Week 1: Why Isn’t CBD Working For Me?
By: Erica Ballard
Tags: Wellness, Alternative Health, Stress Management, Cbd, Holistic Health

I don’t really think it’s working.

That’s what I told Crystal, the owner of Owlslee — the store I bought my CBD from, on the phone when she asked me how CBD was treating me this week.

Because, the truth is, I don’t know if it is working. Because I don’t feel more stressed. But I also don’t know if I feel less stressed. I really can’t tell. Which Crystal said is normal in the beginning of one’s CBD journey — especially when they are using it for stress. Because, when it comes to stress management, shifts with CBD are often subtle. Plus, she added, it can take a couple weeks for CBD to feel like it’s working in some people.

All of that made sense to me. Because it’s the same with herbs and vitamins. Your vitamin D supplement needs more than a couple days to do its thing. Same with your B12. And your magnesium. And all the other vitamins and herbs we use. So I intuitively got that my CBD might need some extra time in my system before it showed out.

But here’s the thing: I wanted it to work immediately. And kinda thought it would. Because I had heard so many people say things like, “I love CBD. It helped my [insert issue] immediately”. So, yea, I thought it might immediately impact me. But it didn’t. And while Crystal explained to me why and I knew she was right — you know me, I can’t not dig to understand something more. So, I dug and here’s why I’ve concluded CBD hasn’t worked for me yet.

REASON 1: MY DOSAGE ISN’T HIGH ENOUGH

Right now, I’m taking 25ml of a CBD isolate tincture every morning. This is the lowest dose one can usually take via tincture. And I am glad I was asked to start here because the mantra of knowledgeable CBD practitioners is “start low and go slow”. But after hours on the internet, I have come to the conclusion that this low dose might be why I am not getting the results I want.

Because I’ve learned that CBD isolates usually need to be given at a higher dosage to work. Now, the reason for this is still a little vague to me as research on CBD is still new, but it seems that studies are indicating that the endocannabinoid system — the system in our body that CBD interacts with — prefers to use the whole plant. And not just the CBD and THC portion of the plant, but also CNG, CBC, CBN, and all the other cannabinoids present in the cannabis plant.

Which, again, makes sense to me as it’s the same with vitamins and herbs. They work best when taken in with co-vitamins and enzymes. So, I wasn’t shocked that some studies show that cannabinoids work best together verses as separate, isolated agents. But I also wasn’t shocked when other studies showed isolates do work (especially for seizures). Because adding something like a B12 vitamin to your life is enough for some people to feel immensely better. So, yea, maybe this the reason my CBD isn’t working. But maybe not. Either way, I’m going to remember this fact as I move forward in my healing journey.

REASON 2: MY CBD IS THC FREE

I’m also going to remember that some studies show CBD works best with THC. Now, before you go and think some way about me, I’m not a marijana advocate. Especially when I learned that most pot grown today doesn’t have high levels of CBD in it. But, you know me, I don’t like to fight science. I like to explore it. And with studies showing that full spectrum CBD, i.e. the kind of CBD with 0.3% of THC or lower in it, is the most effective kind (even at a low dosage) — I can’t help but wonder: is this why CBD isn’t working for me yet?

And it might be. Because according to researchers, CBD isolates are found to work on a bell curve — which means if you take too little or too much of a CBD isolate, it won’t work. Truth be told, that’s actually not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. Because all that means is to figure out the right isolate dosage for you — you gotta go through some trial and error. But sometimes that’s inconvenient (like, say, during a move). And you just want your product to work. Which might have if I went with a full spectrum CBD as CBD and THC work really well together. But, alas, I’m not taking one … so, maybe that’s why it’s working.

REASON 3: I DON’T NEED CBD

Maybe. But maybe not. Because the other reason CBD is not working for me is because I’m not an ideal CBD candidate. After all, CBD is found to work for people who have:

Seizures

Pain

Anxiety

Cancer

Digestive & Bowel Disorders

And I don’t really have those. At least not often. Sure, I get anxiety every now and again. But I don’t have it regularly enough that it stops me from doing things. Nor do I have debilitating pain. Or bowel issues. So, yea. Maybe I’m not the ideal candidate for CBD and that’s why it’s not working.

Because I don’t need it. Not everyone needs a vitamin D supplement, so make sense to me that I might not need CBD. Buttttttt I’m going to keep taking it. Because 1. I’m doing a 30-day experiment and 2. I keep hearing cannabis and CBD researchers and experts say we should be adding external cannabinoids to our system so we don’t deplete our endocannabinoids (i.e. the cannabinoids our body naturally produces via our endocannabinoids system).

So, there you have it. I don’t feel any different with CBD thus far. But I’m not going to give up on it or my isolate yet. Because maybe all I need is a little more time and a little higher dosage. That’s why next week, I’ll up to 50ml and see what happens. Because maybe it’ll work better. Of course, maybe it won’t. But I won’t know until I try. So, here we go…

-Erica