CBD Hemp Oil - great addition to our Lyme Toolkit

I've been wanting to write about CBD hemp oil for some time since we've found it to be one of the best additions to our Lyme arsenal even though we added it only recently. CBD oil made from hemp, a relative of marijuana without the psychoactive component called THC which causes the "high" has been a very useful addition to our son's supplements.

He started it about 1 1/2 years into his treatment after I brought it up with his LLNP who told us it was fine to try. After starting it, he has not had another chronic fatigue day nor more knee swelling, both of which were still occurring at the time he started using CBD hemp oil.

CBD hemp oil is currently legal throughout the US while medical marijuana, also quite useful for adult Lyme patients, is only available in certain states - currently over half of US states have legalized it. For some adults with tick infections, the synergistic or "entourage" effect of having a medicinal strain of marijuana with high CBD/low THC (not no THC like the CBD hemp) is key for relief but this is obviously not for use by children or teens.

We found that CBD hemp oil alone provided relief from fatigue, swelling and foul moods in our son. It often works for many other symptoms including seizures/tics, headaches, nerve pain and many more.

How to Use CBD Hemp
Our LLNP recommended the following when trying CBD hemp. She said that their practice found some patients experienced relief and others didn't and we could give it a try.

She recommended using it twice daily for a month before deciding if it was working or not and to play around with the dosing to see if there was a sweet spot. Many Lyme patients say they use a full dropper morning and evening, but we find just 3-5 drops of a concentrated form taken once daily works for him.

While we use it (I use it myself for headaches) under the tongue for quicker absorption, you can chase it down with water or juice too. The brand we use has coconut oil mixed in to help the fat soluble CBD get picked up in the intestine. Some brands taste very strong and grassy. Many kids tolerate an oil that has a chocolate mint flavor and its the one we also prefer. You can also purchase salves with CBD to put directly on sore joints.

What to Consider When Purchasing CBD Hemp Oil

• When using it for Lyme and tick infections, the consistent advice was to use a company's most concentrated (hence more expensive) form of oil. We do that and perhaps that is why we don't have to use a large amount.
• Look for oils from companies that do extensive laboratory testing on every batch and can prove they are organic, and tested for purity, mold and other contaminants. Look if they are grown in the US or in other countries. Here's information from a Journal of American Medicine article on the importance of choosing carefully.
• We tried small bottles of the concentrated products from the two companies recommended by our LLNP before deciding on which one to use daily since we did notice excellent benefits. For use with kids, you will want one that the child will actually take so you may want to look for flavored ones. Two brands that came highly recommended to us are:  CW Hemp and Bluebird Botanicals.  There are others as well but be sure to research their quality testing and country of origin. 
  
• A great online resource for medicinal use of CBD hemp is the Realm of Caring website.

What Convinced Me About CBD Hemp's Benefits
I read various articles including this one from Hemp Oil Facts on Conditions Hemp May Help.

This video series by CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta and one about Medical Marijuana had a huge influence but there are others out there: