Can CBD Help Get A Good Night’s Sleep?

One of the most popular reasons given by people for taking CBD is to help with sleep.  But, can CBD help get a good night’s sleep?  How does it work?  And what is the best way to take it?

How Does CBD Work?

Research shows that CBD and other cannabinoids interact with proteins and cells in the brain.  This happens through the body’s Endocannabinoid System (or ECS).  It is believed that the ECS helps the body maintain certain functions such as mood, appetite, sleep and regulating our circadian rhythms.  Cannabinoids, like CBD, attach to receptors in the ECS to have various effects.  It is believed that CBD interacts with the specific receptors that help with our daily sleep cycle.  Additionally, research shows that CBD can also decrease anxiety and pain which can lead to better sleep.

Getting to Sleep

Getting to sleep at night may seem simple but involves a rather complicated physical and mental process. Our bodies respond to external signals of nighttime; darkness, cooler temperatures, and surroundings that you personally associate with bedtime to bring on feelings of sleepiness.

When you receive these signals, cortisol, the hormone associated with activity and stress, starts to decrease, and melatonin begins to increase. At least, that’s how it is supposed to work. However, many things in our lives can disrupt this process, either by keeping cortisol up, inhibiting melatonin production, or both.

Stress is probably the most common reason for not being able to fall asleep. Cortisol, referred to as the stress hormone, makes it hard to fall asleep. And when you do get to sleep, cortisol can prevent you from staying asleep.

How Does CBD Help with Sleep?

CBD works with the ECS to help many natural functions of the body work better and more efficiently.  When our bodies are running more efficiently, we will be able to receive those external signals that prepare us for bed.  It will be easier for us to start relaxing and winding down.  Also, since CBD helps us deal with stress better, the levels of cortisol that our bodies produce will be lowered.

Adding melatonin with CBD just makes getting to sleep that much easier.  The melatonin brings on the “sleepy” feeling.  The combination will help you fall asleep and stay asleep all night.  You will wake up feeling well rested and restored.

Developing Healthy Sleep Habits

Developing healthy sleep habits is so good for improving your overall health.  Getting a good night’s sleep allows the body time it needs to repair itself and rejuvenate.  Good sleep has been linked to better moods, increased productivity, improved memory, lower blood pressure, weight loss and many other benefits.

If you do want to try taking CBD to help you sleep better at night, make sure you take it consistently for 30 days.  You will begin to see improvements gradually.  If you don’t see any improvements try increasing the amount of CBD you are taking or try taking a different form of CBD.  We have a couple of CBD and Melatonin products that you might be interested in trying.

The post Can CBD Help Get A Good Night’s Sleep? first appeared on AlternativeWellness.

CAN CBD HELP INFLAMMATION?

Do you suffer from chronic inflammation?  Have you taken prescription or over the counter medications to help inflammation?  Maybe you have been wondering, can CBD help inflammation?

WHAT IS INFLAMMATION

Inflammation is a natural healing response within the human body.  It is the body’s immune system’s response to an irritant, such as germs, external injuries like scrapes, bites or burns.  It can affect just about every part of the body including the skin, joints, muscles, nerves, airway, digestive tract and brain.  The most common symptoms of inflammation include redness, heat, swelling, pain or loss of function.

Sometimes, due to our lifestyle or environment, inflammation can go from being a brief, acute response to a chronic disruption.  When this happens, long-term diseases start to settle in, causing discomfort and reducing quality of life.

Many medicines and other remedies exists to treat this wide range of inflammatory issues. Unfortunately, most of them can cause adverse side effects.  As an alternative, many people are turning to CBD for relief. But does it really deliver on the promise to safely reduce inflammation?

ABOUT CBD OIL

CBD (Cannabidiol) is a naturally occurring compound found in the cannabis plant.  It comes from two sources.  Hemp derived CBD comes from industrial hemp plants and medical marijuana CBD comes from medical marijuana plants.  Industrial hemp plants are high in CBD and cannot contain more than .3% THC.  Medical marijuana products usually have a higher THC to CBD ratio and are only available in states where medical marijuana is legal.

CBD is one of more than 100 phytocannabinoids found in the cannabis plant.  It is considered to be safe and non-addicting.  CBD is closely related to another phytocannabinoid found in the cannabis plant – THC (delta -9 tetrahydrocannabinol).  The “high” that is commonly associated with cannabis comes from THC.  Both THC and CBD have significant therapeutic properties.  But, unlike THC, CBD does not cause intoxicating effects.  There is evidence that CBD can actually lessen the effects of THC.  This is great for the people that want the health benefits of cannabis without the intoxicating high from THC.

CBD interacts with part of the body’s regulatory system called the Endocannabinoid System (ECS).  The ECS plays a vital role in regulating many physiological processes that affect our everyday experiences, such as mood, energy, digestion, the immune system, blood pressure, metabolism, pain, stress, hunger and so much more.  In other words, the ECS keeps our body in a state of homeostasis – or natural balance.

The ECS uses natural compounds in the body called endogenous cannabinoids. These cannabinoids bind to two primary receptors called CB1 and CB2, mostly found in the brain and nervous system, but are also spread out in other vital organs and tissues. When the CB1 and CB2 receptors activate, they produce a modulating (or moderation) effect.

When the ECS is not functioning properly, the body is out of balance. Other systems in the body do not function properly and become stressed out or overused. This can cause sickness and disease to creep into our lives.

WHY PEOPLE ARE TRYING CBD FOR INFLAMMATION

Due to new research that shows negative side effects for long term use of common medications that have been used to treat inflammation, many people are starting to look for alternative treatment options.

Currently, there is extensive scientific research being done, with mounting evidence from patients and physicians, that confirm CBD’s potential treatment of some of the following common health concerns:

• Autoimmune diseases (inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis)
• Neurological conditions (Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, Huntington’s chorea, stroke, traumatic brain injury)
• Metabolic syndrome (diabetes, obesity)
• Neuropsychiatric illness (autism, anxiety, PTSD, alcoholism)
• Gut disorders (colitis, Crohn’s)
• Cardiovascular dysfunction (atherosclerosis, arrhythmia)
• Skin disease (acne, dermatitis, psoriasis)

HOW CBD CAN HELP PEOPLE WITH INFLAMMATION

There is still much to be learned about the therapeutic effects of CBD.  But, there is enough evidence to show that CBD does have beneficial properties that can help improve inflammation.

Many of our customers have reported that they get better sleep at night, have more energy, feel more focused, less pain, less anxious or stressed.  If you are curious or have considered trying CBD, we have a product that is right for you.  We ask that you take it for at least a month and then see if you are beginning to see some of the same benefits that our other customers are seeing.

The post Can CBD Help Inflammation? first appeared on AlternativeWellness.

The Dangers of Psychiatric Medications

Have you ever wondered why people still suffer from depression even though we have anti-depressants or still struggle with anxiety even though we have anti-anxiety medications?  Do these medicines really work?  When we are sick, we are used to going to the doctor, getting prescribed a medicine and then getting better.  So why don’t psychiatric medicines work the same way?  You have some kind of “chemical imbalance” that causes depression, anxiety, OCD, ADD or other illnesses, go to the doctor, take a medicine that is prescribed and the chemical imbalance is fixed and you are fine again.  That’s what all the doctors promise when they first prescribe these medications.

Many times someone will go to the doctor because of some depression they are struggling with due to a situation or issue that has come up in their lives; such as a death of a loved one, illness, job loss, financial hardship, etc.  A doctor is happy to start them on a “low dose” anti-depressant to help them get through this difficult time.  And the medicine seems to help at first.  The person feels good again.  The depression seems to be less or gone altogether.  But, then a couple of months later, it seems like it might be coming back.  The person goes back to the doctor for their “90-day med check” and the doctor increases their dose of the anti-depressant to the next higher dosage and adds a medication to help with sleep at night.  The person starts this new regimen and starts to feel good again.  They really think the medication is helping.  However, within a short period of time, they start to feel scatter brained, like they can’t focus at work or at home.  They become forgetful.  And then stress and anxiety start to increase.  They go back to the doctor again in 90 days and he increases the anti-depressant dose again and adds an anti-anxiety medication (because many times depression and anxiety are seen together).  And he might even add a stimulant to help with focus during the day.

Before you know it, this person is walking zombie on a cocktail of addictive psychiatric medications that are doing real damage to the brain.  This person is a shell of the person they used to be.  They are disconnected from reality and from people.  Nothing helps.  They might even eventually be diagnosed as bi-polar or schizophrenic.

Does the above scenario seem extreme or unlikely to you?  Or do you completely relate to what I have described?  It’s not extreme or unlikely.  This is the story of many people who just need a little bit of help to get through a difficult time in their lives.  This is the story of my husband and my daughter.  Both have been on a cocktail of some or all the medications at different times in the past.  They have both since been able to stop taking these medications and are getting back to be the people they were before they started them.  My husband stopped taking his medications almost 2 years ago.  It was very hard for him to stop.  His brain became so used to taking the medications and it didn’t know how to function anymore without them.  He went through months of withdrawal.  At first, he slept – a lot!!  He couldn’t stay awake no matter how much he tried.  He just needed to sleep.  And then he was moody – very moody!!  He was intolerable to be around.  (I had to tell myself it was temporary.  It was part of the withdrawal.)  And then, he got to where he could not sleep.  He didn’t want to take anything to help him sleep, so he just didn’t sleep.  It took about a year to get him back into a normal sleep pattern at night.  My daughter went through almost the same withdrawal pattern.  They both still have issues with memory.  Hopefully the memory will improve over time.

These medications are addictive and dangerous.  So why do doctors continue to prescribe them?  I have some theories on that.  You can do your own research.  But I will write about that in a different article.

Our Experiences with Psychiatric Medications

My husband used to complain about being on so many medications.  He hated taking them.  Several times he complained to his doctor about the negative side effects he was experiencing and how he didn’t like how they made him feel.  The doctor, who was very well known in our area, had the audacity to tell my husband that this was just the way that God made him.  Can you believe that?  He basically took away any hope my husband had of ever being able to stop taking these medications for the rest of his life.  He believed the doctor and he was devastated.  But we know that is not how God made him.  God made him perfect, in His own image, according to the Bible.  Growing up in a broken world contributed to things that lead him to being an adult that had depression, anxiety, and anger issues because he felt he needed to be in control of everyone around him.  Those are things that cannot be medicated away.  He needed counseling and therapy to help him go back and work through some childhood issues, to accept some of the things he did as a teenager and college student.  And he needed to learn how those things had impacted the decisions he made as an adult and father and a husband.  And finally, he needed to learn how to forgive himself and ask others for forgiveness as well.  He learned that God did not create him to be a broken person.  Life made him a broken person.  He learned that God had a different plan for him.

One of the reasons we got into the CBD business was to give people an alternative to the traditional western style of medicine.  I’m not going to go into how CBD works and what the benefits are from taking CBD.  I have written numerous articles on those topics that are on our website.  I just wanted to share some of our experiences that lead us to where we are today.

There is Hope

I’m not a doctor.  I don’t have any professional experience in this area.  I’m not anti-doctor or anti-medication.  I think doctors in general want to provide the best care for their patients as possible.  Psychiatric drugs might help some people.  I am just the wife and mother of people that have been harmed by them.  I want to provide hope for anyone that might be stuck in a cycle of taking different medications for symptoms that start when other medications are taken.  You were not just made like that by God.  And there might be a better life for you if you can find the strength and courage to face your issues head on and start the process of getting off your medication.

If you do decide to stop taking psychiatric medications, please do so under a doctor’s supervision.  There can be very intense withdrawal symptoms when you just stop suddenly.  It’s best to come up with a plan with your doctor – even if you need to change doctors.

Five things to consider when purchasing CBD

CBD is everywhere these days.  And it can be hard to tell the good products from the bad ones. Here are 5 things that will help you in choosing what products are right for you.

1. CBD is legal in most states. With the passage of the Farm Bill in 2018, CBD became legal to buy in most states.  However, some states have different restrictions than other states.  Find out the legal status for your state and if there are any restrictions on product types you can purchase.

 

2. CBD will NOT get you high.   CBD is produced in the highest concentrations by hemp plants.  Hemp is a strain of cannabis but produces little to no THC.  Instead, it produces high quantities of CBD, CBG, CBC and CBN.  These cannabinoids do not cause any psychoactive effects and have little to no known negative side effects.  THC is the most well-known cannabinoid.  THC is produced by marijuana and is the culprit behind the psychoactive effects most marijuana users experience.

 

3. Look for full spectrum products. Full spectrum simply means that a CBD product contains all other phytocannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids found in the hemp plant, including trace amounts of THC.  It is believed that all of these compounds work together to produce an “entourage” effect.

 

4. CBD can help maintain a healthy immune system. Right now, health and wellbeing are top of mind for all of us.  CBD works with the body’s Endocannabinoid System (ECS).  This is the system that regulates our physiology, mood and everyday experiences.  In other words, it keeps our body in balance and operating at optimal capacity.  Stress and diet play a major role in throwing the body out of balance.  When the body is not balanced, you may get sick often or struggle with mood disorders.  CBD helps to activate the receptors in the ECS which helps to eliminate these issues.

 

5. Buy CBD products from brands with a proven track record in the industry. We have taken the guess work out for you.  We only sell products from trusted brands that have a proven history in the CBD industry.  All of the products on our website are third party tested and proven to contain the ingredients that are listed on the labels.

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, has long been used and studied for its role in the prevention and treatment of many diseases and infections

PMID: 

J Agric Food Chem. 2020 May 27 ;68(21):5835-5846. Epub 2020 May 12. PMID: 32363873

Abstract Title: 

Sea-Buckthorn Flavonoids Alleviate High-Fat and High-Fructose Diet-Induced Cognitive Impairment by Inhibiting Insulin Resistance and Neuroinflammation.

Abstract: 

Sea-buckthorn flavonoids (SFs) have been used as functional food components for their bioactive potential in preventing metabolic complications caused by diet, such as obesity and inflammation. However, the protective effect of SFs on cognitive functions is not fully clear. In this study, a high-fat and high-fructose diet (HFFD)-induced obese mice model was treated with SFs for 14 weeks. It was found that the oral SF administration (0.06% and 0.31% w/w, mixed in diet) significantly reduced bodyweight gain and insulin resistance in the HFFD-fed mice. SFs significantly prevented HFFD-induced neuronal loss and memory impairment in behavioral tests. Additionally, SFs also suppressed the HFFD-induced synaptic dysfunction and neuronal damages by increasing the protein expressions of PSD-95. Furthermore, SF treatment activated the ERK/CREB/BDNF and IRS-1/AKT pathways and inactivated the NF-κB signaling and its downstream inflammatory mediator expressions. In conclusion, SFs are a potential nutraceutical to prevent high-energy density diet-induced cognitive impairments, which could be possibly explained by their mediating effects on insulin signaling and inflammatory responses in thebrain.

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PMID: 

Phytother Res. 2020 May 25. Epub 2020 May 25. PMID: 32452118

Abstract Title: 

Protective effects of isorhamnetin on pulmonary arterial hypertension: in vivo and in vitro studies.

Abstract: 

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a malignant disease with high mortality and closely involves the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) pathway. Mutations in BMPR2 caused proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) leading to PAH. Isorhamnetin, one of the main naturally occurring flavonoids extracted from Hippophae rhamnoides L, shows antiinflammatory and anti-proliferative properties. Nevertheless, the effects of isorhamnetin on PAH remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether isorhamnetin has protective effects against PAH and explore possible mechanisms. An in vivo model of PAH induced by monocrotaline (MCT) was employed, and sildenafil and isorhamnetin were orally administered for 21 consecutive days. An in vitro model induced by TNF-α was employed, and cell proliferation of HPASMCs was detected. Results indicated that isorhamnetin significantly improved hemodynamic, histopathological, and echocardiographic changes in MCT-induced PAH in rats. In vitro, isorhamnetin suppressed TNF-α-induced HPASMCs proliferation. Furthermore, isorhamnetin improved protein expression of BMPR2 and suppressed protein expression of TNF-α and IL-6 in rat lungs. Isorhamnetin improved protein expression of BMPR2 and p-smad1/5 and mRNA expression of Id1 and Id3 in HPASMCs. Isorhamnetin ameliorated MCT-induced PAH in rats and inhibited TNF-α-induced HPASMCs proliferation by a mechanism likely involving the regulation of the BMP signaling pathway.

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PMID: 

Antioxidants (Basel). 2020 Apr 19 ;9(4). Epub 2020 Apr 19. PMID: 32325920

Abstract Title: 

Antihypertensive Effects of Polyphenolic Extract from Korean Red Pine (Sieb. et Zucc.) Bark in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats.

Abstract: 

Korean red pine (Sieb. et Zucc.) bark is a by-product of the wood industry and contains a high level of antioxidative phenolics including flavonoids, which have a variety of beneficial health effects. This study aimed to investigate the antihypertensive effects ofbark extract (Korean red pine bark extract; KRPBE) in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). A group of Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKRs) as a normotensive group was orally fed tap water. Four groups of SHRs were orally fed tap water, captopril (a positive control), 50 mg/kg/day of KRPBE, and 150 mg/kg/day of KRPBE, respectively. Blood pressure of rats was measured once every week for seven weeks of oral administration. After seven weeks, the lungs, kidneys, and serum were collected from rats, then angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity, angiotensin II content, and malondialdehyde (MDA) content were determined. Blood pressure of the captopril- and KRPBE-treated groups was significantly lower than that of the SHR control group. The ACE activity, angiotensin II content, and MDA content significantly decreased in the captopril- and KRPBE-treated groups than those in the SHR control group. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis revealed six phenolics in KRPBE: protocatechuic acid, procyanidin B1, catechin, caffeic acid, vanillin, and taxifolin. KRPBE, which contains plenty of antioxidative phenolics, has antihypertensive effects partly due to reduction of ACE activity and angiotensin II content, and its antioxidative effect.

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PMID: 

Obes Facts. 2020 ;13(2):279-291. Epub 2020 Feb 28. PMID: 32114568

Abstract Title: 

Effects of Grape Seed Proanthocyanidin Extract on Obesity.

Abstract: 

Obesity is a chronic metabolic disease resulting from excessive fat accumulation and/or abnormal distribution caused by multiple factors. As a major component of metabolic syndrome, obesity is closely related to many diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke and cancer. Hence, the problem of obesity cannot be ignored, and recent studies have shown that grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) has an antiobesity effect. This paper systematically reviews the research progress and potential mechanism of GSPE emphasizing on obesity prevention and treatment.

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PMID: 

Br J Nutr. 2020 Mar 6:1-14. Epub 2020 Mar 6. PMID: 32138795

Abstract Title: 

Effects of grape seed extract on dyslipidaemia: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Abstract: 

Data on the effect of grape seed extract (GSE) on lipid profiles are inconclusive. We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled clinical trials on the effect of GSE on serum lipid profiles. The online databases of PubMed, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, ProQuest, Science Direct and Embase were searched for relevant publications until March 2019, using MeSH and non-MeSH keywords. Study selection, data extraction and quality assessment were completed independently by two investigators. Meta-regression and subgroup analyses were performed to identify the source of heterogeneity. Assessment of study quality was conducted using the Jadad scale. Eleven randomised clinical trials involving 536 participants were included in the present meta-analysis. Combining effect sizes from earlier studies, we found that GSE supplementation significantly decreased serum levels of LDL-cholesterol (-0·17 mmol/l; 95 % CI -0·34, -0·01) and TAG (-0·11 mmol/l; 95 % CI -0·18, -0·05). Although no overall significant effect of GSE supplementation on circulating total- and HDL-cholesterol levels was observed, there were significant reductions in these lipids in studies with

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