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Tag Archives: CBD

Weekly Recap January 14-18 2019

CBD, Chronic Life, exercise, Health issues, lifestyle, motivation, Oska Pulse, pain relief, Product Picks, Weekly Recaps January 18, 2019 Leave a comment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weekend recap January 14-18 2019

It was a long, wet, and painful week here in southern California! I hope this post finds you feeling the best that you possibly can despite whatever winter weather is headed your way!!  Whether you are sitting beside the fireplace or snuggled under your covers in bed, spend a few minutes catching up on any of my blog posts that you may have missed this past week.

Two Reasons You Should Try Topical CBD Products For Pain Relief
Kicking rain pain down the storm drain with PEMF therapy
Riding out the storm: How I deal with rain pain
Three ways I relieve chronic pain at Disneyland

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Two Reasons You Should Try Topical CBD Products For Pain Relief

CBD, fibromyalgia, pain relief, psoriatic arthritis January 17, 2019 Leave a comment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wondering if topical CBD products are worth trying?

My answer is YES!!

I have been using topical CBD products for seven years to relieve chronic muscle pain from fibromyalgia.  I also use them to reduce the reactionary pain I experience in my muscles and tendons from psoriatic arthritis, degenerative disc disease, and coccydynia.

Here are two reasons why you should try a topical CBD product for pain relief!

Topicals won’t get you high

CBD is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid that won’t get you high.  By using a topical CBD lotion, oil, or salve you will only experience relief in the area that you applied it to.  Although CBD tinctures, pills, and edibles won’t get you high, depending on the dosage, they may make you sleepy.  Topicals are perfect when you are on the go and need to stay awake.

*Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links. Meaning that at no additional cost to you, I receive a commission when you make a purchase through my links. The proceeds earned fund the giveaways I host in my Facebook groups.

Fast acting

CBD topicals are fast acting.  When degenerative disc disease, coccydynia, and psoriatic arthritis cause the tendons and muscles in my lower back to stiffen and scream out in pain, I apply a CBD topical oil on the area.  Within minutes the muscle pain is gone, my muscles relax, and then I am able to relax too.  I use it to combat muscle tension in my lower back, legs, feet, shoulders, and neck daily.  I also use them on my temples and base of my neck to relieve pain and reduce pressure from headaches and migraines.

Not sure which product to use?

I recommend that you try one of these!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Riding out the storm: How I deal with rain pain

Chronic Life, pain relief January 14, 2019 Leave a comment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few days ago, I shared on Facebook how a cluster of storms heading towards southern California had knocked me down. The pre-storm pain forced me to take a day off from working on anything other than tending to the needs of my body. The pain and fatigue my body experienced decreased just as the first storm hit, giving me just enough time and energy to enjoy a few hours at Disneyland over the weekend.

Typically, I only experience joint/muscle tenderness and a low level of fatigue once a storm has hit. However, this round is a bit different as we are expecting rain most of the week. When dealing with multiple storm fronts, I have to make changes to how I live, work, and play in order to keep my world from falling apart. Today I am sharing my secrets to surviving a week of rain without losing my mind and body to pain.

*Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links. Meaning that at no additional cost to you, I receive a commission when you make a purchase through my links. The proceeds earned fund the giveaways I host in my Facebook groups.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

React

I’m a weather watcher. My favorite app is the weather app on my phone.  I always have my eye on the extended forecast and watch for changes.  When I see a disturbance nearing I react by going into a mode of defense. I pay extra attention to my main pain source. In my case that pain source is my spine, from my the tip of my tailbone to the top of my neck.  When I experience swelling at any part of my spine all hell breaks loose.  To keep the inflammation down, I alternate treating the base of neck and my lower back with ice, heat, and PEMF treatments.  As you may already know, PEMF treatments are part of my daily pain management plan, but when weather increases swelling I increase the number of treatments I would normally run on a typical day.

 

PEMF therapy with Oska Pulse reduces pain and inflammation like nothing I have ever tried or have been prescribed. Promo code DIVA saves you $55.00.  Click here to check it out!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rest

A stormy week is no time to prove how much I am capable of.  To come out of the storm feeling strong, I need to rest when my body wants to.  Multiple naps are not unusual, nor is sleeping later or falling asleep later than normal.  It is not uncommon for me to be awake at odd hours or to have my nights and days turned around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remind

I remind myself that storms don’t last forever.  Ramping up my pain relief treatments may feel burdensome at the time, but I have to remind myself that this I will be back to my regular routine once the storm ends.  I also remember how I felt after the last time I paid extra attention to my symptoms throughout a storm and vow to work as hard this time too.  Most importantly, I remind myself that I can’t control the weather and this upswing of pain and fatigue is not my fault.

How do you get through a week of wicked weather?

Pin Me!

The Pros and Cons of Edibles

CBD, Medical Marijuana January 8, 2019 Leave a comment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edibles were my first choice when I began medicating with marijuana. You will understand why after you read my pro list.  However, there are a few drawbacks.  Today we take a look at both to help you decide if edibles are for you or not.

*Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links. Meaning that at no additional cost to you, I receive a commission when you make a purchase through my links. The proceeds earned fund the giveaways I host in my Facebook groups.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pros

  1. Discretion:  Unless I announce it, nobody has a clue that the candy or baked good I am eating has cannabis in it.
  2. Easy on the lungs:  Unlike smoking or vaping, you won’t cough up a lung while medicating.
  3. Long lasting: The high from edibles lasts much longer than from smoking or vaping.  The long lasting high is what gifted me with restorative sleep right from the beginning.  With smoking or vaping I would wake up in pain after a few hours, whereas I would sleep through the night, minus a quick potty break, and wake up feeling well rested.
  4. Cost: The price tag on edibles terrified me when I first began looking at dispensary menus.  But after I realized that each product was more than one or two doses, I discovered just how affordable edibles were.  For example, a $12 chew caramel candy that was marked as 4 doses turned out to be 6-8 doses for me.  Another thing I didn’t expect was that I only needed a full dose before bed.  I could get through most days waiting to medicate until evening and when I couldn’t I only needed a small portion of the sixth or eighth that I would need at bedtime.  Last month during my bout of bronchitis I turned back to edibles.  Each night I would eat either a half or whole square from a 12 piece candy bar.  I paid $15 for the bar which at half a piece per night would yield 24 doses.  The only way edibles wouldn’t be cost effective is if you purchase baked goods that will go stale after a day or two.
  5. Easy to micro-dose:  Knowing the dosage of each edible makes it easy to breakdown and know how much you are taking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cons

  1. Storage: First, you want to make sure you keep edibles out of the reach of children.  Secondly, depending on the type of edible you need to make sure that you store your edibles at a temperature that it won’t melt in.  Thirdly, make sure that ants, other insects, or your pets can’t get into your storage container.
  2. Strains: Unlike flower and vape, it is almost impossible to find an edible manufacturer that lists what strain was used.  Some will notate whether they used a hybrid, indica, or sativa, but even that isn’t enough to know exactly what to expect.
  3. Waiting for it to kick in:  Edibles are not my go to form when I need to fall asleep fast.  It can take anywhere from 30-120 minutes to kick in.  This can make it difficult to follow a strict schedule.
  4. Different effect from same product: One piece of candy from the same package doesn’t always end with the same result.  Everything can vary from one bite to the next.  From how long it takes to take effect, how long the high lasts, and the high itself.
  5. Long lasting: While mostly a pro, the long lasting effect can become a con when you need aren’t able to carve out a solid 8 hours of sleep.  I am not talking about 8 hours from the point of consumption, but from the point when your meds take effect.

 

Be smart when first trying a cannabis edible of any kind.  Start with a small dosage, approx. 2-5mgs for first timers.  If you aren’t feeling any effect, wait 90 minutes after consumption before increasing your dosage.  Remember that you cannot overdose from cannabis alone.  With that said, DO NOT take with opioids or other narcotics.  If you are feeling too high, you can try combatting the effect by eating, sleeping it off, or take some CBD.

 

 

 

 

Cannabis for chronic pain: Let’s talk dosage

CBD, Medical Marijuana, pain relief December 10, 2018 Leave a comment

 

 

 

 

 

 

This article is part of an ongoing series. Click here to read entire series.

So far we have dispelled some myths like the only way to medicate with cannabis is to smoke it.  I have shared a legal way to try cannabis.  Last week we discussed 4 popular ways to medicate with marijuana and today and we are going to talk about one of the most confusing aspects to someone who is knew to medicating with cannabis, how to figure out dosages.

Disclosure: I am NOT a medical professional and I am not issuing medical advice. This post contains some affiliate links. Meaning that, at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission from sales. The proceeds offset the expense of operating this site and fund the giveaways for my Facebook groups.

Finding an ideal dosage is difficult, even for those who aren’t new to medical marijuana. There are several reasons for this like; there are many different strains, one method may hit your system harder than another, and other personal factors like if you ate before medicating, how sleepy you are, etc. While I have learned to expect a similar experience when using one strain night after night in the same manner, there will be a night where my experience is totally different even though I did everything the same. With that said, the different isn’t bad, just not what I was expecting. Some nights the high takes longer to hit, sometimes the high lasts longer than others, and then there are times when the exact same dosage of another product is nothing like what I have had with others.


I have two examples of products having a different effect. For some time I needed 25-50mgs of the edibles that I had been purchasing to fall asleep and relieve chronic pain from fibromyalgia and psoriatic arthritis. Then I tried 10mgs of another brand and holy moly!! That 10mgs hit me harder and faster than 50mgs of the brands I had been taking. Needless to say that became my new medication as I needed less and was able to save money. Most recently I purchased an 200mg chocolate bar that could be broken down into 12 squares at approximately 16.6666mgs per square. That is too much for me, unless I plan on sleeping in the following morning. So I break mine down into half squares at approximately 8.3333mgs per serving. This is still an extremely strong dose for me. Funny thing is I have had other chocolates that were much stronger in dosages and they never hit me like this brand does. To micro dose with this chocolate bar I would have to break each square into eighths. Fourths would be more like a typical dosage for me.


Finding your dosage will  be harder depending on whether or not you want to feel high. If you don’t want to feel high, you will need to micro dose which is to take very small amounts. This is easier to do with edibles and tinctures versus vaping or smoking. With that said, most people advise others to begin with 2mgs. If you are wanting to micro dose, I would try 1mg and increase as needed. Personally I find it easier and most effective to take a larger dose of 5-10mgs at bedtime. This allows me to reach a restorative level of sleep and rarely do I feel the need to medicate during the day and can wait for my nighttime dose. If I do need daytime relief, I have a little CBD and run PEMF treatments before digging into my cannabis stash.

Combined with cannabis, this inflammation fighting device has taken my pain management plan to a new level of awesomeness! Check it our for yourself and if you should decide to give it a try, remember that my discount code DIVA will save you $55.00

Micro dosing with flower isn’t impossible, it just isn’t as easy or convenient to do so. To do so, use a pipe and only put enough to take a hit or two in it. Then wait and see how that effects you before taking more.

One thing to keep in mind is that if you happen to get higher than you are comfortable with, you will not overdose. I will discuss what to do if you get too high in a future post. With that said make sure that you are not consuming a synthetic weed or street weed. Know where your weed was grown! Do not use pharmaceutical pain medication along with it.

 

 

 

 

Remember, start slow and low, no more than 2mgs! Wait, then add more later if necessary.

Now that you know where you can try it, have options on how to consume it, and have an idea how to begin dosing, next week I will explain what to do if you get too high and want to bring it down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trudging Thru Bronchitis with Natural and Alternative Remedies

CBD, Cynthia, Health issues, Oska Pulse, pain relief November 28, 2018 Leave a comment

Trudging Thru Bronchitis

with Natural and Alternative Remedies

It’s that wonderful time of year! Festive lights, holiday parties, places to go, and people to see…. oh yes let us not forget about germs galore!  A few weeks ago we had a shift in weather here in southern California. We went from enjoying highs in the 70’s and 80’s to chilling in the 60’s.  It appears that winter has decided to come early and knock my area into the 50’s for daytime highs.  While I am looking forward to wearing my new winter jacket as much as possible this year and sitting by the fire, I don’t like how my body has chosen to react to these shifts.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I came down with bronchitis.  In the past I would treat it with over the counter cough medications or prescription cough syrups if the pain became too intense.  I stopped using both several years ago for a couple of reasons.  The first being that they all are artificially colored and flavored.  With my daughter being allergic to red dye and I being sensitive to dyes, we had to find alternatives.  Another reason I refuse to treat my cough with OTC or prescription syrups is that they mess with my stomach and head. I would rather not have to add diarrhea to my list of problems.  It’s been a few years since I have had bronchitis and the last time I was prescribed a syrup with codeine.  I experienced the worst night terrors and hallucinations that were so terrifying that no amount of bribery could ever get me to take that poison again.  Minus a cough syrup, my doctor says there is nothing else he can do….. But there is plenty that I can and do to treat it naturally and alternatively.

Honey

I use local organic honey as a cough suppressant.  It helps coat my throat and doesn’t upset my stomach.  I am currently using a wildflower honey that tastes and smells amazing! I get mine from Hallelujah Honey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disclosure: I am NOT a medical professional and I am not issuing medical advice. I make no claims that any of the remedies mentioned will cure or heal you of any disease or illness. I am only sharing how these help me and my family. This post contains some affiliate links. Meaning that, at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission from sales. The proceeds offset the expense of operating this site and fund the giveaways in my Fitness Buddy and Disneyability groups on Facebook.

CBD Oil

To battle the pain I experience from coughing, I rub my favorite CBD topical oil from Bio CBD+ all over my chest and ribcage.  This helps keep my muscles from reacting to the pain I experience in my ribcage. The scent is light and not off-putting like many other brands.

 

PEMF

The most important part of my bronchitis battle plan is the use of PEMF therapy.  If you are not familiar with PEMF therapy, it is the use of pulsed electromagnetic fields.  While there are many different types of devices available, click here to see some of them, my favorite is Oska Pulse.  I like it for several reasons.  The first being that it actually works!!  And by works, I mean it does a better job of loosening the crud in my chest, making it move, and relieving pain in my ribcage than any prescription medication I have ever been prescribed.  The best part is there are NO side effects!! It doesn’t upset my stomach, nor does it cause nightmares or hallucinations. Another perk? it is portable!! There are no cords to plug into the wall to use, just charge the battery and go! I can go about whatever activities I want while treating my aches and pains whenever I want.

With this trio I have yet to spend a day in bed unable to do anything.  I began coming down with this latest bout while at Disneyland on Thanksgiving day. With all the walking I was doing I didn’t want to stop the treatment on my lower back, so I waited to treat my chest until Saturday.  When I woke up that morning, it hurt to breathe.  After two treatments, the crud began to move and I could breathe without pain.  I have been taking it easy since the weekend.  For me taking it easy is allowing for naps when my body demands them, running PEMF treatments on my chest and ribcage all day long, and sitting at my desk working in my home office.  My daughter has also come down with the crud.  As you can see in the picture, she too is using her Oska Pulse to keep the crud in her chest from settling in.  One thing she and I have both noticed since we began using PEMF therapy (two years for me, eight months of daily use for her), is that the length and severity of the colds and crud we catch is far less than anything we have experienced in the past.  While that is fantastic, we just like that our trio of remedies don’t come with a side of harmful chemicals. Full disclosure: My daughter and I are taking one medication, our allergy pills to dry us up.  But that is it and it is the only medication we ever take and we only take as needed, not daily.

What are some of your favorite natural or alternative cough remedies?

Visit Hallelujah Honey

Visit Bio CBD+

Read my review of Bio CBD+ Topical Oil

Visit Oska Wellness to check Oska Pulse and don’t forget that my promo code DIVA will save you $55.00 should you decide you want to give it a try.

Read how Oska Pulse has improved my chronic life

Click here for general reports about PEMF treatments

Click here to learn how PEMF fights inflammation

Click here to learn how PEMF helps with immune function

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Countdown to 50: #7 Trying Something New

CBD, Chronic Life, Cynthia, Medical Marijuana, Oska Pulse, pain relief November 5, 2018 Leave a comment

countdown 7

As I explained in my prior post, after moving to California  I had hit some road blocks.  These barriers put not just a wrinkle in my pain management plan, they completely destroyed it.  Until this point, I had not been open to trying anything different.  It wasn’t that I didn’t want to improve, I just didn’t believe improvement of any kind was possible.  If it were, wouldn’t my doctors had suggested or given it to me?  Today I am going to share how my road blocks led me to try new things and how doing so made my dreams come true!

The first new thing I tried was to embrace and utilize mobility aids.  As long as I had someone to push my wheelchair, I could go anywhere! True I still needed the energy to sit up and be out of bed for the day, but I was getting out more than had I relied on my body for transportation.

*Disclosure: I am not a medical professional and am not issuing medical advice. This post includes affiliate links. Meaning that at no additional cost to you, I receive a commission when you make a purchase through my links. The proceeds earned fund the giveaways I host in The Disabled Diva’s Fitness Buddies and Disneyability Group on Facebook.

With mobility covered, I needed to reduce my pain and inflammation levels. I also was in desperate need of sleep.  Painsomnia is no joke and at that time was something I suffered from it not just at night, but 24/7.  This led to trying something that I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to try, but with no other options I decided to take the plunge and got my California medical marijuana recommendation.  It was the best decision of my life……

mmj online

California and New York Medical Marijuana Recommendations Online!  Affordable and Easy!

Cannabis, made it possible to sleep, it reduced my pain and inflammation.  But it did something else that I hadn’t expected.  It reduced how often I experienced anxiety attacks and when I would have one they were never as severe as they were before.  I was no longer depressed.  It is amazing how much living with less pain can impact your life!!! Later CBD would help me quit smoking! I have tried and failed numerous times, but now I really am a non-smoker!

Seeing how much marijuana was able to do for me, I wondered what other natural and alternative treatments or therapies would help?  I began tweaking my diet and discovered foods that were triggering inflammation.  Funny thing is the items that I had to remove would have never been discovered by following any particular “diet” as there were items from every single one that were trouble makers.

 

keto bar fb

Try Perfect Keto snack bars! They are gluten and dairy free and taste great! Purchase before Nov. 9th 11:59pm and save 40% with promo code KETOBARS40

The next thing I tried was PEMF therapy with Oska Pulse.  To be completely honest, I had absolutely no faith that this electronic device could deliver on its promise to reduce pain and inflammation.  In fact, I really tried it in order to prove them wrong!!!  But it was I who was wrong!!! That beautiful blue glowing device really did work!!!! It worked so well that I was able to begin exercising!!!! Within months of daily use, pain that had plagued me for years, pain that my doctors said would only get worse, pain that made me want to die, was gone!  Click here to read about all the ways PEMF therapy has improved my health and life.  Click here to visit my friends at Oska Wellness to see for yourself what others have to say, there is also a video of me…..  But most importantly, don’t forget that my promo code DIVA will save you $55.  Not sure if Oska Pulse is the PEMF device you want to go with?  Click here to see what other products are available.

pemf featured

Trying new things can be terrifying.  But it can also be the best thing you ever do!  My dreams of not needing a wheelchair at Disneyland or being able to go for long walks at the beach would have never come true had I not tried something new.

Click here to learn more about my pain management plan.

And when you are ready to be challenged to make changes in your life, not just how you treat chronic pain, but how you live with your chronic illnesses, download my eBook Make Pain Your Bitch: How to Dominate Your Chronic Life.  My book is only $5 and it will challenge you to examine how you are living, to make changes, and will help you live passionately and purposefully! Isn’t improving your chronic life worth the cost of a venti caramel macchiato from Starbucks?

Read entire Countdown to 50 series

book cover web

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