More and more of my patients are reporting excellent results using CBDs for pain relief. Several have even reported being able to stop using their medical pain relief drugs, which is what I was hoping for. Prescription pain relief drugs are the number one form of opiate drug abuse in America with over 2.1 million new drug abusers added per year.
CBDs, on the other hand, offer excellent pain relief without addiction problems or side effects. It is the side effects that concern me the most with prescription drugs, as most of them are toxic to your liver, kidneys, and digestive tract, not to mention the damage they do to your cognitive abilities. CDBs are extracted from specially bred strains of hemp that contain none of the psychoactive THC compounds and do not have these toxic effects.
Researchers have discovered that our bodies actually manufacture their own CBDs and there is an entire system of CBD receptor sites on all the tissue types in the body. In fact it has been found that the CBD receptor sites on bones, when stimulated by taking CBDs, reverse osteoporosis by 30%. CBDs appear to have a regulating and balancing effect on various organs and glands throughout the body. At latest count 180 different cannabinoids (CBDs) have been discovered that affect 99 different receptors sites in the body and have been found to be beneficial in 50 different diseases. Research in this area is just starting to really take off.
One of my patients showed me a CBD liquid product that claimed it had much better absorption than other forms of CBD taken orally. I was not aware that there was a problem with absorption, so naturally I started researching what was known about CBD absorption. I found out quite a bit, and her product probably is better formulated for absorption, however the price reflects this. My research revealed that orally ingested CBDs are only about 5% absorbed. By contrast, they are absorbed 10 to 25% when smoked and about 13% absorbed sublingually. The primary problem with oral absorption is that CBDs are very susceptible to the acid in our stomachs. Many nutrients and probiotics are also, so I thought we could use the same absorption protocols for them with the CBDs to enhance absorption.
There are several tricks we use to increase the absorption of probiotics that should also work with CBDs, so you can get more bang for your buck when taking CBDs.
Take your supplement (CBDs, probiotics, etc…) on an empty stomach. The first thing in the morning and at least ½ hour before you eat is a good time or at least 3 hours after a meal.
Drink 2 or 3 swallows of bubbly mineral water or carbonated water before taking the supplement to open the valve at the bottom of the stomach to dump out any acid already in the stomach.
If it is not too nasty tasting for you, add ¼ teaspoon of baking soda to the water you use to swallow the supplement (CBD, probiotic) to neutralize any acid clinging to the walls of the stomach.
Follow the capsule taking with another 2 to 3 swallows of bubbly mineral water to keep the stomach valve open, so the capsules will pass right through the stomach and avoid the acid altogether.
If you really want to take it to the limit, swallow a bile salt tablet with the CBD oil capsule, as oils need bile salts to be absorbed and the tiny capsules might not trigger the gall bladder to release much bile to help the CBD oil to be absorbed.
This protocol should greatly enhance the amount of CBD oil you are able to absorb and therefore the benefit you get from each dose. With this protocol you avoid the stomach acid and you provide the bile necessary for absorption.
If you are new to CBDs and would like more information, I was told there will be an informational seminar at Elliott’s Natural Foods on El Camino on May 11th at 4:00 PM. Check out the notice below and the poster link here.
I look forward to hearing the experiences of those of you that try this to see just how much better your response is to your CBD use.