“We humans are creatures who conveniently think in our own favor.” Report by CBD Monitor – 1/2.

Since we succeeded in importing CBD products for the first time in Japan in 2013, we have continued to provide them free of charge to people who can expect them to be effective, and we occasionally ask them to report on their experience. The following is a report by Mr. Aikawa (@RStypeRA), one of such monitors, divided into two parts. This report is also available on our retail site.
https://cbdjapan.com/archives/10605


We humans are creatures who conveniently think in our own favor.

It’s been about twenty years since I’ve been dealing with physical disabilities and chronic pain. The cause is clear – it’s from injuries that didn’t heal properly due to an accident. The doctors diagnosed it as such, but the human body, it seems, has many mysteries. Even after a definitive diagnosis, I was told that the future effects on the damaged body and brain were uncertain.

He was riding a Harley Davidson before the accident.

At that time, what I thought was quite naive – I believed that my symptoms would improve from where they were, and that severe worsening was unlikely. Thinking in a way that suits our convenience seems to be part of the human saga.

Contrary to my convenient thoughts, about ten years ago, symptoms like persistent pain and sporadic paralysis and spasms throughout my body struck me one day. It was during a period that was said to be a mild winter, despite still being cold, but I’ll never forget that day when these symptoms hit, and snow was falling. Intense pain all over my body and a motionless body that wouldn’t respond. Why would I be subjected to this? Especially as someone without religious beliefs, I felt almost resentful towards something.

Until the day before, I had been working hard, planning to return to rehabilitation and work to a considerable extent. I think I was talking to people who cared about my health with a smile, saying that my return (to the top of the mountain) was near. However, without saying anything, the pain persisted, and I was troubled by symptoms that seemed to be related to the injury almost every day.

…How will I live with this body from now on?

Digressing a bit, just before my symptoms worsened, there was a trial drug that, while symptomatic, was effective against a certain type of pain. However, a drug accident occurred where someone misused this drug for recreational purposes and lost their life, and shortly after, the prescription for the drug was discontinued. As there was no alternative medication, the discontinuation of the drug plunged me into a pain akin to being dropped into the depths of a valley. Typically, with injuries and pain, as symptoms improve or heal, the pain also disappears, but in the case of refractory pain, even without injury to the painful area, the suffering continues.

Why? It’s still not understood. Regarding the discontinuation of this drug, it was the patients who suffered the consequences due to drug abuse. Recently, we often hear the term “drug dependence” in the media, but is it right to take away medication necessary for treatment just because some misuse drugs? Even now, if that medication were available, it should have had a significant effect at least in alleviating certain types of pain and symptoms. Are patients supposed to misuse that drug? The reasoning of bureaucrats is incomprehensible. Regardless of whether it’s medication or anything else, if it’s used incorrectly, there are many things that can sometimes affect human lives. Merely tightening regulations in the name of crime prevention doesn’t solve anything, does it?

Those who abused the drugs involved in this incident may have had some illness or trouble other than seeking the therapeutic effects intended for the patients. Therefore, while it’s not an excuse to abuse drugs, there’s a problem with young people today misusing over-the-counter drugs, leading to what’s called an overdose. It made me realize that the lack of support for them is also a social issue.

Maybe this is just my selfish interpretation. Pain from injuries, toothaches, back pain… pain comes in many forms, and if we include emotional pain, there are many things that cannot be resolved by medication alone.

If I were to change my perspective, I might gain some insight, but I’ve only ever thought about my own pain. And when considering neighbors and relationships, I find myself living in close proximity to both those who have been kind to each other in the traditional sense and those who ignore me when we pass each other.

While it’s difficult to say we coexist, they are neighbors. Over the past decade, there have been incidents, accidents, fires, emergency transports, and various other things. I have no intention of forcing myself to get along with people who ignore me, but I greet them and try to extend a helping hand as much as possible if something happens! It’s something I learned from a life that became less active. It’s not about justice or anything, but I won’t turn a blind eye!


This section continues.