Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at how using CBD may benefit cancer patients, how CBD and probiotics can work together to strengthen gut health, factors that can influence your experience when using cannabis and more. Enjoy.
CBD And Cannabis May Benefit Cancer Patients
As is so often the case, science is now lending even more credence to what so many cancer patients already know: CBD and cannabis can offer varying degrees of relief to people suffering from the disease and the effects of treatment.
Kate-Madonna Hines, writing in The Fresh Toast, offers an overview of recent medical studies backing up years of anecdotal evidence that CBD and cannabis can offer relief for the physical and psychic pain experienced by those fighting the disease.
Various research studies found that CBD and cannabis can help folks combat the following:
Anxiety – Particularly the anxiety and depression that often consume cancer patients.
Pain – Not only the pain at injection sites used in chemotherapy but post-operative suffering as well.
Nausea – Perhaps the number one effect of chemo is the nausea and vomiting, both of which can be alleviated by cannabis.
Insomnia – A recent study found that 72 percent of patients surveyed reported relief from sleeplessness due to anxiety once they turned to CBD oil as a sleep aid.
As usual, it’s always best for those battling the disease to consult with their physician before introducing CBD or cannabis into their treatment routine. But the medical data makes it increasingly clear that both can play a significant role in patient wellness.
For more info, you can read Kate-Madonna Hines’ overview in Thefreshtoast.com.
thefreshtoast.com/news/cannabis-during-breast-cancer-treatment-what-are-the-benefits/
Stats of the Week
If you are wondering just how common knowledge of CBD and the benefits attributed to it have become, the folks at New Frontier Data think they have an answer. Chris Funari, reporting for THCNET.com, cites a study New Frontier Data conducted with popular payments firm Square, Inc., to produce what it calls “the largest U.S. CBD consumers survey to date.”
Among other things, the study revealed 86 percent of U.S. consumers have heard of CBD. At the same time, 73 percent of Americans have had a conversation about CBD and 61 percent believe that CBD could have medical benefits.
However, only 18 percent of Americans have consumed CBD while 29 percent of U.S. consumers — about 73 million people — said they anticipate purchasing a product containing CBD before the end of the year.
The study also found 41 percent of CBD users are taking the cannabinoid for pain, while 33 percent are using it to unwind and 18 percent are consuming CBD to promote “general wellness.”
To provide some context for the numbers, Funari quotes New Frontier founder and CEO Giadha DeCarcer, who said via a news release, “Given that more than 3 in 5 Americans believe CBD has valid medical uses, the potential wellness value hemp may provide can no longer go unnoticed.”
To learn more, we urge you to read Chris Funari’s article in the July 17, 2020 issue of THCNET.com.
thcnet.com/news/new-frontier-data-86-of-americans-have-heard-about-cbd?
Can CBD And Probiotics Strengthen Gut Health?
During the pandemic consumers have increasingly turned to dietary supplements to address an array of health issues. Among the most popular are two that appear to work hand in hand to treat digestive problems: CBD/cannabis products and probiotics.
In an essay in Benzinga, Richard Lin, CEO of Thryve, a company formed in 2016 to focus on human gut health, outlines the benefits of both.
According to Lin, “CBD oil and probiotics influence many vital human bodily functions, including our digestive process, ability to absorb nutrients, and immune responses. With over 80 percent of immune system cells residing in the gut, probiotics and CBD oil may offer the back-up necessary for the body to fight off viral and bacterial infections.”
Lin points to an increasing volume of clinical evidence that CBD may be key to preventing gut issues. Among the benefits attributed to a CBD and probiotic course of treatment:
Improves Bowel Movements
Constipation Prevention
Counteracting Diarrhea/Fighting Irritable Bowel Syndrome Assisting With Weight Loss
Regulating Appetite
Boosting Mood
Improving Probiotic Absorption
Lin also offers a guide to buying the right CBD and probiotics products that focus on gut health.
To read more, check out Lin’s essay in the July 20, 2020 issue of Benzinga.
www.benzinga.com/markets/cannabis/20/07/16672983/how-probiotics-and- cbd-can-improve-gut-health?
Factors That Can Affect Your Cannabis High
Even mature consumers who are new to the experience of using cannabis often find that their experience, particularly their state of intoxication, can vary from time to time.
To help sort out the reasons behind this variety of experience, Maria Loreto, writing for The Fresh Toast, took on the task of trying to figure out why this seems to be the case.
According to Loreto there are five factors that can affect a cannabis experience.
The first is method, or put another way, how did you consume the cannabis. She points out that eating an edible, smoking a joint or taking a hit from a bong can all produce very different highs, particularly when it comes to the intensity of the high and how long it lasts. For example, edibles take longer to have an effect but produce much stronger and long lasting highs than joints or bongs.
The next factor identified by Loreto is dosage. She contends that when trying out a new strain or consuming an edible, the dose you choose can make or break your high. That’s why she believes it’s important to do your research beforehand and always start off slow.
The third factor Loreto finds critical is tolerance. Simply put, the more experience you have consuming cannabis can dictate, to a great extent, how you will adapt to the state of consciousness it produces. She also points out that tolerance is personal, changing from user to user and making it likely for you and a friend to have different dosing levels even if you share similar body types and level of experience with the plant. The more you consume cannabis, the more you’ll get a feel for your tolerance level.
The next factor Loreto finds important is location or setting, specifically where you are consuming the cannabis and under what circumstances. She holds the opinion that being in a crowded party or in an open space can go a long way toward determining what kind of experience you will have. Said Loreto,”If you’re a beginner, the best way to consume marijuana would be to do so in a space that feels safe with friends you trust.”
Her fifth and final factor is the strain of the cannabis you are consuming. Different strains will help to produce different highs and can go a long way toward determining if you are likely to start a dance party or spend the evening on the couch. Do your homework before you consume.
To learn more, you can read Maria Loreto’s entertaining article which appeared in the July 2, 2020 issue of The Fresh Toast, which also appeared in Benzinga.
www.benzinga.com/markets/cannabis/20/07/16491491/5-factors-that-affect-your-cannabis-high?
Senior Cannabis Digest is compiled and edited by Joe Kohut and John Kohut. You can reach them at joe.kohut@gmail.com or at 34-528-8753.
