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*Editor’s Note: Elephant is not your doctor or hospital. Our lawyers would say “this web site is not designed to, and should not be construed to provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, or treatment to you or any other individual, and is not intended as a substitute for medical or professional care and treatment. Always consult a health professional before trying out new home therapies or changing your diet.” But we can’t afford lawyers, and you knew all that. ~ Ed.

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I think the world of holistic medicine can be a little scary at first.

I was lucky, my mom introduced me to holistic options as a child—tricks she learned from her mom. Now I see a wider group of people drawn to holistic solutions and feel a sense of satisfaction. There are a lot more open-minded people out there.

With more holistic products readily available, botanicals like CBD are creating a buzz in the wellness industry.

CBD stands for “cannabidiol,” a chemical found in marijuana and hemp. The difference between marijuana and hemp is that while both contain CBD, hemp doesn’t contain delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the stuff that gets you high. As well, hemp plants contain a much higher concentration of CBD, so it’s ideal to use either THC-free CBD (broad spectrum), or with 0.30 percent THC (full spectrum).

If you aren’t sure how to use it, here are five ways to add CBD to your wellness routine:

1. Improve Sleep
Sleep and anxiety were the two things that led me to discover the benefits of botanicals as an adult. Wellness can’t be achieved when you can’t get a decent night’s sleep. Studies show that taking a maximum dose of 160 milligrams of CBD (for more severe cases) can help improve sleep duration. If you find you’re waking too soon, or too frequently, CBD oil can help you experience a sounder sleep. This could be because CBD helps decrease cortisol levels, which when raised make it hard to rest, so it creates a pleasant sedative effect.

Sleep is important, as without proper sleep, you can experience all kinds of issues such as: becoming forgetful, weight gain, difficulty reasoning or making decisions, and increased risk for conditions like cancer or heart disease. You’ll even start to see more obvious signs of aging. All of these potential issues will interfere with your overall well-being and health.

2. Reduce Pain
Living with pain can keep you from not only enjoying life, but also remaining active to stay fit. Remaining mobile, and participating in activities you enjoy improves your quality of life. While exercising can be a pain, there are so many ways to remain active whilst doing things that make you happy—dance, walk, swim, bounce—whatever motivates you! It keeps your muscles and bones strong while improving respiratory and cardiovascular health. In other words, activity is just good all around.

But if you can’t stay active due to pain, you, unfortunately, put yourself at risk for all kinds of health issues from weight gain, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer. You’re probably seeing a pattern here, with both poor sleep and reduced activity contributing to the same major health issues. So, if you suffer from pain, there are all kinds of research showing how CBD could provide a pain relief option. From neuropathy to arthritis, and from spasm-related pain for MS patients, to chronic pain, CBD oil can reduce pain, making it easier to stay active and improve wellness.

3. Manage Anxiety
I get anxious. I wish I didn’t, but I live with it, and thanks to CBD, I’m managing it. Anxiety can take over your life, interfering with your studies, your career, and your social life. Research has shown that CBD could provide treatment for several types of anxiety disorders, like social generalized anxiety, panic disorders, OCD, and PTSD. The findings point to CBD interacting with receptors in the brain we use to manage anxiety and related behaviors.

As well, a study in New Zealand found medical CBD prescriptions for mental health symptoms saw improved overall quality of life, after three weeks. This is all good news for anxiety sufferers who find it difficult to embrace life and meet its challenges.

4. Reduce Stress
As with anxiety, stress can be calmed using CBD. It’s all related to the interaction with key receptors found in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Since these things are related to serotonin signals, it could be that since low serotonin can lead to depression and anxiety, in some cases, symptoms common to many stress-related anxieties and depression, can be treated with CBD.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), CBD reduces stress in animals, including symptoms of anxiety, and increased heart rate.

5. Reduce Inflammation
Similar to the above, regarding pain, it’s believed CBD affects activity in the endocannabinoid receptors, making it a promising treatment for inflammation as well.

If you suffer from any of these issues, you can add CBD to your wellness routine. Here’s hoping it is as effective for you as it was for me!