healing with nature’s pharmacy
CBD’s New Frontier Help for Mental Health
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by Julie Marshall
hen Kaye Her- It’s really important ing to anxiety, depression bert’s husband for people to know and stress as the top three brought home applications. their options and a free sample of cannabiHowever, as an unto keep looking for regulated supplement, CBD diol (CBD) oil, she didn’t hesitate to give it a try. what works for them. presents a challenge for Having heard about its consumers in its ubiquity ~Peter Bongiorno calming effects, she gave from CBD-infused pillows CBD to her three sons, to gummies, soaps and whose attention deficit hyperactivity diseven pet food. Discerning purity, dosage order made home-schooling difficult due and safety are real concerns for those that to frequent tantrums and lack of focus. “I may grab any bottle off the shelf. didn’t expect CBD to be miraculous, but Consumers must become well inI was surprised that my kids’ frustrations formed, especially when replacing medicawere greatly reduced,” says the Austin, tions for serious disorders, experts say. But Texas, mom. “We weren’t seeing the sefor anxiety and emotional well-being, CBD verity of meltdowns.” is largely heralded as a safe and natural The use of CBD in tinctures, capchoice by providers well-versed in CBD, sules and lotions has grown exponensuch as Peter Bongiorno, past president of tially, along with the science to prove its the New York Association of Naturopathic efficacy in remediating physical pain. Physicians. “It’s really important for people Newer, but equally as robust, is the vito know their options and to keep looking ability of CBD as a remedy for mental for what works for them,” he says. health-related issues, experts say, point28
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CBD, a compound extracted from the hemp plant, is appealing because it can raise the level of cannabinoids—feel-good molecules naturally created within the human body. “When we can’t sleep or are stressed out, cannabinoid levels go way down,” Bongiorno says. While prescription drugs overwhelm the body with adverse side effects, CBD can healthfully bring back balance. But CBD won’t trigger an altered state because there is little to no tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive chemical in marijuana that produces a high, he says, adding that he starts patients at a low daily dose of 25 milligrams. It’s important to talk with a physician about drug interactions, Bongiorno says. For instance, CBD can increase levels of blood-thinning medications, according to a 2017 study published in Epilepsy & Behavior Case Reports. CBD can possibly treat a wide range of conditions, from fear of public speaking to bipolar and post-traumatic stress disorders, but more research is needed, experts say. A 2018 clinical trial published in JAMA Psychiatry suggests CBD offers potential in treating psychosis. More recently, researchers in a 2019 case study of 27 patients published by the Permanente Journal concluded, “Cannabidiol may hold benefit for anxiety-related disorders.”
Seeds of Hope
The most important step consumers can take to find a safe, quality product is to know where their CBD comes from, experts say. Lara Miller is an organic farmer in Lafayette, Colorado, who in 2017 dedicated a parcel of her two-acre farm to growing hemp for her business, North Field Farmacy. “I added in hemp because it is a dynamic plant that produces fiber, seed and medicine for us humans, all at the same time,” she says. Miller’s small, women-owned business grows the leafy plants outdoors in organic soil and harvests by hand. “We test in the field, post-harvest, during extraction
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The Feel-Good Molecule
healing ways
