CBD For Dummies. Blair Lauren Brown

getting professional guidance may take some doing. The following sections take a look at some of these factors.

      

If the medications you’re taking are vital for your basic functioning, and your doctor says CBD won’t mix, it’s probably a no-go for you.

      Finding a doctor versed in CBD

      Because legal medicinal cannabis is fairly new and not currently widespread in the United States, you may have some trouble locating a doctor knowledgeable enough to help you plan and implement your treatment. I have found that doctors tend to be more cautious if they don’t have experience with cannabis as medicine.

      Fortunately, with the rise of CBD and the hopeful future of cannabis legalization in the United States, you have increasing options for reaching Western and Eastern practitioners who have experience with making recommendations. Many of these resources are going to be focused on the full-spectrum, THC-containing cannabis, but a good cannabis doctor can help evaluate the benefits and risks of CBD as well. If your state allows medical cannabis, don’t hesitate to get a medical cannabis card and talk to a practitioner about the implications.

      PRACTICE SAVVY LABEL READING

      When an exploding market has so many different offerings, how do you know what to buy? Any CBD product meant for ingestion or commercial use must be tested. Here are a few guidelines:

       A COA (certificate of authenticity) should be available to you as the buyer.

       The CBD concentration should be listed clearly on the packaging.

       Hemp seed oil is not CBD oil.

       The place you purchase from should be reputable without question; that is, don’t buy from just any old gas station.

      The list goes on. See Chapter 6 for more details on how to read labels and trust makers.

Here are a couple of resources for locating a cannabis doctor:

       HelloMD.com is a great multistate option.

       The doctors at doctorsknox.com are internationally acclaimed and still very much focused on patient care. Their focus is on cannabinoid medicine, with expertise spanning integrative cannabinology and functional endocannabinology.

      Spotting an adverse reaction to CBD

      CBD does have some legitimate side effects. The most important adverse reaction to take into consideration is anything that may affect the function of your liver. Liver reactions include loss of appetite, nausea, fever, weakness, abdominal pain, vomiting, and tiredness. As noted in a study, CBD use may be a cause for concern at very high doses over 1,200 milligrams a day sustained for several weeks. The same research also reported that CBD interactions with some drugs included liver abnormalities, drowsiness, diarrhea, vomiting, and fatigue.

      Users have reported other issues like dry mouth and low blood pressure that are similar to those associated with other cannabis consumption. Lightheadedness and drowsiness have also been noted.

      

One person’s goal is another person’s side effect. Some people actually use CBD because of its sedative and blood-pressure-lowering qualities, but for others, those can be adverse reactions. If CBD makes you drowsy and you aren’t taking it for sleep, think about the implications that may have on your functionality.

      GIVING YOURSELF PERMISSION TO SEEK OTHER OPTIONS

      CBD is just the tip of the cannabis iceberg. It’s the most widely known and most readily accessible cannabinoid, but more than 100 cannabinoids have various benefits, from sleep to inflammation relief to antimicrobial and antibacterial properties. Beyond CBD, an incredible array of other incredible plant medicines are at your fingertips. Keep your eyes peeled, or maybe just research a little in the area of cannabinoids to see what you can find.

      Search for terms such as “natural medicine” and “natural drugs,” or by condition and ailment. Look for adaptogenic botanicals, like ginseng, ashwagandha, reishi, chaga, holy basil, and about 65 more, that counteract stressors on the body. Look for nervines, (plants that support the nervous system), like chamomile, lavender, and others. To make it that much easier, you can also just head straight over to my company, www.shop-poplar.com, as we have carefully crafted a marketplace to make natural medicine of all types accessible, affordable, and easy to understand.

Warning: Be wary of the “wellness” marketing that can overcomplicate and overprice some of the remedies that have been available for centuries across cultures and are available from often under-marketed brands in the United States.

Part 2

      Finding and Using CBD

IN THIS PART …

       Get a handle on the ins and outs of when and how to buy your CBD. Recognize how the legality of CBD varies.

       Understand what products are best for your body and how to use them.

       Take a look at how to use CBD safely and responsibly.