 49, at the beginning of a progressive FTD process, changed her style slowly from Western watercolor and traditional Chinese brush painting to highly patterned paintings using Chinese horoscope icons. The “impressive artistic growth,” which the authors describe in much greater detail, coincided with a decline in her ability to organize class lessons or grade papers. Paintings became “wilder and freer” in which “intricate designs and patterns of the horoscope figures were replaced by large, intensely colored figures; complex patterning was pushed into the background.” Choice of colors changed and “release from the constraints of formal training became clear.” Compared to Miller’s 12 cases of “new” talent emergence patients who generally had asymmetric left anterior temporal lobe degeneration, this patient with prior artistic talent, whose style changed drastically, showed predominantly left frontal disease. Yet as with the other FTD patients, in these individuals the brain damage was predominantly left sided. These researchers conclude: “Asymmetric left hemisphere degeneration may release previously untapped cognitive abilities. Our brain wiring appears to be a major factor in the determination of the nature of our creativity.”

Drago (2006) and co-workers carried these studies on “release” vs. “new” skills unearthed in persons with FTD a bit further. They assigned art judges to assess the artwork of a trained artist with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), during three periods of her life: pre-symptomatic period (18 paintings), perisymptomatic period when symptoms were just beginning (6 paintings), and fully symptomatic period (16 paintings). These three time intervals ranged from before symptom onset to eight years after the diagnosis. The judges rated the paintings systematically on six different artistic qualities without knowledge of the patient’s clinical diagnosis or when the paintings were produced.

Consistent with the FTD patients described above, this patient showed an increase of some visual artistic skills over time, reflected in technique, “that might be related to sparing and disinhibition of the right posterior neocortex.” However, there was a reduction of other aspects of the paintings including closure (completeness of the painting) and evocative (emotional) impact.

In 2005, J. M. Annoni and colleagues from the Lausanne University Hospital in Lausanne, Switzerland, noted significant qualitative changes in artistic style in two professional painters as a consequence of minor strokes located in the left occipital lobe or thalamus. One of these individuals switched to a more stylized and symbolic art, and the other switched from an impressionist style to a more simplistic, abstract art. In discussing these changes, the authors state: “The artistic changes may have been associated with a direct effect of the infarct. Since the posterior brain regions seem to play a specific role in creative thinking, it is not surprising that a minor lesion in these regions might alter an artist’s creative thought, and thus his style of painting. Besides, the fact that patients 1 and 2 had left hemispheric dysfunction may provide some support for the theory of ‘right hemisphere functional release.’ Different possible cognitive mechanisms may be considered.”

Oliver Sacks, in his 1995 book An Anthropologist on Mars, describes yet another case of “acquired” artistic skills in a person “who had scarcely painted or drawn before” following an illness that included “high fever, weight loss, delirium, perhaps seizures” or some other “neurological condition.” The exact nature of the illness remains unexplained. Yet following that episode, Franco Magnani began painting immaculately accurate scenes from the village of Pontito, where he had grown up, but then left at age 18. This new dawn of painting ability and digital-like memory amazed even Franco. Sacks quotes him as saying “Fantastic. How could I do it? And how could I have had the gift and not known about it before?”

What makes Franco Magnini’s case especially interesting is not just his painting epiphany in his early thirties following his illness, but also that his incredible, digital camera like recall of the tiny village where he grew up was so exact, now years later, that when compared to present day photographs of that village, each street, building and archway is reconstructed with breathtaking fidelity. So amazing was this link of exacting paintings with documented early memories of his village buildings, streets and alleys that there have been a number of exhibits of his work. The Exploritorium in San Francisco held an exhibit in 1998 titled Memory: The Art and Science of Remembering, in which Magnini’s work was featured. To demonstrate the remarkable memory involved, his paintings were placed side by side with recent photographs of the same scene. The accuracy, now years later in a person with no earlier formal art training, was incredible.

But one of the most dramatic and convincing instances of “acquired” savant syndrome is Orlando Serrell. At age 10, Orlando was hit in the head by a baseball. Following that, Orlando began to calendar calculate, an interest and ability he had never shown prior to the head injury. He also developed the ability to remember the weather for each day following the injury, a detail most of us, of course, “forget.” In recent years, there has been added other “autobiographical” memory including what he did on a particular day in the years following the injury. That ability is called by some “hyperthymestic syndrome,” and is described in more detail elsewhere on this site.

Orlando’s acquired savant abilities have been the topic in a number of documentaries on savant syndrome. Probably the most in depth look has been in Beautiful Minds by Colourfield Productions in Germany. In those clips, Orlando shows not only his calendar calculating abilities, but provides evidence of autobiographical memory as well.

One final example of acquired savant abilities is Daniel Tammet, whose skills, and their onset and development, are described by him in his very popular book Born on a Blue Day. After several childhood seizures, which were ultimately diagnosed as temporal lobe epilepsy, Daniel began to experience a very powerful and unique synesthesia in which every number has its own color, shape and texture. Coupled with the synesthesia was lightning calculating and calendar calculating ability, along with massive memory for numbers. Daniel was able to memorize Pi to 22,514 decimal places, for example. He also has the ability to learn languages in a very brief time. He mastered Icelandic, for example, in seven days as chronicled in Focus Production’s 2005 documentary, Brainman.

There are other cases of acquired savant syndrome that continue to come to my attention as well, but the above instances provide some examples of the intriguing phenomenon, with all of its broad implications, of buried potential surfacing following CNS injury or disease.

In summary, in most persons with savant syndrome, the exceptional savant skill surfaces during childhood, quite unexpectedly and often explosively. Those savant abilities are superimposed on some underlying developmental or other disability that was present at birth. This is called congenital savant syndrome. But in recent years there have been a number of cases reported in which, after some brain injury or brain disease, savant skills unexpectedly emerge, sometimes at a prodigious level, when no such skills were present before injury or illness. This is called acquired savant syndrome. In many of these cases, the special abilities emerge following left hemisphere injury, particularly left anterior temporal lobe injury. Increasingly, there is speculation that these newly emerged skills, formerly dormant, are “released,” compensatory abilities rather than newly created ones.

Another way of looking at the congenital vs. acquired savant syndrome dichotomy, however, might be that all savant syndrome is “acquired” in that even in those instances where savant syndrome emerges in childhood, that emergence, or compensatory function, occurs after some CNS injury or disease process, just as with the acquired savant. It is just that such injury or disease happens at an earlier time in the congenital savant, i.e., during the pre-natal, peri-natal or post-natal periods of development. In the acquired savant, in contrast, the CNS injury simply occurs at a later period of life. While not universal, in both the congenital and acquired savant, such CNS injury or disease most often involves the changes in the left hemisphere with compensatory changes in the right hemisphere.

The fact that savant skills, entirely dormant before CNS injury or disease, can surface by some ‘release’ (disinhibition) process raises intriguing questions about dormant capacity existing within us all. The challenge of course, if that is so, is how to access that hidden knowledge and skill without some sort of CNS catastrophe. And work to achieve just that is now underway.

There is a very interesting story posted on the mental_floss blogregarding six acquired and sudden savants some of whom are described in even greater detail in Islands of Genius. The blog provides some excellent illustrations and photos to accompany the text.

(References are available on request from [email protected].)

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icantw84it · 7 years ago

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Acquired Savant or TBI leading to Talents

Who is icantw84it and how did he come about…….

Hello, My name is Scott Mele. I was in a wreck 3.5 years ago. I was hit at 70mph from behind which split my head open and gave me a concussion that went untreated. No scans were made at the hospital I was sent home after 5 hours of waiting in the ER to get 11 staples. Best part, prior to the wreck I couldn’t Draw or Paint but after I could paint Portraits and even Spray paint murals.

Before all of that, I met the woman of my dreams. Unlike anything I ever felt for anyone, instantly I was taken by her, and she felt the same. TBH she was actually on her way to get the last of her things and move back to WV, when we met. We were together for about a month…she need to go back home to get somethings from West Virginia. Where her mom and friends lived. She had so much anxiety from trying to leave she couldn’t make herself leave. She called me on the day of my wreck, prior to…. to let me know she wasn’t coming back…..Trust me no one ever says they want to live in WV. Jk I am sure its beautiful.

It was pouring down rain and I shouldn’t have left. I was driving slow like everyone else, but it was coming down so hard. My car instantly turned side ways, and just like that, I was facing the wall. Now, I had been driving rear wheel vehicles my whole life. This had never happened, not instantly! I gained control of the vehicle but it stalled out. Everyone stopped. I looked to make sure behind me. I didn’t hit anyone Thank god! I put it in gear and hit the start button. Bang!

About a mile back at the exact same time, a guy swerved 4 lanes of traffic at 70 mph and saw the last lane was stopped swerved back lost control and like a missile shot into my car.

Brooke, that’s her name, she drove 5 hours to come take care of me. She spent 2 weeks with me and then had to leave to go back to work. At this point I had not really noticed anything. Two weeks later she was coming back to be with me for a few days, then head back to WV to get the rest of her things. She came back stayed for one night and left for WV. That’s right, she did it again. I was devastated.

I am not sure if it was this moment or the wreck or both. But from here I can feel myself splitting in two. I woke up one day and it was like I didn’t associate with anything in my life……. “Why am I staying in this luxury apartment.” “Why are my bills ridiculous?” ” I don’t want to work with these people or even be associated.” I was a car sales manager and a very successful one. I didn’t want this life. I felt trapt and alone. I didn’t know who I was or what I wanted anymore. Which made me feel even more trapt and alone. Everyday I would disassociate myself with another part of my life. I use to work out twice a day. I LOVED IT! I remember saying I don’t want to waste my time with that. I was a douchebag. Maybe part of me still is mostly in part from the intense feeling of not wanting to be alone and doing what I had to, to feel someone next to me. I wasn’t ugly and I was a great salesman. A very avid Online Dater and was always keen on finding niches and solutions to problems. So I milked an online website for as many dates as I could until I got tired of one night stands. But I digress….

I had so much anxiety from being in my life that I had to find a way to express myself. One day while in Marshalls(Popular Home crafts store) with my kids, I bought $400 worth of art supplies. That Night I started Painting. Granted, before this I couldn’t draw or paint. My dad painted Bob Ross style when i was a kid but I hated it. I would run when the show came on. I did take 4 years of art when I was in HS but everyone did. I hated everything I drew. I think I even have a drawing book from back then which I am embarrassed over. I doodled in Highschool because I had ADD and that’s what I did. It helped me pass because I believe it kept my brain active while I digested part of what was being taught.

Anyways, When I finished my first painting that night…..It was the first time in 4 months where I felt like I recognized a part of me. Something clicked for the first time. I became hooked, and started painting everynight from 9pm-4am in the morning and going back to work at 9am in the morning. I did this for 9 months.So not only was I splitting in two feeling depressed, alone, confused as to who I was, Anxiety from being trapt in my life, heart broken, angry , Disassociated, and drew away from being with people, I also added lack of proper sleep to the list.

So, I wasn’t painting like someone who just started painting. I was painting bodys and forms expressing emotions. However, I needed a challenge and I started painting Portraits. About 6 months in, I got bored of pumping paintings out every night start to finish. . My small canvas was 48in by 24in. Which is larger than scale. Not only could I paint portraits I could draw them. Where as before I couldn’t draw something that looked appealing by any means. When I did my first Portrait with flesh tones I nailed it. Something happened during the wreck its like I took on an artists life. I don’t even know what I am doing when i am doing it. I just do it and if I mess up I bounce off it instinctively like I had always done it.

The painting was the only thing keeping me somewhat functional. I needed it like it was a drug. I eventually found a way to leave my job and do art full time. Which was beyond dumb, but I couldn’t keep my focus in the dealership while I was there and I was losing positions like soccer player in the world cup who cant stop fighting. I wanted out. So I found a way out.

I was surviving on my art alone for a good 6 months…Until I got into another wreck. Same hit from behind at 20mph faster than what I was going. My body locked up and I stopped working out so I was 15lbs lighter. I through one of my hips out of whack by 3/4 inch. My muscles were inflamed all around it and were hard as rocks 24 hours a day. I was passing out every 4 hours. I had no insurance and no money. I couldn’t work a regular job. I became even more depressed. I couldn’t keep my apartment that was feeding me all my commissions. I had to leave Raleigh NC, my hot spot. This is where it gets real dark. I remember feeling so lost and calculating the amount of time I had left and what I could do to stay. Before this I never worried about money. I was alone without help. No one really knew what was going on with me. I didn’t go to a doctor for my brain injury. I still haven’t. I was afraid I would lose my ability to paint. IDK So no one really took my accident seriously because I never talked about it. The only people who knew were my fans on instagram. I lost the one thing that was keeping me sane. My ability to do art whenever I wanted. I moved to a smaller town and attempted to make it there. At this point my credit was garbage, i had to leave my apartment so I couldn’t get a place of my own. I found a house with two bedrooms and I converted one of the rooms into a paint room. But without constant conversations about my art it didn’t matter.I was behind on my child support. I was even told that I needed to come up with $800 by next month or I was going to jail. Even though I was passing out every 4 hours. I lost everything and I could barely keep myself fed.

I started making calls to break Timeshare contracts over the phone. This saved me financially while the leads were good. Then I went on the road to do it in person in different cities. The hours were easy and predictable so I could work around them.

I finally got help from a pain specialist. She looked at me and knew exactly whats wrong with me. She fixed about 90% of me. I still have some lingering issues like fatigue and exhaustion after extreme exertion in short bursts. All things I can hopefully fix. So back to painting…..

So great i can paint portraits who cares. Two years after the wreck during the time I was breaking Timeshares, I got bored with portraits and needed a challenge again. I picked up a spray can, mind you I never liked graffiti or even cared for it. I thought murals were pretty but never even really noticed. I never even drew a graffiti piece. I picked up a can and did a graffiti piece on the side of a building that said for lease. 4 colors blended with a bubble and not bad at all using cheap spray paints from walmart. Then a 8 ft tall crushed coke can. nailed it. Then a guy drove by and asked me to do something for him in his gym. I sprayed a 10ft by 30ft Graffiti piece that said The Dungeon, for his gym where he had 40 people work out in front of on the daily. Huge for someone just starting out. but nailed it. By this time I had been spraying for a total of 10 days. I told the building owner that I was ready to paint my mural. He asked, ” have you ever done one before?” No, but I got this!

In 10 days I spray painted a 50ft by 50 ft tall mural on the side of a building.This was the first time I painted about Brooke and the wreck….Honestly I picked some photos of random things built up a story in my head and painted it. When I was done I realized it was Brooke and I painted about where I met her and overcoming adversity by using Koi fish. Which before I researched it I had no clue that’s what it meant.

Subconsciously, I was telling myself to get over it I guess. It felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders and I felt like a big piece of me was healed. For the first time I was able to think about Brooke without feeling extreme emotions… I felt I was going to be able to paint murals for my living but realized that my location, bills, timing, were all working against me. I had to make a choice to support myself and make myself not feel like I was going to be homeless everyday, or continue fighting for something that I wasn’t sure I could do for very long without any support. After almost being homeless 3 times during this period I decided to go back to car sales.

Today I sit in a car dealership and I bite my tongue about the leads and the traffic and opportunities and remain grateful I have a job. After a year of not painting I finally picked a model on instagram to paint and have been painting her on a 89in by 72 in Canvas. I can only give 2 hours at a time to it. And I haven’t lost any of my ability to paint. I can’t commit to it like I did because that would mean going back down that rabbit hole

I fought so hard to get out of. But I give what I can to it and then try to appease the other side of me by sustaining my lame but stable Car salesman position in a small dealership. I say this because of my other sides I have ruined my opportunities in other dealerships by wanting more power, control, leads because of my previous experience and knowing I can do more and make more if I had those things.

To the best of my knowledge its like having a revolving glass door of personality strengths, and depending on the situation and what I am doing that side is more prominent and in control or acting and making decisions:

One side of me is a salesman, a damn good salesman that thrives on Power and Control and financial gain.

Another side of me is the Artist that is Content with just being alone and Creative. Getting lost in my work and not being social. Still desiring the need to see people but not really wanting to be a part of a group.

The last side is the side of me that wants to do nothing but loathe on my self pity and depression, play video games to distract myself and not accomplish anything. He can’t remember to do things. Constantly distracted worthless in almost every way to the other two sides of me. I think collectively we all hate him even he hates him. Which I have identified and am trying to change.

No, I don’t black out when one side takes over. So maybe its not Multiple Personalities. Yes, I remember everything. All I know is that its confusing when I try to decide who I am and what I want to do for the rest of my life because its a constant tug of war. When I am selling I want to be with people and spend money, find girls I want to succeed and have control. When I am painting I want to be alone and lost in my art for ever not caring about anything else. When I am not doing either of those and not on adderall, I want to play video games and be left alone dwelling on my life and what I lost.

By writing that I understand that I haven’t made much progress. But to be honest and for you to see the full spectrum of things I had to say it. I take adderall because I hate being him. I had been taking adderall before the wreck so those two personality conflicts were preexisting. I remember calling him the other guy. Or I would mention that the Other guy would leave adderall lying around the apartment in different places each time. And while I am working on a painting and get stumped or frustrated with my thought process I would sigh and as I am exhaling I would be in plain view of an adderall that the other guy left for me. Genius! lol

Anyways. This is a detailed snippet of my last three years after my wreck. Outside of hating myself the only other thing all three of me share, is the desire to want to find someone that understands me and to be with.

I think we all want to get my story out now, and find a way to make it known. Its inspiring for some reason. I don’t know why, but I do love when people feel inspired to do something they have been afraid to do. Or to take another shot at life.

Has my experience been for the better. I don’t know it depends on who you ask of the three. I did gain the ability to paint and pick up styles of art I haven’t been exposed to over night.

Why did I write this…..I figured it would help someone in their research, maybe it will lead to shedding some light on my situation, help me in some way. IDK, but I find that every time I tell my story it helps with my anxiety.

Thank you for reading.

Sorry if it was all over the place. My grammar is horrible and I haven’t really had a chance to sit down and proof this, so again…. I apologize.

-icantw84it

This is a link to my art.

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icantw84it · 7 years ago

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iCantw84it: Why I made this blog

Thats a 50ft by 50ft mural I free handed after picking up a spray can for the first time in my life, 10 days prior.

If anyone knows me I don’t like to post about myself on facebook or instagram. Prior to the wreck I was a instgram whore…not going to lie. lol

Everyone, I hope knows I was in a 3 wrecks in 1 year. I know, the unluckiest person in the world. Maybe its karama. I hated the guy I was before. The last wreck knocked one of my hips out of whack by 3/4 inch. I was in sever pain and was passing out every 4 hours. My thighs were on fire and hard as stone. Back spasms raced down my lower back. My joints always ache and my fingers pop like they are brittle and exhausted. Strong as I always have been but unable to maintain endurance and fatigue quickly.

What TF is wrong with me?

No one believed me. I couldn’t work a reg job. This went on for a year. Finally I found a specialist that knew exactly what was wrong. She gave me to shots, one on each side of my spin.

This was the beginning of my healing. It gave me the ability to relax my muscles. I wore a back brace and it pulled everything back together. I need about 2 more treatments to be completely healed, but I lost everything. Financially, due to not being able to work, my credit was . I lost my apartment which most of you know was great for me and my art. I owe my success to that apartment. I couldn’t pay for my car anymore. I could barely feed myself. Confidence in a lot of areas became questionable. Depression set in, I reclused away from society and was stuck in my head most of the time. I hit rock bottom and I even bounced twice.

Why am I divulging all this personal info?

Because there is no moving forward until you come to terms with it.

So what did I do?

The specialist suggested I research CBD Oil. I reached out to a family member and she told me her daughter was using it due to extreme anxiety. It not only helped her it made her a happier person.

So I got a bottle and started taking it.

Now before you have any negative thoughts about it, There is no THC which is the compound that gives the feeling of being High ….. You can read more about it on my blog.

I can hear the thoughts of doubt or disbelief. See the name of the blog. That’s my name its the brand I have been using online for almost 3-4 years. If I wanted to shamelessly promote something I would have made a site that was named more tor ward a marketable Name. Like CBDhealsYou.home.blog. Maybe you weren’t thinking it, I would rather make sure you knew.

How did it help?

6 months ago, I had pain in my lower back my thighs hurt but not on fire. My joints were still aching . Due to the last 3 years I have earned a great deal of anxiety. I won’t even go into my love life…..Depression still there and

socially no desire to be out with others. I started using CBD Oil and it took about a month to start to feel real measurable results.

However, immediately I was more calm. I had less anxiety and was able to focus more on the important tasks I had been ignoring. My ADD was functional without meds obviously a lot better with meds. My body ached less. It muted a lot of the spasms and pain I was having. Because I could actually get things done I felt less depressed. My confidence came back and I began to find work. Now at this point I haven’t been able to paint for the last 8 months. Financially & mentally, I just couldn’t.

Last week I had an epiphany. Why can’t I help people who share my ailments? I was sitting at home loathing about my life in general which sadly is a normal thing.

Now mind you I haven’t done anything like this so I had no idea where to start. I learned everything I needed to make a network of sites that support and transmit my message. I gathered the information I needed and educated my self on everything I needed to help those that needed it.

Youtube Video, I will be making a better version of this. I just watched it and it has some audio hangups.

This is my Facebook Page is my page about CBD Oil.

Product link to the very produce I ordered and that was referred to me.

Product that is carried by my affiliate connection. Its gummies that surprisingly taste great.

Both made of 99% pure CBD and both have been very helpful to me personally. If you or a loved one is suffering pls share these links to them. These are Direct links to the companies that make them. There is no middle man. There are a lot of products out there that are made with less precision as these. They market them for less or as superior products. But I am letting you know there is a difference in CBD you get off the shelf or through other companies. I have tried several others to be certain. I wont name them because I am not here to disparage other products. I am here because I want to put you on the right path to healing. What you do with that knowledge is up to you.

I thank you for reading my long winded explanation and I am sorry for not being around. I am working on some things to be able to start painting again.

-Scott Mele

iCantw84it

Social Growth

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icantw84it · 7 years ago

Text

Not my parents Drug, but maybe it should be.

The FDA Just Approved A Cannabis-Based Drug As A Treatment For Epilepsy

The drug is called Epidiolex and has been approved to treat two rare forms of epilepsy.Posted on June 25, 2018, at 2:11 p.m.

If you didn’t know CBD is becoming a monster in the health world. There is all kinds of science behind it. Now, I don’t expect my parents to buy cbd. But they should, if they want to subside a lot of those issues they are having. You know what I am talking about. Everyone’s parents call them and tell them about every single thing that is falling apart or that is causing them pain. If you have a loved one with illnesses or is suffering in any way….. You can Check this list of illnesses to see if CBD Oil can help them found on my blog.

I’m going to list the illnesses here to cut your research down. I will post them directly under this quote. -Social Growth iCantw84it

If you want to get the same CBD I use click this Link.

If you want Gummies for a little one or yourself, no judgement…..Click here

If you want to see a video about my personal Experience with it and why I am an advocate. Or maybe you are completely Clueless to what CBD is. Click this link

I highly recommend you watch this video its informative but most of all it tells my story and gives you a who how and why.

Pain (neuropathic, chronic, cancer-related, etc.)

Epilepsy

Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

Parkinson’s

Inflammation

Acne

Dyskinesia

Psoriasis

Broken Bones

Mad Cow Disease

Depression

Bacterial Infections

Diabetes

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Nausea

Anxiety

ADHD

Schizophrenia

Substance Abuse/Withdrawal

Heart Disease

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Scientists now believe CECD may play a role in the following conditions:

Fibromyalgia

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Migraines

Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Neuropathy

Huntington’s

Parkinson’s

Motion Sickness

Autism

Now in this next section if you don’t know what this means please follow this link to get a better idea of what CBD is and how it works.

Benefits of activating the CB1 receptor include:

Relieving depression [S]

Increasing myelin formation [S]

Lowering intestinal inflammation [S]

Decreasing intestinal permeability (Leaky Gut Syndrome) [S]

Lowering blood pressure [S]

Lowering anxiety [S]

Reducing fear and paranoia [S]

Increasing BDNF levels [S]

Increasing PPARy expression [S]

Reducing GPR55 signaling [S]

Lowering prolactin [S]

By: Lauren Strapagiel

BuzzFeed Staff

For the first time, the Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug that contains purified cannabidiol, or CBD, which is a derivative of marijuana, to treat a medical condition.

The new drug, called Epidiolex, is taken orally and approved for children over age 2 who have rare forms of epilepsy called Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Dravet syndrome starts within the first year of life and most children with the condition also go on to have developmental disabilities. Lennox-Gastaut syndrome also affects children and causes multiple types of seizures and delayed mental development.

CBD is a marijuana extract that is also sold in over-the-counter supplements, creams, capsules, and even gummies, which are not FDA-approved for any medical condition. Unlike tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, which is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, CBD doesn’t produce a high. Although there are anecdotal claims that CBD oil or extracts can help a number of medical issues, Epidiolex is the only one so far to have a proven benefit in clinical trials, and it reduces the frequency of seizures in children with these rare forms of epilepsy.

Although it’s been approved by the FDA, the drug isn’t available quite yet. Cannabis is a schedule I drug in the US, meaning it has “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” Methamphetamine and heroin are listed in the same category. The Drug Enforcement Administration has to reschedule Epidiolex before it’s available, which is expected to happen within 90 days.

There’s no word on how much Epidiolex will cost. The side effects can include sedation, sleepiness, lethargy, and elevated liver enzymes, among others.

“These patients deserve and will soon have access to a cannabinoid medicine that has been thoroughly studied in clinical trials, manufactured to assure quality and consistency, and available by prescription under a physician’s care.” said Justin Gover, CEO of GW Pharmaceuticals, which makes Epidiolex, in a statement.

The FDA called Epidiolex’s approval an important medical advancement, but made it clear this isn’t a carte blanche endorsement of using marijuana for medical purposes.

“This is the approval of one specific CBD medication for a specific use. And it was based on well-controlled clinical trials evaluating the use of this compound in the treatment of a specific condition,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a statement.

He also cautioned against “unapproved CBD-containing products with unproven medical claims.”

“The promotion and use of these unapproved products may keep some patients from accessing appropriate, recognized therapies to treat serious and even fatal diseases,” he said.

MEDICAL CANNABIS

Do CBD Oil And Other Marijuana Products Have Real Health Benefits?Anthony Rivas · Nov. 9, 2017

We Spoke To Black Market Medical Cannabis Patients Who Don’t Access The Drug Legally. Here’s What They Said.Brad Esposito · Feb. 14, 2018

I Tried Medical Marijuana For 30 Days To See If It Could Cure My Chronic PainKelsey Darragh · Jun. 1, 2017

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