Best CBD for Anxiety & Endocannabinoid System

How to select the best CBD for Anxiety? What are Endocannabinoid System and CBD? Check out the real truth about CBD and how CBD works for you via the endocannabinoid system.

This little plant packs so much power! As a Pharmacist and Functional Medicine Practitioner, I work one-on-one with people every day and watch them thrive in so many ways by taking CBD oil. Whether they are using it for a specific condition (like CBD oil for anxiety), or the unintentional “happy mistakes” (as I like to call them) that occur while using the oil, CBD is helping so many people achieve their health and wellness goals. The good news is that the CBD market is booming! And one needs to select the best CBD for anxiety or other indications. The stigmas that question the legality of CBD are slowly fading, and “CBD” is becoming a common household name. The bad news is for the very same reason! Everyone from doctors to celebrities wants to get in on the market, but many people are creating companies and slapping their personal labels on generic products to make money.

How to select the best CBD for Anxiety?

The truth is there are approximately 3500 brands of CBD on the market, and anywhere from 70% to 93% of them, depending on the form, are adulterated, meaning that what the label says does not reflect what is in the bottle. Selecting the best CBD for anxiety is, therefore, crucial. There is so much to learn when selecting the right product and dosage for YOU, as CBD is very patient-specific and dependent on what you are looking to treat. 

There are many medical conditions in which CBD can be beneficial, some more severe than others, but you should always reach out to a healthcare practitioner when starting a CBD product to figure out what is the best CBD for anxiety, what is the best form and safest for you and your health. There are many things to consider including dosing, drug interactions, drug testing, pregnancy and lactation, and most importantly, what are you looking to treat, and which products and dosing administration are beneficial to you. 

Education is everything when it comes to using CBD properly, and I am going to explain how you can use CBD safely and effectively to achieve your health and wellness goals and how I selected the best CBD and used CBD oil for anxiety.

Know Your Source, Not All CBD is Created Equally

There are many things to consider when selecting a CBD product whether it is the best CBD for anxiety or otherwise. 

First, know that all CBD is not created equally. So, for selecting the best CBD for anxiety, you need to know your source and product integrity, so always look for a certificate of analysis (COA) to provide the product’s purity and also, for third-party testing for heavy metals, toxins, and pesticides. 

There are approximately 140 cannabinoids in a cannabis plant that serve some specific medicinal benefits, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties at the cellular level. So, how to get the best CBD for your anxiety? Most likely, you will want to purchase a full-spectrum CBD product versus an isolate or broad-spectrum product to achieve maximum benefits, what is called the “entourage effect,” where all of the cannabinoids, including 0.3% THC is present, all working synergistically, along with the terpenes and flavonoids to give you maximum results. Don’t worry, this small amount of THC CAN NOT and WILL NOT get you high or cognitively impair you in any way.

Broad-spectrum CBD products are helpful in specific cases, as they contain zero THC. But you must be cautious! A lot of companies advertise these products as safe for people who require drug testing, let’s just say for employment. This can be quite deceiving as CBD itself can trigger a false positive on a drug test for THC. This could be proven false with extensive lab testing but be careful. Most employers have zero tolerance for drug use as policy and won’t look past a standard 7-panel drug test. This is also a catch-22 for pain management patients seeking help to decrease or taper off opioids using CBD. However, many practitioners require monthly urine screens to receive their pain medication prescriptions. It’s unfortunate for those looking to make this switch to a safer alternative and is restricted due to these rules and guidelines.

Unfortunately, I see a lot of these cases in my practice and hope that guidelines change and that practitioners are more open-minded to alternatives and more natural, non-habit-forming regimens. You can’t overdose on CBD. You can’t get addicted to CBD. You can’t withdraw from CBD. Generally speaking, you can safely take CBD with most medications, however, it is advisable to check with your physician. As a pharmacist, I recommend separating all CBD doses from all other medications, by at least two hours, both before and after dosage. Always check with your healthcare practitioner based on your health requirements.

Have You Ever Heard of the Endocannabinoid System And CBD?

So, let’s talk about education. You are not alone if you have never heard of this very important Endocannabinoid System in our bodies and CBD. It is a complex system made up of receptors that tell our bodies what to do. Not only is it necessary to provide an education to those who are incorporating CBD in their daily regimen for its benefits, but there are also so many clinicians that are uneducated on the Endocannabinoid System and CBD, as the ECS was “newly discovered” in 1992. There are so many people that I encounter daily that have no idea how CBD works via the endocannabinoid system, or how it can benefit overall health. Many people still question its legality, but full-spectrum CBD can be sold legally in all 50 states. Some get confused, mistaking CBD for medicinal marijuana.

Medicinal marijuana contains more than 0.3% THC, requires a letter of medical necessity from a certified physician, and must be blended and purchased from a dispensary, where a pharmacist or physician “budtender” blends a product based on their medical condition. This process varies state by state depending on the laws. Varying from pain caused by arthritis or neuropathy and restless leg syndrome to anxiety and depression, sleep disorders, seizures, Parkinson’s, autoimmune issues, and pretty much any source of inflammation, CBD oil regulates this system in our bodies called the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) which serves as our bodies’ homeostasis when everything is copacetic and in balance.

There is certainly a lack of education on the endocannabinoid system, ECS, and CBD in the healthcare field as it is only taught in approximately 13% of universities to people entering the medical field even to this day. Whether you are a doctor, nurse practitioner, PA, pharmacist, nurse, or someone who just wants to learn about how you can help yourself or others with this amazing tincture, you must understand how the ECS works. 

The Endocannabinoid System contains CB1 and CB2 receptors where both naturally produced endogenous cannabinoids are produced and bind to these receptors and work their magic, or if we choose to supplement with a quality CBD product to fill these receptors and create that homeostasis in our bodies. 

Who knew that our own bodies could produce cannabinoids? I like to compare our natural cannabinoids (Anandamide and 2-AG) to the endorphins we release during exercise or the oxytocin we release when giving and receiving a hug. They make our bodies feel good for a limited period of time due to their short half-life, but not enough to reach therapeutic levels to treat health conditions.

In Summary

My integrative practice as a Functional Medicine Pharmacist really began when I stumbled upon CBD about six years ago as it put me on my own health journey and path to wellness. It was difficult to find a lot of information back then, as CBD had not become the common household name that it is now. I was curious and wanted to try CBD oil for the anxiety issues that I was experiencing. 

I had suffered from general anxiety from my early 20s and would have random anxiety and quick little panic episodes throughout the day where my hands and feet would go numb, I’d have palpitations, and become short of breath. This started happening several times a day, interfering with my lifestyle, and causing me to seek medical attention. I was prescribed an ever-so-popular SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor), which became the only way to completely stop the attacks. I was taking an antidepressant, but I didn’t feel depressed! I was on an SSRI for over 16 years, except for when I was trying to become pregnant. 

A few months after my son was born, I was driving with him in the car and that awful feeling came over me. Fast forward eight years, I introduced CBD oil for anxiety (after selecting the best CBD oil for anxiety) and also into my daily regimen. In one week of using the CBD oil for anxiety, I completely tapered myself off the medication and never looked back. Has it cured my anxiety completely? Nope! I take my CBD tincture every day, along with yoga, meditation, and breathwork, and I am a work in progress. But the good news is that my anxiety is under control, so I feel content and healthy throughout my day.

When I started down this path of healing and nurturing my patients, the one-on-one contact with them organically turned into more than just educating and guiding them in using CBD products and selecting the best CBD for anxiety. I got to know many of my customers on a personal level. I learned about them, their families, their lifestyle, their jobs, and their overall health. 

Through the understanding of this big picture, my passion has been fueled every day, as I continue to work with more clients, guiding them on a journey of healing and overall well-being, not just through the use of CBD, but through lifestyle modifications, supplements, and nutrition, getting to the root cause and solving medical issues from the source. 

Along the way, I have collected hundreds of first-hand testimonials of positive CBD success stories. When I started down this path of researching cannabis and helping others, I never realized how it would completely change my practice as a pharmacist and create a new healthier lifestyle for myself.