pain is the enemy
I am sitting at home at the moment, leg elevated and ankle submersed in ice. I have had ongoing issues with my ankles forever and it has become profoundly problematic in the last year. I have a whole new empathy for anyone that deals with chronic pain. It’s one thing to have sympathy for someone dealing with pain, but you simply do not want to get to the point where you empathize with someone in the pain department because it means you are enduring something of similar consequence.
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Pain truly creates desperation, doesn’t it? It makes one search for answers and yearn for immediacy. I am having a flashback to my newborn baby, who looked like he had swallowed a football for the first couple of months of his life. He had a very distended tummy and colic like nobody’s business. I should have bought stocks in gripe water.
I remember desperately searching for some kind of answer to help alleviate my poor little baby’s pain and in my Google stumblings (Google was a pretty brand new thing in 2000) I remember reading an article of how colicky babies have strong problem solving skills and heightened brain development. They are trying to figure out what is going on and why they are in pain, and screaming their heads off at their parents to fix the problem until they fall asleep in complete exhaustion. My poor little Alexander. Fortunately, he was a text book example of growing out of colic. They say that colic usually lasts three months. He was born on September 21st and the colic ended a few days before Christmas eve. It was a lovely gift for all of us.
On a side note, I have always said that there should be an on call parent’s group connected to the Ontario Health Unit. If a family is struggling with dealing with colic (because it can really be frustrating and trying) they should have a list of people in the community that they can call to come over and take care of their baby while they go out to get a breath of fresh air. I remember having a discussion with a woman at a craft show who was showing true signs of colic exhaustion, and I said, “I don’t know you from a hole in the ground, but if you ever need me to spend a couple hours with your baby so you can get a rest, just give me a shout and I’ll come over.” It’s that seriously important to me.
The calm before….
the storm!
But this post isn’t about colicky babies, it is about marijuana.
Getting Schooled By Spicoli
If you grew up in the 80’s, you know Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
I am no Spicoli. I will be the first to tell you that I know diddly squat about marijuana. There are some people out there that, impressively, know soooo much. I would not hesitate to call them professionals in the field. I was a high school Art teacher for many years (no pun intended, ha ha ha). If I had a dollar for the amount of times I had to deter a student from drawing the quintessential marijuana leaf. *sigh* There were a few that were definitely “professionals”.
Ok, guys. This is hilarious. Click on the photo to be taken to the link to get one for yourself if you’re into this stuff. In my case, it’s actually true. My body is very sorry when I get stoned. hurl (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)
People that really love marijuana have an incredible knowledge base about all aspects of the plant and what each part can do for not only our body but for the world. It is impressive. I am almost 100% certain that anyone immersed in the green culture would be more than happy to share a joint with me to help alleviate the pain I am enduring at the moment. I have known many people that have self-medicated their pain away, one reefer at a time. But that’s not how this cat rolls. (Do cats roll?)
adverse reactions to the green stuff
I’d like to tell you that I’m one of those people that worked my way through my university years with a baggie full of green goodness and a stack of rolling papers in my pocket. After all, I was an ART STUDENT and what art student doesn’t immerse themselves in green culture, am I right? I was no angel, but it just wasn’t my jam over the long haul. After the laughing fits subsided, the nausea kicked in. The older I got, any time I gave it a go, it usually made me quite sick. I should also note that usually if a joint was being passed my way, my inhibitions were usually out the door already, meaning that I was imbibing in a drink or two or three. So the combination of alcohol and pot was never a good experience for me in the long run. I apologize to anyone that had to deal with me under those conditions. How embarrassing.
Back in my smoking days, Colts were my inhalant of choice. Oh I hope my lungs have forgiven me for my ridiculousness. To be fair though, in my day, you could buy candy in the shape of cigarettes and cigars. (You actually STILL CAN!) Smoking truly was the norm!
Some of you may be reading that thinking, “bummer” that I am not into smoking or consuming THC (tetrahydrocannabinol; the main active ingredient in marijuana). Perhaps you think that I am really missing out on something good in life, that could be helping me through the pain I am dealing with today. Perhaps you are saying to yourself, “She’s just not using it right.” You are probably right, but I will take not barfing over barfing any day. And just to give you a bit of insight into my quirky ailments, I am also one of those people that cannot take medication like Adivan for anxiety. For a small percentage of people, it actually has the opposite effect and heightens anxiety. I am one of those people. Yay, me! (Insert eye roll here.)
no need to smoke it!
Yet, here I am, a 47 year old woman, about to tell you about the amazingness of an extraction from the cannabis species that I want everyone with any kind of ailment to experience. I waited a long time for this product to be legalized, and now that it is, I am a true believer in the positive effects of CBD oil, otherwise known as cannabinoid oil. I sound like an infomercial! Ha ha ha
Hemp plant vs marijuana plant
But first, I should clarify, that now I am transitioning from talking about marijuana plants to hemp plants. There truly is a difference with the main point being that one has psychoactive abilities, and one does not. I am including a link here to share the variables between the two, instead of trying to ignorantly explain it in a way that will sound ridiculous because I know nothing but what I know.
benefits of cbd oil
In a nutshell, the beauty of CBD oil is that it is not psychoactive, so you’re not going to have any kind of altered state that can cause paranoia, hallucinations, or the desire to eat a dozen donuts at once. Instead of spending time doing the research on it and regurgitating it for you, again, I am just going to give you the link to a great article about the benefits of CBD oil:
I started using CBD oil a couple of years ago to deal with chronic neck and arm pain that has plagued me for close to a decade.
I have spent a long time having incredibly restless, uncomfortable sleeps.
I have gone through several different types of mattresses trying to find the right one.
I have gone through copious amounts of physiotherapy to deal with the knotted muscles in my neck and shoulders.
I have gone through exorbitant amounts of cognitive behavioral therapy to learn tactics for dealing with anxiety.
You would think that all of those things combined would be the elixer for rest and relaxation but it’s that little drop of CBD oil under the tongue every night that has truly alleviated the pain.
This picture makes it look so ominous and wicca like. lol
Here is a brief explanation from Medical News Today,
According to one study posted to Neurotherapeutics, this is because CBD itself does very little to the ECS. Instead, it activates or inhibits other compounds in the endocannabinoid system. For example, CBD stops the body from absorbing anandamide, a compound associated with regulating pain. So, increased levels of anandamide in the bloodstream may reduce the amount of pain a person feels. Cannabidiol may also limit inflammation in the brain and nervous system, which may benefit people experiencing pain, insomnia, and certain immune-system responses. Medical News Today
can i use hemp seeds for pain?
So if you run to your kitchen right now, thinking that your hemp seeds and hemp oil are going to win you the race in alleviating pain, I will stop you right there. Although hemp has many benefits, (and I have a yummy recipe for you to try just down the blog a little ways with hemp in it) it does not alleviate pain the same way CBD oil does. I will give you information on that in the resource library. Just click on this button to get there.
how do i use cbd oil?
So a few years back, I put the hemp seeds back in the fridge, and decided to explore the world of CBD oil. This was before marijuana was legal in Canada, so everything cannabis related was still underground. It seems silly in retrospect to be searching on the “green market” for something that is not even a hallucinogen or addictive in any way. I sent private messages to friends who had connections who talked to their connections and after a lot of hullaballooo, I had CBD oil in my hands. I was confused with how much of a dosage I was to take because it comes in a small glass bottle with a tincture dropper. What the heck do I do now? As with most medications that you know nothing about, you HAVE TO USE IT IN MODERATION to make sure you do not have adverse reactions. (No, I am not speaking from a very, very bad experience with pot cookies that had me convinced that I was dying.) You are dealing with the size of the vial, the amount that one dropper can hold, and the amount per dropper that one should take. Each vile has different strengths, so you need to think about the severity of the pain that you are in before considering your options and doing as much research as you can. I have learned that it is possible to overdose on CBD oil if you consume ten 1000mg viles of oil at once. Basically, that would be like swallowing a coffee cup full of oil and I am certain you would poop your pants instantly.
just do you! nobody else!
BUT I AM GOING TO BE VERY LOUD AND CLEAR RIGHT HERE AND NOW. DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT give any form of CBD oil to your pets or your children or your neighbour’s children and anyone else but yourself. That would be like asking babies to randomly lick spoons full of peanut butter. You know you. Just do you, mmm-k? Let vets and pediatricians take care of everything else. I am sure there are many professionals out there with alternative practices that can help you make decisions beyond yourself, but YOU HAVE TO TALK TO THEM FIRST. Before I used any kind of CBD oil, I got the thumbs up from my doctor. He even wrote out a prescription for me at the time. Don’t fart around with things you don’t know about, please. Education is key.
At this moment, I am using a brand called Mary’s. I have 1/4 of a tincture per night and sleep solidly through the night. I am talking, solidly. Ask my husband how restless of a sleeper I have been in the last ten years. Sleep deprivation is not good for a marriage or for anything, actually. Now I wake up in the morning, alert and ready to go. But I don’t want you to think that CBD oil puts you in a coma. I still wake up in the middle of the night if I hear sounds, and I am still able to stagger to the bathroom for a pee. For the last two nights, I have been hopping to the bathroom in the middle of the night on crutches. Fun times! But the CBD oil simply alleviates all of my pain and allows me to sleep effortlessly. Sweet peace at last. I am forever sold. No need to buy new mattresses. Woohoo!
Hopefully I won’t be using these suckers much longer!
Delicious CBD treats
As an added bonus, I have also bought myself some CBD infused honey. This will be nice to have with a cup of chamomile tea just before bed to send me off to zzz land. Or…oooooh! I will be able to have it with my wild harvested tea from the farm this spring. That is exciting to think about! But let me tell you; the honey not cheap. A 120 ml jar of the honey put me back 40 beans, so this is simply a “special treat” honey when I feel like being fancy. (And we all know what my kinda fancy looks like!)
Will I go to jail for using cbd oil?
So the big question is….is the purchasing of CBD oil even legal? Am I going to wake up from my sleepy slumber in handcuffs on a bed made of cement? Well, according to the government of Canada, we’re good to go. Considering that CBD oil has either no or low TCH in it (the psychoactive drug that makes you think you are one of Charlie’s Angels….ummm….again, not speaking from experience….) you are good to go.
There are so many different consumption options nowadays! Thanks, Canada, for options! 😉
Here’s the thing though….there is a lot of snake oil out there, and at anywhere from $75 to $100 a vial, you don’t want to be dropping money like its hot, am I right? So talk to your friends. Check out the product I mentioned. Go to dispensaries and see what they’re saying. Check out ratings online. Do your homework. A lot of major companies like Amazon are not allowed to sell CBD oil so even if there is a product there that says it has CBD oil in it, or that it is a CBD oil booster, what it actually is hemp seed oil. Remember? Check out that chart in my resource library as a reminder of the differences.
edibles that won’t make you see jesus
Hemp seeds are yummy though, and again, they’re healthy as all heck. Check out my delicious recipe for chocolate chip hemp seed cookies.
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These things are soooo scrumptious!
Choco-Hemp Seed Cookie Yum-Yums
(I just made that up)
1/2 cup hemp seeds
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut (you can use unsweetened shredded coconut as well if that is your thing)
1/4 chia seeds that will definitely get stuck in your teeth
3 eggs (I think it’s pretty optional what kind of bird bum they come out of, but chicken eggs are probably the best)
1/4 cup coconut flour (or you can substitute with almond flour if you prefer)
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted (or you can just melt butter)
2 teaspoons of apple pie seasoning (I seriously put this stuff in everything! You can also get it from your favourite Epicure rep! “Hi Nicole!”)
a pinch of salt
1/4 cup maple syrup (but if you’re doing low carb or keto, you can substitute erythritol. I love Swerve! Otherwise, get yourself some local Sidder’s maple syrup!)
1/4 cup chocolate chips (again, you can use keto friendly chocolate chips like Lily’s chocolate chips. They are suuuuuper good!)
Mix all of this good stuff together and make them into balls. Flatten them with a fork or else you will end up with cookie balls. Bake them in an 350 degree oven for 15 minutes and presto bango bingo, you have deliciousness.
Oh man. This hemp seed porridge is sooooo filling and good for you!
I am also including a recipe for hemp seed porridge in my resource library for you to check out. Again, sooo yummy and then you can tell everyone you had a bowl full of weed seeds for breakfast. haha
Do your thing 😉
But in all seriousness, I hope that this blog has been helpful in giving you a bit of direction with the benefits of CBD oil and has you on a new journey of your own discovery whether it be via good ol’ marijuana plants or good ol’ hemp plants. Go out there and enjoy what Mother Nature has given us, via gummy bears, oils, creams and cookies and whatever other ways the Government of Canada says is ok to have. 😉 Happy trails to you!
Here’s a fun little ditty by Toby Keith that will teach you more than I even knew about marijuana. And of course, Willie Nelson is also playing in this video. haha
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