Free Republic

Australian researchers have published the first robust clinical study proving that medicinal cannabis effectively treats the debilitating effects of Tourette syndrome. The findings show a statistically and clinically significant reduction in motor and vocal tics in just six weeks. The analysis found a significant association between levels of cannabis in the bloodstream and the response to active treatment. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the active hallucinogenic compound in cannabis that produces a "high" effect, while CBD (cannabidiol) is a non-psychoactive compound. Both are used medicinally in Australia. The study involved testing 22 adult patients with severe Tourette symptoms. In the double-blind study,...

Some U.S. intelligence officials are worried about providing a routine intelligence briefing to Donald Trump once he becomes the official Republican presidential nominee, according to a report. Eight senior security officials told Reuters they were concerned that Trump's "shoot from the hip" style could pose national security risks, as they prepare to give him a routine pre-election briefing for presidential nominees. They also cited his lack of foreign policy experience, and his little known team of foreign policy advisers. "People are very nervous," one senior U.S. security official said. However, the officials, who requested anonymity to discuss a political domestic...

My Mom had 2 dogs, a big one and a little one with cancer. The little one had to dig a little hole under the foundation, outside the kitchen window, because the big dog wouldn't leave him alone. So it is with people who instinctively react against quirky people--they act as if it were a communicable disease that has to be quarantined. In reality, people have a hidden spiritual potential that the modern, materialistic economy can't easily assimilate. As a child I was one of those who is all over the place and into everything. I count as my chief...

WASHINGTON, DC - A man with Tourette Syndrome was denied boarding a plane Thursday after he said the word “bomb.” Michael Doyle and Chaz Petteway are friends and travel companions. They were booked on a Jet Blue flight from Reagan National Airport to San Juan Puerto Rico Thursday to take part in a weekend Revolutionary War reenactment. "It was a really big deal for us. It was going to be fun. A very fun time," said Michael Doyle. Doyle says he was not allowed to board his flight because of his Tourette’s. But they'd planned ahead, alerting Jet Blue and...

A man went into a Starbucks in Boca Raton, Florida. As it happened, he suffered from Tourette Syndrome, which according to the Tourette Syndrome Association is a neurological disorder which becomes evident in early childhood or before the age of 18 years and is defined by multiple involuntary motor and vocal actions which may include violent acts, as well as obscene words or socially inappropriate words and phrases. While in the coffee shop the man had a Tourette’s attack and began uncontrollably beating on a wall and cursing loudly. When customers complained, Starbucks employees called the police and had him...

Tourette syndrome made J.P. D'amico an outcast in school. Kids didn't understand that J.P. couldn't help it when he made ear-piercing grunts, his head twitched uncontrollably or his eyeballs vibrated. Even teachers ridiculed him. "I was emotionally scarred," he said. But for one week each summer, J.P. found a haven at YMCA Camp Duncan in Lake County. It's the only specialized summer camp in the Midwest for kids who have the baffling neurological disorder characterized by sudden, involuntary movements and noises called tics. Kids come from all over the country. "This is a community that will not treat them the...

CLEVELAND -- A Lyndhurst man became the first person in the United States to benefit from a procedure that can cure Tourette syndrome, reported NewsChannel5.  Video New Hope For Tourette Syndrome Patients Jeff Matovic, 31, has suffered from severe Tourette Syndrome for 28 years. The disorder caused him to have major tics and jerks, making it extremely difficult to walk or sit still. Last month, doctors at University Hospitals implanted electrodes in Matovic's brain and attached them to a pacemaker.The deep brain stimulation has been done before to help people with Parkinson's disease, but had never before been tried in...