Are You Cannabis Curious?
by Sue Letwin

Before 2016, I knew barely anything about cannabis. I knew that it was an illegal drug except for rare medical use, and I didn’t plan to use it. Things can sure change in the course of a few years! I have gone from being a cannabis virgin to running a cannabis business within the last three years.

In September 2013, I awoke in the middle of the night to severe nausea, tingles, and numbness running down both sides of my body. I had never felt so odd and sick in my life. I woke my husband and he called an ambulance. Hospital staff tested me, but everything appeared normal and I was sent home with a baby aspirin and a referral to a stroke clinic. The neurologist at the stroke clinic said I’d had a hormonal migraine.

An MRI showed a couple of lesions in my brain, but I didn’t have enough symptoms to be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. My symptoms were chalked up to a perimenopausal migraine. I started to get “the flu” once a week, extreme fatigue and hip pain, and I thought it was due to substitute teaching amongst all the schools in the city’s Catholic school system, and working as a casual cook in a daycare.

The hormones, pain killers, and migraine drugs I was prescribed didn’t help. A friend with health issues researched a clinic in the U.S. that treated thyroid and hormone conditions. I thought it wouldn’t hurt to go see a different doctor. Each patient needed to submit 18 pages of health information to this clinic and I had also kept a journal of symptoms. To my surprise, the doctor, who was originally from Swift Current, told me that I might have Lyme disease. He gave me a treatment plan of supplements until I could get tested. I kept taking medical leave and finally resigned.

I tried physiotherapy and acupuncture, which had always helped me sleep well and treated all kinds of minor ailments successfully in the past, but to no avail. Both therapies increased my pain and insomnia. In the interim, I had Lyme testing done and had several positive bands for Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme bacteria. I decided to not use antibiotics as the infection was most likely at least three years old by the time I was diagnosed and I wanted to try natural methods of healing. I wanted to keep my gut as healthy as possible.

I visited the doctor one year after initial clinical diagnosis. While visiting my doctor in the U.S., he mentioned that cannabis can help some Lyme patients. I thought I would try it, so I got a medical prescription for it and started using a high CBD oil. It helped with insomnia but not much else. The licensed producer I had my prescription with helped me titrate my dose and the ratio of THC to CBD. This was key to me getting better. I researched cannabis extensively, learned enough to begin making my own edibles, and I began to teach people how to make medicine. My daughter did business coaching with me and created art for me to become an entrepreneur.

I continue to help Lyme patients free of charge. I’ve developed some business partners and ongoing clients who have other health conditions. And I continue to test recipes. My sons developed cannabis cooking calculators on my website as free resources for people. I am always most happy to answer any questions about cannabis in Canada.

Sue Letwin runs her own cannabis consulting and cooking business in Saskatoon. She has taught all ages in many different spheres and has a passion for cooking, yoga, and working with all kinds of plants. Learning how to grow cannabis is her new venture to incorporate into her cooking. For free public presentations about cannabis and cooking with it, contact Sue at (306) 229-8047, email curious@indicapable.ca, or visit indicapable.ca. Also see the display ad on page 21 of the 25.4 November/December issue of the WHOLifE Journal.