CBD is now popular all around the world for its health benefits. Every day people take CBD oil for one purpose or the other. There are real-life stories on CBD and how it is helping people with pain and anxiety. Let’s talk about CBD before we talk about real-life stories! Let’s be real for a second. Maybe you’re sceptical of CBD. You might be thinking it’s illegal, or it could get you high. You might be scared your mom will judge you for the rest of your life if you use CBD!
Maybe you don’t even know what CBD is! Is it weed? Is it marijuana? The answer is neither! So, what is CBD then?
Definition of CBD.
CBD is one of more than 80 active compounds called cannabinoids found naturally in the cannabis Sativa plant, according to a study published in January 2019 in The Permanente Journal. Extracting it results in a thick oily paste, which is then typically mixed with a carrier oil, such as hemp oil or coconut oil, to produce a product with a specific concentration of CBD. That product is CBD oil.
How does CBD work?
In a nutshell, CBD interacts with the endocannabinoid system, a large messaging network in your body that plays a key role in regulating many physiological functions. Cannabinoids are so essential to good health that your brain produces its cannabinoids.
According to a study published online in March 2018 in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, the physiological functions affected by cannabinoids include:
- Appetite, digestion, and metabolism
- Mood, memory, and sleep
- Motor control
- Pain perception
- Immune function (including inflammation)
- Fertility and pregnancy
Real-Life Stories on CBD.
1. CBD for Anxiety.
Kelsey Clark, a young, lifestyle editorial writer, wrote an article on taking CBD to help her anxiety! In the article, she explains that she was skeptical of CBD at first. She had no idea what to expect, and she associated CBD with weed and the feeling of getting high.
Fortunately, she gave CBD a chance! She tried CBD oil for her sleep anxiety and within 30 minutes, she felt the subtle effects of CBD kick in! “While I expected a hazy nodding-off effect similar to melatonin’s, the oil simply relaxed my body ever so slightly—my heart stopped pounding against my chest, my legs stopped kicking beneath my sheets, my mind stopped racing,” Clarke said.
The next morning after a great night’s sleep, she claimed that she never felt high or anything, just well-rested and awake. So, she continued to take CBD oil for the next six days to see if any more benefits would kick in!
Clarke explains in her article that she suffers from anxiety, a struggle that many of us deal with every single day. From anxiety on crowded subways to overthinking at work, overanalyzing a social situation, or just social anxiety when meeting new people, Clarke didn’t know how CBD would help with all of her anxiety.
But, after taking CBD, she found it easier to just let go of her thoughts and not overthink! She even said in the article that in some ways, she feels more like herself after taking CBD.
Closing out the article, she states that after six days of taking CBD, she felt more focused at work. She wasn’t distracted by emails, coworkers or anything, and felt it easy to focus on her tasks and tackle all of her assignments one by one.
She also states that she’s fallen asleep much faster the past six days of taking CBD. Not only has she noticed she isn’t tossing and turning as much while trying to sleep, but she can shut off her thoughts and relax while getting ready for sleep!
While Clarke is only a newbie to the CBD world, she found subtle benefits to CBD that made her daily life easier, like anxiety reduction and helping her sleep better! But, there’s more to CBD than just that!
2. CBD for Chemotherapy: A Journey of Emotional Real-Life Stories
This article is from Cheyanne, a social media influencer, and fitness content creator. At the beginning of the article, she states that at 23 years old, nearly a month before her wedding, she was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer.
She wonders how a healthy, young, active woman like herself could have her world completely upside down! Nonetheless, she persevered through it. She started chemo right away, and she was constantly told awful stories about chemotherapy.
Throughout her treatment, she explained that she went through many rounds of chemo, hours upon hours of surgery, a temporary ileostomy bag, a new allergy to the fairy. She dropped over 30 pounds and lost all of her muscle. She says that when she’d look into the mirror, she would hardly ever recognize herself.
Then, she talks about CBD and how it helped her through her chemo battle. She was hesitant to try CBD at first. And also, afraid that people would think she was a “druggie,” she tried it anyway. Her dad explained to her how countless other cancer patients used CBD to fight the side effects of chemo. So, she gave CBD a try.
She started taking medical cannabis, her prescription being 1 gram each of CBD oil and THC oil. Despite one of the most known for symptoms of chemo being nausea and sickness, she never got sick! While she was undergoing one of the most intense rounds of chemo, the only side effects she was dealing with were blisters on her tongue from citrus.
Another major benefit of taking medical cannabis and CBD is that it stimulates her appetite. She explained that after her surgeries, her stomach was very small but also highly sensitive. She’d get full after a few bites and felt frustrated with herself for feeling full so quickly. She also developed an allergy to dairy due to chemo, and her weight started dropping FAST. Once she started taking the medical cannabis and CBD oil, her appetite came back. She started eating snacks again and eating entire meals and desserts!
Mentally, she said during chemo that she felt both exhausted but wide awake all at once. She said one of the steroids she had to take for chemo made her stay awake for about 72 hours at times. When she started taking CBD oil and THC oil, her insomnia slowly got better. She was able to sleep at ease. She claimed that not many people ever talk about the mental effect’s chemo has on people. But thanks to CBD and THC oil, she was able to sleep easily with no anxiety.
She ends her article by saying that you should have an open mind when it comes to CBD oil and THC! Although she was sceptical at first, she took her time and researched. She’s a firm believer in CBD oil and how it helped her during her chemotherapy!
