CBD for Women

Women have different needs

Women are biologically different then men, that’s just a fact. The situations we endure are never complained about by men, although sometimes it sure seems like you do fellas, lol.  Men don’t experience:

• Hormonal issues
• Menopause
• Menstrual pain
• Hot flashes
• Pregnancy
• PMS
• Stress/Anxiety/lack of sleep due to motherhood
• Breastfeeding
• Postpartum depression

Our bodies are completely different with different needs, and therein lies the problem, at least historically speaking.

As the clock tolls and the month’s change our messy experience will happen over and over  for 2 -3 decades after our first blood.

When it came to medicine and treatment, for decades science was focused primarily on the study of the male body. 

The medical community treated women differently or shrugged them off altogether.

As a result women suffered, an unfortunate tragedy that most likely caused many women their lives.

It’s a Bloody Shame

Our menstrual cycles can be mild without much notice while some experience extreme cramping, nausea, headaches, and malaise.  

As the clock tolls and the month’s change our messy experience will happen over and over  for 2 -3 decades after our first blood.

As if that wasn’t enough, our hormones will fluctuate during menstrual cycles, again during pregnancies, and continue well into menopause.

It’s seems sad in a way, but our lives revolve around our ability to create babies and for some, it is an unpleasant way to spend three quarter of their lives.  

Medicine has come a long way since the dark ages of women.  They’ve developed therapies to help us deal with night sweats, hormone swings, and unpredictable moods.

Unfortunately, however the synthetic options presented to help, also tend to have ill side effects.

According to BreastCancer.Org, long-term use of Hormone Replacement Therapy used to treat menopause and hot flashes, increases the risk of ovarian and breast cancer.

NSAID treatments for menstrual cramp pain among other things can mess up your liver and don’t even get me started on the side effects of the “the pill”

I’m willing to try just about anything that helps deal my issues so long as it makes me feel better, makes me not want to kill anyone, even if that means dealing with ill consequences later on down the road.

The CBD Rabbit Hole?

Whether you are a single woman living a carefree life, a super-fun auntie, a crazy busy soccer mom, an awesome high-powered corporate CEO, a loving life-long partner, a nurturing granny, or traveling the world in your golden years. 

One thing is for sure, women regardless of which stage you are in life, want to feel good, be active, healthy, and have good quality of life.

When my Doctor recommends a medicine, whether it’s over-the-counter or prescribed I usually try it. 

I honestly could care less how it works, just so long as it gets me back on track.  I know there is long-term side effects, but I don’t have much choice.

But since I’ve been hearing a lot about CBD I asked my doctor about taking it.

They (the smarty pants scientists) figured out that the ECS helps with regulating appetite, memory, mood, pain, emotions, and cognition.

She said, she’s heard a lot about it too, but still doesn’t know much about it.  She said it would be ok to try some but suggested I do some research first.

Of course, this was my green light to go get some but first I did as she suggested and learned what I could.

Generally, as I’ve said before, I don’t really care how my medicine works so long as it works, and it doesn’t make me feel worse.

But my curiosity got the best of me, and so i jumped into the Google rabbit holes with both feet to learn what all the CBD craze it about. I recommend that you do the same.

The Greek Gods bring Bliss & Joy

In 1992 scientists discovered an endogenous cannabinoid that we already have in our bodies, it’s called Anandamide.

Anandamide is named after the Greek word “Ananda” which means Bliss or Joy.

As scientists continued studying this stuff, they found that we have lots of other endogenous cannabinoids that our bodies naturally produce.

These cannabinoids appear to part of a three-part signaling system of Enzymes, Receptors, and cannabinoid’s that are scattered throughout the body.

They named this system the Endo-Cannabinoid System or ECS.

They (the smarty pants scientists) figured out that the ECS helps with regulating appetite, memory, mood, pain, emotions, and cognition.

As we age, the body begins to produce less of these molecules which may be a contributing factor to the symptoms of menopause.

The primary responsibility of the ECS seems to be creating a homeostasis, or balance in the body, at a cellular level.

ECS – The Soccer Goalie

Think of the signaling system like a game of soccer.

The player kicking the ball is the nerves in your body signaling that you have pain. 

The ball traveling in the air is your neurotransmitters sending those pain signals to your brain.

But the awesome goalie kid (ECS) intercepts the ball before it reaches your brain, and pain is denied. 

Unfortunately, our ECS goalie isn’t big or strong enough always to block every ball. 

But if your body could make more cannabinoids that would give the goalie kid a boost and increase the chances of the pain-ball being blocked.

Lucky for us, there is a plant called Hemp that is abundant with cannabinoids.

It just so happens that these plant cannabinoids have proven to be a great substitute for fueling our own cannabinoid system.

Thus, taking CBD can improve moods, balance emotions, improve memory and cognition, improve sleep, and make momma happy ????

Oil, Gummies, Creams and Accordions

Cannabinoids are delivered into the blood stream where they metabolize and begin working their magic.

The most popular form of CBD delivery is by consuming oil or gummies.  The CBD takes a bit longer to start working because it must be digested and pass through the liver before entering the blood stream.  But once it’s there it lasts longer than smokables.

Smokables enter directly into the lungs bypassing our other body systems and goes directly into the blood stream. Smokables are reported to have an immediate effect but tends to fade off faster than the oils.

Topicals like creams are fantastic way for dealing with localized issues like sore muscles.  Rub some on your feet and you’ll be thanking me later.

Women also have a unique method available to them that CBD companies are just beginning to explore.

Our little accordions they are finding out is an effective dosing delivery method that bypasses the liver completely, doesn’t affect your lungs,  and introduces CBD directly into the bloodstream fast.

This drastically reduces the time it takes to feel the effects of the CBD for painful cramps due to menstruation. It can also help to manage hormones that regulate periods and ease the discomfort associated with heavy flow.

Using a delivery method such as a vaginal suppository or a tampon with CBD infused may be the fastest way for you to find relief.

Some final thoughts on CBD

It very important that women understand that a daily regimen of CBD, rather than taking it only when they are feeling bad is the best approach.

The reason is because cannabinoids need to build up in your system and you need to maintain that level to act as a preventative measure, this ensures the goalie kid is always ready.

Lastly, women should also understand that our bodies tend to do better with a process known as micro-dosing.

Women metabolize medication slowly, and having multiple small doses throughout the day tend to work better for our metabolisms.

Men might be able to take one or two larger doses per day. Women may do better with 4 to 6 smaller doses each day.

This might be worth repeating, I don’t care how my medication works so long as it works and that that the side effects don’t make it worse. 

CBD from what I read and from my own experience now, have no harmful side effects like other pharmaceuticals that screw with your body. 

No one really understands how you feel except you.  If traditionally medicines aren’t working for you or if you’re concerned about side effects then consider a natural alternative like CBD, you’ll be glad you did.

Consider these little tidbits when looking for CBD

• Find a company that makes their own products
• Make sure the product is labeled Full-Spectrum
• Make sure they have evidence like lab reports to prove purity
• Figure out which deliver method is right for you and don’t discount our little accordion advantage ladies.
• Be your own doctor and experiment with dosing amounts until you find the amount that works for you.
• Sadly, insurance won’t cover CBD yet.  So look for the higher concentrations as they’ll be the best value per milligram giving you the most bang for your buck.  A 3000mg at $115 is over 40% cheaper per mg than a 1000mg bottle at $60
• Experiment.  Start with 10mg 2x day for a week.  Tweak your dose up until you feel noticeably better then. 
• It takes a little while for levels to build up in your body so give it some time.

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