What is Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome?

Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) is a clinical disorder that causes individuals who consume cannabis at a chronic level to have symptoms like nausea and vomiting. Because more and more people are trying cannabis for the first time, doctors are starting to see this syndrome more and realizing how difficult it is to treat.

Symptoms of Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome?

• Severe abdominal pain
• Bloating
• Nausea
• Excessive vomiting
• Profuse sweating
• Weight loss
• Diarrhea
• Dehydration

How do You Get Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome?

Scientists believe that CHS comes from your body being too sensitive to the cannabinoids. There are enzymes in your body named the cytochrome P450 enzyme that metabolizes cannabinoids. Studies have shown that some people can have a genetic polymorphism in the enzyme, which is what scientists believe may cause the symptoms of CHS.

The Phases of Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome

There are three phases of CHS you may experience: prodromal, hyperemetic and recovery.

Prodromal Phase

• Abdominal discomfort
• Early morning nausea
• Fear of vomiting

The prodromal phase can last for several years, and some people can still maintain normal eating patterns while still using cannabis because of how well known it is for having anti-nausea properties.

Hyperemetic Phase

• Mild abdominal pain
• Dehydration
• Weight loss
• Nausea and vomiting

In the hyperemetic phase, individuals can experience vomiting without warning several times an hour. This phase usually only lasts up to 48 hours.

Recovery Phase

• Weight gain
• Normal eating habits
• Normal bathing habits

The recovery phase is what happens when the person who is susceptible to CHS stops consuming cannabis. This stage can last a couple of days, weeks, or months.

How to Get Relief from Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome

If you are vomiting or feeling nauseous after consuming cannabis, it is likely that your body isn’t accepting the medication. While researchers have yet to find a definitive treatment for CHS, there has been evidence that you can help relieve the symptoms. One way studies have shown to help alleviate the nausea is taking a hot shower or a hot bath. Another thing that gave patients dramatic relief was using capsaicin topicals, which is the active component in chili peppers.

Does CBD Hemp Oil Cause Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome?

Most studies point to high concentrations of THC causing CHS, however, they have begun studying how the cannabinoid CBD affects the body in this type of situation. Unfortunately, CBD oil can also cause CHS. Studies have shown that in large doses, CBD oil increased the symptoms of abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting.

This just one reason it is so important for you to keep your doctor in the loop when taking medicine or to ingest anything that can make changes to your biology like cannabis. While side-effects aren’t as frequent or severe as commonly prescribed medication, you are too important not to take care when searching for good health.

Why do We Get Nauseous?

Our bodies do a lot of things that are for our own good. Our bodies have adapted to the world around us, and our bodies have things like the fight or flight response to get out of danger, fevers to kill pathogens making you sick, and nausea is a defense mechanism just like these.

If you were living in the wild and ate some raw meat, it’s likely your body would throw it up. Do you know how you get food poisoning and vomit for days? That is your body cleaning you out of the germs and bacteria that could make you sick. Vomiting and nausea are natural ways for your body to eliminate harmful toxins that you have ingested.

We have our serotonin receptors to thank for the feeling of nausea. While these receptors might be well known for making you happy, they also play a key role in nausea and vomiting. This is great when you need to get toxins out of your body; however, sometimes you can feel nauseous from things like anxiety, medication, pain, or many other reasons where the nausea isn’t necessary. In these cases, most try to find ways to get rid of their nausea, and CBD hemp oil may be able to help with that.

CBD and Nausea

Cannabidiol (CBD) has been used for centuries for many different reasons. Pain, mental health, inflammation, and other ailments have been treated by medical cannabis for millennia, and science is started to reveal how it all works.

Since we know that the serotonin receptor is responsible for nausea, scientists studied whether or not CBD would be able to influence the production. In a rodent model study, they found that the CBD hemp oil inhibited the serotonin production that caused nausea. However, rodent models aren’t were the studies end.

In human studies where the participants had cancer and had symptoms of nausea and vomiting, they were given both THC and CBD for their ailments. The study found that both THC and CBD were able to inhibit the production of serotonin in the intestine, which effectively reduced the vomiting and nausea in the patients.

How do You Take CBD for Nausea?

How much CBD do you need to help with nausea and vomiting? How do you have to take CBD for nausea? These are common questions when it comes to how to take CBD oil for anything, and the way CBD works is by being dose-dependent. This means that if you take too much or too little, the CBD oil won’t be as effective.

When taking CBD oil for nausea, you don’t need a whole lot. People who take CBD oil for schizophrenia may need to take upwards of 200mg a day, but for you, just a few milligrams orally may be able to do the trick.

When you are anticipating nausea or are starting to feel it, having CBD hemp oil in a tincture on hand can come in handy. Taking a few drops when your stomach starts to feel unsettling may be all you need to feel better. Everyone is different, so your dose may be different from someone else who has the exact same problem, so it is always a good idea to see what works best for you, not someone else.

When you are taking CBD oil for the first time, and especially if you are on other medications, talk to your doctor before starting. They can help you manage your progress to make sure that this is the best route for you. CBD oil can also interfere with certain medications, so be sure to let your doctor know you want to make changes to your medicinal regimen.

Some people can lose weight in a few weeks, while others can feel like they do all they can and still don’t see a change when they look to the scale or mirror. Weight loss doesn’t happen instantly which can make it difficult to keep up with if you aren’t seeing results in the average amount of time. Some weight loss hacks can help you enhance your weight loss experience that you might want to try out.

Drink Lots of Water

Water is great for you whether you need to lose weight or not. Did you know that being just 1% dehydrated can make changes in your mood? Drink up!

Drinking water does more than just make you functional, studies have shown that increasing your hydration can contribute to a more significant weight loss. Scientists believe this is because when your body is dehydrated, your mitochondria (also known as the powerhouse of the cell) starts to malfunction which can lead to:

• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Cardiovascular Disease
• Cancer
• Alzheimer’s Disease

The study also has shown that being dehydrated can decrease your brain volume, which can lead to more malfunction and disorders. The best rule of thumb is to drink every time you are thirsty. After all, that is our body telling us what it needs!

Make Active Choices

Your day is filled with decisions. What will you wear for work today? What will you have for breakfast? Are you going to take the backroads for work today or does traffic seem pretty fluid? Decision making gets overwhelming when you have to make so many, but one decision that you can turn to default is choosing active options.

When you are looking for a parking spot at the mall, park in the back and walk up to the building. During a commercial, instead of scrolling through your phone get up and do some squats. When there is an option to take the elevator or the stairs, take the stairs. Yes, even you who is on the 8^th floor of the building. The less you rest, the more calories you burn, so get active!

Eat the Right Portions

There is a phrase I learned as a kid that helped me remember how I was supposed to portion meals. Eat like a queen for breakfast, eat like a noblewoman for lunch, and eat like a peasant for dinner. While of course, this meant for breakfast I at least needed a tiara; this set a precedent for the rest of my life to have healthy diet portions.

Studies stated that this theory of eating through the kingdom is true. Eating large meals for breakfast gives you large energy intake for the day and by dinner eating smaller meals will give you smaller energy intake. In the study where they had participants practice this, they found that those who followed this style of eating had more success in weight loss.

Portion Control for Treats

You might not be ready to give up your treats cold turkey. Considering that sugar is addictive, it makes sense you might have a hard time eliminating treats with sugar in them from your diet. And this is totally fine because once you start getting healthier and start eating right, your body won't crave those foods anymore and you won’t have to work so hard to avoid them. Instead, you’ll start craving healthy food.

In the meantime, before your body has exiled unhealthy foods from its domain, try to portion out your treats. Instead of eating the whole bag of candy, just pour some into a little cup or pre-portion it into bags so you can have your candy or whatever unhealthy vice you are holding onto without devastating your weight loss plans.

Fill Up on Healthy Foods

If you are hungry, you are likely going to eat. If you are eating and you are still hungry, you are likely going to go find more food. Our bodies are built to eat to survive, and that hunger is your body telling you that it needs its fuel. The problem is that some foods that you eat aren’t filling and are a waste when it comes to nutrition. You end up eating more junk, and your body is still going without. A great way to combat this is to choose foods that are full of nutrition and filling.

Eating a lot of protein is a good way to fill up because it gives you energy, is filling, and helps you build muscle. Eating bowls of vegetables before your meals to take up space in your belly in a healthy way is also a great way to fill up on health so you don’t overeat junk.

Double your Fiber Intake

Studies have shown that adults only consume half of the amount of fiber that is suggested. Scientists believe that the fiber in our diet plays a huge role in weight loss and encourage people to start eating more things with fiber. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes are all great foods to add more fiber to your diet.

Choose Your Social Circle Carefully

An alcoholic getting clean would be advised to avoid bars and don’t hang out with their drunk friends anymore. And this is good advice! When struggling with self-control, it’s best not to put yourself in a situation to fail until you know you are strong enough to overcome temptation. This goes the same with any big changes you are trying to make in your life.

If you hang around people with no self-control, it is likely that they might not encourage you to stick to your own goals. Not because they don’t care about you, but because they don’t see the importance of it because it isn’t their reality. If you hang out with people who congratulate you on weight loss, sticking to your diet, and encourage you to make the right choices, you are much more likely to succeed.

Smart Fasting

Fasting is something that hasn’t been proven scientifically, but there is evidence that it may work. But fasting is NOT STARVING YOURSELF. This isn’t keeping food from your body for days or depriving it of nutrients; it is choosing a different way to eat at different times and lowering your calorie intake. Not completely obliterating it.

Harvard has a review stating that intermittent fasting could be a tool used in weight loss. This type of fasting cycles between brief periods of fasting and then periods of unrestricted eating. The idea is that it promotes a change in body composition through the loss of fat mass and weight and improve the markers associated with disease.

It is important to know that having a low-calorie diet for prolonged periods of time can have devastating effects on your body. If you want to lose weight, YOU HAVE TO EAT! Calorie restriction can actually hinder future weight loss because your body is confused, not knowing when it will get fuel again and going into conserve mode. It is also important to note that while studies have suggested intermittent fasting may work, the research isn’t consistent.

Carbs can be Friend or Foe

A lot of people are scared of carbs, and it is most likely because many diets tell you to be scared of them. But some recent studies have shown us that with the right diet, carbs can actually be your friend.

In the study, there were two groups of people. The first group was on a high-plant, high-carb, and low-fat diet avoiding all animal products and adding oils. There were no limits on their caloric intake or how many carbohydrates they could eat. In the other group, the control group, they continued on with their life eating what they normally eat throughout the experiment. Both groups made no changes to their exercise routines to keep the study more accurate.

At the end of the trial, they found that the BMI, body weight, fat mass, visceral fat volume, and insulin resistance was decreased significantly in the group who was on the plant-based high carb diet.

Try CBD Oil

Adding CBD oil to your day might be able to help as well. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a chemical that comes from the cannabis or hemp plant that has a wide variety of healing benefits. It doesn’t just have healing properties; it has some say in how your body burns fat as well.

You have two types of fat, white fat, and brown fat. The white fat is the fat you see in the mirror. It is what keeps your body safe from the outside world, and it is the stuff everyone wants to get rid of. Your body browns this fat and turns it into something that can be used for energy, which is what trims the fat off of you after exercising. CBD oil has shown in studies to promote the fat browning process, effectively helping you lose fat more efficiently.

Have you heard of biohacking? You probably already do a version of it without even realizing it. Biohacking in the wellness world is becoming more and more popular even though it is a fairly new practice. If you are someone who thinks with their left brain mostly and love numbers and data, this is a great way for you to make getting healthy a fun experiment.

What is Biohacking

Think of your body like a system where you have inputs and outputs. The inputs would be things like food and exercise while the outputs would be things like your mood and energy levels. With biohacking, the belief is that making constant small changes to your inputs can lead to changes in the outputs. Unlike most forms of studying science, individuals who are biohacking don’t go to their peers for review, they examine their body’s response and work from there on their own.

Many people who participate in biohacking become passionate about certain treatment options that may be lacking in a scientific study because of the success they have had in their own experiments. This term is becoming trendy, and it is pretty much used anytime someone makes a change for their body to see if they will feel better from it.

How do You Biohack?

When you first start, making tiny tweaks isn’t going to make the biggest change. If you continue an unhealthy diet and don’t exercise but try treatments that promote weight loss, it isn’t likely you’ll see results. The first thing you have to do is focus on the big changes. Once you have mastered the big steps, you can start to go in and fine tune what workouts will make the biggest difference or adding certain vegetables to your diet.

Ways to Biohack

Biohacking is something that can be done at home or in a small lab where biology-crazed individuals come together to discover what works best. If you want to do some biohacking at home, here are some ways you can try to hack your body to improve your quality of life. Most of the things that are considered biohacking are also things you would find in a “Tips on How to do This to Your Body” articles.

How to Biohack Your Sleep

Whether you get an okay amount of sleep but would like to feel more rested or you are a dreaded insomniac, there are ways you can biohack your way into a good night’s sleep. There are many variables when it comes to your sleep patterns, knowing them can help you make those tweaks so you can finally catch those z’s.

Get Sunlight

Sunlight can help regulate your circadian rhythm, which is also known as your sleep cycle. If you are having trouble falling asleep at night, try going outside and getting some sun to turn them into z’s.

Enhance Comfort

If your mattress feels like cardboard and your pillow feels like a bag of lumpy coals, sleeping is going to be difficult. When you are performing an experiment and your microscope is identical to the one you used in sixth-grade science class, it is likely your results won’t be as accurate because you don’t have the best tools available. The same goes for biohacking your sleep.

Room Temperature

What feels more comfortable to you? Sleeping in a warm room without covers, or chilling your room and snuggling into the comforter? Studies have suggested that warm temperatures can disrupt the sleep cycle, which may be why so many people prefer the room to be cold even though they are just going to bundle up. Find out what temperature works best for you to help you fall asleep and stay asleep.

CBD Oil for Sleep

You can add CBD oil as a natural addition to your sleep regimen by either taking small amounts throughout the day to help regulate your sleep cycle or taking large amounts at night to help you fall asleep. CBD oil has shown in studies to help promote the REM stage which means you get a more restful and meaningful sleep.

How to Biohack Your Weight Loss

Do you try to shed the pounds but they just seem to stick to you? No matter what, those trouble spots stay flabby and the number on the scale goes unchanging. You could make some minor tweaks that can promote your weight loss.

Consider Gut Bacteria

Studies have shown that your gut bacteria plays a huge role in your heart health, mental health, immune system, and your bone health. It affects the way that you sleep, your energy levels, and how you feel throughout the day. This also plays a role in your weight because it affects how you digest your food and produces chemicals that make you feel hungry or full. Ways you can balance your gut bacteria are by eating foods with good bacteria like yogurt and reduce your intake of sugars and processed foods.

Eat to Your Blood Type

Your blood type may also play a role in how you should form your diet. While high-quality studies may be lacking in this theory, there is evidence that eating depending on what your blood type is can have beneficial effects on your health. Some tips for blood types are:

O Blood Type: high-protein foods and eat lots of meat, vegetables, fish, and fruit but limit grains, beans, and legumes

A Blood Type: fruit, vegetables, tofu, seafood, turkey, and whole grains

B Blood Type: meat, fruit, dairy, seafood, and grains

AB Blood Type: dairy, tofu, lamb, fish, grains, fruit, and vegetables

Hormone Hack

Testosterone plays a role in weight loss and muscle building regardless of your gender. By boosting your testosterone levels, you can help promote your weight loss. Ways to elevate your testosterone naturally are exercising in the morning, having sex, and restricting alcohol use.

CBD Oil and Weight Loss

CBD oil is a natural way to help promote weight loss while you are on your biohacking adventure. You have two types of fat in your body, brown fat cells, and white fat cells. White fat cells are the fat that we see, stored energy. Brown fat cells are burned into energy. When you work out, your body browns the fat cells to be burned for energy, CBD hemp oil helps with weight loss by helping to promote this process.  

How to Biohack Your Focus and Concentration

Do you feel like you just can’t get focus? The first thing you should do is talk to a doctor about ADD or another mental health issue because they can suck the motivation and focus right out of you. But if you just need to give yourself a boost to improve your own efficiency, there are ways to have your brain running new and improved.

Make Music

Music makes the world go round. Listening to it is a fun pass time, but making it can improve your cognitive abilities. You don’t have to become the next Yo-Yo Ma or Mozart, just learning elementary school level in an instrument can help. Music encourages your brain to pay attention and helps you build the skill of awareness.

Make Lists

I have always been a list maker, and this is because my parents were biohackers before me and already figured this one out. Your brain is better at thinking about what it needs to do instead of what it has done. This can cause you to become overwhelmed with being overloaded with this information, making focus and concentration difficult. Making a list and checking things off can give you a sense of accomplishment, keep your affairs in order, and free up memory space in your brain so you can put more energy towards the task at hand and not the hundreds in the future.

Hack Your Diet

There are certain foods that you can add to your diet that may be able to help you focus and concentrate. Food can be our medicine if we do it right in some cases, so it’s important to pay attention to everything you eat because that becomes all of your outputs. Foods that you can try to add to your diet to help improve your focus are:

• Oatmeal
• Eggs
• Nuts
• Fresh fruits
• Whole grains
• Fresh greens
• Dark Chocolate

CBD Oil for Concentration and Focus

CBD oil has helped many people who suffer from ADHD and ADD and it can help those who don’t suffer from mental illness who just need a brain pick-me-up. CBD oil helps you focus by reducing overactivity in your brain that can cause it to become overwhelmed. Studies also suggest it interacts with the regions of our brain that control our focus and attention.

Include Your Doctor

When you are trying to figure out what works best for you, your body, and mind, you should include your doctor in your decisions. While you may have done research and know your body pretty well, they are professionals who dedicate their lives to the human body and probably have some good ideas to help you out. Also let them know if you are interested in including CBD oil to your biohack so they can make sure that is the best route for you to take.

Whether you have recently endured an injury that caused you to need a wheelchair, or you have been in a wheelchair you whole life, it can be difficult to keep active. After all, you have to work a lot hard to get around, isn’t that enough? It can be easy to fall into the trap of a sedentary lifestyle because of your chair, putting you at risk for disease and injury. While you may not be able to exercise in the same ways that non-disabled people can, there are plenty of ways to keep you healthy.

Why You Should Be Active

Participating in regular physical activity is great for your physical and mental well being, and you can even use it as a way to meet new people who really get you. When you are in a wheelchair, it can make it a little more difficult to do cardiovascular activities, putting you at risk for disease. Because you are constantly pushing or maneuvering your chair, you can also put a strain on certain muscles that could lead to injuries. By doing strength training exercises and finding ways to get in your cardio, you can help avoid injury from muscle strain and illness from poor heart health.

Being active doesn’t mean you have to go to the gym every day or playing in a competitive sport. For people in wheelchairs, it is suggested that you choose an activity that focuses on improving your heart health and muscle strength. You should be getting at least 150 minutes a week of aerobic activity with additional strength exercises twice or more a week. You don’t have to be doing this amount of exercise right away; it is more important right now that you just get out there and get active and love every second of it.

What Exercise Activities can You do in a Wheelchair?

When looking for a way to get active, you have to consider your limitations and what seems like something you would enjoy. If you hate exercising, keeping up the motivation to stay active is going to be challenging. Luckily there are tons of different ways to get active in a wheelchair; you’re bound to find something you like.

Cardio in a Wheelchair

The aim in cardio is to raise your heart rate enough to where you are warm enough to break a sweat and be slightly out of breath. If you haven’t exercised in a while, it is suggested to start with just ten minutes and work your way up to twenty-minute sessions. Some exercises you can try are:

• Swimming
• Rowing exercises
• Wheelchair Sports
• Wheelchair Sprinting

Muscle-Strengthening in a Wheelchair

When you are in a wheelchair, there are certain muscle groups you want to pay the most attention to. Your chest and shoulder muscles can become tight and prone to injury because of the repeated pushing motion used to get around. Your back can become weak because you aren’t using it, so these are the areas you are going to want to focus on. Exercises you can try are:

• Resistance Band Exercises
• Pull-Ups
• Arm Cycling
• Weight Lifting

Other Activities

Competitive sports are a blast to be a part of. You make friends, you get active, and you win. There’s nothing like holding a trophy over your head as your close friends circle around and shout with joy. This is something that you can be a part of, too. There are both fast-paced sports and casual games that you can play depending on how comfortable you are with your wheelchair.

Sailing

Sailing can be done by people in a wheelchair as long as the boat is adapted for it. Sailing strengthens your upper body muscles and gives you a chance to be a part of a team as you sail through the ocean. If you have limited upper body use, there are even boats that can accommodate that as well!

Motocross

Have you ever watched someone skateboard and wished you could fly up the half-pipe as they do? Well, you can! And not just for fun, you can participate in motocross competitions and show off your skills with your chair. On a professional level, you can find yourself traveling all over the world, seeing sights that people can only see from their Twitter feed.

Tennis

Tennis is fun to play and a great way to make friends. Tennis helps you learn how to maneuver your wheelchair in ways that everyday life doesn’t offer as well as strengthening your upper body. It is great cardio, as well, keeping your heart rate up as you play.

Basketball

Wheelchair basketball is so popular there are competitions on a national level. The rules are the same as regular basketball, just without the need to dribble. It is a great way to improve your upper body strength and cardiovascular health.

Rugby

Are these sports boring to you because you aren’t tackling and hitting people? Then try wheelchair rugby! This is an aggressive contact sport that will have your blood pumping and your muscles stronger than ever!

Softball

Is baseball more your game? There are at least 30 softball teams across the nation that you can be a part of to get your exercise in. Like a lot of wheelchair sports, you’ll need a specialty wheelchair to play. Which is a great excuse to decorate it with some team pride!

Racing

Track and field can be your sport if you want it to with wheelchair racing. There are races where people test their speed against one another in their chair. To get good at this, a lot of pace training is involved. But if you want to let go and see how fast you can go, this sport is perfect for you!

Water Skiing

If you are a water person, water skiing is going to be a blast for you. Building your upper body strength, you get to feel the wind burst through your hair as you use your strength to stay up. This isn’t just for paraplegics, people with quadriplegia can have fun with this, too!

Exercising at Home

Being in a wheelchair is expensive, and not everyone has the extra funds to join a team or buy special equipment. However, there are many grants and benefits you should try to take advantage of that can vary by state. But if you aren’t in the place right now where you can go out, there are ways you can get active at home. Some activities require extra equipment, but not every wheelchair accessory or exercising tool has to be thousands of dollars.

Wheelchair Accessories for Fitness Under $500

Resistance Bar

$135.99

This resistance bar hooks to the back of your chair, and you push upward strengthening your chest, shoulders, arms, and back. You can use this anywhere and is easy to attach.

Arm Pedaling Machine

You can get a small peddling machine that you can put up on the table. It is light-weight, adjustable, and easy to use. By pedaling with your arms, you can help get the cardio in that you need while also strengthening your shoulders and arms.

Exercise Pully

$15

If you have a door, you can use this exercise pully. It attacks to the top of your door, and you do pulling exercises to strengthen your back, chest, shoulders, and arms.

Exercising Bands

$12.99

These exercising bands are originally meant for regular chairs, but you can use them in your wheelchair, too. These are a great way to build muscle strength on a budget!

Low Impact Chair Exerciser

$39.99

This low impact chair exerciser is something that you sit on and lift the bands with your arms. Using different kinds of pulling exercises can help you get a good work out in more than one place.

Can CBD Help Me?

It would be nice if CBD oil could heal the paralyzed or other physical debilitating ailments, but unfortunately, there is no evidence of that. CBD may be able to help you out with other aspects of your health that could make being active more difficult.

CBD for your Mental Health

It can be easy to feel discouraged when you are a wheelchair user. It can be easy to forget all that you can still do because you are so focused on all of the things you can’t do. This type of continual negative thinking can really damage your mental health. You can find yourself depressed and even riddled with anxiety. But don’t worry, CBD may be able to help.

CBD has shown in studies that it offers anti-depressant like properties within 30 minutes of taking it in rodent models. By elevating chemicals that are usually lacking in the brain of someone depressed, CBD oil may be able to grant relief. CBD oil also elevates a chemical in your body called anandamide which also gives you an uplifted mood while also reducing your anxiety.

CBD for your Physical Health

Is muscle soreness keeping you from working out? Does your disability come with a nice bucket of chronic pain, making exercise seem impossible? CBD oil has shown in studies to have a strong effect against pain, helping to reduce your body’s sensitivity to it by elevating the endocannabinoid anandamide. CBD also helps to promote heart health, enhancing your efforts.

[author name="Sarah Potts" bio = "Sarah Potts has been writing about the wonderful benefits of cannabis for CBD Instead since 2017. Medical cannabis has changed her life and her goal is to show others how it might help them as well." email="pottscontent@gmail.com" twitter= "pottstato"]

Your physical health and physical health are intertwined. When it comes to making sure that you are healthy, taking care of your mental health is going to make sure that your body is healthy as well. One of the best ways to take care of your body and brain is by practicing mindfulness.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness has had several definitions over the decades, but they all say kind of the same thing.

• Being intentionally aware in the present moment without judgment.
• The nonjudgmental observation of the ongoing stream of internal and external stimuli as they arise.
• Paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.
• Awareness and nonjudgemental acceptance of one’s moment-to-moment experience.

Mindfulness is important because we are often doing one thing but thinking about something else which can cause us to disconnect from our experiences. Mindfulness has been used for centuries as a way to improve psychological well-being. Now that we know the ties with mental and physical health, we know that practicing mindfulness can help your body as well.

Being mindful is regulating your attention and adopting a certain perspective toward your experiences. Regulating your attention is doing things like:

• Non-elaborative observations
• Awareness of sensations
• Awareness of thoughts
• Awareness of feelings

Changing your perspective or orientation toward your experiences is changing your attitude about things like:

• Curiosity
• Openness
• Acceptance

Psychological Effects

Studies have shown that practicing mindfulness may be effective in combatting common forms of psychological distress like:

• Rumination
• Anxiety
• Worrying
• Fear
• Anger

There are several different ways you can practice mindfulness. You can make it a part of your behavior, practice it during meditation, or use it as an intervention tool. All methods of practicing mindfulness have shown to have beneficial effects.

Trait Mindfulness

One way to practice mindfulness is by changing your attitude and awareness in your everyday life and make it a part of your personality and behavior. Trait mindfulness has been associated with an improvement in:

• Life satisfaction
• Agreeableness
• Conscientiousness
• Vitality
• Self-esteem
• Empathy
• Sense of autonomy
• Competence
• Optimism

Researchers have found that there is a strong association between prefrontal cortex and right amygdala responses in those who scored high on a mindfulness test, but not in those who had a low score. This leads scientists to believe that those who are mindful may be able to regulate their emotional responses better because their prefrontal cortex can regulate the amygdala.

Meditation Mindfulness

One of the best ways to make mindfulness a part of your personality or behavior is by meditating. While doing it throughout the day is absolutely encouraged, a moment where you are going full force in a mental environment that encourages growth may be extra beneficial.

Researchers have been diving into the relationship between mindfulness meditation and psychological well-being. While comparing meditators to non-meditators, they found that the meditators had higher levels of:

• Mindfulness
• Self-compassion
• Overall sense of well-being

And significantly lower levels of:

• Psychological symptoms
• Ruminating thoughts
• Thought suppression
• Fear of emotion
• Difficulty with emotion regulation

Potential neurobiological changes were also observed in individuals who meditated. While comparing brain structures and activity in individuals practicing mindfulness meditation, they found that there was an increase in the thickness in brain regions that are involved in attention, interoception, and sensory processing. They also found that mindfulness meditation increased activation in brain areas associated with processing distracting events and emotions.

Mindfulness Interventions

Mindfulness intervention is when you take a therapeutic approach to using mindfulness to improve your quality of life. Some studies have shown that the immediate effects of mindfulness interventions can help with a dysphoric mood. The way that mindfulness interventions work is by helping you learn how to practice mindfulness of your thoughts and feelings toward negative moods which are effective with reducing ruminating thoughts. Research has also found that mindfulness interventions can help people who are struggling with substance abuse. Brief mindfulness interventions have shown to reduce substance-related urges as well as substance use behavior.

Mindfulness and Physical Health

You know how mindfulness can improve your mental health, but it doesn’t stop there. The physical benefits of mindfulness are thought to be due to the neurological changes that this way of thinking causes, proving once again how intertwined our mental and physical health are.

Mindfulness and Immune Functions

Mindfulness meditation has shown in studies to be beneficial to your immune system, even in patients who were diagnosed with HIV. Research shows that mindfulness meditation influences biomarkers in immune activity. However, mindfulness meditation does not have exaggerated effects on your immune system, being more of a tool to maintain your health than a treatment.

Mindfulness and Inflammation

Mindfulness meditation may affect our DNA, changing the way inflammatory genes behave.  Scientists believe that the stress-reducing properties of mindfulness meditation can help reduce the damage stress causes helping to prevent things like dementia or arthritis.

Mindfulness and Pain Sensitivity

Brain changes caused by mindfulness can also help reduce your sensitivity to pain. Studies show that people who are more mindful in their everyday life report less pain. They also found that mindfulness helps you control the way you react to discomfort or pain emotionally.

Mindfulness and Heart Disease

Stress is one thing that we all deal with every day that can lead to heart disease if it isn’t managed. By being mindful, you can reduce your stress levels helping to protect your heart. Mindfulness may also be able to help with irregular heartbeats and high blood pressure.

Mindfulness and Melatonin and Serotonin Production

Serotonin does more than keep you from being depressed. It is also involved in your digestion, appetite, and sleep. Melatonin is a powerful antioxidant helping to preserve and protect your cells. Studies have shown that mindfulness can help boost both melatonin and serotonin production in your body.

How to Start Being Mindful

Being mindful not only makes your outlook on life more bright, but it also makes you healthier, too. There are ways that you can do it on your own at home, and there are ways that you can get professional help to have support through this transition.

Ways to be Mindful Everyday

• Take time to stretch and enjoy the feeling.
• Eat slowly, enjoy the texture and taste.
• Listen to music without multitasking.
• Enjoy the outdoors, listening to the sounds, feeling the sun on your skin and taking in the smells.
• Challenge the way that you think, try to think more positive about people and situations.
• Reflect on the good things you’ve done during the day.
• Be aware during chores, feel the laundry or smell the dinner you are cooking.
• Have a time set aside where you do absolutely nothing but be aware of your surroundings and thoughts.
• Be aware of urges, and understand that you don’t have to fight or give in to it, just observe it.
• Keep a journal and write down events, emotions, and thoughts that have affected you throughout the day and reflect.
• Focus on your breathing for a few breathes and dive into reality for a moment.
• Focus on your posture.
• Be aware of changes in temperature, smells, and what you see when you go from one place to the other.

Being Taught Mindfulness

Being mindful seems pretty easy, but it isn’t for everyone. If you have anxiety, depression, or experience chronic pain, being mindful can help but may be the last thing on your mind. This is why there are professionals who can help guide you toward a healthier way of thinking.

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is when a doctor combines cognitive behavioral and mindfulness strategies into a therapy that helps individuals learn how to have a more stable and positive frame of mind. In practice and studies, they have found that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy has been able to help with the following:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Emotional Regulation
• Fibromyalgia
• Bipolar
• Eating Disorders
• Psychosis

As well as poor quality of life caused by:

• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Chronic Pain
• Epilepsy

Can CBD Oil Help?

One of the biggest things about being mindful is that you have to have the ability to control your thoughts. While mindfulness helps to reduce rumination and strengthen connection in your brain to give you more control, it can be overwhelming when you first start. If you have a roadblock like anxiety that is keeping you from practicing mindfulness and making you work ten times harder, CBD oil may be able to help.

CBD for Mindfulness

CBD is becoming notorious for its ability to reduce anxiety. Like mindfulness, CBD oil has shown to help reduce ruminating thoughts. The reason that you may not be able to kick negative thoughts out is because of a neurotransmitter called GABA. These neurotransmitters are what your brain uses to control your thoughts, but if they are compromised like with people who have anxiety disorders, it makes it harder for your brain to regulate what you are thinking. Studies have shown that CBD oil may be able to help with this issue by strengthening the bond of GABA receptors, effectively helping you gain more control over your mind.

If you are trying to get healthy, being mindful is a great place to start. If you think you can’t do it because your brain is all over the place, try using CBD until your brain is strong enough to take over. If you are already on any medication, be sure to let your doctor know before taking CBD oil.

[author name="Sarah Potts" bio = "Sarah Potts has been writing about the wonderful benefits of cannabis for CBD Instead since 2017. Medical cannabis has changed her life and her goal is to show others how it might help them as well." email="pottscontent@gmail.com" twitter= "pottstato"]

Focus and concentration come to some easily while others have to work for it. Of course, there are pills you can take to help, but not everyone wants to go that route before they try other options. Check out these natural ways to improve focus to try before you move on to more extreme measures.

Antioxidants

Your brain needs antioxidants to stay healthy and functional. Antioxidants help to prevent certain types of damage to cells. By adding foods to your diet that are rich in antioxidants, you can help improve your focus and concentration.

Foods for Focus

• Blueberries
• Eggs
• Tomatoes
• Oily Fish
• Walnuts
• Green Tea

Exercise

Exercise isn’t just good for your body, but it is good for your brain as well. Studies have shown that regular exercising can help improve your thinking skills, including your ability to focus. One way exercise does this is by helping with ailments that cause cognitive dysfunction like stress and anxiety. Scientists have also found that those who exercise frequently have a larger prefrontal cortex and medial temporal cortex which control thinking and memory.

Get Good Sleep

If your body is tired, your brain is tired, too. Your brain can’t think as well if it hasn’t recovered from full days worth of work. When you are sleeping, your brain is cleaning itself from toxins that could be damaging to your cells. Sleep fuels your creativity, reactivates memories, and helps improve your focus and concentration. If you aren’t getting enough sleep, focus is going to be very difficult for you.

Meditation

Meditation has proven in studies to be beneficial to both your body and mind. From easing arthritis to anxiety, meditation has been used for centuries to help people stay healthy. If you are having problems with focus, meditation will be able to help by changing the way your brain works. A study found that individuals who meditate have more stability in the part of their brain that controls thought wandering and spontaneous thoughts.

Take CBD Oil

Taking CBD oil is also another natural way you can help boost your focus. CBD oil is a potent antioxidant helping to protect and preserve your brain cells. If your focus issues come from anxiety, CBD oil may be able to help with that as well. Studies have shown that CBD oil can reduce the symptoms of anxiety by reducing the overactivity in the brain that causes the symptoms.

[author name="Sarah Potts" bio = "Sarah Potts has been writing about the wonderful benefits of cannabis for CBD Instead since 2017. Medical cannabis has changed her life and her goal is to show others how it might help them as well." email="pottscontent@gmail.com" twitter= "pottstato"]

When you are in pain, having bad anxiety, or feeling plain gross, taking a bath or a shower can usually help give you some relief. But when you are having one of your worse days, you might want to try this at home hydrotherapy that works best. So when it comes to finding relief, which is better? A bath or a shower?

Study on Immersion Bathing

Taking a hot or cold shower has shown to be very beneficial to your health from relieving tension in your muscles to boosting your immune system. But when it comes down to it, which is better? A bath or a shower? Scientists wondered the same thing and took two groups of people having one take showers and the other take baths. They were asked to grade aspects of their physical and mental health through a period of two weeks, and the results pointed toward soaking in the tub.

There are a couple of things that happen in a bath that make it superior to taking a shower:

• Buoyancy
• The thickness of the water
• Change in body temperature
• Pressure from the water

The most important thing that scientists found in taking baths was the rise in body temperature, also known as hypothermic action. With this increase in body temperature, heat-sensitive neurons get excited while the cold-sensitive neurons are inhibited which causes the inhibition of sympathetic nerves. This leads to your blood vessels relaxing to help increase your blood flow. Taking a warm bath can show an improvement in the following:

• Sleep
• Stress
• Happiness
• Metabolism
• Immune Function
• Energy
• Skin Condition
• Muscle Tension
• Pain
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Anger

Though the sample size was small, this study has led researchers to believe that submersing yourself in warm water can improve your health. However, this type of at-home hydrotherapy isn’t for everyone. In the study, the scientists note that seniors, especially those with cardiovascular disease, may find that taking baths isn’t as beneficial because of the pressure the water causes.

If you want to get the most out of your bath, you can go a step further in adding bath salts that have essential oils and CBD hemp oil.

Take a Bath with CBD!

Both essential oils and CBD hemp oil have shown in studies to be beneficial to your health, which is why we suggest using this CBD Bath Soak. If you notice any of the following symptoms, a CBD bath might be what you need to get back to your 110%.

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Muscle Spasms
• Joint Pain
• Sciatica Pain
• Gout
• Eczema
• Psoriasis
• Skin Rashes
• Dry or Oily Skin
• Wrinkles or Damaged Skin
• Menstrual Pain
• Need an Excuse to Relax!

[author name="Sarah Potts" bio = "Sarah Potts has been writing about the wonderful benefits of cannabis for CBD Instead since 2017. Medical cannabis has changed her life and her goal is to show others how it might help them as well." email="pottscontent@gmail.com" twitter= "pottstato"]

What you eat plays a huge role in your health. You have probably heard this so many times; you may have forgotten what this really means. The only way your body receives the nutrients it needs to function is by what you ingest. Scientists are starting to discover that your gut health may be the key to many different illnesses and disorders as well as maintaining a healthy body and mind.

The Importance of Gut Health

In your gut, you have hundreds of different bacteria with millions of different genes that are paired with other tiny organisms to make up what is called the microbiota. Everyone’s microbiota is different and unique determined by your environment, foods you eat, and your mother’s microbiota. This bacteria has one of the biggest impacts on your health affecting everything in your body from your mood to your heart health.

Gut Health and Mood

There is a communication pathway that travels between the central nervous system and the gut microbiota called the gut-brain-axis. There is evidence that gut microbiota is associated with gastrointestinal and extra-gastrointestinal diseases. While this may still seem like still just a tummy problem, inflammation of the gut has been linked to causing several mental illnesses including anxiety and depression, which are both unfortunately too common in our society today. Scientists believe that by regulating the gut bacteria through probiotics, you may have the ability to restore balance and treat anxiety and depression.

Gut Health and the Immune System

The gut microbiota in the gastrointestinal tract also helps regulate immune homeostasis. When the gut bacteria is altered, it can cause immune dysregulation. Studies suggest that the gut microbiota helps to regulate more than just the intestinal immunity, but systematic immunity as well. Scientists believe this is why gut health can contribute to autoimmune diseases like Chrons and fibromyalgia.

Gut Health and Bones

Believe it or not, studies are beginning to emerge that are showing a link between gut health and your bones. Scientists have found that there are several prebiotics that when reaching the lower intestine result in altered gut microbiome. This is thought to enhance fermentation of the fibers that produce short-chain fatty acid. Research has shown that these changes are positively correlated with an increase in fractional calcium absorption in adolescent participants and an increase in bone density and strength in animal models.

Gut Health and Your Heart

Like mentioned before, short-chain fatty acids also seem to play a role in regulating your blood pressure. Rodent models have suggested that these fats are involved in blood vessel constriction and dilation. Scientists believe that the toxins released from microbes may influence kidney function as well, which is another key component in blood pressure regulation.

How Can You Tell if Your Gut is Unhealthy?

One of the first things you can do is look at your diet. What are you eating? Do you eat junk good all day? Your gut isn’t happy with you. If you feel that you maintain a pretty okay diet, there are some other red flags to look out for that is your body telling you that something needs to change.

• Irregular bathroom schedule
• Upset stomach
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Craving sweets
• Weight fluctuations
• Poor sleep
• Mood problems
• Skin problems
• Autoimmunity

How to Have a Healthy Gut

Healthy Diet

Can I say this one enough? Eating garbage is going to make you feel like garbage. That burger may be really good at the time, but if your health is your concern, it might not be worth it. Eating a diverse range of foods is important so you can get a diverse range of microbes to help regulate your system. Foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains should be a part of your diet every day.

Probiotics

You can find probiotics anywhere! You can get them in a pill or find it in yummy foods! Try adding these foods to your diet in addition to the wide range of other foods:

• Sauerkraut
• Yogurt
• Pickled cucumbers
• Sourdough
• Chocolate
• Cheese

Reduce sugar and process foods

It’s not impossible to cut out processed foods and sugars, but it is really hard. If you don’t think you can quit cold turkey, just reduce the amount you are eating right now. Considering that craving sweets are a sign of an unhealthy gut, your body wants to work against you on this one. But you have to try your best because these foods are just going to make your gut hate you.

Lower stress

Stress causes all sorts of problems. It is unfortunate that is such a big part of all of our lives. So how do some of us do it? How do we go through this stress ball of a world and come out barely scathed? Stress management, of course! Doing yoga, exercising, eating healthy, having a healthy sleep schedule, and reforming the way you think can all help you reduce your stress levels which will, in turn, make your gut very happy.

Take CBD

Studies have shown that there is a strong link between your gut and your endocannabinoid system. Considering that CBD oil interacts with this system, researchers have started to figure out what that means for our gut health. They haven’t figured it all out quite yet, but they have some exciting information about how CBD oil may be able to help you with your gut health.

What Is CBD?

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a chemical that comes from the cannabis plant. Unlike THC, this cannabinoid doesn’t cause intoxicating effects while offering a wide range of health benefits. The reason that CBD hemp oil is effective in so many different ways is that it interacts with our endocannabinoid system which is in charge of our entire body’s homeostasis.

The Endocannabinoid System

You have a system in your body that makes sure that all of the other systems are running smoothly like a supervisor in a factory called the endocannabinoid system. It oversees things like your heart rate, body temperature, and thought process. Without this system, your body wouldn’t have any mediation, causing complete chaos. The way that the endocannabinoid system helps to regulate your body is by using endocannabinoids which bind to and stimulate cannabinoid receptors.

Endocannabinoids and Cannabinoid Receptors

Do you remember that I Love Lucy episode where the assembly line gets out of control, and she ends up stuffing her face and pockets with chocolate? That is what your brain could turn into if your endocannabinoids aren’t working properly. Your brain is made up of billions of neurons that are sending electrical charges all over your brain sending messages. Most of these messages travel through the synapse from the presynaptic neuron to the postsynaptic neuron. Without endocannabinoids, these messages have the ability to overload the postsynaptic neurons, causing things like pain, anxiety, and other neurological issues.

Endocannabinoids travel backward in comparison to the neurotransmitters that are shooting through the synapse. Their purpose is to bind to cannabinoid receptors on the presynaptic cell and give it a message from the receiving cell. If the cell sending messages is being too overbearing causing you to stuff thoughts and emotions in any nook and cranny you can find, the endocannabinoids will tell the cell to stop sending out so many signals. If the cell isn’t sending enough signals, the endocannabinoid will tell the cell to pick it up with production.

The two main cannabinoid receptors that we know of today are the CB1 and CB2 receptors. The endocannabinoids that stimulate these receptors are anandamide and 2-AG. Both endocannabinoids bind to both cannabinoid receptors. However, they mainly bind with a specific one. Anandamide mainly binds with the CB1 receptor which helps mediate the neurological system which deals with pain, your mood, sleep cycle, and appetite. The endocannabinoid 2-AG binds mainly with the CB2 receptor which helps to regulate your immune system.

How Does CBD Help with Gut Health?

Endocannabinoids in the Gut

For centuries, cannabis has been used medicinally for a variety of disorders including ones associated with the gastrointestinal tract. Before scientists even discovered the CB1 receptor in a rodent brain, scientists had evidence that cannabinoids were important regulators in the gastrointestinal tract. Recent findings have suggested that the endocannabinoid system plays a key role in regulating gastrointestinal function and possibly it’s dysfunction, as well.

Stress and the Gut

Studies have shown that psychological stress makes changes in the gut microbiota which leads to intestinal permeability. Increased intestinal permeability leads to significant damage to the immune system, which has been demonstrated in diseases like inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, asthma, and psychiatric disorders like anxiety, autism, and depression. Studies have shown that CBD oil may be able to help protect against intestinal permeability effectively regulating the microbiota.

CBD and Gut Recovery

When your gut is unhappy, your body is unhappy. This can cause inflammation in either your gastrointestinal tract or other places in or on your body. While regulating your gut health, taking CBD oil can help reduce the inflammation helping to prevent any further damage that comes along with inflammation. CBD oil also reduces pain and nausea, helping to further relief discomfort as you change your lifestyle to match what your body needs.

[author name="Sarah Potts" bio = "Sarah Potts has been writing about the wonderful benefits of cannabis for CBD Instead since 2017. Medical cannabis has changed her life and her goal is to show others how it might help them as well." email="pottscontent@gmail.com" twitter= "pottstato"]

Life is stressful; there is no doubt about that. Everyone goes through things that could make day to day life easier, but why is it that some are better at handling it than others? The answer is that people who can handle stress are those who take care of themselves and find healthy coping mechanisms. Here are six simple ways to reduce stress to make life less overwhelming.

1. Meditation

Meditation is an ancient practice that has shown in studies to be beneficial to your physical and mental health. One of the ways meditation helps is by making changes in the brain. When you are overstressed, your amygdala can become overactive causing you to feel stress or anxiety more often. Studies show that meditation changes the activity of the amygdala during and after meditation.

2. Exercise

It may come as no surprise that many ways to manage stress are also ways to stay physically healthy. Mental and physical health go hand in hand. Exercising releases chemicals that reduce stress, one of them being anandamide which is an endocannabinoid that CBD oil also elevates.

3. Reduce Caffeine Intake

You may think that you can’ t live without a coffee in the morning, but drinking a lot of caffeine has shown in studies to be related to anxiety and possibly even depression. This means that a high dose of caffeine can make your stress worse. Try cutting caffeine out of your daily routine. You can try using CBD oil to get a natural boost of energy instead.

4. Chew Gum

Make sure to do this one as needed because you don’t need to develop any cavities. Studies have shown that chewing gum helped reduce stress levels as well as reducing fatigue and improving the perception of work performance. Feeling energized and accomplished are additional ways to reduce your stress levels that can go a long way if you let them!

5. Take Control When You can and Accept when You Can’t

You can’t control everything. If you are sitting in the middle of gridlock traffic, that is something you cannot control. It isn’t easy to accept being out of control, but it is a part of life everyone needs to deal with. Some just do it better than others.

If there are things you can control, like always being late to work, take control. Start leaving early or getting your clothes ready the night before. Go out of your way to make your life easier so there is one less thing to worry about.

6. Try CBD Oil

Taking CBD in small amounts on a daily basis may also help with your stress levels. CBD has shown in studies to help regulate the activity in your brain, making the feelings of anxiety and stress less severe, so it is easier to control. Be sure to talk to your doctor before taking CBD oil for stress so they can help you determine if it will interact with any medication or can help you monitor your progress.

[author name="Sarah Potts" bio = "Sarah Potts has been writing about the wonderful benefits of cannabis for CBD Instead since 2017. Medical cannabis has changed her life and her goal is to show others how it might help them as well." email="pottscontent@gmail.com" twitter= "pottstato"]

When it comes to your sex life, are you performing at maximum capacity? Keeping in good shape is one of the best ways to make you perform your best, but did you know that your diet also plays a role in your sexual health? If you want to improve your sex life, try adding these foods to your diet.

Strawberries

Strawberries have zinc in their seeds. Unlike other fruits, strawberries are a fruit where you can safely eat the seeds. In women, having high levels of zinc can help their body prepare for intercourse. For men, strawberries can help with sexual health by helping to control testosterone levels. Strawberries are a great fruit snack to keep handy if you are particularly sexually active because a man can completely deplete their zinc levels after having sex three times within the span of 24 hours.

Avocados

Avocados are for the more health conscious sexually active people who don’t keep whipped cream and chocolate on hand. Avocados are rich in omega-3 which is a great mood booster which can help you get ready to do the deed. Avocados are also a great source of B^ which keep your energy and sex drive up for longer, keeping you in the ring for longer.

Almonds

Almonds are a great food for women to eat to help with their sex life. Almonds are packed full of vitamins and minerals that can help with:

• Fertility
• Endurance
• Sensitivity
• Production of sex hormones
• Increases dopamine

Men who eat almonds can also benefit in their sex lives. Eating almonds can help men with:

• Strength
• Endurance
• Weight loss
• Testosterone growth

Sweet Potatoes

Good thing Thanksgiving is right around the corner, right? Sweet potatoes are great for heart health, which can help many men who struggle with erectile dysfunction. Eating sweet potatoes may also be able to help with fertility for men. Sweet potatoes are also a great way for women to keep their vagina and uterus in great health!

Sesame Seeds

Sesame seeds are a potent antioxidant which has shown to be great for sexual health. Studies have also shown that sesame seeds may be able to help women with their sexual health by helping to raise their sexual hormones.

Watermelon

If you are a man who suffers from erectile dysfunction, start eating watermelons. Watermelon can help relax blood vessels helping to improve blood flow. The amino acid citrulline found in watermelon has shown in studies to increase the hardness score of male participants.

Talk To Your Doctor

If you are just trying to spice your love life up a bit, adding these foods into your diet can help. If you have medical challenges, this diet is only a piece to the puzzle. If you are experiencing sexual dysfunction, talk to your doctor about treatment methods in addition to changing your diet.

If you or a loved one have a disability, have you thought about getting a service dog? There are many different types, and they could make your life so much easier. But before you commit to a new member of the family, you should learn more about service dogs and what they can do for you.

What Is A Service Dog?

A service dog is a dog that is trained to help someone who is disabled. By either performing tasks for them or benefitting the disabled individual in some way. The work that the service dog does has to be directly related to the individual and their disability. Service dogs do things like:

• Pulling a wheelchair
• Alerting someone when an allergen is present
• Assisting someone with visual impairments to navigate
• Helping someone hard of hearing be aware of sounds

Is A Service Dog An Emotional Support Or Therapy Dog?

You might notice a dog walking around in a hospital, but not every dog in public with a vest is a service dog. Emotional support and therapy dogs aren’t trained in the same way and don’t have the same rights. Emotional support dogs do need a letter from a licensed therapist to qualify and need to have a good temperament; the qualifications are less strict. Therapy dogs are used for high-stress environments like courtrooms or hospitals, and they generally do not serve just one person and have the same rights in places as a regular pet.

Different Types Of Service Dogs

Severe Allergy Alert Dogs (AADs)

Severe Allergy Alert Dogs are for individuals who have life-threatening allergies. These service dogs alert their handler to any allergens that may be nearby like tree nuts, shellfish, or gluten. They usually wear a vest with emergency information for the handler with medical information and medication. To help the dog work more efficiently, it is best that their vest has a patch that says, “In the event of emergency check the pockets.”

Autism Assistance Dogs

Autism Assistance Dogs fall into the same category as Sensory Processing Disorder Dogs. These service dogs help to calm and ground the handler who is on the spectrum with deep pressure or tactile stimulation. These dogs don’t have any specific gear, but if the individual on the spectrum is nonverbal, they should carry emergency contact information and protocol in their vest.

Brace/Mobility Support Dogs (BMSD)

Brace/Mobility Support Dogs are for individuals who have balance issues because of a disability and help by counter-balancing. They can also retrieve things, open and close doors, or do other day-to-day tasks in everyday life or an emergency. These dogs need to be at least 23 inches tall and 55 pounds and be proportionally larger if the handler with the disability is a larger person. These service dogs wear specially designed and fitted harnesses, but they don’t always have to have a brace to be a Brace/Mobility Support Dog.

Diabetic Alert Dogs (DADs)

Diabetic Alert Dogs can help people with diabetes know when they have potentially deadly high or low blood sugar. These dogs are even trained to call 911 on a special alert phone if their handler is unresponsive. These dogs wear emergency protocol vests in case they are the first ones in contact with the emergency response.

Hearing Dogs

Hearing Dogs are for helping people who are deaf or severely hard of hearing. These service dogs are trained to recognize environmental sounds like doorbells, alarms, phones, and cars. Many state laws require that hearing dogs wear an orange vest which is reserved specifically for them.

Medical Alert Dogs (MADs)

Medical Alert Dogs help people with verifiable and measurable bodily symptoms. They can alert the handler their blood pressure, hormone levels, or other symptoms are reaching dangerous levels. They do this by sensing odor changes associated with these bodily changes. These dogs are useful for people who have disabilities like type 1 diabetes or Addison’s disease.

Psychiatric Service Dog (PSDs)

Psychiatric Service Dogs are not emotional support or therapy dogs. The difference is the rigorous training and public access. These dogs help assist their handler with anxiety, PTSD, depression, or other psychiatric disabilities. These dogs are trained to create personal space for the individual, wake up someone having nightmares, or get medication when the person can’t.

Seizure Response Dogs

Seizure Response Dogs can detect a seizure before it happens. They are also trained to deal with the during and after aspects of seizures. They can retrieve medication, do deep pressure stimulation to help the seizure end early, find help, or call 911.

Visual Assistance Dogs

Visual Assistance Dogs are for visually impaired or blind individuals. They are trained to disobey unsafe cues like when someone wants to walk into the street when there is an oncoming car. These dogs can learn routines and where to go over time, but it is still important for the disabled handler to know where they are at all times.

Wheelchair Assistance Dogs

Wheelchair Assistance Dogs can help pull a wheelchair, pick up dropped objects, open doors, or anything else the handler in the chair may need. Many dogs are equipped with a special vest that makes it easier to pull the wheelchair or open the door.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Service Dogs

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Service Dogs help support children who were exposed to alcohol in the womb and have been diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Children with this disorder may have physical and mental limits that the service dog can help with. These dogs can help with deterring negative behavior from the child, offering comfort during meltdowns, or even track your child who has run off.

Where Can Service Dogs Go?

If you get a service dog, will you be allowed access to public spaces? Will you come across and public complications with your service dog? Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, service dogs are required to be allowed in places where the general public is allowed to go. A dog would be allowed in a patient’s room in a hospital, but it would be inappropriate to let them in a sterile environment like an operating room.

Requirements For Service Dogs

If you want to get a service dog, they are required to be harness, leashed, or tethered. The only exception to this rule is if the device interferes with the animal’s work or if the handler is unable to use the device because of their disability. If you cannot control the devices, control over the animal must still be maintained through signals, voice, or other controls.

What Happens If It Isn’t Obvious That The Dog Is A Service Dog?

It isn’t always obvious what job the service dog provides. People who are hard of hearing may have silent cues, having a dog act without other’s knowing why the dog is behaving that way. In a public setting, the staff may ask the following questions:

• Is the dog a service animal for a disability
• What work has the dog been trained to do

They aren’t allowed to ask you about your disability, they don’t need medical documents, training documents for the dog, or special ID for the dog, or ask for the dog to demonstrate their abilities.

What If You Are Turned Down Because Of Allergies Or Fear For Dogs?

Allergies and being afraid of dogs aren’t a legal or valid reason to refuse access to a service dog. They can, however, request you try to make accommodations. These accommodations shouldn’t be anything that would make the handler uncomfortable; it should be things like assigning them to a different location if someone in the classroom is allergic to dog dander.

When Can Someone Ask You To Remove Your Service Animal?

The only time anyone can ask you to leave with your service dog or to ask you to have your service dog removed is for the following reasons:

• The service dog has gotten out of control and the handler can’t or won't handle it effectively
• The dog is not housebroken

If these criteria are met, the staff is supposed to allow the handler to obtain goods or services without the service dog present.

Can My Service Dog Go Into A Restaurant?

Yes. Do local health codes prohibit animals? It doesn’t matter. Any establishment that sells or prepares food is required by law to allow service animals into public areas. Your service dog won’t be allowed in the kitchen, but the front lobby is your right.

What Other Rights Does My Service Dog Have?

• You cannot be isolated from other patrons because of your service dog
• You can not be treated less favorably because you have a service dog
• You cannot be charged fees others aren’t required to pay because of your service dog
• If the establishment charges for pets, they must waive the fee for your service dog

Should You Get A Service Dog?

Service dogs are a great way to gain independence that disabilities try to take away from you. They are a great way to provide comfort in situations that may be difficult for people. This dog isn’t just someone who helps you or your family member get along through the day; they eventually will become a part of the family. If you feel that one of these service dogs would make your life easier, you can talk to your doctor about getting a recommendation.

Do you have a service dog? How did it change your life? We would love to hear about your experience in the comment section below!

Do you really even need a reason to have sex? Well if you do, it is because it is good for you. Not just good for making your relationships stronger, but a way to make your body and mind stronger as well. If you needed any reason to get between the sheets, here’s five.

1. Sex Supports Your Immune System

Having sex at least once a week may help prevent you from getting the cold. Studies have shown that people who are sexually active have more white blood cells than those who don’t partake in this activity regularly. Scientists believe that it is because having sexual intercourse is a relaxing and meditative experience which is what can rev up the immune system.

2. Sex Helps With Depression And Anxiety

We love to have sex because our human race needs it to survive. The reward system activates whenever we do something towards our survival, which is what makes sex so enjoyable. This is also one reason that it can help to improve your mental health. When you are having sexual intercourse, your brain is releasing feel-good chemicals like serotonin and dopamine helping to give you relief.

3. Sex Relieves Pain

One of the feel-good chemicals that is released when you bang it out is oxytocin, also known as the cuddle hormone. But this chemical can do more than make you want to cuddle; this chemical also reduces your sensitivity to pain.

4. Sex Helps With Sleep

I know you aren’t supposed to exercise before bed, but this one might be an exception. Studies have shown that the arousal followed by the relaxing chemicals can help you fall asleep. This is especially true in males who have an extreme calming effect after ejaculation.

5. Sex Makes You Smarter

Studies have shown that an active sex life makes your brain work more efficiently. People who were sexually active in the study performed better on visual and verbal fluency tests. This leads researchers to believe that sex may play a part in senior health because of its benefit to cognitive function.

Remember To Have Safe Sex!

If you are sexually active and have multiple partners, remember always to use protection and make a habit out of getting tested. Even if you have a partner in a monogamous relationship, it is still a good idea to have safe sex. You can never be too careful when it comes to the health of your body! And if you want to kick it up a notch in the bedroom, stop by our shop to get some CBD lube!

All around us toxins surround us. In the air we breathe from pollution, in the food we eat from pesticides or processed food, and even in beauty products we use every day. Many people will go through a cleanse or diet detox to help fight against the toxins trying to damage the inside of the body, but CBD oil may be a better option for detoxing.

What Is Detoxing?

Detoxing is when you get rid of the toxins in your body. Normally, your body already does this, but if you are exposed to too many toxins, your body can’t keep up with the work. Also, if you have inflammation, your body prioritizes that over cleaning your body of toxins which can cause build-up.

Where Do We Get Toxins?

• Pesticides in food
• Pollution in the air
• Cigarettes smoke
• Sunlight
• Processed foods
• Beauty products
• Caffeine
• Alcohol
• Emotional trauma

How Can CBD Oil Help You Detox?

While some detoxing regimens, such as diets, may just give your body a break from excessive toxins and let your body catch up, CBD oil may actually be able to help destroy the toxins. Studies have shown that cannabidiol (CBD) is a potent antioxidant leading scientist to believe that it can help with oxidative neurological disorders.

CBD oil goes a step further than diets and smoothies and has shown in studies to reduce cells death. Because of CBD hemp oil’s protective effects in the body, researchers believe that it detoxifies at a higher degree.

CBD hemp oil also helps reduce inflammation in the body. By elevating an endocannabinoid called 2-AG, CBD oil is able to indirectly stimulate the CB2 cannabinoid receptor to help mediate your immune functions. This stimulation of your cannabinoid receptor has shown in studies to reduce the production of attack cells while still allowing your body to heal.

How Do You Take CBD To Detox?

If you’ve decided that you want to use CBD oil for detoxing, any method can work. Topicals can help with toxins in your skin, helping to slow down early aging. Vaping and tinctures can help to get the CBD into your whole body. It really depends on what you are the most comfortable with. So stop by our shop today to see what we have to offer!

[author name="Sarah Potts" bio = "Sarah Potts has been writing about the wonderful benefits of cannabis for CBD Instead since 2017. Medical cannabis has changed her life and her goal is to show others how it might help them as well." email="pottscontent@gmail.com" twitter= "pottstato"]

I love making lists. Ever since I was a kid, lists were my thing. If I had to clean my room, I would make a list of all of the things I needed to do and check them off as I went around picking up toys. And you know what? It really helps! If you have problems with getting things done, you might want to start making to-do lists.

How To-Do Lists Help

• Ease anxiety and the chaos of life
• Offer structure
• Proof of achievement
• Gives you a better ability to prioritize
• Helps you figure out what steps are needed to complete a task
• Helps you avoid avoidance
• Offer an opportunity for creativity

When you have a whole lot to do, it can feel overwhelming. This is why psychologists say making a to-do list is a great way to start knocking out those tasks. One reason is that our brains are better at remembering things we need to do instead of things we have done. This nagging anxiety can make you feel guilty for having nothing accomplished and make you forget how awesome you are.

Studies have shown that when you use a list to write down what you need to do it can help take care of the anxiety that is constantly reminding you of things that have been left undone. Just simply preparing for a task has shown to make people more effective.

How To Make The Best To-Do List

Start Easy

When you are starting your to-do list, start with easy tasks. This can get you in the rhythm of getting things done and have you feeling productive. Start your day with taking the dog out for a walk, folding clothes, or getting breakfast ready for the kids.

Break It Down

Instead of clean the house, make a list of what rooms you would like to finish. Or you can be like me and write down every little thing you are going to clean from the toilet to the floorboards. This can give you little spurts of confidence as you make your way through your day proving to yourself that you are accomplishing something even if the entire task isn’t complete.

Prioritize

One of the best ways to make a list is to separate your daily tasks into things you absolutely have to get done that day and things you would like to get done eventually. This way you can make sure that you finish all of the important tasks and if you feel up to it, you can start on the extra chores. You’ll never again get distracted with organizing your spice cabinet when you have no clothes to wear for the next week.

Time Yourself

After you have gotten the hang of getting things done, try to see how long it takes you to complete each task. This can help you manage your time better and relieve stress when you have a certain amount of things you need to do in a limited amount of time.

Check It Off As You Go

When you cross off something on your list, it gives you a feeling of accomplishment. And anytime you feel like you haven’t done enough, look back at all of the crossed off pages you have completed to remind yourself that you can do anything.

Where To Start?

If you haven’t ever had a to-do list before, we have added some printable images that you can start with. If doing a checklist every day seems overwhelming, start with a monthly checklist and work your way toward being organized every day.

[author name="Sarah Potts" bio = "Sarah Potts has been writing about the wonderful benefits of cannabis for CBD Instead since 2017. Medical cannabis has changed her life and her goal is to show others how it might help them as well." email="pottscontent@gmail.com" twitter= "pottstato"]

Growing up, we had an aloe plant outside for our sunburns which was the coolest thing to me. Something that comes from the ground works like something mom brings home from the store. As I grew older, I started to notice that people were using all sorts of natural remedies that actually worked. Now more beauty products are starting to use natural ingredients because of this environmental and health-conscious society, one natural ingredient that is benefitting us all being ginger.

How Can Ginger Help You?

You may have heard of ginger in your food. Gingerbread men are a delicious holiday snack but have you ever put ginger on your skin? For centuries, people all over the world have been using ginger for things like nausea, headaches, intestinal issues, and other ailments. But ginger in a topical cream may have some surprising effects.

Anti-Aging

Using products with ginger in them can help you achieve a more radiant and youthful look. Ginger has shown in studies to decrease age-related oxidative stress markers and protect against toxicity. Ginger has also shown that it can help reduce damage from mild sun exposure which can also cause your skin to age faster.

Soothes Small Injuries

If you have a small injury, using ginger may be able to help soothe the pain. Things like small burns, blisters, cuts, and scrapes call cause pain and inflammation. Small injuries like these can be treated using anti-inflammatories and antibacterial. Ginger has shown in studies to help reduce pain, inflammation, and swelling as well as have antibacterial and antifungal properties.

Pain

Ginger can do more than just relieve minor wounds; studies suggest that ginger may also be able to help with muscle pain. Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, ginger may also be able to help people who suffer from different types of arthritis.

Mixing Ginger And CBD Hemp Oil

A product we carry in our shop, Ginger Honey Hemp Body Balm, is such an awesome product because it packs the healing benefits of honey, CBD oil, and ginger. All three have antioxidant effects helping keep your skin looking young and healthy and can be used on injuries or painful areas. Stop by our shop today to try it out!

[author name="Sarah Potts" bio = "Sarah Potts has been writing about the wonderful benefits of cannabis for CBD Instead since 2017. Medical cannabis has changed her life and her goal is to show others how it might help them as well." email="pottscontent@gmail.com" twitter= "pottstato"]

There are plenty of unhealthy habits that we need to get rid of. But the ones that make us gain weight are unhealthy as well as annoying. Here are some common unhealthy habits you might be doing that are causing you to gain weight or not lose any excess fat.

1. Overeating

Surprise! The first one is overeating. Most of the weight that you'll gain comes from the sodium. If you are eating a bunch of fast food, it is going to make a difference in your weight. The extra calories of eating after you’re full don’t help either. In 3,500 calories you gain one pound. If you are eating more calories than you are burning off, you’re going to have a hard time keeping those pounds off.

2. Skipping A Meal

If you eat too much, you gain weight. If you skip a meal, even though you are reducing your calorie intake, you still aren’t going to be losing weight like you want to. You’ll actually be gaining it. This is especially true if you skip breakfast.

3. Poor Sleep

If you don’t sleep enough, you can start to gain weight. If you sleep too much, you can gain weight. You have to find the perfect balance that is best for your body. Some people need a full eight hours while others can get away with just six. But having an unbalanced sleep schedule can cause your leptin and ghrelin levels to change which makes your appetite increase.

4. Not Enough Exercise

If you don’t give your body a way to burn calories, it’s not going to do it. This doesn’t mean you need to go to the gym twice a day every day, but it does mean that you need to find time to do some sort of physical activity. We get caught up in the routine of going to work, coming home, taking care of things at home, and getting in the hours you can before work again. But try to fit in some cardio or yoga in between Netflix episodes to help trim off that extra weight.

5. Drinking Alcohol

Do you party? Do you have just a few glasses of wine or bottles of beer every night? Sure, it’s nice to get the edge off once in a while, but not only is this habit unhealthy for your liver and your brain, it can also cause you to gain weight and have heart issues.

You Can Use CBD Oil To Lose Weight

Studies have shown that if you are trying to trim off excess fat, CBD oil may be able to help. One way it can help is by promoting the fat browning process your body uses to burn fat. It can also help with the following things that can inadvertently help with losing weight:

• Sleep
• Exercise
• Addiction

What are some unhealthy habits that you have given up that have helped you shed off the pounds? We would love to hear about it in the comment section below. And who knows? You may be helping someone out!

[author name="Sarah Potts" bio = "Sarah Potts has been writing about the wonderful benefits of cannabis for CBD Instead since 2017. Medical cannabis has changed her life and her goal is to show others how it might help them as well." email="pottscontent@gmail.com" twitter= "pottstato"]

How Long Do You Need To Be In The Sun?

You might be thinking about how there is no way you have time to sunbathe or even have a place to do it. Worry not! In the summer and springtime, you only need about ten to twenty minutes of sun exposure to get the full effects! However, when winter time comes around, you need about two hours a day.

Why You Sun Exposure Is Good For Your Health

Sunlight Gives You Vitamin D

Vitamin D is essential to our survival. By soaking up the rays, you are also soaking in Vitamin D which helps with a myriad of health problems. If you are low on Vitamin D, this can cause heart disease, prostate cancer, and dementia. Having an adequate amount of Vitamin D can help with the following:

• Protection against inflammation
• Lowering high blood pressure
• Helping muscles
• Improving brain function
• May protect against cancer
• Boost Immune System

Sunlight Is Good For Your Heart

Because sunlight elevates Vitamin D, it helps to lower blood pressure which can be good for your heart. Your skin also contains stores of nitric oxide, which is exported into circulation by UV radiation. This has shown to help dilate blood vessels.

Sunlight Promotes Weight Loss

Do you gain weight in the winter time? It probably doesn’t help that we shove a bunch of holidays full of food in a few months, but scientists believe the lack of UV rays could also play a role in weight gain. Scientists believe that sunlight exposure can cause activation in subcutaneous white adipose tissue, a major fat depot in humans. This activation may be able to help with weight loss.

Better Sleep

If you expose yourself to morning sunlight, it can help you fall asleep better at night. This is because when your body soaks up those morning rays, nocturnal melatonin production occurs sooner. Using the morning sunlight has been helpful for people with insomnia, premenstrual syndrome, and seasonal affective disorder as well.

Don’t Forget Your Sunblock!

When you go out into the sun, don’t forget to use sunscreen even if you aren’t going to be out there for a long time. The sunscreen doesn’t block you from absorbing the Vitamin D or the change in melatonin; it just helps protect your skin from being damaged. If you do get a sunburn, using a CBD topical can help relieve you of pain and may even help you heal more quickly!

You may be the type of person who doesn’t need an excuse to be kind to others. But not everyone has good days every day, and it can be harder to be good to others sometimes. If you need that extra motivation to put a smile on someone’s face when you can’t bring yourself to create one, here are four reasons being kind is good for your health.

1. Kindness Makes You Happy

One reason to be kind is that it makes you feel good. While this might be a selfish reason to do good unto others, but it is still a pretty good reason. Being good to others is also something called being prosocial and research has shown that it can make you happy as well.

Studies have shown that prosocial behavior boosts a chemical in our brain called serotonin. This chemical is what many anti-depressants boost because it contributes to the feelings of well-being and happiness. Scientists have labeled this phenomenon of becoming happy from being kind to others a helper’s high.

2. Kindness Helps With Social Anxiety

It may seem impossible to go out of your way for others when you have social anxiety, but doing this may be able to help you out. Studies show that people who have social anxiety benefit from kind acts because it helps to reduce their symptoms. Scientists aren’t sure why it works, but further studies in the future should answer that question for us.

3. Kindness Is Good For Your Heart

Who would have thought that spreading the love would be good for your heart? It’s so symbolic; it just makes sense. Scientists have discovered that acts of kindness produce oxytocin which helps to expand blood vessels. This can help people with high blood pressure and helps make the heart not have to work so hard.

4. Kindness Relieves Stress

If you have issues with stress at work or home, take a break to do something kind for someone. Studies have shown that acts of kindness can help reduce the impact of stress, making it easier for you to handle the day. The study also showed that prosocial behavior could help with having more control over your emotions.

Be Kind

You may not need a reason to be kind, but now you have four anyway. Acts of kindness aren’t just a way to remind people around you that this society still has the ability to nurture, but it is good for you as well.

What are your favorite acts of kindness? We would love to hear your ideas in the comment section below!

[author name="Sarah Potts" bio = "Sarah Potts has been writing about the wonderful benefits of cannabis for CBD Instead since 2017. Medical cannabis has changed her life and her goal is to show others how it might help them as well." email="pottscontent@gmail.com" twitter= "pottstato"]

Have you had any water today? Before you read this, make sure to get some H20 down to get that out of the way. Drinking water isn’t something that takes a lot of time or energy, but it is still something that many people neglect to do. But if you don’t have enough water in your body, you may start to notice the consequences in your health.

But seriously, if you are thirsty right now, go drink some water. Your body is a little late and is already mildly dehydrated by the time you start to crave water. So go have a glass, and we can get started.

Signs You Aren’t Drinking Enough Water

• Constipation
• Dry Skin
• Irritability
• Fatigue
• Excessive Thirst
• Dry Mouth
• Head Ache
• Weight Gain
• Muscle Cramps

Why You Should Be Drinking Water

Your body needs water to survive. Water is found in your cells, organs, and tissues and helps your body function properly. Every time you breathe, sweat, or digest you are losing water which is why you need to be constantly hydrating.

When you drink enough water, it helps to hydrate areas of your body like your eyes, skin, and mouth. It also acts as a lubricant on your joints and protects your spinal cord. In order for your body to remove waste efficiently, it needs enough water to flush out your system which helps keep your kidneys from overworking themselves. But if you don’t drink enough water, you can do some damage to your body.

What Happens When You Don’t Drink Enough Water

Bad Mood

The first thing you might notice is the dryness in your eyes, skin, and mouth. You might feel thirsty or get a headache. But one thing you may notice but not know the reasoning behind it is that your mood will change. Studies show that just a level of 1% of dehydration can affect your mood.

Anxiety

You may notice that you feel a sense of anxiety because when you don’t drink enough water, your heart rate rises. This is because most of your blood is made of water, and without it, your blood becomes more concentrated making your cardiovascular system work harder.

Head Ache

You get a headache when you haven’t had enough water because your brain is shrinking and pulling away from your skull. Without enough water, the brain tissue fluid will decrease, and your brain loses volume and cell functions are disrupted making you feel like you can’t focus or concentrate.

Weight Gain

If you don’t drink enough water, you might also notice weight gain. You might think you are putting on water weight when you drink a lot of water, but depriving yourself of drinking water can make your weight issues more severe. This is because mild dehydration slows down your metabolism.

Go Drink Some Water!

So if you feel thirsty, grab a water instead of a soda. Your health depends on it! It is one of the easiest ways that you can help take care of yourself.

If you do something 21 times consecutively, it becomes a habit. So if you set up a daily routine and commit to it for 21 days, the routines will become easier to accomplish and feel more like a habit than a task. Learning good habits that can help improve your health and how to fit them into your schedule may be what you need for a better quality of life.

Exercise Every Morning [30 Minutes]

When you wake up, before you take your shower and start your day, get some exercise in. Not only will this get this habit out of the way to mark off on your list, but it also can help your body wake up and work more efficiently through the day.

Not everyone is a morning person, but exercising after you wake up may be able to help put you in a good mood that can last throughout the day releasing feel-good chemicals. The hormone testosterone is at its peak in the morning, as well. This is a hormone that helps with muscle growth and fat loss making the morning one of the best times to get the most out of your workout. But exercising in the morning isn’t just a good idea for the workout, but for the rest of your day as well.

When you exercise in the morning, it can help get your metabolism started. If you have a problem with being hungry for breakfast, this is a great way to get ready to eat. Exercise can also get your mind ready for the day, as well, helping you to become more focused in school or work.

Eat Breakfast [15-20 Minutes]

You have probably heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and that’s not just a myth. Breakfast is what jump starts your metabolism helping you burn more calories throughout the day. If you skip breakfast, your body assumes that food isn’t readily available and it needs to hold onto all of the energy it has not knowing when it will eat again (pretty dramatic, right?).

Missing your morning meal can make you more likely to be overweight, less likely to meet the requirements of fruits and vegetable consumption, and more likely to have unhealthy snacks. And don’t just throw a Pop-Tart in your bag and check this off your list, make your breakfast healthy.

High-fiber cereal with fresh fruit, a low-fat protein shaker with fruit, or a protein bar and a yogurt are all great choices for your morning breakfast. You are what you eat, so make sure you eat healthy.

Meditate [5-10 Minutes]

Studies have shown that meditation actually makes changes to your brain and body when you do it right and consistently. At some point in your day, find a comfortable and quiet place to sit or lay down and be thoughtlessly aware. If you commit to doing this routinely, you may notice a difference in the following:

• Boosted immune system
• Less pain
• Reduced inflammation
• Decreased depression
• Improved mood
• Decrease in anxiety
• Better concentration and focus
• Better control over your emotions

In the studies, people who meditated had better control on how they perceived the life around them. Meditating daily can help tone down the stress in your life making it easier to brush off and get done what you need to do.

You may even notice that you are thinking clearly and able to pick up on information easier. Meditation has shown to improve grey matter in the brain, which is where information is processed. Scientists believe that grey matter is linked to IQ, which means you may even start feeling a little smarter.

Have Time Without Screens [30 Minutes]

It’s always ironic when you read something online that tells you to turn off the screen that you’re reading the article on. But that is happening right now. Social media can be suffocating at times with information overload. Being accessible 100% of the time can be exhausting. Sometimes you just need to go screenless.

Take time out of your day where nothing is expected of you, and you are away from the world of technology. Getting rid of screens can help you be more present in your social life, not looking down at your buzzing phone as you hang out with the family or all sit in silence staring at a screen watching other fake families bond on TV. It also gives your brain a chance to process everything that has happened throughout the day or in the world without being constantly distracted. And one of the best parts about taking a break from screens is that it can help improve your sleep.

Drink More Water [6 Cups A Day Or As Needed]

Whenever you are thirsty, try to go for some water. Water is what your body wants. While soda, Gatorade, or tea will give you some H20, you might want to consider monitoring how much water you actually drink to make sure you are keeping your body happy.

The rule of thumb is usually six cups a day, but not everyone needs the same amount of water. It depends on your size, the foods you eat, how much activity you do, and the temperature. If you are thirsty, not craving a sweet drink, your body is asking for water.

Water is an essential tool to keep your body functioning. It carries nutrients and oxygen to your cells, flushes bacteria from your bladder, and aids in digestion. By drinking enough water, you can help prevent constipation, normalize your blood pressure, and stabilize your heartbeat. Water can also help with cushioning your joints, protecting your organs and tissues, and regulating your body temperature. If you are questioning whether or not you may be dehydrating yourself, watch out for these symptoms.

Symptoms Of Becoming Dehydrated

• Weakness
• Low blood pressure
• Dizziness
• Confusion
• Anxiety
• Dark urine

Since life is all about balance, you do need to be careful not to overdo it. You can actually overhydrate yourself, and it is a little easier for some than others.

Risk Factors Of Overhydrating

• Taking certain antidepressants or NSAIDS that make you retain water
• Having kidney, liver, or heart issues
• Thyroid disease

Have A Good Bedtime

This means making sure you are giving yourself enough time to sleep as well as keeping the time you go to sleep routine. If you go to bed one night at nine, another at two, and then at eleven, your body gets confused. It can make it more difficult to fall asleep because your body isn’t sure when bedtime is.

If you set a bedtime and follow it, it can help you fall asleep faster. Studies have shown that college students who had a regular bedtime performed better academically, suggesting that this habit can help improve your cognitive performance. Going to sleep on time is also good for your metabolism as well as for your heart. You know what else is good for your heart? Sex.

Have Sex [1-2 Times A Week]

I might not have to twist your arm too hard on this one. This is probably one of the most enjoyable things on your to-do list (pun intended). When you practice this sexy habit, practice it safely. If you are single and ready to mingle, be sure to get tested in between partners. No matter how safe you play it, you can never be too careful. Remember, getting tested for STD’s is cool!

If you are in an intimate relationship, this habit is a great way to not only improve your health but your relationship with your loved one. You get to practice a beautiful social connection with someone that matters most to you, and both of you get to feel awesome because of it.

Sex Can Help With

• Pain
• Sleep
• Heart Disease

Add CBD To Your Day [>3 Minutes]

Whether it is in a vape, pill, tincture, cookie, honey stick, or lotion, adding CBD to your day may be able to help you reach the height of health for efficiently. It doesn’t take long to incorporate this into your daily routine, and the health benefits cover such a broad range you might be surprised at what taking CBD hemp oil might do for you.

CBD May Help With

• Pain
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Inflammation
• Blood pressure
• Skin rashes
• Blood sugar
• Anger issues
• Arthritis
• Chron’s disease
• Brain trauma
• PTSD
• Addiction
• Weight loss

Can You Do It?

I think you can. You may be a busybody who feels like they have no time for themselves, but you need to learn to prioritize yourself. If you aren’t in good health, how can you expect your mind and body to be as efficient as you need it to be?

Make a calendar and a checklist. Jerry Seinfeld uses a calendar on his wall and makes sure that he writes one joke a day. It doesn’t even have to be good, in fact, he says most of them aren’t. But being able to make that big X on his calendar helps keep him productive. You should try it. Every time you complete a task or habit, check it off your list. When you are done, the big X on the calendar comes into play. Make a habit out of making yourself proud, and eventually, it will come a bit easier.

Do you have a healthy habit that you do every day? What is it and how has it helped you? We would love to hear about it in the comment section below!

The cannabis community is all about naturally doing things; it is kind of our mantra. Though of course, we appreciate what science has done and penicillin is awesome, there are still ways that we can benefit our health naturally. Here are a few ways that you can help naturally boost your immune system.

Sleep

Sleep is great, isn’t it? When you can get it. Studies show that when you have a healthy sleep regimen, your immune system is stronger because of it. The longer you go without being well rested, the harder your body is working which can cause stress on your body. This stress can wreak havoc on your immune system, so get some shut-eye!

Limit Over-The-Counter Medicine

Studies have shown that over-the-counter medication like ibuprofen can cause damage to your gut and immune health. Limiting your use of these can help keep your immune system strong. If you are in pain, try taking CBD oil instead. CBD hemp oil has shown in studies to help with pain and doesn’t damage your immune system.

Exercise

Exercising is what keeps your muscles and joints strong, but it doesn’t stop there. Studies have shown that regular exercise can also help strengthen your immune system. Researchers studied around 1000 participants, and all of the ones who exercised were least likely to get colds in the winter months.

Stop Drinking And Smoking

Do you have unhealthy habits? Well here is another reason to stop doing them. Research has shown that drinking alcohol and smoking tobacco can compromise the strength of your immune system. Scientists have seen that excessive alcohol consumption makes people more prone to disease like pneumonia. Researchers have also discovered that smoking cigarettes disrupts the immune system’s homeostasis making it less effective.

Relaxation and Meditation

It’s hard not to stress out, but if you let yourself do it constantly, it can make your health begin to plummet. Stress can cause cardiovascular issues, sleep issues, and degrade your mood and along with all of that it also can make your immune system weak. Meditation has shown in studies that it can help boost your immune system and change the way you and your mind perceive stress.

[author name="Sarah Potts" bio = "Sarah Potts has been writing about the wonderful benefits of cannabis for CBD Instead since 2017. Medical cannabis has changed her life and her goal is to show others how it might help them as well." email="pottscontent@gmail.com" twitter= "pottstato"]

1. Singing Helps You Relax

Studies have shown that when you sing, the levels of stress hormones that are produces declines unless you are performing. This leads researchers to believe that by singing, you can improve your emotional wellbeing.

2. Singing Helps Boost Your Immune System

Studies have indicated that the chemical change in your brain that happens when you sing also plays a role in helping to boost your immune system. The stress hormones that are reduced cause inflammation, which scientists believe can be a hindrance to the immune system. The state that you reach when singing may be able to help with this inflammation which can lead to a stronger immune system.

3. Singing Can Help Seniors

The brain ages like the rest of our body, and many seniors struggle with standard activities because of it. Singing has shown in studies to help seniors with emotional and social health as well as helping with cognitive functions. Singing showed to help improve learning, recall, and memory. It is never too early or too late to start toning your brain the way you would your biceps, so get to singing!

How To Sing For Health

While you don’t have to be a professional to benefit from singing, being in an atmosphere with other singers may provide the best results. In studies, choral singing, as shown to give people a sense of community which is an added benefit to the health benefits of singing. Finding a choral group in your town or volunteering for a church choir if you are religious can be a great way to start singing toward a healthier tomorrow.

 [author name="Sarah Potts" bio = "Sarah Potts has been writing about the wonderful benefits of cannabis for CBD Instead since 2017. Medical cannabis has changed her life, and her goal is to show others how it might help them as well." email="pottscontent@gmail.com" twitter= "pottstato"]

Do you have terrible sleep from Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)? Does this movement disorder make relaxing almost impossible? Though scientists aren’t entirely sure what causes RLS, studies have suggested that CBD oil may be able to help with the information we do know.

Cannabidiol may be able to help with movement disorders like RLS because of its interaction with the endocannabinoid system. It may be able to strengthen signaling in areas that MRIs have shown to be dysfunctional.

What Is RLS?

Restless Leg Syndrome is when someone has an uncontrollable urge to move their legs. This movement disorder can develop at any age and usually progresses along with age. Women are typically more affected than men, impacting in at least one in ten Americans. This usually causes problems with sleep because when the person with RLS calms down, their symptoms get worse.

RLS And the Brain

While scientists aren’t sure why RLS develops, they do believe that it comes from the way that the brain uses dopamine and glutamate. Dopamine is a chemical used by the brain cells to communicate and produce muscle activity and movement, while glutamate is involved in arousal. Disruption in these neurochemicals has shown to cause involuntary movements like in Parkinson’s Disease.

Doctors will often prescribe medicine that elevates dopamine to help reduce the RLS symptoms. However, one thing they notice is that this type of medication doesn’t help with the lack of sleep people have with RLS.

CBD For RLS

Because both glutamate and dopamine pathways play a role in RLS, finding a medication that interacts with both of these neurochemicals may be the most effective. Another thing to consider when taking medicine is whether or not it will help you sleep.

In the study where they read brain images from patients with RLS, those who had RLS and dysregulated glutamate levels complained the most about sleep issues. Cannabidiol has shown in studies that it may be able to help strengthen glutamate signaling.

While studying cannabidiol and movement disorders, researchers also found that the way that CBD impacts the neurotransmitter dopamine may be able to help with involuntary movements. And unlike other medication that helps with disorders that associate with dysregulated dopamine, CBD oil may be able to help with sleep as well.

If you are suffering from RLS, talk to your doctor about CBD hemp oil. They can help monitor your symptoms, so you know this is the right route for you to take. They can also help you determine whether or not the CBD will interact with any of the medications you are taking.

 “Sleep is for the weak!” “I can sleep when I die!” Have you heard these phrases before? We live in a society that glorifies overworking, and doesn’t put enough emphasis on self-care and your mental health. How many times have you called into work telling them you can’t come in because you need to relax? How many times have you taken extra shifts to get more money, or worked a double just to get in overtime and brag about how you aren’t even tired after a thirteen-hour-long day? We have a problem with overworking, and it could be destroying us.

Jaiden Animations has been kind enough to let us share this video with you, and I think it will really put things into perspective. It’s beautifully done, so watch this video and then I’m going to bring a little bit of science into the mix to explain why this way of living really isn’t good for you.

Overworking yourself is unfortunately over glorified. From early on in our lives we are taught that our accomplishments and how far we go are more important than anything else. In fifth grade, I stayed up several nights to complete a short story for my class, I stressed for days and completed a seven-page short story to present in front of my class. And you know what happened? I passed out from anxiety and stress while reading my work. Which was mortifying, but at least I got some free ice cream out of it.

My family, my teacher, and my peers praised me for being an overachiever, and I beamed from it. But what no one told me was this habit that I was forming was going to take a toll on my physical and mental health for the rest of my life until I broke it. Almost twenty years later, and I still have to remind myself that I matter more than my accomplishments. And this is something that you need to tell yourself on a regular basis as well.

Why You Need To Stop Overworking Yourself

Overworking And Your Brain

Studies have shown that when you overwork yourself in a job strained environment, it contributes to the brain aging process. This aging process can cause a decline in memory and thinking skills. In the study, those who worked more than 55 hours a week did worse on cognitive tests than those who worked 40 hours or fewer, and there was also a more significant decline in fluid intelligence in the people who were working more.

In the video, Jaiden explains how you might get caught in the idea that the more you work, the better the outcome. Sacrificing sleep, food, and self-care just to get projects out or meeting deadlines can actually make your work suffer. If you want your work to have quality, being in a healthy mindset is one of the best places to start.

Overworking And Your Heart

Studies have shown that a stressful work environment can lead to cardiovascular disease. When you are overworking yourself, you're not only making your work quality suffer, but your body is as well.  This practice can also cause you to pick up unhealthy habits like overeating, eating junk food, and smoking cigarettes which can all lead to more heart health problems.

Overworking And Your Weight

Stress can cause you to stress eat, and there is no exception when it comes to overworking yourself. In a study looking at people who were overweight and their happiness with their jobs, it wasn’t about how much they worked but about the work strain. Some of the people could work sixty hours a week and be fine, while others needed to take time off. Job strain has also been linked to diabetes in both men and women, which may be because of the unhealthy habits and lack of self-care.

Overworking Looks Different For Everyone

Your colleague may be able to work sixty hours a week and still have good health, but that doesn’t mean that every individual can work those hours. Maybe they take the time they do have to practice self-care, perhaps their biology is just different. But everyone has an equation they must follow to keep balance in their life.

Overworking at your job can also be easier if the job strain isn’t as intense. If you work in a place that respects employees, focuses on their mental health, and has a positive work environment, you may find it easier to work those sixty hours a week. This doesn’t mean that working for a fantastic company is an excuse to overwork yourself, but you may find that you have a longer fuse. Unfortunately, that isn’t a lot of workplaces in America. If you’re like me and you work from home, working sixty hours a week can take a toll because of how challenging working from home can be to your physical and mental health.

What Causes Job Strain?

Job strain can come from a number of things. Everyone has had that boss that doesn’t appreciate them and only points out what employees do wrong without giving any praise. Some people on salary may find themselves working overtime because they feel their company needs it, getting no extra pay or acknowledgment for how hard they work. Workplaces can become toxic, making it difficult to even walk through the door without anxiety. But you can get job strain from working for good companies, or yourself, as well.

If you work for an amazing company who cares about you and other employees, you can still experience job strain. It is more than just the environment you are working in, but how you participate in it. Studies show that burnout is one of the most likely causes of job strain, and learning when you have it can help you use healthier working practices.

How To Know Your Burned Out

In the video, Jaiden beautifully explains how it is to work for yourself. Every moment you aren't productive at work (home) feels like a waste of time. You may feel like this even if you don’t work for yourself. When I used to work for a company, I would have anxiety on my breaks thinking about everything I could be doing while I ate and tried to relax. This type of mindset can cause you to burn out, and there are some hints your body gives you to tell you that you need to rethink the way you work.

Exhaustion

Exhaustion is more than just wanting to sleep; it can be mental and emotional as well. If you find that you are feeling drained and tired all of the time, you need to take a break. Not just a ten-minute break away from your computer, though this will help, but a good long refreshing break at home where you treat yourself to sleep, self-care, and relaxation.

Lack Of Motivation

You can still feel the drive to work but lack motivation. You know in your head you need to get things done, but you lose the enthusiasm you once had to make your work top quality. If you find that you wake up already dreading work and find it to be a lot of effort to walk through those doors, you may be experiencing burnout.

Negative Emotions

Jaiden explains in her video how when you are burnt out; you start to snap at everyone around you. Your fuse becomes a lot shorter and not just with people around you, but with yourself as well. People feel negatively all of the time, but when you find that you are drowning in these emotions and you can’t get yourself out, you may be experiencing burnout.

Poor Job Performance

This goes along the lines of overworking causing cognitive issues. Like Jaiden explained in her video, people who have overworked themselves report that the quality of work wasn’t worth the effort that they put in. If you find that you are just pushing along, putting out anything you can at the sake of completion, you may be burned out.

Neglecting Self-Care

Do you tell yourself you’ll eat when you’re finished working? Do you not have time to exercise, shop for the right foods, or build meaningful relationships because of your work? It doesn’t have to be this way. Your body and mind are so much more important than the work you put out. And when you are sacrificing your health, your work might not come out that great anyway. Stop neglecting yourself; you’re awesome! You deserve to treat yourself and give yourself some love.

What Can You Do?

So you’re reading all of this, watching the video, and you’re like, “Oh man, this is so me.” These health problems are probably not too attractive, so you may want to do something about it.

RELAX!

This is one of the easiest and yet hardest things you could do. If you’re anything like Jaiden or me, you might have anxiety from not working. All you can think about is work no matter what you’re doing. But you need to train your brain to take a break from work when your body is. Whether it is through meditation, bubble baths, or taking a walk, you need to relax and get your head out of work so when you go back in you are refreshed and ready to take on the world.

SLEEP!

Are you sacrificing your sleep for work? STOP! Your sleep is so important; there are a bunch of health problems that can come from refusing to sleep. When sleeping, your body is repairing damage and freshening up your brain so that it can handle the next day’s obstacles. If you neglect sleep, you’re only going to make your work days harder.

SET BOUNDARIES!

You have the ability to say no. I promise you do. If you have a workload that is almost too much to handle, you don’t have to take on extra projects. These additional projects might make you look better to those around you, but this is because we as a society still glorify overworking like people deserve a medal anytime they go days without sleep. Know what you can handle and what you are capable of, and know when enough is enough.

LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!

Are you getting cluster headaches from stress? Are you gaining weight from unhealthy habits or smoking packs of cigarettes a day? Are you exhausted every day? Look for these red flags and know when your body is telling you that you need a break. And actually listen to it! Don’t just fight through these symptoms of overworking, because it can start to take a toll on your health.

Stop Overworking

So now you know the mental and physical consequences of overworking, so you should probably give yourself a break. If you find yourself in a work environment that doesn’t allow you to care for yourself, either propose changes in the workplace or find somewhere new. Your health is so important, and you shouldn’t throw it away for someone who just sees you as a peon to use to get them their paycheck.

Have you broken out of the cycle of burnout and overworking? We would love to hear any tips or tricks you have that keeps you fresh, healthy, and still employed. Leave your suggestions in the comment section below!

[author name="Sarah Potts" bio = "Sarah Potts has been writing about the wonderful benefits of cannabis for CBD Instead since 2017. Medical cannabis has changed her life and her goal is to show others how it might help them as well." email="pottscontent@gmail.com" twitter= "pottstato"]

If you’ve started working from home, you’ve probably already congratulated yourself on skipping rush hour traffic. You might be taking a break right now reading this in your work pajamas. Working from home can be a blessing, but it can also be a curse. While you get to sip your morning coffee on your back porch checking reports on your phone, you also may not have seen another human in the flesh in two days. With the list of cons that come along with working from home, CBD may be able to help with some of them.

Working from home can cause health problems if you fall into an unhealthy routine. Cannabidiol (CBD) may be able to help with some of the issues you come across like depression, anxiety, and weight gain. Because cannabidiol works with the endocannabinoid system, it has access to many aspects of your physical and mental health. Combined with healthy practices, CBD may be able to benefit you as someone who works from home.  

Pros And Cons Of Working From Home

Pros

No Traffic

It almost feels like robbery that you spend at least eight hours at your job and then an hour of your day away from family and friends is stuck in a car. For a lot of people, they choose their job based on their commute because gas prices are only getting higher and we value our time. When you work from home, the commute to your computer is about two minutes giving you more time for yourself and your family.

No Dress Code

Where whatever you want! You can even work in your underwear! Unless, of course, you do video chats then I don’t suggest that at all. You don’t have to spend money on buying new outfits for the office or following a dress code that makes you uncomfortable. Of course, you look good in business attire, but that doesn’t mean you like to wear it.

No One Breathing Down Your Neck

Working from home, you don’t have supervisors staring at you from their desk making sure that you’re working. You know you have a good work ethic, and probably work better without being micromanaged. When you are working from home, you’re the boss of yourself. You make sure you get your work done, and you do a great job of it.

Write Off On Taxes

Your internet bill can go on your taxes now! Thank you, Uncle Sam, for appreciating the homebound workforce! Your phone bill, equipment that you’ve bought to make your work life more manageable, and supplies can all be written off on your taxes.

Can Work At The Bahamas

Can’t afford a week off for vacation but still want to dip your toes in uncharted waters? As long as there is internet, just take the work with you! If your job doesn’t require you to come into the office frequently, you can work wherever you please.

Cons

Avoiding Distraction Is Very Difficult

If you have kids at home, even pets, you might find yourself away from your desk more than you’d like. When you walk into the kitchen to make a snack, you might get distracted by getting the dishes cleaned or find yourself picking up toys in the living room when you walk through which turns into deep cleaning the floorboards. And your TV is right there, just calling you to catch up on a show you love. It can be hard to draw a line but if you wouldn’t do it in the office, wait until clock out time to get it done at home.

Less Movement

When you work in the office, you walk from your car to your desk, your desk to someone else’s to discuss work, a walk to the break room for more coffee, a walk outside to go on break, and walking over to the bathroom several times a day to either take care of business or stop staring at a screen for two minutes. When you work from home, your movement is pretty limited. Unless you live in a house that is the size of an office building, you’ll find yourself more stationary than you’re used to.

Depression

This con doesn’t happen right away, but it can sneak up on you and take over if you aren’t careful. Working from home means you don’t get to see real-life human beings as regularly as your used to. You’re cooped up in your home office by yourself sitting in silence for hours at a time. When you get off work, you walk five feet over into the rest of your house, and sometimes it still feels like you are at the office. You don’t have a significant change in scenery, and this can get to you if you aren’t careful.

Neck Strain

When you work from home, you can lose yourself in your computer and not even realize that you’ve been sitting in the exact same position for the past hour. Your back and your neck can start to hurt if you find that you don’t have the right posture or you don’t give yourself time to look away and stretch.

Anxiety

When you live in your office, it can be hard not thinking about work every second of your life. This can cause you to become stressed out thinking about all that needs to be done. You might find yourself laying down to go to sleep, and then having a panic attack about something for work and end up sitting in front of your computer at one in the morning. You might feel like if you’re around your computer, work can get done. It doesn’t matter that you just spent eight hours in your workspace, the fact that you are able means work needs to get done. This kind of stress can be damaging if not taken care of.  

You Must Be Entirely Self Motivated

If you aren’t good at working without someone patting you on the back, working from home is not for you. You have to get your job done because you feel the urgency to do so, not because someone is making sure that you do it. If you lack this discipline, you might find that work is piling up because you give yourself too many breaks or don’t see the need to complete tasks.

Tips On Working From Home

CBD oil isn’t going to make all of your problems go away. You have to do some work yourself as well. Here are some tips you can consider when working from home that may be able to help you with some of the cons.

Report To Your Office or Clients

If you are three days in and feel like a dead zombie searching for a living breathing organism because you are so lonely, check in at the office or with your clients. Remind them that you exist and get in some social interaction. Use this as an excuse to explain what you’ve been getting done and how much progress you're making on projects or assignments.

Treat Your Work Area Like A Real Office

If you work in your bed or your living room, you might have a hard time not feeling the anxiety of work when you are off the clock or finished with a day’s worth of work. Having a space specifically for work can help you separate work from home when you work from home. Try to stay in your work area while you are working, and don’t leave until that six o’ clock bell chimes. When you walk out of your office door or out of your work area, it can help you feel like your shedding out of your work skin and getting into your homelife skin.

Dressing For Work

One of the perks of working from home is getting to wear a onesie at your desk. Every day is pajama day when you work from home! But this doesn’t work for everyone. Your mind is a complicated thing, and it needs your help when it comes to knowing when to work and when to relax. It is already programmed into feeling different by a change of clothes. I’m not saying that you need to throw on those uncomfortable business shoes, but dressing like you are at the office can help you get in the mindset of working.

Find Time To Move

While you shouldn’t let distractions take you away from work, exercising is an exception. Take time to go for a walk outside or keep weights or a yoga mat in your office. Give yourself time to make up for the lack of physical activity you have sacrificed to work from home. If you stay like a blob in front of your computer, you’ll likely turn into one. This can also help you get the change of scenery you desperately need from sitting at your desk all day.

How CBD Can Help

While CBD can’t solve all of your problems, it might be able to help with a good amount of them. Studies have expressed that cannabidiol has wonderful potential to improve our quality of life, something that may be needed if you work from home.

Depression

Depression can consume you, especially if you are stuck in your head all day. With no one to talk to, no fresh faces to see, you might feel like you have fallen into a dark hole of your own insecurities and loneliness.

A very recent study has shown that CBD may act as a fast-acting antidepressant. The study reveals that it may help elevate our brains fertilizer called BDNF which can repair the parts of the brain that have been damaged causing depression. CBD also raises levels of an endocannabinoid called anandamide which has been linked to boosting subjects’ mood.

Focus and Concentration

Do you have a hard time sitting down at your desk and getting to work? Cannabidiol may be able to help. If you suffer from ADD or ADHD, CBD may be able to help calm down your mind, so it is easier to focus on the important matters at hand.

Blood Pressure

Snacking all day has become even easier now that Karen from marketing isn’t judging every bite you take. And without the proper exercise routine, this can cause weight problems that may lead to high blood pressure. Cannabidiol has shown in studies that in just one dose, it was able to lower the blood pressure of human subjects. It also may even be able to help you lose weight if you’ve started to pack on the pounds.

Weight Loss

Losing weight is hard to do when you work all day in your office, and it makes it even harder when you work from home and have no reason to get up from your desk. Cannabidiol may be able to help you lose weight, but you have to still implement a healthy diet and exercise for it to work.

Cannabis isn’t a magic diet pill that will make you skinny. Instead, it has shown in studies to enhance the process of losing weight making it easier when you put in the work. When you work out, your body turns your white fat into brown fat so it can be burned for energy. Cannabidiol has shown that it can help enhance this process making losing weight not as difficult.

Energy

Depression and gaining weight can make it seem like you have no energy. If you feel like you may be fatigued, CBD might be able to help. Studies show that small amounts of CBD can act as a wake-promoting agent. It might also help you get a better night’s sleep so that you aren’t feeling so exhausted the moment you wake up.

Anxiety

If anxiety is plaguing your workday from being around your office all of the time, CBD might be able to help you calm down and have a clearer head. If you are constantly stressed out, your work performance will suffer and so will your health. Studies have shown that CBD may have the ability to reduce anxiety, give you better peace of mind.

Pain

If your back, shoulders, and neck hurt from your job, using CBD topicals may be able to help. You should also implement stretching and exercise into your daily routine to try to avoid this, but if it continues to happen or you don’t get to exercising that day using CBD topicals may be able to help relieve you of your muscle pain.

Remember To Be Good To Yourself

It’s almost as if everyone who works in an office would prefer to work from home, but this lifestyle isn’t for everyone. If you are trying to decide whether or not working from home is the right fit for you, take into consideration the pros and cons list. If you are already working from home, remember to take care of yourself. You can get lost in a cycle that doesn’t make sense to your mind and body. And CBD can always be there to help you along the way.

Do you work from home? If you have any tips, leave them in the comment section below!

If your kidneys aren’t functioning, they aren’t able to filter your blood, causing a build-up of waste in your body. Your kidneys also play a part in bone health, regulating blood pressure, making red blood cells, and controlling your PH levels. Could CBD help prevent or treat kidney failure?

Cannabidiol (CBD) may be able to help with kidney failure because of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. CBD hemp oil has shown that it may be able to help reduce the pain and damage to your kidneys, as well as possibly improve their functionality.

Cannabinoids are all over our body, including in our kidneys. This made scientists curious as to whether or not it could be an effective treatment for kidney disease. Considering that kidney disease can cause toxic build up and include inflammation, it only makes sense that cannabidiol can help, but does it?

Kidney Failure From Chemotherapy

A group of people who may have to deal with kidney failure is those who are undergoing certain chemotherapy treatments. A chemical called cisplatin is one of the most potent available chemotherapy treatments, but toxicity in the kidneys is a common side effect. In a study where rats were given cisplatin and cannabidiol, the CBD helped reduce inflammation, oxidative stress, nitrosative stress, cell death, and improved their kidney’s function.

Kidney Failure From Stroke Or Heart Attack

When you have a stroke or heart attack, the blood flow is halted, also known as ischemia. Rodent models were given ischemia in a study and were also given CBD before and after inducing the inadequate blood supply. In the study, the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of cannabidiol showed to improve the health of the kidneys.

Kidney Failure From High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure can also cause damage to the kidneys. High blood pressure can cause damage to the arteries around the kidney making them unable to function properly. Blood pressure can get even worse when damage is done to the kidneys because they won't be able to filter out the blood they need to. Cannabidiol may be able to help with this issue as well. Studies have shown that CBD may be able to help lower blood pressure, making it easier for the kidneys to do their job.

Talk To Your Doctor

Taking CBD for kidney failure isn't a common practice in the medical world, and still needs a lot of research to be completed before doctors start suggesting it. If you want to take CBD for your kidneys, run it by your doctor first. If you are on any other medication, the CBD can cause adverse effects, and your doctor should be able to tell you whether or not the medicines will collide. They can also help monitor you closely to see if this route is right for you, as well as help you make changes to your lifestyle to better your health.

Cigarettes are a nasty habit, and everyone who smokes them probably knows it. Someone may have their healthy lifestyle down to the tee, but this dangerous vice they started at a young age might still be hindering their quality of life. Since CBD might be able to help people quit hard drugs like oxycodone, can CBD help you quit smoking cigarettes?

Cannabidiol may be able to help with addiction because of its relationship with the reward system. This system is the reason that quitting drugs and alcohol is so hard. But with the help of CBD, people have been able to quit their cigarette smoking habit because cannabidiol has shown to decrease the strength of your cravings.

Cigarettes And The Reward System

Our bodies are fascinating in the way that they keep us alive. When you get a cut on your finger, your body makes sure to block the bleeding, kill pathogens, and eventually heal. It is a mechanism of survival, so you don’t bleed out or get an infection. The reward system also utilizes mechanisms to keep you alive, a device of desire.

Whenever you eat, sleep, have sex, or nurture, you feel good about it. This isn’t just a coincidence; it’s because your body recognizes these actions as something necessary for survival. Without eating, you starve to death. Without sleep, your body shuts down. Sex is needed to continue our population and nurturing is required to sustain said population.

When you do a drug like cocaine, alcohol, or cigarettes, they create a massive response in your reward system. Your brain thinks that this chemical substance is the most fantastic thing in the world and it needs it. Your brain is confused and thinks that without this substance, you won’t survive. So much that it is always reminding you of how much you need it through cravings.

How CBD Can Help

Cannabidiol may be able to help with quitting your addiction to cigarettes by regulating the reward system. Instead of your brain throwing a little party every time you take a puff, it has a mellow reaction. You still may feel pleasure while indulging, but your brain shouldn’t be longing for the feeling of the substance like it was before.

A study published in 2013 gathered 24 cigarette smokers for an experiment. Half of the group received placebos while the other half took cannabidiol. The found that the smokers who were taking the CBD reduced the number of cigarettes they smoked by 40%.

How To Use CBD To Quit Smoking

Besides the cravings that your brain has for cigarettes, many people struggle with the hand to mouth habit that has become so comfortable to them. Craving the act of smoking may be the reason that nicotine gum and patches aren’t working.

Using CBD vapes can help with this. You still have the hand to mouth motion, but instead of inhaling tobacco, you are inhaling vapor with CBD. In our store, we have both nicotine free CBD as well as CBD vape juice with nicotine. These are a great place to start to get your life back to healthy living.

What good does yoga even do? Isn’t it just exaggerated stretching? If you want to do good by your body, shouldn’t weights be involved? Or at least running?

Yoga is becoming more and more popular, and there is a good reason for it. This type of exercise ranges from extremely easy to “how does their body do that?” People everywhere are feeling changes to their body and mind from these routines. But is their science to back the claims of all of the yogis out there?

Depression

When you suffer from depression, it can get annoying when everyone has advice. In the sense of, “Do you even know what you’re talking about?” It seems like everyone is filled with empty advice, but doing yoga isn’t useless advice at all.

Research shows that doing yoga on a regular basis can help with depression by significantly increasing serotonin levels. It can also decrease the level of monamine oxidase, which is an enzyme that breaks down neurotransmitters and cortisol. Achieving the tranquility that yoga has to offer can also reduce stress levels and give you a more optimistic look on life.

Cardiovascular Disease

The risk factors that can cause cardiovascular disease are mainly involved with your lifestyle. If you smoke cigarettes, have a poor diet, or don’t exercise enough you might find yourself with heart problems. Many people find it challenging to exercise from being so overweight it hurts or having a physical condition that keeps them from doing so, making some people turn to yoga.

Studies suggest that yoga could be a useful tool for cardiovascular rehabilitation. Randomized trials have shown that practicing yoga has the ability to reduce atherosclerosis and can slow down the process of coronary obstructions with the help of a low-fat vegetarian diet. Studies are limited, and the sample sizes are small, but researchers believe that yoga could have a lasting impact on heart health.

Arthritis

Arthritis causes stiff joints and pain, which can lead to many people reducing the amount of activity they do to cope with the pain. This can make their problems worse and bring on a whole new set of issues that come from inactivity.

Concerns about activity aggravating inflammation have been outdated, and now it is suggested to exercise regularly to help treat arthritis. Studies show that stretching and holding poses can increase strength and stabilize muscles. Yoga has even shown to increase endurance in patients with arthritis.

Back Pain

Back pain can make any form of activity painful, even sitting. It can be a constant pain from an old injury or a chronic illness, or your back can abruptly start to hurt after lifting something heavy. The last thing you might want to do is stretch and hold your body, but research suggests you might want to start.

When studying patients with lower back pain, researchers found that the participants reported on improved mobility and a reduction in pain. The study also high lights the fact that patients who were doing yoga and also in physical therapy were more likely to stop taking their painkillers. This leads them to believe that structured yoga classes could be a valid replacement for physical therapy with lower back pain.

How To Start Doing Yoga

If you just google yoga poses or watch someone on Youtube, you can risk doing the poses and stretches incorrectly which can actually make your condition worse. You could also create new conditions having your body move and twist in ways it wasn’t meant to. The best thing you can do is find an educated yogi who can teach you these poses and routines so that you can get the best out of the exercise.

When you think of summer body, you might have the image of a model that made the cover of a magazine. But your summer body isn’t defined by the unrealistic expectations of a society that loves photoshop. Your summer body is the one you feel best in. CBD oil can help you achieve that look and that feeling, so you are at your best this summer.

Trimming Fat

Fat is good for you. We need fat. Without it, our immune systems would suffer, and we would have no energy. When you have excessive fat, that is when it becomes a problem for your physical or mental health. CBD can help trim the fat by promoting the fat browning process your body uses to burn fat into energy.

Help You Exercise

CBD oil can help you get exercise in a couple of ways. If you are too tired all of the time or are too depressed to care, CBD oil can give you a boost in your energy and mood so that you have the motivation to exercise. Hemp oil can do this because it elevates an endocannabinoid called anandamide which is actually released when you exercise!

If you have issues working out because of pain, CBD has got you covered there as well. The endocannabinoid anandamide boosts your mood and energy levels because of its relationship with your neurological system. The place where your body also registers pain. The anandamide helps reduce your sensitivity to pain so you can start to get fit and healthy.

Gaining Weight

Yes, some people’s summer body is more weight instead of less. Whether you have too much fat or too little, it can still be damaging to your physical and mental health. CBD oil helps to regulate the appetite, which means that if you are undereating, it will give you a little boost. It won't give you the munchies like THC, but it can make your appetite exist again.

Whether your beach body is adding weight to the scale or taking some off, CBD oil can help! Taking it orally, sublingually, topically, or inhaling can help you achieve a healthy body you feel amazing in. Check out our shop and look through the wide variety of options we have for you!