At the Tarnow Center we know that keeping brains (of all ages) working, growing, and developing new connections makes each of us better. It makes us more adaptive to deal with new challenges. We certainly are all living that challenge in the age of COVID-19. Home, work, education, and leisure have been impacted.

We believe it is important during this pandemic that each family, more than ever, figures out ways to support growth, learning and creativity. It is tempting to wait and see what happens. But, we know that the brain is a use or lose it proposition. Our kids with learning differences and ADHD are particularly vulnerable to losing ground during this time of virtual classrooms or even a summer of no classrooms or camps at all.

Teenagers and young adults have to make decisions about how to stay in a growth and learning mode when it may feel easy to coast. Coasting is great after you have completed the climb; but on its own, you get nowhere. In her article, “Online College Isn’t Going Anywhere,” (May 19, 2020 on Slate.com), Rebecca Schuman writes, “While it’s appropriate to mourn the campus experience lost, it’s also time to think about online college along a different binary: Not online vs. in-person, but a good use of your pandemic time vs. a bad use of it.” Virtual learning can feel daunting for so many of our students.

Pre-pandemic, there were more options if one decided to delay an education.  Enriching gap year options around the world will not be as available as in the past. Also, jobs will be limited as the country tries to put 30 million adults back to work. So, do you put off your education? Do you wait until there is a vaccine that might allow students to live on campus again? What is the best use of your pandemic time?

We can help you to make these decisions. We can help you to be an active learner even with online classes that, on the surface, seem to encourage passivity. (They don’t actually). At the Tarnow Center, our years of experience at creating active learners and good self-managers can be put to good use helping your son or daughter to face the learning challenges ahead. Growth must continue. We can help you through self-management therapy, academic coaching, educational evaluations and therapy, biofeedback, neurofeedback, the best in computer-based brain training like Fast ForWord and Interactive Metronome.

Don’t forget the importance of developing emotional resilience and coping skills. Without support many of our vulnerable students find their college career derailed by unmanaged anxiety and depression. Let us address these issues now rather than later. When they do go off on their own, which they will, we want them to have a true sense of confidence based on having faced challenges and figured out ways to manage. 

Bullying is an extremely common experience for children and adolescentes. With the popularity of social media, those who bully can use cell phones, texts, and social sites, such as Facebook or Instagram, to intentionally hurt or embarrass others. Parents need to be aware that:

1) Electronic safeguards can be very helpful but they are no substitute for good parental role modeling, supervision, and guidance, 2) Keeping the computer in a public place in the home (such as the game room or the kitchen allows you to stay more in touch with how your child or adolescent is spending his/her time online, and 3) Often children and adolescents do not tell their parents if they are being cyberbullied fearing that their parents will take away the technology used to bully them; if kids have a goodrelationship with their parents and know that their parents will neither over nor under react, they are more likely to share their experiences with them.

Children and adolescents should be aware of the following:

1) By being on the internet, they open up or increase the possibility that other kids will use the internet against them, 2) Never reply to the online bullying or offensive texting, 3) Show the message to an adult (parent, teacher, youth group leader, school administrator, or police), 4) Block any messages from the sender if possible.

Our children live in a very technologically advanced world that we adults would  never have imagined at their age; however, it is important for us and them to control the technology instead of being controlled by it.

Cannabidiol, or CBD for short, is a compound that comes from Hemp plant. Unlike other compounds that are derived from cannabis, CBD is not believed to be psychoactive and therefore is said to not affect perception or behavior (Consumerlab.com). Some studies have shown that CBD may be able to reduce levels of anxiety, movement disorders, seizures, pain, glaucoma.

The use of the hemp plant to create medicine dates back to 1500 BC in India, China, and the Middle East. In 1800, Queen Victoria was prescribed cannabis for menstrual pain. From 1850-1937, the U.S. Pharmacopoeia has cannabis listed as the primary medication to treat over 100 illnesses and diseases. 

Although items that contain THC are still widely illegal in many states in America, CBD is now legal as long as the THC level is less than 0.3% (Consumerlab.com). Now, although CBD cannot be sold as a dietary supplement, many CBD products are available such as oils, capsules, and CBC waters. What many people do not know is that the FDA has issued warning letters to many companies that are currently selling products that claims to contain CBD. Many of these companies were selling products that did not contain the amount of CBD that was advertised. Some of these products contained tiny concentrations of CBD (around 0.0025%) while others contained the same amount as some clinical trials (200 mg per day) In addition, there is concern that many of these CBD products currently on the market are tainted with pesticides and heavy metals. This lack of regulation for CBD products has allowed companies to make ridiculous and inaccurate claims on what CBD can “cure”, and has created a “Wild West” environment. 

Due to the positive findings in the preliminary studies as well as the concerns from the FDA, it is important as a consumer to know what to watch out for, but also how CBD might be helpful to you or someone in your family. Here are some benefits of CBD: 

1. The reason why these oils do not typically contain much CBD is because hempseed oil naturally contains very little CBD (Consumerlab.com). CBD is not commonly found within the seed and is instead found in the flowers and the leaves of the hemp plant. Because of this, most “CBD oil” products that claims to contain CBD must have added an extract from the hemp flowers. 
2. CBD does have some notable side effects and safety concerns, and has known to interact with certain conditions and medications. High doses of CBD (around 20 mg per kg of body weight) have the potential to cause a decrease in appetite, vomiting, fatigue, fever, and diarrhea. A dose of 300 mg has been shown to decrease many of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. CBD also has been found to potentially negatively enhance the side effects of sedatives and sleep-inducing medications. Finally, CBD has been found to increase the blood serum levels in those also taking antiepileptic drugs (Consumerlab.com). 
3. CBD has pain-relieving effects and that it can help reduce chronic pain that is impacting endocannabinoid system (ECS) in the human body which is involved in regulating sleep, appetite, pain, and immune system responses (Neuro endocrinology letters). CBD interacts with these receptors and reduced inflammation and interacting neurotransmitters. 
4. CBD has the potential to benefit heart health. Recent studies have shown that there are several benefits for the heart and circulatory system, one of which being CBD’s ability to lower high blood pressure. This research claims that CBD can be used as a natural and effective way to treat high blood pressure. This is due to CBD’s stress and anxiety reducing properties. 
5. CBD could reduce anxiety and depression. CBD has been shown to successfully treat social anxiety, cognitive impairment and discomfort during speech performances. In addition, CBD has been used to treat insomnia and children that have been diagnosed with PTSD (The Permanente Journal). I do not suggest to give CBD to children because there is no research in children. Children’s brains are developing and vulnerable to substances. THC interferes with the development of the brains memory centers. CBD also has been shown to have anti-depressant like effects in several studies involving animals. CBD has also been linked to the ability to act on the brain’s receptors for serotonin, which is why it is able to help regulate mood and social behavior. 
6. Next, CBD has been shown to help alleviate Cancer-related treatment symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and pain (The Journal of Clinical Oncology). Although there are drugs that can help with these side effects, they can sometimes be ineffective. One study even found that CBD had the ability to inhibit the spread of aggressive breast cancer in the cells of mice. However, more studies need to be conducted on humans before any definitive conclusions can be made.
7. CBD can be used to reduce acne due to its anti-inflammatory properties and ability to reduce sebum production (The Journal of Clinical Investigation). This is because CBD oil has been found to prevent the sebaceous glands from secreting excessive sebum and exerted anti-inflammatory actions. 

With all of these potential benefits, it is easy to see why one would want to buy CBD. My suggestion is that prior to making your first CBD oil purchase, you know what to look for to insure you are purchasing the best product. CBD Oil Review has 7 tips for Buying CBD products but I believe these are the most important 5:

1. Check the THC Content – make sure you to check the laws in your state!
2. Read the ingredients – You want to avoid products that contain potentially harmful ingredients such as propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin.
3. Familiarize Yourself with CBD Terminology – Know the difference between the terms “CBD isolate”, “Full spectrum CBD” and “Broad spectrum CBD”
4. Determine the Dosage – You will want to know how much to take and how long each dose will last you. 
5. Ask for purity gas chromatography results. If they cannot provide, do not buy or use. 

American Shaman is a company that I have done research in which you can buy online or go to one of their stores in Houston. I have found the 1960 store and Cypress store particularly helpful. CBD from these stores have tremendously helped my Arthritis. My pain is gone!

Protect yourself and your family – be knowledgeable before buying!