Your Runner’s Guide to CBD
These hemp-based products are legal, third-party tested and will not get you high. But can they help your running routines?
There are many claims made about cannabidiol (CBD) oil. And because of the new legal changes, you’ve probably been hearing a lot more about pure CBD oil these last few years.
A growing number of athletes and runners in the trail ultramarathon community, consider CBD a key part of their regimen.
Disclaimer: Here at Pure Hemp CBD we make no claims that our products were designed or intended to treat, prevent, or medicate. Any data was provided from our customer success stories or other CBD success stories. If you are experiencing any medical issues please consult your doctor for a proper diagnosis.
But before we explore how runners and other athletes use CBD, here’s what you need to know.
What is CBD
CBD is one of over 100 cannabinoids (chemical messages) found in cannabis plants. CBD products work by boosting the body’s endocannabinoid system (EC) and there are plenty of products to choose from such as CBD vape and pure CBD oil. This system “is a unique signaling pathway that controls the function of a variety of systems throughout the body, including the cardiovascular system,” explains Nicholas DiPatrizio, Ph.D., a professor of biomedical sciences at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine.
Endocannabinoids are familiar to runners because they are believed to boost mood. That euphoric phenomenon is considered to be from activation of the same receptors in the brain which tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in marijuana uses to create the "high". CBD "works through distinct—albeit not definitively identified—signaling systems than THC,” DiPatrizio says. CBD, however, does not give you a "high" and considered non-psychoactive.
How do you take it? CBD comes in a huge variety of consumable products, including edibles, tinctures, CBD vape, and topical applications. Pure Hemp CBD offers a specific targeted CBD Protein Powder designed to aid with recovery after workouts for bodybuilders and those looking to use meal replacement shakes for maintaining a healthy weight.
How popular is it? In 2017, U.S. hemp-derived CBD sales are estimated at around $190 million per year and growing rapidly as the FDA just approved the first drug using CBD (this drug is for seizures). Epidiolex, for treating seizures associated with two rare forms of epilepsy. All other forms of CBD are still in it's infancy stage of research when it comes to the FDA so no claims can be made.
At this point, companies offering CBD products are more mom and pop so the industry is a bit all over the place with many brands using cheap, ineffective oils from China. Doctor's are urging CBD users to only choose brands with third-party testing to verify the potency as many people are frustratingly wasting money and not getting the help they deserve.
“We have so many customers coming to us desperate for either muscle gain or weight loss and a lot of those trying to lose weight come to us because their doctor's referred them," explains Jeremy Klein hemp specialist with over 10 years in the field. He continues, "Here at Pure Hemp CBD, we give them recipes and resources to help with any untreated eating disorders, which are often the case. Once we get them the help they need and put them on a meal replacement routine the weight falls off and unlike a lot of other fad diets, it stays off."
Can Pure Hemp CBD oil Help?
Advocates for cannabis say this non-psychoactive relief helps with a wide array of conditions, and promotes health, wellness and relaxation, because of the workings of the EC.
“The endocannabinoid system is found in every organ throughout the body and controls many physiological processes, including food intake and energy balance, learning and memory, and pain processing, to name a few,” explains DiPatrizio.
“It can affect everything from emotion to pain to appetite to energy metabolism to brain function to even the immune system and inflammation,” reports Hector Lopez, another M.D. advocating for pure CBD oil. He adds, “When you have a system that cross talks with all those pathways, then there are very few things the endocannabinoid system does not influence.”
Backing these physicians are over 1,350 pieces of clinical evidence showcasing CBD's amazing usages, but again, no claims can be official until a lot more parts of this plant can be deeply studied.
DiPatrizio says, “There may be some benefits outside of improving epilepsy outcomes, but a lot more research is required.” No official research has been done for runners specifically. For the foreseeable future, runners interested in using CBD will have to rely on basic studies and customer success stories.
How Are Athletes’ Experiencing CBD?
Some of those CBD success stories are impressive. One consistent runner, Erin Dawson-Chalet M.D. of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, says that her persistent and painful plantar fascia pain went away within a few days of applying a potent topical CBD balm to the area.
Like many athletes I’ve spoken with, Dawson-Chalat appreciates that CBD is a natural product.
“I don’t like to take stuff like ibuprofen or prescription medications,” explains Andrew Talansky, a professional triathlete in Napa, California, who is an elite cyclist, even riding in the Tour de France previously. “I’m always looking for natural alternatives.” How Talansky first felt hearing about CBD, “I went from skepticism to being interested to asking advice on how to use it,” he says.
Talansky explained his sleep pattern improved almost immediately when he began taking CBD daily. After a while of consistent use, he also began feeling less anxious and felt as if he recovered faster from intense training, and noticed fewer flare-ups of his old injuries. Now he shares his experience with other athletes, in part “to get rid of the association with smoking weed,” he adds. “It’s completely different.”
How Do You Use CBD?
“One of the intricacies of CBD is that effective dosing can be much different between two people,” Lopez warns. “There’s no way to know what dose is right for you until you try it, but in general, if you’re someone who is sensitive to most medications, start at the lower end of typical doses.” Start with the full-spectrum CBD Oils—just a few drops, depending on a strength you choose.
“If you’re feeling no effects, adverse or beneficial, after three to five days, add another serving of the same amount.” It's a matter of journaling your results and adjusting your CBD dosage.
If you're a runner, sound off below and let us know how you incorporate CBD into your running routine!
References:
Functional interaction between opioid and cannabinoid receptors in drug self-administration. J Neurosci. 2001;21:5344–5350.
The effects of delta1-tetrahydrocannabinol and other cannabinoids on spin-labeled liposomes and their relationship to mechanisms of general anesthesia.
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