For an exciting video on how CBD can help you look, feel, and age better, go HERE.
As you have likely seen or already know, I’ve been passionate about the many healing benefits of nutrition for 30+ years. My absolute fascination is brain health, and that interest was lit on fire when I was introduced to nutritionally oriented physicians in the 1990’s who were reversing all kinds of chronic health conditions. Introduction to this world of nutritional medicine showed me that nutrition customized for the individual, could be transformational. I also found that the right nutrients for brain health could change the trajectory of a person’s life.
As in my own experience, I went from struggling in school to enjoying the journey and excelling, and I deeply wanted to share that same experience with others.
Cannabidiol or CBD, is a popular natural remedy for many ailments. CBD benefits include pain relief and relaxation without any mind-altering effects.
When cannabidiol (CBD) came onto the market, its popularity took off unlike anything I had seen in all those years of researching, formulating, and utilizing nutritional supplements. Exactly why its popularity soared is directly related to the promise of what this natural compound can do for the millions of adults who are looking for a natural and healthy way to:
- Relax and unwind
- Destress
- Sleep better
- Look better
- Feel better
- Age slower
- Potentially relieve or dampen chronic pain naturally
The top five reasons adults have purchased CBD are to naturally help:
- Relieve chronic pain including arthritis and joint pain
- Relieve anxiety, relax, and provide a sense of calm
- Improve mood and decrease depression
- Improve sleep quality to wake up more rested and refreshed
- Relieve tension headaches
Recently, a peer-reviewed journal quoted an in-depth, scientifically based survey that explored why so many North American adults have tried CBD.
The first research paper I read about the benefits of CBD were, of course, square in my area of interest. It was an animal study that showed that CBD reduced neuroinflammation and helped the brain detoxify from the mind-altering protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease while also promoting neurogenesis.
To say, “this got my attention” would be quite an understatement. We have all seen someone who deteriorated right before our eyes with Alzheimer’s or some form of dementia. The study showed promise that there may indeed be a natural plant compound, that could literally protect the brain from the ravages of loss of function and disease. Even more, looking at this for my own personal interest or use, “promoting hippocampal neurogenesis”, would translate to better brain function, better memory, mental performance, mood, and less anxiety.
So you bet, I began to search for the very best quality CBD product I could find, to take every day to dampen neuroinflammation. This would be an anti-aging strategy that simply wasn’t available from any phytonutrient I’d ever seen or studied before. Add to that the concept that I could “promote neurogenesis” with a totally natural compound and potentially improve my brain’s ability to actually get better, so I could be the best I could possibly be with daily use over time. Well, after learning as much as I could, my plan was to literally never go a day without this amazing compound and to do my best to share its many benefits with others!
Today, the focus and interest in deepening our understand of the benefits of CBD has lit up like a rocket as thousands of researchers around the world have tapped into the same fascination as they seemingly race to identify and prove the myriad of ways this natural plant compound can bring benefit to the human brain and body. The intensity behind the unprecedented growth in research and interest in CBD is astounding.
As an example, listen to this – in the last five years alone – 3,590 peer-reviewed papers have studied, mentioned, or reviewed the benefits of this one phytonutrient compound. That’s a mind-blowing number and speaks volumes (literally) about the benefits this healing compound holds and the promise of good things to come. It also boldly states that, if anyone says “there’s not enough research in support of the benefits of CBD”, you’ve simply got to question their true motivation as it’s likely, on the positive side, that they are really asking for more funding to keep studying what they find interesting and fascinating – that’s what researchers do. They like to say, “more research is needed” because “more research” funds what they love to do. Or on the negative side, be aware of the fact that some are in strong dissent because of their interest and efforts to capture the benefits of CBD to make it only available as a prescription drug. That would be advantageous for the stock value of some really large companies.
A current search of the National Library of Medicine Online shows CBD to potentially be of benefit in numerous categories. Here are just a few:
- Natural alternative treatment for anxiety and depression
- Reducing post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms
- Improving sleep quality in adults with anxiety
- Relieving muscular and chronic pain
- Potential treatment for epilepsy
- Easing diabetic complications
- Inhibiting arthritis symptoms
Here is the real reason why CBD can be so important for your health . . .
One of the most popular lectures I have ever provided to nutritionally oriented doctors explores the health-destroying effects of chronic stress. The problem is, most North American’s live in a sea of never-ending mental stress. They are stressed at work, at home, with money and finances, with the economy and politics, and with family life and associated relationship stressors. The American Psychological Association states that currently 87% of the US population say they are “stressed”.
As I share with doctors, chronic stress is locked into more than 150 gene-disease association pathways. This means, if you live chronically stressed day in and day out, there is more than 150 ways your precious health can go very wrong. On the surface, stress ages our brains and bodies faster. Deep down, stress causes problems with insulin sensitivity, blood glucose, healthy hormone balance, blood lipids, blood pressure, it increases systemic inflammation, increases oxidative stress, and dysregulates the immune system, dramatically increasing the chances of suffering with an infection, heart disease or cancer.
All of this to say that “chronic stress is a killer”, and the most powerful way I have seen to combat the ravages of chronic stress is going to be – never missing a day of intense daily exercise to better reset, relax and restore; taking CBD to better reset, relax and restore; or optimally, for those who can afford it, doing both every day.
CBD To Reset, Relax, and Restore…
I’ve already shared with you that CBD decreases inflammation, decreases oxidative stress, and supports healthy endocannabinoid tone. In combination, this counteracts the most potent ways chronic stress derails health. Interestingly however, this last benefit may be the most potent in that CBD supports healthy endocannabinoid tone, and that helps to “reset balance” by deeply relaxing the brain and body.
It does this by supporting the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the “resting and digesting, healing, and repairing” part of the nervous system. It’s the counterbalance to feeling uptight, anxious, and stressed. And by inducing a peaceful restful state, CBD enhances your brain and body’s ability to rest, regenerate, restore and repair. Couple all this to the potential of improved sleep quality for those suffering with poor sleep, and you’ve got a healing tincture like none other and a restoring remedy that you simply cannot afford to go a day without.
How To Take CBD
When it comes to providing instructions on “how to take CBD for optimal results”, it’s important to start by pointing out that we are all genetically and biochemically unique. Every one of us is metabolically different. From our genetics to our lifetime exposures to healing nutrients in our diets or the lack thereof. To the positive or negative thoughts we think, how we live and what we do every day, all of us have a very different biochemistry onboard when it comes to processing and metabolizing nutrients and phytonutrient concentrates. So, the best way I have found to introduce a good quality CBD product to an individual’s daily routine is to “start slow” with about ¼ of a serving in the evening about dinner time, and another ¼ serving right at bedtime.
My experience has been that, taking CBD in the evening at dinner and right before bed supports the sleep/rest cycle and helps induce a deep and restful sleep. Improving deep restful sleep for adults can be transformative, because your brain and body rest and repair while your neurochemistry comes back into balance causing a much-improved mood and outlook on life.
The best part is, just a little CBD in the evening and right before bed should serve to decrease inflammation, improve antioxidant status, and help support healthy aging while inducing a better relaxation to enhance the ability to restore and repair. After a few days of ¼ serving twice a day, move on up to ½ serving twice a day.
If you happen to be an individual who feels “uptight” or “anxious” during the day, you may want to try ¼ serving during the day as well as in the evening and at night. Remember, one of the most popular reasons people buy CBD is to help promote a sense of calm. In many cases, CBD during the day may help improve your focus and concentration as reducing and calming anxiety can help individuals focus in on the task at hand with less distractions. The key here, is to experiment with the daily intake that’s right for you, to support you and your metabolism in the unique way that you individually would benefit best.
Just One More Thing
Even though CBD is considered quite safe for most people, it’s important to talk with a healthcare professional before adding any CBD products to your routine, especially if you’re taking any medications.
The Many Benefits of Exercise and Sleep
Just a few paragraphs ago I stated that daily exercise is an effective key to unlock healing potential in both the brain and body by counteracting the negative effects of stress and enhancing your brain and body’s ability to better reset, relax and restore.
If that is of interest to you, check back to this website regularly as I plan to share with you the “right way” to exercise every day to unlock all kinds of healthy benefits. A little “teaser” is exercise done the right way only takes 10-minutes a day!
In addition, I plan to post an article that shares the five best scientifically validated ways to enhance and improve sleep quality. Improving your deep and REM sleep alone can have a dramatic and profound effect on improving overall health, healthy aging and how good you feel!
CBD REFERENCES:
CBD pharmacological actions include cannabinoid receptors and neurogenesis factors. CBD is multifactorial with 65 current known targets including HPA axis, anandamide, and GABA receptors, anxiolytic, dendritic remodeling, endocannabinoid system:
Neuroprotective, marked anti-inflammatory effects, anti-oxidant and neurogenesis effects, significant reductions in pain, CBD improves cognition, neurogenesis and presents anxiolytic, antidepressant, antipsychotic, and neuroprotective effects, enhances hippocampal neurogenesis, regulates the dopaminergic system, enhances serotoninergic system:
