The road to learning about Medical Cannabis can be as enlightening as you make it. The first step is acknowleding how lucky good health is. If you have it, please cherish it!
The road enables you to meet people, some with conditions you may have never heard about, such as Crohn’s Disease or Lupus. These illnesses can easily define a person; they may lead him or her down a difficult path of pain and isolation.
Fortunately, I have been blessed with meeting Kim Howse of The Howse Foundation, a Lupus Awareness and Support Group. Her life might be more difficult with the pain she endures from Lupus and more than her fair share of interrelated disorders, but in NO WAY is she isolated.
I first met Kim at a meeting of her Lupus support group. I was instantly struck by her strong presence when she introduced herself and as she spoke about her disease and experience. She is my first exposure to Lupus and the auto-immune world.
SATIVAisticated: Hi Kim, thank you for again for taking the time to answer my questions. Can you tell me a little about yourself?
Kimberly Howse: I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in December 2005. I lived with this disease that I knew nothing about and because of my unfamiliarity with it became very ill. I ended up in the hospital constantly, lost most of my hair, lost an unhealthy amount of weight, and lost hope and confidence for life altogether. Along with SLE (systemic lupus erythematosus) I developed pericarditis, Raynaud’s Syndrome, Anemia, Fibromyalgia, Vasculitis, and was even declared mentally unstable. There seemed to be no hope left for me. However with a lot of prayer, positive motivation, love and support from family, I pulled through the darkest hole of my life. There’s a huge difference between living with an autoimmune disease and conquering its affects in your life. When I was diagnosed with lupus, I decided to do just that; conquer lupus and live my life to the very fullest. I was also determined to help other people do the same. I hoped that no one would have to live feeling the way I had felt during those dark times of my life.
Now I live a healthy and active lifestyle due to my research, reading, learning and living with Lupus and enjoy helping others learn how to manage with it better as well.
SATIVAisticated: What is The Howse Foundation and Support Group?
Kimberly Howse: We are a non-profit organization designed to help promote healthy living with Lupus. We will provide resources and support to patients as well as businesses and healthcare providers. We are here to support people with Lupus and also support those who want to live a healthy lifestyle with or without this illness. Our mission is to build awareness one brick at a time by providing resources, support, and access to a healthier lifestyle. We hope to partner with businesses to bring awareness by making sexy, healthy and beautiful living accessible to ALL. We would like to work with businesses in any way they seem beneficial to their organization while keeping in mind our goal to provide resources to our organization.
Howse Foundation Support Groups in Rancho Cucamonga, Simi Valley, and soon Orange County are meetings where you have the opportunity to meet others in your same or very similar situations. Our groups are incredibly helpful and are one of the best sources for people with autoimmune illnesses. We provide a forum for the exchange of feelings and ideas and most importantly we show you that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Our Motto, “I have Lupus, Lupus doesn’t have me!” With Unity, Positivity, Prayer, and Healthy lifestyle changes, we will FIGHT Lupus until we find a cure! At these groups we see how these ugly diseases have made such beautiful friendships. Our support groups have a wide variety of topics that allow us to shift our feelings to positive and productive ones. Topics like, Disability with Lupus, Natural Alternatives, Meditation, Cannabis, Skincare, Caregivers and Children of Parents with Lupus, AND SO MUCH MORE!
SATIVAisticated: What has your Auto-Immune Disease experience been like? How old when you were diagnosed?
Kimberly Howse: I was diagnosed in December 2005, I was 25 years old. I had extreme hair loss, weight loss, inflammation in my lungs, joints and a horrible reaction to the high doses of prednisone. I had extreme sun sensitivity, ulcers in my mouth nose, ears and pain everywhere. I still do not understand how I was able to overcome the horrible position I was in at that time in my life. I battled depression, anxiety, insomnia, nervous breakdowns, family hardships, and mental illness all at the same time due to this awful diagnosis.
SATIVAisticated: How has your prescribed drug experience been? You mentioned high doses of Prednisone (a steriod) in the meeting I attended. Can you elaborate?
Kimberly Howse: With Lupus, the “go-to” drug is normally PREDNISONE, and Plaquenil. These drugs when taken in certain dosages and/or after so much time can cause harsh side effects, like bone mass deterioration, insomnia, weight gain/loss, skin problems, vision changes/loss, and even more Lupus like symptoms. (The Irony right?!)
SATIVAisticated: How has your alternative medicine experience been including Cannabis, Emu Oil, Eastern Medicine, etc.?
Kimberly Howse: I have been using natural supplements (Lupura), and learning more about Cannabis and Emu Oil (Cannariginals) through the convenience of these support groups. I must say that that our experiences with Cannariginals cream have been one of the most dramatic that I have ever seen. People getting instant relief right in front of our eyes!! Their (Cannariginals Emu 420 Essentials) Gold medicated line has literally created wonders to everyone that has used their product! I personally have used their Mystic Mango Elixir and had one of the best sleeps I ever had in my entire life. Many of our group members use and say the same things! Lots of these experiences and information about these products can be seen on our YouTube channel which shares most of what we cover at our support groups.
SATIVAisticated: The future looks bright for you and The Howse Foundation - any big events or exciting news you would like share?
Kimberly Howse: The Lupus Project we hosted was such a success, that we plan to host another, so be on the lookout for #thelupusproject2017!!
The Howse Foundation 2016 Schedule
Saturday, April 9: Rancho Cucamonga Topic (Cannariginals CEO Garry Lowe Q&A)
Tuesday, May 3: Simi Valley Topic (TBD)
Saturday, May 14: Rancho Cucamonga Topic (Opthamology with Dr. Roeske)
Tuesday, June 7: Simi Valley Topic (TBD)
Saturday, June 11: Rancho Cucamonga Topic (Nutrition and Wellness)
All these events and more can be found here!
Share the Howse Foundation and Lupus Awareness
The L Hand Sign: #LHandSign
The L Hand Sign is a simple and effective way to help unite everyone globally, raising awareness of Lupus and the unifying symbol in the Lupus community.The Howse Foundation 2016 Schedule
Saturday, April 9: Rancho Cucamonga Topic (Cannariginals CEO Garry Lowe Q&A)
Tuesday, May 3: Simi Valley Topic (TBD)
Saturday, May 14: Rancho Cucamonga Topic (Opthamology with Dr. Roeske)
Tuesday, June 7: Simi Valley Topic (TBD)
Saturday, June 11: Rancho Cucamonga Topic (Nutrition and Wellness)