Recently, I had an early morning phone call with an acquaintance who is well-respected cardiologist, medical school professor, medical researcher, scientific patent holder and pharma spokesperson. He personally uses CBD and we were discussing how powerful CBD could be, especially with the elderly patient population that he normally sees. We were referencing some University studies that have proven that CBD has tremendous effects on mice reducing rheumatoid arthritis inflammation by 50% and even reducing the infarct (necrosis) size by 65% when taken immediately after a heart attack. In other words, CBD has the remarkable ability to prolong life and improve the quality of living for older adults. And these studies are just the tip of the positive findings for CBD. While we were talking, he picked up his patient charts for the day and began reviewing them for candidates whom would be benefited immediately by CBD. Here is what he said, “yep, yep, yep….”  His entire patient load for the day, in his medical opinion, could benefit from CBD.

Later that day, I was on the phone with a highly respected neurologist who has a major city practice that serves over 12,000 patients. Typically, every month, he writes over 50,000 prescriptions for direct patient care. As we discussed the role that cannabis-based products, especially hemp and CBD could play in his practice, he explained that he believed that it was possible that hemp could directly assist in reducing his prescription writing by up to 80%.

Unfortunately, the problem that both physicians face is that they are not allowed to recommend any product for patient’s health that is not a prescription pharmaceutical. Technically, they cannot even discuss CBD with patients. This is a fact of life for most physicians and almost all veterinarians nationwide. That’s right; although medical research and various important medical authorities and governing bodies are firmly behind cannabis, and especially CBD for health concerns, its front-line patient care specialists still have many hurdles to overcome to speak to patients about the products. The gauntlet must fall to other groups within the health care industry to take up the narrative. Learn as much as you can about all the forms of cannabis, experiment with various hemp-based products and become an advocate for cannabis-based products within traditional therapeutic settings.