What Are The Benefits of CBD?
Learn About the Many Benefits CBD Users are Reporting
CBD has been found to help people with a wide variety of mental and physical health issues. It has a unique ability to work with your body’s natural endo-cannabinoid system which impacts key areas including energy, digestion, inflammation, pain, anxiety, stress, mood, and sleep, just to name a few.
CBD for Your Stress*
An all-natural substance, CBD works through the endocannabinoid system that is already active within the human body. Because of this, when you use CBD, you are increasing the effectiveness of a natural regulatory system. When you find the right amount for and the right method of using CBD, you will be amazed at the lasting and beneficial effects this incredible little compound can have for you or your pets.
When taken at lower doses, it seems that CBD has some very powerful anxiety-reducing effects. By influencing the body’s natural response to stress and improving your ability to maintain homeostasis, CBD can reduce the negative effects of anxiety. When your body is in a state of stress for a long period of time, there are negative consequences on your ability to function. A more regular daily dose of CBD or a dose taken before stress-inducing experiences like public speaking may help to relieve some of these negative consequences.
CBD for Your Pain*
Pain reduction is one of the most common uses for CBD. Chronic or acute pain can be caused by injury, illness, or even some treatment options for different diseases. Having a naturally produced option like CBD is often a safe method to gain some relief without the negative side effects and risk of addiction seen with other pain-relieving medications. CBD can reduce inflammation helping reduce pain in general or that associated with inflammatory diseases like arthritis. A lot of people experience pain, but do not want to turn to highly addictive medications with dangerous side effects. CBD offers a great alternative for shorter- or longer-term use.
CBD for Your Sleep*
Often, it is difficult to get a good night’s sleep after a stressful and busy day. Yet sleep is one of the most important factors involved in good mental and physical health. An important benefit of CBD is getting some help falling and staying asleep. CBD has been known to result in a sleep that is deeper and more restful the next morning. Some research has connected CBD to improvements in individuals suffering from specific sleep disorders. Additionally, by impacting other problems like stress and anxiety, CBD can help people stay and remain more calm, thus preventing common challenges to getting a good night of sleep.
CBD for Your Heart*
CBD has been linked to reductions in high blood pressure. High blood pressure, or hypertension, can result from genetics or lifestyle and is a common problem faced by a number of people. Through a direct impact or through the indirect effect on anxiety, CBD can help reduce the risks caused by having high blood pressure. Often used in conjunction with other treatment methods, like stress reduction, dietary changes, and exercise, CBD may help people better control blood pressure that is already elevated or prevent the risk of developing high blood pressure in the future.
CBD for Your Seizures*
While seizures and seizure disorders need to be monitored and treated by a medical doctor, CBD offers an important option for treatment that can be added on to more traditional methods. There remains a good deal of information unknown about how CBD works to treat seizures, and you should always be aware that CBD may interact with other medications. Always consult with your doctor before taking or using CBD to treat seizures. However, there is hope that CBD can play an important role in reducing the impact of seizures on someone’s life. (link to story about girl w Rhett syndrome?)
Know Your Side Effects*
As with anything that is ingested into or absorbed by the body, CBD has some potential side effects. This is why it’s important to consult with a doctor before incorporating any new supplement into your routine. While the occurrence of side effects varies from person to person and depends on dosage, monitoring how you react to CBD can be important to gaining the most benefits. Some possible side effects of taking CBD include changes in mood or appetite, bowel issues, dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth, or nausea. CBD has also been found to interact with some blood pressure medications.
CBD for Pets
The most common pet that CBD has been used for so far is dogs. In fact, most of the information available today is regarding how CBD can benefit your dog, as well as common or possible side effects in dogs. At Blue Forest Farms, we love the idea of helping all of your pets, whether they are dogs, cats, hamsters, birds, snakes, or some other adorable creature. The work is ongoing to show just how CBD ought to be administered to your loved animals. Keep in mind that there is no formal approval for giving CBD to your pets, but that the research is working to show the many benefits, and some studies have shown successful results. CBD is an all-natural, plant-based compound, and is likely a great alternative to available medicines or chemically-based products. For now, we would like to provide you with an overview of some of the ways in which CBD has helped pets so far, mostly when used for our furry friend, the dog.
CBD for Pets and Their Anxiety*
It is not uncommon for animals to suffer from various forms of anxiety or stress. While not quite the same as in humans, anxiety in animals can be debilitating on the pet’s well-being and physical health. Two familiar forms of pet anxiety for many of us pet owners include separation anxiety or fear as a result of noise. When you are seeing your dog or pet suffer when you are gone at work or during thunderstorms, it is difficult to get it off of your mind. The same mechanisms that help CBD reduce anxiety in humans can take effect in dogs as well.
CBD for Pets and Their Appetite*
If you have had a dog before, you might be familiar with times when he or she just will not eat. Whether it is because you have changed their food, altered something in their routine, or because they are dealing with a slight stomach bug, dogs will occasionally just refuse to eat a healthy amount of food. This can be true of any pet. CBD has been seen to increase a pet’s appetite during these periods. This benefit of CBD for your pet can be very important for keeping them nourished and healthy. Additionally, as opposed to some medications or other possible intervention, CBD can be administered just once or twice without a long-term change for your animal. CBD has been seen to reduce both nausea and vomiting in dogs, whether due to an illness, anxiety or due to a toxin or drug.
CBD for Pets and Their Arthritis, Inflammation, or Pain*
Similar to how it works in humans, CBD can be used as a way to reduce general pain or inflammation for your dog or pet. What is great about CBD in this context is that is it effective across different types of pain, whether nerve-related or due to inflammation. Also, CBD may help reduce swelling seen in inflammatory diseases like arthritis. Especially as they get older, arthritis is a very common issue for dogs, and some breeds are more susceptible than others. Giving your pet CBD may help improve their level of comfort after an injury or toward the end of their life.
CBD for Pets and Their Seizures*
Whether you are a human or a pet, seizures can be scary. CBD has been seen to not only reduce the number of seizures in general, but also to shorten the duration of seizures when they do occur. Seizures are unfortunately common in dogs, with as many as 5% having regular seizures. While there are different medicinal drugs that can be administered to help appease seizures in dogs, they come with negative side effects on the liver. CBD offers a more natural alternative that may have an equal or better impact on reducing seizures.
CBD for Pets and Their Cancer*
So many pets eventually get diagnosed with cancer, and no pet-owner wants to see their loved one suffer or die too soon. One of the many possible benefits of CBD in dogs and other pets includes fighting against cancer, possibly slowing the growth of tumors. When being used to combat cancer, CBD may also increase the death of tumor cells. Essentially, CBD assists the dog’s natural immune system by blocking further production of cancer cells and promoting the death of cells that already exist. Furthermore, CBD may be used in conjunction with other more medical cancer treatments to aid in the slowing of cancer or to help with side effects of cancer interventions like nausea or pain.
Know Their Side Effects*
As in humans, it is possible for your pet to experience side effects of using CBD. Common side effects include dry mouth, lowered blood pressure, and drowsiness. While these may not necessarily be harmful to your pet or dog, they are important to keep an eye on. It is possible to take too much CBD and you will want to keep your tincture, isolate, food, or treat containing CBD in a safe place. Consult with your veterinarian about any possible interaction effects with other medications or supplements your pet is taking.
Take Home Message About CBD for You and Your Pet*
CBD has some incredible potential for helping you and your pet with a number of issues. Through maintaining homeostasis across a number of bodily systems, CBD can have wide-reaching beneficial effects. As with anything else you are ingesting or applying topically, it is important to be aware of how CBD may interact with other medicines or treatments, and always remember to stay informed about current research as well as possible side effects. The wonderful effects of CBD are better understood every day. At Blue Forest Farms, we have made CBD our life and we believe in the ultimate healing power of the cannabis plant. Feel free to contact us today for more information or to ask any questions you may have about how CBD can help you or your pet.