The holidays can be stressful for dogs and humans alike.
Last weekend, my brother and his family came up for the holidays. So, 7 more people in the house. 5 kids, 2 adults. Something that my dog, Jasper, is not used to.
Jasper is a lover of people but also an anxious basket case. He has to have all the attention and when he doesn't get it he will bark. He is also a scaredy-cat, getting spooked when a leaf blows in the wrong direction. Because of his anxiety and his fearfulness, he doesn't like it when kids are loud and running through the house but let's face it, kids are going to be loud and run around when they're having fun.
I gave him CBD oil from Cured Nutrition that morning. They make a specific kind just for dogs. Jasper is so kind, he lets me place the dropper in his mouth to give it to him. Within thirty minutes, he was calm. He was barely barking and instead of being in the kids' faces, he was sitting in their laps, calmly. He was such a good boy for the rest of the day. I was so proud of my little fur baby!
CBD and Me
I will never forget the first time, I took CBD oil. I found a brand I really liked at The Arnold Classic in Columbus. The lady was very knowledgeable and spent some time talking to me about Cured Nutrition and the health benefits of taking CBD. The brand's mission and values were very close to mine. I wasn't sure about taking something from a cannabis plant, due to personal reasons, but I decided to try the seasonings that had CBD in it because of the health benefits. I purchased the honey cinnamon seasoning for my tea and the peanut butter chocolate seasoning for my coffee.
It took me a couple of months to try the seasonings but when I did I really enjoyed them especially the honey cinnamon one for my tea. I decided to get back on Cured Nutrition's site to see what else they offered.
I had been doing some research about CBD oil on my own so I decided to purchase their CBD oil in mint flavor. I got the lowest dose (250mg/bottle) to see how my body would react to it. I wasn't feeling a whole lot with it but knew I was still getting some benefits of it, so I took it until it was gone. Then, I decided to up the dose (500mg/bottle).
This is when I started noticing effects from the CBD. I felt so relaxed, it felt like my bed was a fluffy, soft cloud that I was sinking into. Just floating around in the sky!
As a teacher, there are days where I come home stressed or anxious because of a hard day with kids, and sometimes adults and need something that will help me feel relaxed.
I'm sure you know the feeling, right? Even if you're not a teacher, you know the days I'm talking about.
CBD oil helps me tremendously, taking that anxious feeling away and helping my body to relax. Like sinking into a cloud, relaxed. The feeling is so refreshing in this busy, modern world.
What Is CBD?
CBD does come from the marijuana plant but don't let this scare you off. It almost did me and I would have been missing out.
CBD gets a bad reputation from people because it comes from the cannabis family. But the thing about CBD is, it has NO THC in it and if it does it is less than .03 percent. People were so against CBD that it wasn't allowed on planes until late 2018 and it was recently made legal on the federal level in 2019.
I was preparing to go to Costa Rica in the summer of 2019 and I had to check TSA protocols to see if I could even bring my CBD with me. I found it was recently made legal to take on planes checked/carry-on in late 2018, thank goodness. I was going to need my CBD after a long day of traveling, which is mentally exhausting for me. This huge amount of stipulation on CBD was silly to me. To me, it's not a drug it's a supplement.
CBD and Your Body
Your body has a system called the endocannabinoid system. The system helps regulate many functions in your body such as pain, mood, immune functioning, and sleep.
What this means is your body has receptors for cannabis compounds which is why CBD provides so many benefits to your health. CBD interacts with this system to help regulate those different functions that the endocannabinoid system is responsible for.
CBD Health Benefits
Because CBD is still considered the new guy around town, scientists are still seriously studying it abundantly. Research is emerging every day, all around us. If you type in CBD on Google, there will be many articles that pop up about it.
Here are a few great studies that scientists have found and realized about CBD health benefits.
Testing shows that CBD outperformed Vitamin C and E at protecting neurons from inflammation. So any person or dog may I add, suffering from inflammation-related diseases or anxiety should try out CBD to see if you can reap the benefits. I know my dog, Jasper, benefits from it through his anxiety and I benefit in the aspect of inflammation in the joints due to sports.
Scientists have found that it helps people sleep even those with insomnia. (Remember, my bed feeling like a cloud). It turns your brain off to thoughts and helps you to sink into your body.
Scientists studied its effects on the brain. They found it decreased social anxiety by regulating the part of the brain that processes fear. Social stress can be daunting to many people, CBD may be able to help with that.
Scientists conducted a randomized placebo-controlled study and trial and found that CBD significantly reduced multiple sclerosis symptoms.
All these studies go back to your endocannabinoid system that recepts CBD.
How to Take CBD Correctly to Enjoy the Health Benefits
One very important note is to pay attention to the brand you buy. Do your research on the brands and choose pure products without chemicals. Just like farmers who grow crops, farmers who grow cannabis plants spray plants, too. You don't want that. People who you hear about who have had reactions to CBD are not because of the CBD itself but because of the chemicals or fillers that may be in the CBD. This step is so very important that I'm going to repeat it. Do your research and buy PURE, CLEAN CBD without chemicals and fillers.
Remember, CBD is legal. It was made legal on the federal level in 2019 but just check your state to make sure. It doesn't hurt to look. For all my Ohioans, CBD was made legal on July 30, 2019 :)
Ways to take CBD:
Sublingual- the oil comes in a glass bottle with a dropper. You fill the dropper with CBD (whatever the serving size is), place the dropper with the oil under your tongue, hold it under your tongue for a minute. Then, swallow. Enjoy the minty freshness and the relaxing feeling that comes with it fifteen minutes later :)
Ingestion- through the gum, candies, and baked goods. Many brands and companies are now putting CBD oil in different products that we already eat. For example, I really enjoy Beekeeper's Naturals B. Chill Honey with CBD in it. It tastes yummy and I have the option of putting it in tea or taking it with a spoon. I also have CBD gummies on the way from Thrive Market. I can't wait to try them!
There are other ways to take CBD but I find these two to be the most effective, getting, and feeling the most benefits from.
The brand I buy my CBD products from is Cured Nutrition. They are based out of Colorado and their CBD products are the purest I know. Their products are vegan, gluten-free, made with no preservatives, and are 3rd party tested. The transparency they provide gives me peace of mind in what I'm putting in my body. They give you the option to look at quality control for any products you buy from them. This shows me they put a high value on giving people the best stuff, pure and clean, on the market. The website is curednutrition.com. Go check out their products to see if they are right for you! And no, I'm not affiliated with them so I'm not trying to advertise them because I benefit. I am telling you about them because I believe in their products and the clean, transparent approach they use!
Try CBD and make it a wellness habit :) I dare you...
Your Certified Brain Health Coach,
Ashley
Owner of SustainaBRAIN
