MMJ Patient : David Ruise, San Diego, CA
This young gentleman is only 19 years old, but has found cannabis to be an integral part of controlling his insomnia and anxiety. He’s blessed to have a supportive family, a pioneer for alternative medicine as a mother, and a mind all his own! He struggled for years, endured countless treatments, and he’d like to share his story with you about how cannabis changed his life and inspired him to a higher purpose.
What medical condition(s) have you been struggling with?
I’ve dealt with Anxiety for my whole life and I’ve also struggled with sleep issues. I always woke up multiple times throughout the night until I was 17 1/2 years old. I woke up feeling nervous and would have a hard time getting back to sleep.
What do you believe caused this medical condition?
I had a traumatic birth – an emergency C-Section. Plus, my mom didn’t want to do immunizations, but my dad, being a firefighter for his entire career, was afraid to not have me immunized. So, my mom gave in against her gut-feeling and to this day, she says that I changed after my first round of immunizations at 2 weeks old. My body got stiff. I wouldn’t eat. I cried inconsolably. She told my dad, “No more immunizations.” By the time I was 2 1/2, I was barely speaking. My mom took me to a chiropractor (who did all kinds of alternative treatments as well) who did crania-sacral work on me 3 times a week for 2 weeks. She said that the dura/lining of my brain was twisted at the base of my skull. By the end of the treatments at 2 weeks, I was speaking in sentences. I had been taking everything in, but had been unable to get it out. I’m so grateful that my mom always tried “alternative” things to help me. So, although we don’t have “proof” that it was the immunizations and/or the birth trauma, I believe it to be the cause of my medical conditions.
So, my mom gave in against her gut-feeling and to this day, she says that I changed after my first round of immunizations at 2 weeks old. My body got stiff. I wouldn’t eat. I cried inconsolably. She told my dad, “No more immunizations.”
What type of medications have you been taking that were prescribed to you by your doctor?
I never took prescription medications for my conditions.
What side effects did you experience from the medication prescribed by your doctor?
People told my mom many times that I should be medicated, that it would help my concentration, but she always chose the natural stuff instead. So, no medications from doctors. In fact, I’ve only been on antibiotics once in my whole life.
What type of alternative medicine have you tried aside from your doctor’s recommendation?
I never took prescription medications for my conditions. We’ve done everything via “alternative” methods: Homeopathy, energy work, hypnosis, nutrition, crania sacral therapy, chiropractics, and even a Mexican curandera. All of these things worked to varying degrees. Then, when I was about 17 1/2, my brother told my mom, “Why don’t you just let him start smoking marijuana before bed?” So she did and as soon as I started smoking marijuana, I started sleeping better and my anxiety became less and less a part of my life. I was positive; I had confidence… Marijuana had a big impact on my life; In fact, it changed my life.
…as soon as I started smoking marijuana, I started sleeping better and my anxiety became less and less a part of my life. I was positive; I had confidence… Marijuana had a big impact on my life; In fact, it changed my life.
How long have you been using the alternative medicine?
I’ve been using the alternative methods my whole life. I have been using marijuana for about 2 years.
How have you felt since you started using the alternative medicine compared to that of your prescribed medications?
I now fall asleep on my own and sleep through the night. That never happened before MJ. I’ve been feeling truly blessed and fortunate to have positive people in my life and am creating a Youtube channel with my friend that is based around spirituality, self development, and motivation. My channel is called Higher Collective. I attribute all these positive things in my life to the copious amounts of change that marijuana allowed me to achieve. I don’t know where I’d be without marijuana. I fell into a deep depression and was dealing with anxiety, stress, fear, panic, OCD, sorrow, and guilt. I was calling to God for help almost every day and one day I was completely tangled in my mind and God blessed me… I’m not religious, but I definitely found faith in something greater than me, the energy of the Universe. He tested my faith and showed that this power was with me, in me, a part of me, and that moment completely centered my faith in life and in myself. I found this book called “The Tao Of Wu” by the RZA from the Wu Tang Clan and it gave me wisdom and knowledge in my life. I recently committed to meditation and the short term effects have changed my life for the better. And marijuana… is what made all this possible.
Do you think you will continue with using alternative medicine?
100%!!!!!! I foresee cannabis a part of my life for the rest of my life!!!!
English