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Why Dr. Sears Recommends CBD

woman solemn
With things opening ever so slowly, more patients have been able to travel to Florida for their regular visits at my clinic.

However, the effects of working from home for many of my patients got very stressful, very fast.

That’s not surprising. A recent study by the United Nations found that 41% of people who worked at home reported higher levels of stress than people who went to an office or other place of business.1 And 51% felt burned out.2

Many people today are turning to CBD to ease their stress during these new times. Because they know that turning to Big Pharma’s prescription drugs is not the answer.

Anti-anxiety pills are not safe, and the side effects alone are downright dangerous. Some of these effects include:3

  • Drowsiness
  • Dizziness and confusion
  • Blurry vision
  • Slurred speech
  • Memory loss
  • Low sex drive
  • INCREASED anxiety and depression
  • And in some cases, it’s even worse…

In one study, researchers followed almost 35,000 people who filled prescriptions for these pills for three years.4 After excluding factors like smoking, age and alcohol, researchers were left with a horrifying fact:

  • People who took these drugs had more than double the risk of death than those who didn’t.
  • And for many people, the risk is even higher. Those who took 90 doses or more in the first year — that’s the equivalent of only three months of any prescription — had their risk of unnatural death skyrocket by 451%.

That’s Why I Recommend CBD

CBD works without any side effects. And the science backs it up…

In one study, researchers asked 24 people who suffered from Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) to speak in front of a large audience. At different times during the speech, they measured participants’ blood pressure, heart rate, and skin conductance. Then they compared the anxiety levels of those who took CBD to those who received a placebo or nothing at all.5

They found that those who “took CBD reported significantly less anxiety.”

Today, CBD oil is being studied as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. That’s a severe form of anxiety triggered by a terrifying event. It’s often associated with veterans returning home from war.

In a recent study published in Frontiers in Pharmacology, researchers gave CBD to rats that had been exposed to traumatic conditions. But after consuming the CBD, they exhibited a lower level of fear.6

Although research is still in the early stages, scientists think they’ve figured out how CBD works to relieve stress — by targeting and boosting the signal of 5-HT1A serotonin receptors on brain cells. Serotonin helps regulate mood and is associated with feelings of well-being.

CBD also increases gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA. That’s a brain neurotransmitter that produces a calming effect when amplified.

Relieve Anxiety with CBD-Infused Coffee

CBD-infused coffee helps reduce anxiety.

When I was working from home, I started my day with CBD-infused coffee. Here’s one of my favorite recipes:

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of hot brewed organic coffee
  • 1 Tbsp. grass-fed butter
  • 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
  • 15 mg CBD oil

Directions:

  1. Pour your coffee into a blender with butter, coconut oil, and 15 mg of CBD oil.
  2. Blend on high speed for about 10 to 20 seconds until light and creamy.
  3. Sprinkle some cinnamon or cacao powder on top.

If you don’t have a blender sitting out on your counter, don’t worry. Just grab a fork and whip the ingredients together until it’s frothy. Enjoy!

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD

Al Sears, MD, CNS

1. Messenger, J, Vargas Llave, O, Gschwind, L, et al. Working Anytime, Anywhere: The Effects on the World of Work. Eurofound.
2. Monster Staff. Yes, you can still burn out—even while working from home. Monster Career Advice. Accessed May 18, 2021
3. Melinda. Anxiety Medication. HelpGuide.org. Published May 7,2019.
4. Weich S, Pearce HL, Croft P, et al. Effect of anxiolytic and hypnotic drug prescriptions on mortality hazards: retrospective cohort study. BMJ. 2014;348(mar19 5):g1996-g1996. doi:10.1136/bmj.g1996
5. Bergamaschi MM, Queiroz RHC, Chagas MHN, et al. Cannabidiol Reduces the Anxiety Induced by Simulated Public Speaking in Treatment-Naïve Social Phobia Patients. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2011;36(6):1219-1226. doi:10.1038/npp.2011.6
6. Shallcross J, Hámor P, Bechard AR, Romano M, Knackstedt L, Schwendt M. The Divergent Effects of CDPPB and Cannabidiol on Fear Extinction and Anxiety in a Predator Scent Stress Model of PTSD in Rats. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. 2019;13(91). doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00091