CBD As Alternative Medicine: Nutritional Whole Food Cannabidiol Weight Loss For Self-Healing

As we turn the chapter into the New Year of 2019, the majority can now agree that more than medication, surgery, and therapy; food and water have the biggest influence on health. Only you have the power to decide the type and quantities of nutrients your body receives on a daily basis. The choices you make can, and will, affect how well your body functions.

While there is much debate on what the best diet and food choices are for humans and our bodies, we are going to take the time and highlight a few key areas of new interest in the public spotlight, and that is: CBD (cannabidiol) as an alternative medicine for weight loss as well as being a viable aid for a wide range of health conditions. We will also share how to incorporate it into your daily whole food and nutritional regime below.

You might be familiar with the phrase “you are what you eat”. This statement speaks volumes about the importance of a good diet. Food and water can either be medicinal or poisonous. Healthy dietary choices sustain life by providing essential nutrients. Unhealthy options, on the other hand, work to disrupt bodily functions.

Choosing right is much more than deciding between fresh produce and junk food. Nowadays, plants and animals are injected with salts, steroids and other harmful substances. Tap water in most countries is treated with more than 700 chemicals. What seems healthy today might not be and so aside from making better whole food choices to prepare and consume, we know supplements are a growing industry and CBD Oil is one of the most exciting new products to hit the world in recent memory.

So let’s jump right in to talk about using whole foods as an alternative medicine along with CBD supplementation for losing weight and feeling better.

Healing Foods

Keeping an overall healthy diet is beneficial for general wellness. However, there are specific foods that have been studied and found to be good for treating certain ailments. Consider adding these to your diet to manage specific health conditions.

Apples

Yes, we’ve heard it a million times. An apple a day … you know the rest. This is because apples are filled with antioxidants, and contain a sugar called sorbitol that has a mild laxative effect. These are just two of the many reasons why apples are a great addition to any diet.

Beets

Adding beets to the dinner plate can increase intake of magnesium, potassium, and beta-carotene naturally. They also boast decent quantities of vitamin C and E.

Blueberries

Blueberries and grapes house large quantities of antioxidants that can help fight many diseases. They are great as a snack or smoothie ingredient.

Cabbage

Whether juiced, cooked or eaten raw, cabbage can supplement the treatment of ulcers and increase consumption of other essential nutrients. Celery is another great choice for patients with ulcers.

Cantaloupe

Cantaloupe juice and carrots have been prescribed as natural blood thinners and demonstrated efficacy in helping to prevent strokes and heart attacks.

Cherries

Cherries have been used for hundreds of years as a treatment for gout pain.

Garlic

Famous for its antibiotic action, garlic is a natural medicinal powerhouse. It has also shown to decrease cholesterol and is frequently used as a blood thinner.

Ginger

If you complain regularly about migraines or motion sickness, add this food to the menu for relief. Ginger and pineapple have anti-inflammatory properties and can help relieve symptoms of common ailments.

Lemon

As part of treatment for digestive disorders, start your day with a cup of lemon water. It can also help boost energy levels.

Mushrooms

Reishi and shiitake mushrooms can be added to the diet as a complementary treatment for a host of conditions. The former can benefit patients with high blood pressure and heart disease. The latter can improve immune response and has a neutralizing effect on cancerous cells.

Nutritional Medicine

Adulterated food, the modern lifestyle and a polluted environment make it difficult for people to receive the nutrients needed for good health. Bearing similar goals to diet, nutritional medicine aims to provide the body with missing nutrients through supplements.

How Nutritional Medicine Works

Eating a healthy, organic diet is important. Unfortunately, food cannot provide all the nutrients the body needs for optimal functioning. In addition to nutrient deficiency, the stress and toxins in the environment put the system under pressure. Supplements offer a way to increase intake to prevent, manage and treat health conditions.

Because supplements have minimal side effects, many purchase them from drug stores without a prescription or recommendation. It is wiser, however, to consult a practitioner first.

Types Of Nutrients

Some nutrients are called “essential” because the body needs them to function normally. Accessory nutrients, on the other hand, play an assisting role. They help digest food and facilitate nutrient absorption.

Vitamin A to K and folic acid are essential nutrients. Many patients need to take calcium, copper, chromium, iodine, iron, potassium, phosphorus, manganese; magnesium, sodium and zinc supplements. These are minerals the body cannot manufacture on its own. Other essentials include amino and fatty acids.

Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA)

The Recommended Daily Allowance is a standard featured on many supplement and food labels. It offers guidance on how much of a nutrient you should consume daily or the quantity that a food or supplement provides.

The RDA is updated every four years by research institutes, scientific organizations and government institutions. Although widely accepted, alternative practitioners do not believe that a generalized nutrient allowance is appropriate as it does not address individual needs.

Taking Supplements At Home

Over-the-counter nutritional supplements is a billion dollar industry. Affordable and widely available, anyone can walk into a drug store and purchase nutrients in a pill. To get the most out of supplements, follow these helpful tips to maximize their effectiveness:

Consult A Professional

Supplements are, in many ways, medicines and should be selected in the same way. A practitioner only prescribes medication after a diagnosis. In the same way, patients should find out what they need before stocking the medicine cabinet.

Herbalists, naturopathic specialists, and orthomolecular experts can assess a patient’s health in its entirety and recommend supplements according to specific needs. They can also customize dosage to achieve the desired results.

Improve Absorption

Increasing nutrient intake can only make a difference if the body can absorb them. To improve nutrient absorption, supplements should be taken with meals.

Vitamin A, E and fatty acids are best taken with high-fat meals. Avoid taking minerals with meals that contain a lot of fiber. Amino acids can be taken on an empty stomach or with fruit juice. Another way to boost absorption is to take digestive enzymes.

Choose The Right Form

When shopping for supplements, make sure to choose the right form. If capsules make you nauseous, consider liquid supplements instead. If a nutrient is only available in tablet form, avoid taking it on an empty stomach. Detoxification before starting a program is highly recommended.

Avoid Targeting Nutrients

A common mistake people make when choosing supplements is choosing nutrients according to their specific benefits. Although the information is useful, it is not always accurate. Vitamin C, for example, is an immune booster. However, increasing vitamin C intake when you suffer from a chromium deficiency might not be much help.

This is why it is highly advisable for patients to consult a professional before choosing supplements. With the right nutrients, one can expect to see improvements in symptoms and support the body’s natural healing process.

Orthomolecular Medicine

Orthomolecular Medicine is often considered to be a branch of nutritional medicine because both use nutritional supplements to heal. The difference lies in the method of diagnosis and the principles that govern the disciplines. Founded by Linus Pauling in 1968, orthomolecular medicine has evolved into a healing system on its own.

How Orthomolecular Medicine Works

The goal of orthomolecular medicine is to correct imbalances and malfunctions in the body. Patients are diagnosed using a range of tests and treated according to specific nutrient deficiencies that cause illness.

The discipline has several principles practitioners need to follow to administer effective and safe treatment.

Nutrition Comes First

“Nutrition comes first” is a mantra for orthomolecular practitioners. Nutrients are considered more important than medications and surgery because they are the body’s first line of defense against sickness.

Biochemical Individuality

According to this principle, every patient has a unique biochemical structure. This is why general standards like the Recommended Daily Allowance are insufficient.

Blood Tests Are Insufficient

Although blood tests are a more personalized way of determining a patient’s nutrient needs, they are not enough to reflect true nutrient levels and requirements. A useful diagnosis is one that considers multiple health factors.

Drug Treatments Should Be Used Sparingly

Orthomolecular specialists prefer natural solutions over synthetic medicines. Drugs should be used sparingly and for specific indications.

Food And Environment Must Be Considered

Food is not what it used to be and there are more pollutants in the environment than ever before. Treatment should, therefore, factor in the effects of adulterated food and toxic surroundings on the health of patients.

Conditions Treated By Orthomolecular Medicine

One of the first orthomolecular clinical trials conducted was in the 1950s on patients with schizophrenia. Today, the healing practice is used to treat other health conditions such as:

• Heart disease
• High cholesterol
• Neural tube defects
• Spinal cord development disorders
• Diabetes
• Cervical dysplasia
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Hyperlipidemia
• Psoriasis
• Certain cancers

How Can CBD Benefit Your Body, Diet And Overall Health?

Losing weight isn’t easy – most people find it to be a struggle. Though dieting and exercise may provide some results, it is always useful to have something else on hand that can help with the process. There are some who consider cannabidiol to be a good approach to their fitness and health routine. The big question is whether CBD is able to provide users weight loss qualities.

Cannabidiol is an active cannabinoid that is derived from the cannabis plant. The substance has gained a great deal of popularity in the past year and as a result, there has been research into its effects. Some research suggests that CBD may have ha number of benefits, such that it may be able to reduce inflammation, alleviate stress, help with seizures and PTSD, improve blood sugar levels, and it may even be able to work as a supplement to one’s weight loss journey. Keep in mind that there is no conclusive evidence of these benefits, but just research.

CBD And Weight Loss

One component of research is whether CBD is able to aid with weight loss. CBD may be a prime weight loss formula because unlike THC, a substance that is normally removed from CBD supplements, it suppresses one’s appetite. The appetite suppression allows the body to burn existing fat instead of incoming calories. In addition not appetite suppression, the substance also enhance the level of mitochondria. This then leads to more calorie burning and the breakdown of fat cells.

Further, some have suggested that CBD may be able to promote a process called fat browning. This process alters the fatty tissue from white to brown. Unlike the white fatty tissue that stores energy, the brown tissue actually burns energy. This then allows the body to burn fat much more easily.

The Difference Between CBD And Cannabis

Those who venture into using CBD as a potential option for their weight loss journey, often wonder what the difference is between CBD and cannabis. Significantly, unlike Cannabis, CBD does not contain THC, which is a psychoactive substance that causes that “high” feeling. Thus, those who use CBD need not worry about a “high” effect.

Incorporating CBD Into A Weight Loss Journey

Another issue that arises is how to incorporate CBD into one’s weight loss journey. Essentially, CBD can be taken in any form, such as oils, topicals, and edibles. When choosing a CBD product, it is useful to look at the ingredient list and to learn about the brand so as to ensure that they are no harmful and unwanted substances in the formula. At the end of the day, the most natural product is the best approach.

Another key concern is the dosage. This is a highly variable question. Those who are new to CBD should take a small dose and then go up from there, depending how they react. Being careful about the dosage is the best and safest approach.

Overall, those who are looking to lose weight and who want to jump-start their journey may want to consider CBD as a go-to solution because it may be able to help. Again, there is no conclusive evidence, but research and testimonies by those who have tried CBD for weight loss themselves and have experienced results.

The Consultation

Orthomolecular physicians need to perform several tests to arrive at a diagnosis. There are two primary categories of assessments. Life-saving evaluations are tests that are used to detect hidden nutrient deficiencies. Health-improving tests treat these deficiencies and their resulting conditions.

Life-saving tests include urinalysis, blood chemistry panel, blood count and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Health-improving tests include vitamin and mineral panel (from hair, blood, and urine), allergy testing and stool analysis to name a few.

The diagnostic process can be complex but it assures tailored treatment. By receiving the type and quantity of the nutrients needed, patients can expect to notice results within a relatively short period of time.