'It's the one medicine we have seen work': Oregon parents use medical marijuana to help severely autistic son Alex Echols has Tuberous Sclerosis, a rare genetic disorder that led to autism and seizures from a young age. Medical marijuana is the only treatment that eased his violent behavior, his parents said. Most parents wouldn't dream of giving their child marijuana. But an Oregon couple says it's the only thing that's been able to help their 11-year-old autistic son. Young Alex Echols suffers from Tuberous Sclerosis, a rare genetic disorder that causes unregulated growth of tissue in the organs. Growths in Alex's brain have led to seizures and autism, his neurologist told Oregon's KPTV. "Alex cannot communicate using words and that leads to behavior that is very frustrating for him and for those caring for him," Dr. Colin Roberts, a pediatric neurologist at Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland, told the station. Alex's seizures began when he was barely two months old. His situation escalated at age 3 when he began experiencing episodes of severe rage that caused him to hurt himself. By age 5, his violent behavior included head-butting, hitting and scratching himself to the point of bruising and bleeding. No medication seemed to help. When he was 8, Alex's overwhelmed parents made the heartbreaking decision to send their son to a group home. "Alex had every family of behavior medication known to the psychiatrist, and we tried private behavior therapy," his mother Karen wrote on a Facebook page set up to share their experience. "We tried some swimming for a while, we had a special sensory room set up in the garage, and we did some stuff at home and at school with communication techniques to try and help him tell us what he needed before he got into a rage fit ... we tried a lot of stuff before we considered the group home." For the back story and to learn more, please visit www.alexneedshelp.com/ Description Alex was born in 2001 and diagnosed with Tuberous Sclerosis (www.tsalliance.org/) when he was six weeks old. He has a history of seizures, autism, and self-injurious behaviors. After his fifth birthday, his self-injury went from moderate to extreme, and by 2009 he would regularly beat himself bloody In early 2010, we tried medical marijuana for him. It was more effective than any other medication (and we tried MANY others: zolaft, risperdal, ativan, valium, naltrexone, and more), and showed great promise - see his before and after videos (www.alexneedshelp.com/video). But we didn't know how to consistently get him to take it. We didn't know how to measure out a dose. We didn't even how to get a steady supply. Ultimately, we failed (www.alexneedshelp.com/marijuana-a-child-with-autism-and-failure-a-true-story). Alex now lives away from home in a state-contracted facility. While they can give Alex any medication a doctor prescribes, they won't give him marijuana. Since he left our care, he's been on Haldol, Ativan, Valium, and at least one medication that could kill him (Amitriptyline) if the dose was just a bit too high. **************************** Please support this family as the enter the media world. It takes tremendous courage to be on the front lines. I respect anyone that shares their story on how cannabis is beneficial in their lives whether it be as medicine or for those that prefer cannabis as a safer alternative to alcohol. Have a great weekend everyone. God bless xooxox Cheryl Please support Alex and his family by following their story and progress on: www.facebook.com/alex.autism.rage.mmj For the back story and to learn more, please visit www.alexneedshelp.com/ Cheryl Shuman currently has a hot new reality TV series in development and is represented by the prestigious William Morris Endeavor Agency in Beverly Hills, California. (rapid-fire-marketing.com/rapid-fire-marketings-cheryl-shuman-announces-representation-with-william-morris-endeavor-super-agent-mark-itkin-for-new-television-reality-series) Cheryl Shuman Founder & C.E.O. Cheryl.Shuman@GreenAssetInc.com CherylShuman@Gmail.com www.CherylShuman.com Spokesperson for Stock Symbol RFMK www.Rapid-Fire-Marketing.com Join us at The Beverly Hills Cannabis Club - Join Free Using "Cheryl Shuman" invitation code on: www.BeverlyHillsCannabisClub.com Social Network Links: LinkedIN: www.LinkedIn.com/in/CherylShuman Facebook: www.FaceBook.com/CherylShumanInc Twitter: www.Twitter.com/CherylShuman YouTube: www.YouTube.com/BeverlyHillsCannabis YouTube: www.YouTube.com/CherylShumanTheOnly Vimeo: www.vimeo.com/cherylshuman

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