A couple weeks ago, I told you about a recall of Zantac for the presence of potential cancer-causing chemicals. Well, here we go again. This time, Xanax is being recalled because of a potential substance that could cause infection. Now, it’s just one batch, but still, wouldn’t it be nice to use something that was more natural?
CBD, as I’ve mentioned in this blog repeatedly, is an antibiotic, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant. So, getting infection from it doesn’t correlate because it tends to ward off infection. Also, CBD is being studied because of its potential in cancer treatment, or possibly even prevention. So, it’s probably not going to cause cancer either.
CBD and anxiety
Now, if you suffer from anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in which anxiety is a factor, you may wonder what to do if you don’t want to use pharmaceuticals. Well, let’s consider CBD.
Studies have indicated that it may act as an anticonvulsant, antipsychotic, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective agent. Because everyone already has an endocannabinoid system (ECS) complete with CBD receptors, it would make sense to incorporate CBD as a dietary supplement. The interaction between CBD and the CB receptors helps to keep the body in balance, which is the main job of our ECS.
CB receptors in our bodies and brains power-up when CBD is introduced. CBD from hemp works with a receptor called CB1. In the instance of anxiety, CBD modulates neurotransmission helping to calm the anxiety. The exact reason isn’t fully understood, but researchers believe it interacts with a neurotransmitter, serotonin, which is in charge of stabilizing mood and emotion.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, studies on animals given CBD showed decreased stress. “In addition, CBD has shown efficacy in small human laboratory and clinical trials,” according to the report from the institute. “CBD reduced anxiety in patients with social anxiety subjected to a stressful public speaking task. In a laboratory protocol designed to model post-traumatic stress disorders, CBD improved consolidation of extinction learning, in other words, forgetting of traumatic memories.”
PTSD and CBD
If the CB-1 receptors (mostly found in the brain) don’t fire when people find themselves in a traumatic situation, PTSD can occur. That’s not a given, of course, but you see where I’m going.
How does CBD help? Again, how it works isn’t fully understood, but the CB1 and CB2 receptors play a big part. In most instances, PTSD sufferers are given medication, which may or may not work, but often sedates rather than assists in recovery. Another body of evidence is emerging that indicates CBD may be a more effective form of treatment. One reason is the CB-1 receptors can be reduced or compromised after a trauma. Introducing CBD helps strengthen CB-1 receptors so they can regulate the number of receptors necessary to maintain balance. As a result according to the study, “cannabinoid receptor regulation has been found directly linked to extinction of fear responses following traumatic experiences.”
Although CBD may not be a panacea for all PTSD sufferers, it could be a means to dilute the symptoms long enough to help them work through the trauma and come out on the other side.
How to dose CBD
First of all, there is no quick answer, just more questions. For instance:
· What is the concentration of the CBD?
· How much do you weigh?
· Do you know your body chemistry?
· What is the condition and how severe is it?
· Should you use a topical or an ingestible?
Because everyone is different, dosage will vary. First estimate how much you’ll take based on your body weight. More mass tends to need higher dosage. One rule of thumb is to use 1 to 6mg for every 10 pounds of body weight. But as a general caution, start with a smaller dose and work up gradually to find what works best for you.
CBD oil is easily ingested. Place a dropper of oil under your tongue and hold it there for 30 to 60 seconds before swallowing. How do you measure the dose? Usually one dropper holds 1 ML of liquid. If you know how many milliliters are in a CBD tincture, you can use this simple formula to determine how much CBD is in its dropper:
Total CBD in bottle ÷ Number of milliliters in bottle = MGs of CBD in a dropper
For example, if you have a 30ml CBD tincture that has 1,500MG of CBD:
1,500 ÷ 30 = 50MG of CBD per dropper
Dosing is not an exact science. Yet. But as we learn more about CBD and how it affects conditions and our bodies, dosing information will probably become more widely available. For now, start small, go slowly and consult your medical practitioner to be sure.
