Great Ways to Use CBD

Marijuana is a very diverse and beneficial plant by nature. Even still, medical and technological advancements have allowed us to find even more uses and practical benefits from the cannabis plant. It is generally known that cannabis contains THC, which is the part of the plant that gets one “high” or causes the psychedelic effects. But did you know that there is also another important part of cannabis? One of the compounds most sought after by medical marijuana patients is called cannabidiol (also known as CBD). This is the part of the plant that does not get one high but offers a great deal of medical benefits and overall well-being.

In fact, CBD is commonly used by medical patients all over the United States to treat things like chronic diseases and serious medical conditions, mostly due to the way that CBD can reduce inflammation and create relaxation on a cellular level! Most articles that you can find me writing about include conversations and discussions centered around both CBD and THC. Like I said earlier, THC offers that elevated mindset or “high”, which makes it a great thing to pair with CBD. In a lot of ways, people generally regard cannabis as a plant that treats the mind through THC and treats the body through CBD. Someone call Hannah Montanna because I think we just found the best of both worlds. CBD is also great for medical marijuana patients who want to find relief from their chronic pain and disease symptoms, but do not want to smoke weed to actually get high.

There is nothing wrong with this at all, and every person is entitled to use their own medical marijuana as they see fit. So what are some great ways to use CBD in your life today? The great thing about CBD is that it is much more accessible to people in the United States, since some states do not include THC as part of their medical marijuana programs. EVer since the FDA finally approved hemp-based CBD as a supplement, you can legally buy it anywhere across the United States.

One of the most common ways to use CBD is through the consumption of edibles. We are all familiar with cannabis edibles like “pot brownies” and all of that. However, CBD edibles are basically like finding ways to eat your medicine. Most medical dispensaries will sell edibles that only contain CBD oil, and you can even make your CBD edibles at home by mixing the oil into your food. This is a great way for many medical patients to get their CBD, especially because it allows for very exact doses. The only problem with using CBD edibles is that they can often take a while to take effect, sometimes up to two hours! So if you are looking for immediate results, you better try some of the other consumption methods that we are about to talk about next.

The next way to use CBD that we are going to talk about is through the use of topicals and creams. CBD topicals have become more popular among younger and older generations alike, and many are using them to find relief from their arthritis, eczema, chronic pain, and muscle spasms. Like I said earlier, CBD is a very effective medicine when it comes to reducing pain and inflammation. The nice thing about cannabis topicals is that they can be used in so many different ways, whether through lotions, soaps, lip balm, conditioners, ointments, and various other topical products. Basically, anything that you can normally put on your body, you can do with the help of CBD I hope this article was helpful for you, make sure to pick up some CBD at your local dispensary today!

CBD to Sleep

Sometimes, you just want to get good sleep, and you should never neglect this. Many people struggle to get some Zs, and it will make you feel bad too. While there are supplements that can help, plenty of people have started to opt using CBD to help with this. CBD also known as cannabidiol, is one of the main parts of the marijuana plant, but unlike the THC that’s in weed, the CBD in this doesn’t get you high. Instead, you feel a bit of a relaxing feeling that’s ultimately pretty calming, and great for reducing insomnia and getting some shuteye. 

How it works 

CBD doesn’t bind to the same receptors that THC does, but it instead does interact with the compounds that are in this, working with the brain and the body to help with your mood, appetite, and even aid with sleeping as well. 

It helps because it is naturally supportive of the endocannabinoid system. It also helps by pushing out more anandamide, which is commonly viewed as the “bliss” molecule, so it can help you soothe your brain and body, binding to this, in order to ensure that you feel soothed and calmed down. This is great for those people who are looking to get more sleep via relaxing, as it does work naturally in order to do all of this n an easy, profound way. 

CBD and sleep 

CBD does have benefits that do work specifically for sleep. While there isn’t a ton of research on this, some studies do say that the compounds in CBD are great for relieving stress and anxiety. Those with chronic pain can also benefit from this one, since it’s great for improving sleep. Current research says that, based on a review on the way cannabinoids get delivered, especially CBD, it was found that this is the best one for easing anxiety, chronic pain, and also had better sleep that happened. 

When administering larger amounts of CBD, upwards of 175 mg, it was discovered that about 2.3 of patients were actually getting a lot better sleep, and the sleep was much better.  It did help more with anxiety than sleep though, but the observations did show that this is a viable means to help treat insomnia and other sleep disorders. 

In one of the case studies for those with Parkinson’s was found that those who have REM pattern sleep disorders, also known as RBD, which is characterized by kicking, hitting, or recurring nightmares, were able to improve the instances of this, and it could help with the instances of this happening. 

There is a lot of information for those who are curious about using CBD, especially when there is a lot less of THC the one that’s psychoactive, the main focus of the research has not been on treating sleep disorders, but instead is used as a way to treat seizures and such. It’s important that there be more studies conducted on this to further validate the benefits of the CBD that you take in a therapeutic sense, but what’s currently out there is definitely a lot more promising than anything else. 

Lots of people do like to take CBD especially if you already struggle with sleep. It does have a lot of potential for those who tend to struggle with relaxing, falling asleep, or if you’re someone that wakes up a whole lot. While it isn’t sedating, it’s one that’s soothing, which is perfect for people with sleep-related anxieties and other issues. It can definitely be a bit of a struggle, especially for those trying to avoid getting bad sleep too. 

Marijuana and Heart Disease

Heart disease is the number one killer, and while there’s a lot of associations between heart disease and the usage of cigarettes, one thing that people have started to look at is the possibility of whether or not cannabis may offer the same risks. Another new study that was done by researchers actually looked at the possible association between marijuana and its use, and the possibility of increased chances of myocardial infections.  There are also some ways to see how THC may trigger inflammation, and also how it may contribute to atherosclerosis, and some findings on how it may also block inflammation too.

The Research is Mixed 

A big thing to remember is that there are results from this that are mixed, and also not conclusive too. There was a statement put out directly by the American heart association, and it was seen as a possible greenlight to say that marijuana is safe, as the authors said it’s based on the information available currently. 

It’s been found that the lifetime and the current recent usage of cannabis did not show any increase in cadence in heart disease of any time, and the mortality of such. The evidence, however, is not conclusive for any outcomes on a cardiovascular level, and it also does need to have better studies. 

A lot of researchers have started to worry about the challenges that are created through the illegality of the usage of marijuana, and also, how it’s forbidden. A lot of these studies are based on broad amounts of trends, or the information from self-reports. The data does induce a lot of inaccuracy, and other variables, including a frequency of the usage, and the information lacking on the products that get consumed. 

Another thing is the behaviors that are confounding, and usually need to also be looked at, such as the consumption of alcohol, the health overall, and the usage of tobacco too. 

The potential Risks 

There was another study that actually looked at new risk assessments, that were found based on information within the U.K Biobank, which is a big study of more than 500,000 different people up to the age of 69, and it was done over a ten-year period. This was found that those who used marijuana did identify as having more risks for heart attacks when they turned 50. Another risk assessment that looked at the controls for their age, and also their sex and BMI as well.

They didn’t have tobacco use on this as another variable, however. When they used cannabis as a specific risk factor that was controlled when they looked at the age and the BMI, it was found that they couldn’t address the entire sample size.  When they analyzed the base effect and also whether or not they also had cigarette smoking, this hazard ratio when it came to how many cardiovascular events would happen tended to be more than just smoking regular cigarettes.

Those who had a history of issues with the heart, tend to be at a much higher risk for those heart problems, and it’s important that, if you do have a history of this, you may want to consult with someone, as well in order to determine the correct types of therapies for you.

Right now, the studies that we have are quite limited, and it’s imperative to make sure that you also take a look at these studies, and everything that may play a part. We still don't know, but there is a lot of research that looks into the potential that this has for people.