Whether traditional, alternative, or otherwise all people should have the right to choose their own medical options. The tragedy of her daughter's death at the hands of doctors bond by a system that demanded that they adhere to traditional medical practices, prompted Dr. Lakisha Jenkins launch her natural medicine educational crusade. She joins Justin Benton to explain why the health and medical disparities caused by the misinformation regarding the endogenous cannabinoid system and the necessity of nutritional supplementation to support this system is the civil rights issue of modern time. Produced by podCONX www.themiracleplant.org https://themiracleplant.org/the-miracle-plant-free-ebook-offer/
Whether traditional, alternative, or otherwise all people should have the right to choose their own medical options.
The tragedy of her daughter's death at the hands of doctors bond by a system that demanded that they adhere to traditional medical practices, prompted Dr. Lakisha Jenkins launch her natural medicine educational crusade. She joins Justin Benton to explain why the health and medical disparities caused by the misinformation regarding the endogenous cannabinoid system and the necessity of nutritional supplementation to support this system is the civil rights issue of modern time.
https://themiracleplant.org/the-miracle-plant-free-ebook-offer/
The Miracle Plant 🌱 podcast with Dr Lakisha (1)
[00:00:00] And we're live. Welcome to the miracle plant podcast. Everybody. I have such an incredible guest. I met her on clubhouse. We were cut from the exact same fabric and due to the power of technology and clubhouse and live streaming. We have Dr. Lakeesha with us. She has an incredible journey. An incredible story.
She's an absolute expert in cannabis, all things, cannabis, a pioneer, a legend in the space. In fact she's joining us from Jamaica today. It's a little warm and breezy down there, which sounds Caribbean to me. I spent a lot of time in the Dominican Republic and I'm just so happy to have you here, Dr.
Lakeesha to share your story. I know it's a very special day for you. The miracle plant podcast is. Always just about sharing stories, talking about how this miracle plant has changed our lives in extraordinary ways. Welcome. Welcome. Thank you. Thank you so happy to see you and have you here, Dr.
Lakeesha. Thank you, Dustin. The pleasure and the honor is all mine [00:01:00] actually, because anything that's tied to you has got to be amazing and I'm very thankful to be a guest on the miracle plant podcast. Just to share information as we've been doing on clubhouse. In in the most beautiful way.
Absolutely. And, I was talking with documentary Keesha before we went live and she's, she somehow has been able to set boundaries and when worn off certain time periods of going on clubhouse. So she's going to have to teach me and perhaps the audience here, her tricks on that, just because I've.
Had such incredible connections, Dr. Lakeesha being primary. And there's just so much misinformation out there about cannabis. And I'd love for you to share maybe how you got into this industry or some of the things that your journey along the way. I know you've been around doing this as long as anybody.
It's funny. And like you said, today is a special day because February 5th, today is. My oldest daughter Kiana it's her birthday. And she is [00:02:00] totally my wife on why I'm even in the cannabis industry. So the fact that, you reached out to me and you picked today and you didn't even know the significance of today and you pick today.
It's just. It's, I don't know. It's a real I can't really put it into words because she's absolutely the reason that I'm even in this industry at all. She's really the reason that I fight so hard for traditional medicine and for like alternative, health options and those types of things, because I think that they're very complimentary.
To the things that we have, available conventionally. And sometimes, because of, like we were saying the misinformation or lack of information that's out there, people don't get. What they need. And then they'll figure that these kinds of, botanical allies, I'll say aren't good for that because, they got the wrong product, the wrong dose, the wrong delivery [00:03:00] method.
So my story really is in 2002 when my daughter Kiana was eight. She was diagnosed with two different types of brain tumor. I teratoma was the first one that they found, but inside the teratoma, there was a very aggressive German OMA. We found out after the first brain surgery. It was difficult.
To really pinpoint a diagnosis in the beginning. you would think with a brain tumor that like your major symptoms are going to be headaches or something like that. It wasn't. She had a lot of other things going on. Like she couldn't maintain her body temperature. She was eight years old and she would wet the bed.
And that was just unheard of because she, that was, she was potty trained long time ago and that would never happen. She would get blurred vision sometimes and bump into walls and things like that. The headaches were there, but they were so far and few in between that you really couldn't say, Oh, okay.
Like the headache, like that's the [00:04:00] thing. And long story short, after going to doctors, couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. Telling me that it's migraine headaches and I'm like, but the headaches, like not even there, like it could cause the vision, problems that things I'm like, no, that's not quite it.
There's a pediatrician in the town we lived in Tracy, California, Dr. Nova Steris. I love that woman. And I always trusted her. I just knew her like as a friend. But I went to her office and said, I need you to tell me what's wrong with my daughter. And she tested her reflexes and I'll never forget no response, no reflex response whatsoever.
And she checked her vision and she was like 20, 80, and one eye in 2100 in the other, like she literally could not see. And she said, you need to get your daughter to a neurologist immediately, which we did. And that's when they told me that, she had a tumor, the size of a golf ball in the middle of her brain.
[00:05:00] And I'm like, what do you do with that? What do you even do? That diagnosis definitely rocked me to my core and it's definitely what set me on this journey that I've been on, now January 24th of 2006 is when she passed away.
So January 24th of this year makes 15 years that, she hasn't been with us and today would be her 27th birthday. After our long battles, it was revealed to me that, with her second brain surgery, they were able to remove all of the brain tumors. So we went through, four years of brain surgery, chemotherapy radiation with the second brain surgery, they removed all the brain tumor.
So I always say that she's a cancer survivor. She's a brain cancer survivor. They were able to take all of the tumor out. June 1st, 2005. But when she went in for that second brain surgery she never really [00:06:00] recovered from it. Unfortunately, so from June 1st, 2005, til January 24th of 2006, she was in the hospital the entire time.
She never came home and a semi-conscious state as well. So we would get glimpses of her sometimes. Over that time. But but she never really fully came back to us. And it's funny, I have to, on her birthday and I'm having memories of her. She was always a fighter, no matter what. And I remember when she was in the hospital in a semi-conscious state, we would go and visit her, as a family.
So it would be my husband. The kids we go and we visit her as a family. I stayed there most of the time, but then we had like our family days and one time, because at that time it was, she was the oldest. I have my son, Erin, and then I had my daughter, Jo and my daughter Eliana. It was a bunch of girls and Aaron was the boys.
We literally called him the boy. And because he [00:07:00] was a boy. So at one time we're in the hospital. And he said something really funny in her room. It was after her second brain surgery, she was in recovery and maybe three months after her brain surgery. And he said something really funny and we all started laughing as a family and she started laughing.
I wonder wait a minute, you haven't been responding to anything now. And all of a sudden you're laughing. And I said to her Kiana, what are you laughing at? And she said, the boy, it's just, that was like spirit. Like she was always a fighter, no matter what. And I love that about her. I didn't have the opportunity to choose.
Alternative therapies with her because unfortunately the state of California will let you know that if you think that you're going to choose what therapy you want to do for a minor, that is not allowed you have to actually go with what they suggest. Or else you're acting [00:08:00] outside of medical advice.
And if you're acting outside of medical advice, then you're considered a threat to your child and child protective services and things like that will get involved. That's my, why, I didn't get to choose for her. I would have chose different. I would have chose different because I questioned whether chemotherapy and radiation was the appropriate.
Cause they had never seen, they'd only seen the type of tumor she had in the brain, like maybe three times. And so they gave her a regimen from a different protocol. And I just didn't think that was right. And when I questioned it, they let me know that whether I like it or not, this is what's going to happen.
And so when they were able to remove Oliver, brain tumor, and so she beat the cancer technically. But her body couldn't recover from the effects of chemotherapy and radiation that I didn't want her to have in the first place. I don't get to call CPS. I just get in. I'm sorry. And so for that reason, they say, hell [00:09:00] hath no fury like a woman's scorn boy, and you don't get much more angry than I am, but I just choose to.
Take that anger, and take that energy and focus it on helping as many people as I can. So really that's like my why that's why I'm in it. I've seen it on clubhouse and I've heard all the amazing accolades that people speak about you as well as, just the. The legacy that you've already brought. Getting to hear you speak and, you're an obviously an expert when it comes to the endocannabinoid system and really is to pay it forward and teach people.
Cause I'm out here in California too. And I hear some of the stories with women and using cannabis during their pregnancy and having all kinds of. Crazy stories with child protective services being brought in even if it was raw cannabis and, CBD, there's just so much misinformation about it.
And it's just, [00:10:00] unfortunately for us, we have four children. My, my second Shay, he was severely diagnosed with regressive autism and we, in the beginning, we're relying on the state to, for information and insights and they led us down some bad paths real quick, like diet, you said, Oh, don't try that.
Just try our behavior therapy first. And I didn't trust my instincts. And it took us about six months before I pulled the cord and said, no, Yeah. And my mom come out and she's in a, she was a school psychologist, specialized in special needs and raised me holistically. Definitely went down that road and it just breaks my heart.
Our other two children we had at home. Shay we had to have in the hospital as an emergency C-section, which went fine. But we didn't have that issue. And, we had our children at home and water, birth and smooth sailing and and some people don't know.
And the first child you just don't know, unless someone tells you our first child we had a doula and we did it in the hospital, but. The, that there was a [00:11:00] false positive for a stag and whatever the infection is that they have staph infection and it was false positive. So they're literally giving my child a shot.
One hour old in the arm and she's screaming and crying and they're doing all that crap they do at the hospital that, like hepatitis B, which is a sexually transmitted disease and all this crap. And, we all win. And because of this miracle plant, because of it's an empowering plant that allows us to, awakens us.
The scene that the truth and our, we know in, in not just California, California is probably one of the better States, but in our country and around the world, there's just a lot of there's a lot of great doctors out there, medical doctors that have been misguided that got into the business for the right, the reasons but things have changed.
And so being able to have these conversations with you and explore these options and alternatives. To what is the current trend? To me, I think it's funny when people call cannabis for plant-based medicine, alternative medicine, when in fact it's been [00:12:00] around for at least eight hours documented.
So the alternative medicine is really Western medicine with white pills and playing a chemistry set with our bodies. And we're the Guinea pigs, but, and, obviously your why is incredibly powerful and that's, what's brought you here to pay it forward and educate and make sure that there's no family or no child that needs to be harmed with, without having all the facts.
And, how did you, how did you get into the cannabis space? I know you've spoken at a million events and we're good friends with Chloe Bolano and, just an absolute pioneer in this. Base. And how have you seen it grow? As far as just acceptance and people really using cannabis in their daily lives.
It's funny because California with the legalization medically in 1996, like even watching it from there, progressively turned into what it actually is now. It's just it's mind blowing. Because if I think about what the dispensing locations look like, what the [00:13:00] business models look like, what all of those things look like when it.
First happened in California to what the industry is today. It is completely different. It's funny. I'm going to probably make a lot of references to clubhouse me too. Trust me. I speak, I make a lot of references to clubhouse. So we were in. A room, a state of the cannabis state of cannabis room.
Yeah. The state of cannabis room. Yes. Club. And it was actually a topic saying, I think it was like community versus commercial, or something like that. And I think that really the premise of the conversation was the fact that. In California, the industry was built on a movement.
It was really a movement of patients' rights. It was a movement of patients' rights to choose. It was a movement of, safe access for everyone. And I think [00:14:00] at its core, that's always been like what the cannabis industry in California was about. Now Boy it's very commercialized.
It's a completely different industry. And unfortunately, sometimes that's where the medical aspect or the therapeutic, health aspects. Get left behind. And when regulations and things like that are being made, they get forgotten a bit, like in the case of, I heard it in another clubhouse room that there was supposedly some bill that's looking to be passed in Colorado where they want to lower the concentration, of THC and, some products.
And unfortunately for patients like. That's not an option, you can't say, Oh, we can just change change these rules and regulations when people's lives are in jeopardy. And that's just where I come from. I think that part of what my charge [00:15:00] is now, so my charge before was like to come in, help as many people as I can help to see regulations actually put on the medical cannabis industry and fornia.
That was my goal. And, working with the California cannabis industry association, seeing that happen. And then now. Like preserving that community or that movement that this entire industry was built off of in the first place. It is about patients. And it's about not just patients let me back up.
Cause you know, I'm going to have to do my thing. We're all equipped with an endogenous cannabinoid system, and nutritional supplementation is actually something that's necessary. Like it's necessary. I need people to understand that like I need, so it moves away from just even the medical aspect of it, but it moves to more of a nutritional aspect of it.
And it's [00:16:00] really the nutritional deficiencies that are causing the dis-ease, so these diagnoses. You know of of diseases. Those are really just the symptom. It's just the symptom, endogenous cannabinoid system deficiencies, and I think that right now, that's my charge.
Educating people that this is a nutritional necessity, educating people on the function and physiology, educating people that unless you're a small child or exclusively nurse, because endocannabanoids are in breast milk. You're probably suffering from some sort of deficiency, even if you're a regular consumer, because of the lack of credible information that's out there, even though you're consuming.
As I said before, in the beginning, you're probably getting the wrong product, the wrong dose. And the wrong method of administration. So it's really still not giving you the maximum benefit. What I want to see happen is the [00:17:00] education be at least the research, be a leash. We free the plant. So we can really start seeing, the healing of the nations, as they call it here in Jamaica.
Absolutely. You're preaching to the choir. Know that's, and it's funny cause you even said about home birth and things like that. I didn't even know that about you. So my last four were born at home, including like my baby in may, Born at home, in my bathtub, in Jamaica during a global pandemic.
That was interesting. But it just goes towards my commitment. Those still, you know, all of the things that you named about traditional medicine being the way. Before there was another way and maybe like the way that we have now needing a bit of re-evaluation, let's just put it like that. We maybe want to reevaluate, our methodology.
For the way we handle people in the conventional [00:18:00] medical system right now, because grouping symptoms based on presentation. And then based on that presentation, giving it a name, a disease diagnoses. And then based on that disease diagnoses, having a treatment protocol, that's identified with it that really doesn't take into account that you're actually an individual doesn't really take into the account that nutrition might play a role.
Doesn't really take into the account, any of the different barriers. In fact, various factors that could play into why you're experiencing these symptoms. It's just, we're on a system it's just a straight system. That may be what needs some re-evaluation at this point. Absolutely. And again, the reference to clubhouse is we're able to have these conversations with natural pathic doctors and healers and herbalists and people [00:19:00] that really are grounded in plant-based medicine and a simpler life.
And, there was a time. Not too long ago when, 75, 80 years ago where it really was, the simple simplicity of who you are, what you eat and, eating, whole foods, plants and entire foods that were, you just would grow them on your farm or barter them from a neighboring farm.
And all of the simple things, our water was so much cleaner, 75 years ago, and now our water is filthy. And it's, highly recommend number one, don't drink your tap water. And if you do want to drink, tap water, then go get a report on your tap water, and you'll never drink it again. We need to clean our water and make sure whether it's reverse osmosis or whatever type of filtering process you're using.
It needs to make sure to be removing all of those, horrible things that they add to it and the toxins and the pollutants that are in our water. The other thing we talk about for our holistic pillar, we live in this world with all of these [00:20:00] notifications and social media and news and all of these things that are vying for our attention that we need to be resetting our intention every day and making sure that we're programming our mind and our life, the way we want to.
And we're focusing on the things that. We can be grateful for and the things that we are in the process of achieving. So you can't combine that with a little bit of exercise, at least 20 minutes a day, and giving yourself a good night of sleep. Your body knows how to heal and we just need to make sure we're doing our part.
And like I said, this plant has been able to awaken I've seen it in our, just in our realm where we work with people where they'll come to us with a really complicated, auto-immune disease. And , when I hear the things like ADHD like that wasn't here 50 years ago, but like I said, it ties right to Ritalin or it ties right to it's a cycle where they can, then the doctor goes in, they prescribe prescribed.
Diagnosis, let me get you some of this and scratch it out on a pad. That's not good medicine. That's not what family doctors did, a hundred years ago. and say, so what are you guys eating or what have you guys changed in your [00:21:00] diet?
Or is there things going on with your family that may be inducing stress or what's going on with the family? And let's start there and know the family. When people come to our store, they'll cry. One reason is because they're overjoyed with the pain relief, which is a major reason that people come to us.
But the other reason is that they feel heard. And a lot of times people are being heard , in the healthcare system right now because let's face it, doctors have 150 patients to see a day they're cramming through everything they can as fast as they can. And it's a business.
And again, it's been so incredible to get a chance to meet you and learn and know that there's others out there that are for the right reasons that are here to educate. What other things would you say are some of the biggest things that your kind of initiatives are for education?
With this plant? So I think like my education initiatives really are just bringing awareness to the fact that all mammalian species and some invertebrates are like [00:22:00] actually equipped with this indogenous cannabinoid system. So it's not something that's new. It's not something that you should be afraid of.
It's not something that's pseudo science or something like that. This is. That this is fact, and I think the education initiatives for me is to bring awareness to that. And it seems so simple, right? Like I just want people to know they have one. But that's really where it starts because the amount of people that don't know it's mind boggling, it's mind boggling.
I think that the second, like from there, when you explain the existence and the function, the physiology, what, it's there for regulatory system how you actually supplement it. I think from there. It's bringing awareness around the fact that whole plant medicine is very important or whole plant nutritional supplementation, even I should say is very important.
And I think that's [00:23:00] one of the reasons that we connected it's because you're always talking about, the hemp that you provide the cultivars. The genetic profile, the fact that it's whole plant medicine, those are the things that really resonate with me. And I have to tell you that there's so much synchronicity today, with you picking today, it being Kianna's birthday, you sending me samples of your and so I'm here in Jamaica.
So it has to go to my shipper in Miami. Then it has to come to Jamaica. Then it has to clear customs at the airport. Then it has to get to the sovereign center, which is the mall where I can pick it up. And for some reason, I got an email this morning that says that I have herbal supplements waiting for me at sovereign center.
I was like, You've got to be kidding me like you honestly, and truly like today of all days, like literally when I'm done with this interview, I'm going over to sovereign center. [00:24:00] Pick up. Now I get samples from different people at different times, but in my heart, I know what this is. And I'm like, I'm so I'm just so excited and thankful for clubhouse and for our connection.
Because the future of education is also that I made reference, before the podcast started that when I'm in a room and I'm speaking and I'm educating people. And then all of a sudden I see Justin's little face pop up in the audience. I'm like the Calvary has arrived, I'm not alone.
There's somebody else here that knows the benefits of whole plant medicine and knows it to the level where you can speak to people and make it make sense and meet them where they are and be able to explain it in a way that opens that pour in their brain to help them. Even if it's not just take our word for it, you know what I mean?
At [00:25:00] least it encourages them to go research. Cause I always say, don't believe what I say. Research what I say. So I think the goals for education is utilizing that platform more honestly, just to tell people that, to have an endogenous cannabinoid system talk about whole plant medicine and nutritional supplementation and why that's important and necessary and just, keep paying it forward in, in honor of my daughter in honor of all the children, You, your family has been personally touched.
And I think sometimes it takes that. Personal connection to really have that vested interest, to want to make sure that the education that we're giving is at least our intentions are pure. We know we can only give the best information that we know at that time, based on the research, based on what we've, anecdotally worked with based on what [00:26:00] we have, that's what we can give.
But the one thing that I know. About myself. And the one thing that I definitely know about IU is when we're doing it, our intentions are always pure. And that's how we found each other. And it, it took an incredible people, call it an app, but I'd call it. It's much more than an app. It's a community and it's a family and for us to connect and get out there.
And our mission here at, one-on-one hemp is to heal the world. And when you see the miseducation that's out, the number one first, it was obviously. The plant was made illegal in 1937 in the United States. Still people can continue to, use cotton and cut down trees and a pharmaceutical model launched.
And it made hemp , illegal as well. And now, here we are 80 years later and it's legal again, which is great. It never should have been, but it is, but now there's so much misinformation out there and we're still fighting with regulations with the FDA. And big pharma is, they did 970 trillion in 2019.
I haven't seen what their stats are for [00:27:00] 2020 yet, but I'm sure it's going to be a lot more than that. And so there's a big fight to fight and, let's play forms like this podcasting platforms like clubhouse where we can have these conversations because before clubhouse. Having this conversation was very challenging.
We could have conversations at conferences. We could have conversations when COVID happened, we couldn't travel anymore. And that's how a lot of us were we're educating and aligning and networking in this community. So it's just been an absolute blessing and I'm just so grateful and thankful.
And anytime I see you in a room, I always pop in. Cause I know there's going to be wisdom shared and I, if I can ever help, collaborate and. Help you in any way, you know that I will, I really look forward to hearing how you enjoy the raw hemp CBD supplements. And I know we're going to work together in a lot of ways and either I'm coming to Jamaica or you're coming to the U S and I'm sure it will be.
I love Jamaica. What part of Jamaica are you in? Kingston. Awesome. I would [00:28:00] love, I had a blast. I went through in my twenties, me and a friend went down there. We traveled all over the place and on motorcycles. And so everything we possibly could. I love Jamaica. I love the Caribbean. I'll probably end up living definitely somewhere down there.
When when my time is done here in the U S but again, just thank you so much, much Dr. Lakeesha for coming and sharing your wisdom and your knowledge, and I'm the special and remembrance day of your daughter. You're absolutely paying it forward for her and her spirit, and it's incredible what you're doing.
So that's why we've connected because the university of we were supposed to, so we can continue to carry our missions. And the, the memory of your daughter and the, the tragedy that we went through with our son, as well as losing him and then getting that, we were fortunate enough to be able to clear the fog for his brain.
And there's just so much misinformation out there and there's, we just have to keep educating. Then that's what we're going to keep doing. Yes. I'm still thinking the honor. And the pleasure, as I said, is all mine, Justin, and I'm so thankful that our paths [00:29:00] crossed this lifetime. So thank you for having me and I appreciate you and everything that you do, and I can't wait to collaborate with you more.
Absolutely. Thanks again for joining us and thank you everyone for listening in. If you have any questions about the miracle plant podcast, go to the miracle plant.org and thanks for stopping in and listening, Dr. Lakeesha. I will see you in another room soon on clubhouse. Have a great Friday day and weather out there and I'm sure we'll talk real soon.
All right. Bye bye.