Our country is in the midst of an opioid epidemic in tandem with a health crisis of over-medicated and undernourished people. Achieving optimum health through homeostasis, or a balanced equilibrium, is possible. Let’s explore the Endocannabinoid system in your body as a way to get there.
The Drug Crisis
Not everyone with an opioid prescription will become addicted but the risk is real. We can develop a tolerance over time requiring higher and more frequent doses — this is how addiction begins.
The Endocannabinoid System (ECS)
ECS manages homeostasis regulating breathing, inflammation, our immune response, our sleep/wake cycle, blood pressure, tumor surveillance, mood, pain, gastrointestinal motility, hormonal balance and reproduction. Receptors live in our brain, digestive and lymphatic systems and other places.
It controls physiological processes like appetite, pain sensation, mood and memory, and cannabinoids mediate communication between various systems and cells. Researchers suggest it’s a bridge between the brain and body, and the area of the brain binding to cannabinoids dictates how cannabis affects a person. Runners are familiar with homeostasis through a runner’s high. Activating and regulating ECS is essential to healthy living.
What is CBD?
The hemp plant has over 161 compounds and 2 are used medicinally. The first well-known compound is THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which produces the euphoric and psychotropic effects of marijuana. The second is CBD or Cannabidiol (Canna-Bi-Diol), the non-psychoactive cannabinoid.
Dr. Margaret Gedde, a Stanford-trained pathologist and award-winning researcher stated, “So many pain medications are damaging to the stomach, to the gut. The cannabis doesn’t hurt the gut. It helps heal the gut. People are so relieved… there’s nothing else that does that. It won’t hurt organs. It won’t hurt the liver. It won’t hurt the kidneys. Ibuprofen… people can’t stay on that for months and years. They can stay on cannabis. As we also know, there is no known lethal dose for cannabis, whether it’s THC or CBD. A person can’t die from it.”
Practical Uses
CBD serves as an anti-epileptic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-emetic, anxiolytics and anti-psychotic. CBD supports healthy immunity relieving inflammation, regulating stress and anxiety, calming the mind and body and improving energy and mood. It’s available in tinctures (oil), capsules and salves. Salves are great as topical uses in patients who suffer from aches and pains such as arthritis and muscle soreness. The oil absorbs rapidly when placed under the tongue.
CBD Differences
CBD oils are not created equal. The relatively new industry lacks regulatory control over manufacturing. Different brands have different hemp extraction methods so do your research on vendors before purchasing. Zoom Heaton, RPH, CDE, Clinical Nutritionist, and Lauren Watson, both pharmacists at TLC, in Aiken, South Carolina, only purchase products from hemp grown in the USA. “We know our stuff,” Watson declared.
The optimal legal amount of THC present in CBD oils should not exceed 0.3%. High-quality CBD will have third-party lab results. “Certificates of Analysis are available on all products we offer,” said Heaton.
Possible Drug Interactions
Consult Heaton or Watson if you are on multiple medications. “Pharmacists must be involved in the proper maintenance of any drug regimen. Putting other chemicals together with CBD can be improper and a waste of money,” they said as evidenced by encounters with their own customers.
Bottom Line
If you are experiencing pain, try CBD at TLC. Heaton and Watson are specially trained in CBD uses for health and pain management, nutrition and drug-to-drug contradictions. Additionally, TLC provides all customers with Certificates of Analysis.
Not all CBD is equal nor does it all work. So, don’t waste your money or time—start with CBD at TLC.
