SD & CBD, My Regimen

This blog is written for those who want to know the regimen I use to manage my SD. 

My Regimen:

I live in California, so the products that are available to me may be drastically different than what is available to others. Also, Im not a big fan of hemp based CBD: due to a narrow efficacy profile (hard to find optimal dosage) and often mislabeled (very little CBD in them) products. That said, some people do get some degree of benefit from hemp based CBD. Do your research.

In California I use the Care By Design 8:1 (CBD:THC) Sublingual Spray....5 sprays per night although if Im out with friends consuming any alcohol, I might use up to 30 sprays. On average though, figure 20mg of CBD per night

I also use the Absolute Extracts Sleepytime Sublingual spray...this is mostly THC. I use one or two sprays per evening. It helps me get deep sleep. I find that deep sleep is very important in maintaining my vocal quality. On average, figure 8-10mg of THC per night.

While CBD is often reported to have anti-spasmodic, anti-dystonic etc properties, I find that it works better with a little THC. I do not like getting high on THC so I started very slowly and now tolerate it easily. 


For those unfamiliar with cannabis, THC is the primary psychoactive agent. CBD is generally considered as non-psychoactive. If you dont like THC, I certainly understand, I forego its use whenever Im doing well. Just bear in mind that deep sleep is important, so somehow, someway, get some deep sleep. 

Hydration also helps my voice. Some people find a glass of wine helps their voice. While I enjoy red wine, its the worst thing for my voice ever. 

Using the above regimen with some variation over time has worked for 4 yrs now....my voice is about 40-70% functional these days. Good in the morning with some drop off in the afternoon and continuing through early evening. Still Im so happy that I have my voice and my life back.

July 2018 update

Recently my voice hasnt been as strong with more drop off late afternoon through the evening. I probably need to up my dosage. Im still functional though. Also, I have started using a vape pen more frequently with 2:1 (CBD:THC) cartridge. This recent dropoff in vocal quality may or may not be related to the fact that I went through another major upper respiratory infection about 5 months ago.

I did not get immediate results using the above regimen. About 5 yrs ago, I got a small batch experimental tincture blend. There was instant and near perfect results. It took me a while to track down the chemist...the above regimen is my best re-creation of what the chemist remembered. However the temporary but near perfect relief (from the tincture) was enough to convince me I was on the right path though....and seeing some light at the end of the tunnel was very energizing and uplifting.


Feel free to email me (mhayes399@comcast.net) if the above doesnt answer all of your questions. Im guessing the cost is about $1500/year. Not sure. Ive been fortunate enough to get free product for the past few years.

The rain is different there

Through the wormhole. Standing in multiple museums simultaneously. Oddly dreary. Curators without passion. Or maybe its the uninspired lighting. The interior rain didnt help. Surreal yes, visceral no. Need coffee. More so, a coffee house. Kinetic art. Animated conversations. The rain is different there.

Emerald Cup Wrap-up. Mendocino perspective.

The Emerald Cup is a cannabis competition for outdoor organic grows. An event of interest to many Mendocino residents. Vital to some. The Emerald Cup refers to the area known as the Emerald Triangle consisting of Humboldt, Trinity and Mendocino counties.

Uggs, flip-flops, sandals, boots, running shoes, one pair of go-go boots and at least one horribly out of place pair of spiked heels. People from all walks of life attended the 10th annual Emerald Cup in Santa Rosa Dec 14-15. Yes but who won the flowers competition? Santa Rosa? Huh? Yes you read that right, The 2013 Emerald Cup was in Santa Rosa this year. The Emerald Cup gaining official prairie dog status. Popping its head up above ground for the first time. Emerald Cup organizers wanted to go a little more mainstream. Attract more Bay Area participants. They did that with 4000-5000 people attending the two day event. Okay cool, but who won the flowers competition?  Seemed that knowing who won the flowers competition was ultimately what mattered most. 

Drum roll. And the winner is Darin, Flower: Lemon Skunk, Genetics: DNA Lemon Skunk, Root: Clone, Location: Monterey. Wait, what? The winner is from Monterey? Puzzled looks. Cannery Row not Comptche? The Aquarium Triangle, not the Emerald Triangle? This is not the natural order of the world. The winner is from Monterey?! Prepare for the Zombie apocalypse. An Emerald Cup winner from Monterey County is harder to wrap your head around than a Wal-Mart in Philo. Actually there is a Wal-Mart in Philo, its invisible (shh don't tell), but thats besides the point. Well the damage wasn't too bad for the Mendo locals, with Mendocino grows taking 9 of the top 20 spots in the flowers division, including spots  3, 4 & 5. Mean Gene's Cherry Limeade was at #3. Consensus opinion: Its the shit! Given that there were a total of 257 flower entries from all over California, a top 3 finish is fairly impressive. 10 years ago in the inaugural Emerald Cup there were only 23 entries. Top 20 list of winners below. Note that an entry from Orange County made the top 20 list. They say it was a White Fire OG Kush. Cynical speculation was it was really an Nixon/Skunk cross. Inbreds!

Another Mendocino entry placing 3rd was Taylor from T. Beezle farms. Taylor was entered in the solventless hash (concentrates) competition. Taylor used Sour Diesel, a Mendo phenotype to make the concentrate. Placing 3rd broke Taylor's two year winning streak in the category. Taylor was philosophical, announcing his retirement from the competition in order to become a judge. For some background, solventless hash is a concentrate made without solvents. No chemicals at all. There is no solvent competition at The Emerald cup. Only solventless. Also Flowers must be from OUTDOOR, organically grown plants. No pesticides, no chemicals. Simple Emerald Cup philosophy. Organic or nothing. Much respect.
 
While the general focus was on the flowers competition, there was much more than that at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. All-star panels. Music. Hundreds of vendor booths featuring everything from trimmers to compost. Pot attorneys. A "215" smoking area for those holding medical "recs". Lab Services. Extraction machines. Advocacy/Awareness groups such as Americans for Safe Access & ProjectCBD. AVA contributor and O'Shaugnessys managing editor, Fred Gardner, was a member of at least two panels. And as a postscript to Freds last AVA story, Dennis Peron received a lifetime achievement award, then promptly married his partner of 28 years, John Entwhistle. Awww.

Despite a now above ground status, there was no perceptible law enforcement presence at the Cup. The mood was serene, blissful and at times very serious with deep discussions about treatments for medical conditions taking place. Michelle Sexton was there. Michelle is a San Diego based naturopath who helped author the very recently released American Herbal Pharmacopeia (AHP) cannabis monograph. This monograph sets definitive quality assurance standards for growers, dispensaries and labs. Something desperately needed in the opinion of this author. One microbial contaminated strain causing sickness from one lax dispensary, could set the medical marijuana industry back immeasurably. The monograph sets standards that, if followed, would make contaminated strains in the supply chain a remote possibility. AHP in conjunction with Americans for Safe Access have comprehensive certification plans in this coming year. Michelle spent considerable time sitting with Martin A Lee. Martin is a Healdsburg resident, respected author (Smoke Signals) and co-founder of ProjectCBD along with Fred Gardner. CBD is second only to the well-known THC as the most prevalent cannabinoid in marijuana. CBD is non-psychoactive and is gaining increasing medical attention. CBD is what is being given to children with severe epilepsy demonstrating spectacular results. Some kids going from 300 seizures a week to seizure free in a matter of days. CBD has a wide range of medical applications. A number of the dispensary collectives were wandering through the exhibits trying to find reliable access to CBD rich products. Even Harborside, the big big dispensary in Oakland was making discrete inquiries. You can expect that some local growers will be introducing CBD rich strains into their crops soon if they haven't already. And breeders will be looking to breed genetically stable CBD rich strains. THCV, a cousin of THC, will also be getting some attention soon due to its anti-obesity and anti-diabetic properties. Thats THCV not THC.

With all the big personalities eg. Grand Daddy Mike riding a segue, er segway, wearing a coonskin cap and Guy Fawkes mask as well as big egos floating through the Cup, one very unassuming woman known only as Brandy stood out. Really stood out. While Brandy initially appeared as just another blissful vaped out participant, it quickly became clear, she was a monster intellect. Brandy recently graduated from Johns Hopkins with a Phd in Biophysics. She has done 3d mappings of the 300 or so ion channels in the human body. Looking at ion channel functionality. Many researchers don't know how medical marijuana works on cancer, epilepsy or as an anxiolytic (anti-anxiety). THC binds to what are called CB receptors in the human body. Other cannaninoids don't bind to CB receptors, yet still have scientifically well-documented therapeutic effects. It is theorized they may be working in the human body by affecting ion channel conductance. Meaning Brandys research may provide significant breakthroughs on how medical marijuana works which will in turn optimize efficacy. There was at least one attendee at the CUP who firmly believed that Brandy could win a Nobel prize someday for her work with medical marijuana. Having met her and talked to her, it almost seems pre-ordained.

So that was the Emerald Cup. Fun. Blissful. Competitive. And often serious.  Not completely grown-up but who would attend if it was?

 
2013 - Top 20

Place: Contestant - Flower - Genetics - Root - County

1st place: Darin - Lemon Skunk - DNA Lemon Skunk - Clone - Monterey

2nd Place: Sonoma City Collective - Cherry Cola - Cherry Cola - Clone - Sonoma

3rd place: Mean Gene - Cherry Limeade #6 - xxx - Seed - Mendocino

4th place: Aficionado Seeds - Royal Sour - SD x Purple Kush x Highland Afgani - Seed - Mendocino

5th place: Kirt - Larry OG - OG Pheno Type - Clone - Mendocino

6th place: Heidi - Girl Scout Cookie - O.G. x Durban F1 - Clone - Sonoma

7th place: Emerald Triangle Seeds - Atomica OG - Pheno 3 - Haze x Blueberry x Urkle x TW x OG - Seed - Trinity

8th place: Stoney Creek Libations - Sour Strawberry - Sour Bubble x Strawberry Cough x SD - Seed - Butte

9th place: XXX - Sherbet - xxx - Clone - Mendocino

10th place: Fuzzy - Sugaree - SK5 x Blue Widdow x KC36 - Clone - Mendocino

11th place: Camp Cool Collective - Reverend Rons Goo - The Goo x Gold Rush - Clone - Mendocino

12th place: Lady Ele & Leo - Cherry Pie Kush - OG x Purple Urkle x Durban Poison - Clone - Mendocino

13th place: Emerald Triangle Seeds - Chuckfoot - Landrace Afgan x BB Haze x TW x OG x Urkle - Seed - Trinity

14th place: SoHum Concentrate - Platinum GSC - Brainstorm Haze X Chem Dawg - Clone - Humboldt

15th place: 3rd Gen Family - Girl Scout Cookie - G.S.C. - Clone - Mendocino

16th place: John C. - Angry Baby OG - Old School OG - Clone - Trinity

17th place: Bohemia Botanica - Pineapple - xxx - Clone - Mendocino

18th place: John C - Cry Baby OG - Coveted Old School OG - Clone - Trinity

19th place: NorStar Genetics - Fire OG - Original Nepali OG - Clone - Sonoma

20th place: Kush Industries - White Fire OG Kush - xxx - Clone - Orange 

Pouring Guinness and the mystery of the 5.76 seconds. Spoiler alert: The Koreans are innocent

Yeah Guinness. Legendary stuff. Apparently pouring a perfect Guinness draught is a high art form requiring precise movements and perfect timing. It doesn't happen fast...takes a long time to pour a perfect Guinness. Now, it seems there is a little mystery about exactly how long. Oh Wikipedia, you're a cheating girlfriend. More about that soon.

First I have to do some sort of Dan Brown Da Vinci Code self-flagellation ritual for not having posted a blog in forever. Pause to reflect on my sins. Begin self-whipping. Oh shit, now I've got Devo playing in my head. Postpone atonement. White-boy robo dance.  

So I come across this infographic posting on FaceBook. 29 Interesting beer facts. Holy Schnikes! I love beer! I love facts! Tommy Boy rules. //Cue:music// "She's a maniac...."

Hmm. Beer facts. Whats this...119.5 seconds to pour the perfect Guinness. Thats interesting. I mentally pause. I need to savor and absorb this fact as I play in a weekly trivia contest. Our quizmaster, Steve Sparks, starts each weekly quiz sipping a Guinness. I've got to ask him about this. Uh,oh...I think to myself, I better research this fact. Sometimes I have different source material than Steve. I mean he mistakenly believes that Juneau is the largest city in terms of area in the US. So, I must research beer facts. Be prepared.

Research begins. Googling "guinness perfect pour" I come to the Guinness Wikipedia page. Of course, Wikipedia is almost always the first stop in research anything in popular culture. You want to know the etymology of "jumping the shark"? Wikipedia baby, Wikipedia. Yep, here it is, the Guinness Wikipedia page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinness

And here is the fact I want:  

What Diageo calls the "perfect pint" of Draught Guinness is the product of a "double pour", which according to the company should take 125.26 seconds.^[63] 


There is even a source reference for this information. Hah and double hah. So apparently the perfect pour is 125.26 seconds. 5.76 seconds longer than the infographic. Wikipedia says so! With citations!

My girlfriend loves me. Kiss kiss.

Well, armed with this new knowledge, prior to the next trivia quiz, I proudly ask Steve if he knows the proper amount of time to pour a Guinness...without hesitation Steve replies "119 seconds". I tell him that Diageo says it 125.26 seconds. Steve's reaction was instantaneous and apoplectic...he was a pallet full of Mentos and Diet Coke exploding all over at Lauren's restaurant. "Its always been 119 seconds...for three hundred years its been 119 seconds. Who the hell is Diageo? Fucking Koreans!". Now for a little background, Steve was born in Birmingham UK and was a pub owner for maybe 20 years. When it comes to Guinness knowledge, he kinda knows what he is talking about. I think Steve has Guinness grand-master status. You can probably tell that just looking at him.

Respecting Steve's blood pressure, I silently resolve to do further research this Guinness perfect pour issue.

Research re-started, the ADD kicked in again and I got distracted with Guinness history. Did you know that prior to 1939 a Guinness brewer (employee) who wanted to marry a catholic was asked to resign. I'm sure "asked" was a euphemism.

So, you are marrying a Catholic, eh Malone?

Then there was a 20-30 year cooling off period and Guinness apparently starting hiring Catholics in the 1960's. Ah progress. And did you know the original lease signed in 1759 for the St James Gate Brewery location in Dublin was for 9,000 years? 9,000 years!!! Who knew the Irish were such visionaries? Or that lazy? Or that good at typos? 9,000 years! That beats the hell out of the Japanese style 100 year business plan.

So I go back at look at the source reference for the 125.26 second claim. Here is where things get weird.
The link to substantiate the claim is to a 2009 cached document linked to Guinness.com. For the uninitiated a cached document is something that was posted online but has been subsequently edited and/or deleted. Google is insiduous that way. You think that those old pictures of you in platform shoes have all been burned? Nope, Google has copies.You can't hide from history. But try as I might I can't pull up the old web page. Maybe the cached link will work for you. Here it is:

http://wayback.archive.org/web/20090115233622/http://www.guinness.com/row_en/beer/draught/

I have to believe the document existed, but how? Where? What master criminal or PR firm (as if there is a difference) has wiped the fingerprints clean? Where is the original document? Me don't know...me confused. Who has redacted the Warren report? Was there more than one shooter? Holy ghost of Rosemary Woods, where is the missing 5.76 seconds?

So I reverse course. See if I can't find something to validate the original claim of 119.5 seconds. Immediately, I find this:

Fact: The perfect Guinness 'two-part pour' takes 119.5 seconds. One thing is never in doubt, Guinness is worth the wait.  
Source: http://www.diageo.com/en-ie/ourbrands/categories/pages/beers.aspx

Thats a current link. Readable. Online now. Not cached. And its on the Diageo website.Yeah Diageo, the parent company of Guinness. Apologies to the Koreans. You would have to believe Diageo is an authoritative source. So whatever heresy was briefly published in 2009 has been scrubbed clean. Offending parties ex-communicated. History properly revised. No shooter on the grassy knoll. Kiss a Catholic.

Of course this means my wiki girlfriend has cheated again. Sigh. Tramp. I'll probably take her back again though. I'm forgiving that way.

I guess a lot has happened in the internet world since my last blog. I'd still like to see the original 125.26 seconds document. Or have a little talk with the no doubt besotted editors of the Guinness Wikipedia page Better yet, more research. Field trip! Woohoo Dublin. I have 5.76 seconds to spare.

Post Mortem: While the Diageo website substantiates the 119.5 second claim, the Guinness website is strangely silent about the issue. No time frame for the perfect pour is mentioned. The ultimate authority is now silent about the issue. Conspiracy? Cover-up? Oliver Stone...you listening? There is a movie here.

Adductor Spasmodic Dysphonia

I have this rare disorder. Adductor Spasmodic Dysphonia. ASD for short. Sounds like the name of a grunge band from Seattle. My friend Jaxon calls my disorder "dyspeptic paprika". Close enough.

Basically this disorder is a screw-up between the brain and the vocal chords causing a strained or strangled sounding voice often with vocal breaks. Bobby Kennedy Jr has this disorder...You know who he is: Kennedy family, environmental lawyer...hello?

The first time I saw RFK jr speak on television about a year ago I was devastated. I couldnt watch...the poor guy was grasping desperately for words to express himself. The sounds were so labored it pained me to watch. Now my voice is worse than his....but I have no self-pity and other than the fact that my dating life now sucks worse than ever, I dont really care. Jaxon makes fun of me which hurts a little, but what the hell. Of course I am an easy target these days....I sound like Marge Simpson after helium. This disorder hasnt really kept me quiet, although I've already begin wonder what its like to beg for sex in sign language.

On the other hand, Im otherwise healthy and grateful for that. The disorder started slowly. First time I saw the ENT Dr. my voice was near normal. Despite that I was lucky and got diagnosed after I got the "up your nose with a rubber hose" camera treatment. Thats where they put this mini camera up your nose and then down your throat to watch your vocal chords. Talk about youtube. Woo. If you ever have this procedure done, a bit of advice: "don't swallow". Those cameras are expensive and a little hard to digest. Also the Doctors office really doesnt want them back after you recover them. "What do you mean you won't take it back? it still works fine."

Given the fact that this disorder started slowly and was episodic in nature...you know good days and bad days, I took the traditional American approach to treatment. I call it the disinterested girlfriend dealing with horny boyfriend approach to medical treatment: "ignore it and hope it goes away".

I read through a lot of the literature. Lots of articles with big words. Very little of it made sense to me. I mean I sort of understand the medical literature....but it just didnt resonate with my experience.

The medical literature says that this is most likely a neurological disorder originating in the basal ganglia area of the brain. In other words its a movement disorder like Parkinsons. The medical literature also says there is no known cause and no known cures. Botox injections in the throat help. Needles putting toxic poison in my throat?????? What?? Nooooooo, Im not doing that. No way. They say surgery helps sometimes. Now here is where I get really confused. The theory on the surgery is that the vocal nerve is damaged, so the damaged nerve is severed and a healthy nerve is attached. But I still have moments especially as soon as I wake up in the morning where my phonation is near normal. I can talk okay. If the nerve was damaged, how can I have near normal moments? What happens during sleep that causes the nerve to temporarily function correctly upon awakening. Or what happens during the day to cause the nerve to stop functioning? And can those processes be augmented or inhibited as the case might be? Hmmm?

My intuition tells me that the nerve may have some damage, but its the brains reaction to the damage that causes problems. Once the voice begins to have problems, the brain sends a stronger and perhaps longer signal to the vocal chords to compensate for the weak voice. In this case the brain although well-intended is doing the exact opposite of what needs to be done....the brain needs to send a weaker and shorter signal to the vocal chords. The longer and stronger signal cause the vocal chords to slam shut and produce no sound despite the brains intentions.


Here is a vid of me speaking...Don't ask me why the vid is sideways. My phone is smarter than I am and a little bit insubordinate. Hopefully future vids wont have the same problem.

China Part 1

Written on Oct 9, 2009

A week ago I got back from my first trip to China...Southern China to be exact. Nanning, BaMa, Beihai, WuMing and PingGuo (the apple city)

The weather was perfect. I packed two light jackets and never even thought about wearing them...lightweight T-shirts were all that was needed even late at night.

I expected China to be an adventure. American perceptions of China are more iconic than real...we imagine bucolic scenes and pagodas....instead of an adventure I got an education. China has transformed itself and fast. I looked for ancient China and saw glimpses, but modern China prevails...modern China is everywhere. China may have assumed possession of Hong Kong in name, but Hong Kong has taken control of China in spirit. Highrises abound both businesses and residences...giant neon signs and zillions of scooters...zillions. Anthills of scooters. Bee swarms of scooters.

The thing about China that struck me the most was the industriousness of the people: China may wait but China never stops...the Chinese people dont stop working, they dont stop for street lights, they dont stop for other traffic, they dont stop passing traffic in front of them even when there are oncoming trucks. They don't close their shops...China moves at a slower speed than the US, but we in the US start and stop...China doesnt stop. They don't stop learning, they don't stop negotiating, they dont stop trying to excel.....THEY DON'T STOP!!!

Bicycle Ride...more thoughts of being 8 yrs old

Just got back from a 30 mile bicycle ride in the summer heat..both cathartic and transformative.....the sights and smells of Sonoma County: Ripe blackberry, clover grass, wild anise and the cow manure...the manure being a smell that somehow felt comforting, strange I know, but what was stranger was the lady in Sebastopol walking her llama alone the trail...as I rode along I felt like I was 8 yrs old and it was the endless summer vacation....suddenly I could hear the playing cards in my spokes...fwap fwap fwap...and I was sure that when I got home I could turn on the radio and hear Vin Scully's golden voice announcing the Dodger line-up in the brand new Chavez Ravine stadium....Sandy Koufax would be pitching....Johnny Roseboro behind home plate....as a kid I knew nothing of prejudice. Sandy Koufax was jewish and Johnny Roseboro was black...all that mattered to me was that they were the greatest