- How this Birmingham man saved himself from a downward spiral
- Revealed, the anti-depressant inside us all
- How to reduce muscle pain, aches and stress
Chris Davis found it hard to get out of bed.
Why bother? It was all pointless.
He couldn’t muster up any enthusiasm at all – for anything at all.
Even when he managed to get dressed and leave the house, he would use alcohol to push away the relentlessly dark thoughts.
He’d end up feeling a brief high during a drunken weekend of partying.
But then he’d come crashing down again.
And so, the next week would begin with him lying in bed, tormented by despair and bleak thoughts, even worse than the week before.
It was what you might call a ‘downward spiral’.
The doctor prescribed anti-depressants. These didn’t work for him, Chris claimed, they made his low moods even lower.
However, there was one thing in his life he enjoyed, and that was going to the gym.
So he forced himself to go more regularly and said he felt a bit better after a few months. This is because exercise releases endorphins, which interact with the receptors in the brain and trigger positive feelings.
Endorphins are the natural anti-depressant inside us all
It doesn’t have to be the gym either. Get on a bike. Go for a swim. Play a round of golf. Try some intensive housework or gardening. Even a 30 minute walk every day could start to release your natural anti-depressants. Exercise also helps you sleep better at night, which will improve your wellbeing over time.
But for Davis, the process of self-healing was still slow going and perilous. Every now and then the anxiety would kick in. The old black dog of depression never quite left him alone.
That was when Davis decided he would try something else – something controversial but which kept appearing in the health news and fascinated him.
It was cannabis oil, otherwise known as CBD.
He saw that people were using it to control pain and reduce anxiety, with remarkable results.
It was worth a shot.
Davis used CBD oil rather than capsules, which he admits tasted a bit horrible, but was worth it because he was feeling good effects within just a week, taking it once every day.
On top of that he continued going to the gym – and found that his fitness levels were improving quickly too.
The combination of these two methods rescued him from his downward spiral. He’s now a thriving fitness instructor.
This story, reported in the Birmingham Mail at the end of last year, is typical of many stories that I’ve read regarding CBD oil, which is being taken up by more and more people every week – and for good reason too.
In fact, we’ve put a page up about it here: Facts about CBD oil.
What’s interesting is not only the effects of CBD oil on anxiety and depression, but that it seems to work really well in conjunction with exercise.
And here’s why…
An anti-inflammatory that reduces muscle stress
When you do intensive exercise, for instance going on a run or doing a session in the gym, your muscles will experience tiny amounts of wear and tear.
Your body’s inflammation response kicks in, which triggers the natural repair process. What happens is that the ‘fixed’ muscles become stronger for next time.
This is how you get fitter.
All well and good…
However, too much inflammation can be a bad thing. It can over-run, even when it’s not needed any more, causing aches, strains and injuries.
This is when CBD becomes helpful. As a natural anti-inflammatory it can control that runaway inflammation, easing the stiffness and soreness after exercise, shortening the amount of recovery time you need.
Last month, as reported in The Metro, Fiona Lawson, a nutritional therapist said: “Before exercise it may help to reduce muscle fatigue during exertion. After exercise, it may help with soreness.”
She added: “CBD oil is also known to support sleep and relaxation, both of which boost recovery.”
There’s even a fitness group called Cannabliss, who use CBD and exercise to relieve stress and anxiety by getting rid of muscle tension.
It sounds crazy doesn’t it? Cannabis oil and exercise as a combo… but people are claiming that it really works.
And not only for exercise-lovers. Anyone who gets tired, sore, stiff muscles can benefit.
To back this up, a study published in Frontiers in Neurology in 2018 has shown that CBD is as effective at reducing inflammation to lower pain and boost mobility in people with multiple sclerosis.
However, there are relatively few studies on CBD, which is why most of the evidence is currently anecdotal.
This situation is changing rapidly, as scientists scramble to catch up, realising that what we have here is a powerful natural remedy for a host of health problems.
We have been getting a great response to the oil that we’ve been offering on a trial basis for the past few weeks. If you’ve missed my emails about it, or want to know more, then check out the webpage here: What you need to know about CBD.
If you have been using CBD oil do let us know your experiences and feedback. We always like to hear real-life stories from readers, and with such a lack of scientific study into CBD right now, I think it’s important to share experiences so that others can make a choice about whether to try it themselves.
Yours as ever
