We asked Scramble friend John to tell us about his experiences with CBD products and training. Here’s what he had to say.
I first came across CBD whilst searching for a more holistic treatment for Migraine which I had been suffering for the last 5 years and that I had come to treat with a large amount of Co-Codamol, something that my wife as a health care professional hated and had become concerned about.
Whilst searching though Google I stumbled across BJJ forums talking about how good CBD was for recovery/inflammation and wellness. This spurred my curiosity and a few searches later I had found a good UK-based site selling what appeared to be a decent quality product that fitted my budget. I tentatively clicked to purchase a bottle of drops, and then for whatever reason pressed back on the web page and convinced myself it wouldn’t work and wasn’t worth the investment. Regardless 3 days later a package turned up at my home and inside was a small bottle of CBD oil!
Not long after I had signed for the package I had a phone call from the business owner, and slightly embarrassed he explained that his newest member of staff had sent the bottle to me by mistake and that I could of course return it at no cost, or keep it and pay over the phone. After a long chat about what I had read and what I thought it might be able to help me with I kept it and have never looked back. You could say CBD had found its way to me!!
So I am a father of two, I part own a small business and am a keen hobbyist BJJ player. I make it to 4 sessions a week totaling around 6/8 hours of Jiu-jitsu mat time, sometimes more if my schedule allows. I had been training for 8 years and had begun to notice how sore I was after an evening session, genuinely feeling like I had been hit by a bus when I woke up the following morning. Could CBD help with this? To be honest I was skeptical but combined with my frustration about using so much Co-Codamol for Migraine and moving around like I was in a full body cast it was worth a try.
Having read the bottles directions and talking to the owner he explained to start slow and increase the dose slowly if needed. It was important in his experience to give the product time to build up in the system, which can take around 6 weeks, but is usually quicker. I started with 2 drops in the morning and 2 in the evening. Plant medicine isn’t instant and is much gentler and slower, it is completely different to popping pills and so patience is required.
After a week or so I noticed how well I had started sleeping. It was unbelievable, the deepest most satisfying sleep I had ever experienced! The next thing I noticed was that it started helping with anxiety I had been experiencing. Its not like it cures it but it just turns the volume down, giving you space allowing you to think straight without all the background noise. After around 4 weeks I realized I was feeling better the morning after training the evening before, I was still sore but not as much and at a much more manageable level.
I have continued using various types of CBD products for well over 2 years now and never looked back. I had knee surgery on a bucket handle meniscus tear back in February 2018 and the only after surgery pain relief was CBD. My wife is a senior research nurse, and she convinced me to make sure that my consultant and anesthetists were aware and happy about this decision.
During my pre-surgery assessment I shyly brought out my little bottle of CBD thinking that they would agree reluctantly but advise me to the contrary. I was completely wrong and found myself having an in depth conversation about my positive experience and the NHS’s slow but gradual acceptance of CBD and other Cannabis/Hemp based medicines. They went off and did their own research and in a couple of hours I had a phone call advising me that it was fine for me to continue my dosage even on surgery day and to keep using it as I wished post surgery.
Surgery went well and was I was able to body weight squat within 1 week and back on the mat within 5 weeks. Whether this was down to the inflammatory qualities of CBD I don’t know, but it’s a far quicker recovery than the first time I had the same surgery.
So how and when do I take it? I take a range of products these days on an informal rotation; I think I have tried most of the various delivery systems over the years. My favorite and most consistent is Raised Spirit CBD Coconut oil. I take 1 tea spoon in the morning straight off the spoon and one post training last thing before bed, after I have brushed my teeth-just so its still getting absorbed though my tongue and oral mucosa. This is great as a maintenance dose for me whilst I am consistently training. If I am extra sore or have a niggling injury I simply take a larger dose morning and night adding an extra dose at lunch or swap the lunch dose for drops which are easier to transport. This was my post surgery dosage. I manage early onset arthritis in my knees exactly the same, if they are sore I simply add a lunchtime dose but the maintenance dose tends to be enough.
During Christmas holidays when the gym is closed I actually dropped down to one 10mg gummy per day. Its important to react to how your body is feeling at the time, which is why there isn’t really a right or a wrong method, but I try and be scientific about dosage believing I will have a far greater understanding of what I need long term.
My maintenance dose is around 32mg/54mg CBD per day, upping if injured etc.
This is my own personal experience all I can suggest is that you experiment and start low. Everyone is different and will require differing levels of dosage at different times depending on how you are feeling.
As for my Migraine, well embarrassingly it turns out that it was a medication overuse problem, basically I had gotten caught in a cycle of taking opioid pain killers for pain but the ‘come down’ was a headache-something my wife had picked up on and warned me about, and I had ignored her!! So I went cold turkey, which was horrible, basically a headache for a week, which CBD did nothing to help. After that week passed the headache subsided and I haven’t had a Migraine/headache for over 18 months and haven’t touched Co-Codamol since.
Lastly I would reach out to the CBD industry and try and make understanding dosage easier. It does at times seem like you need a degree in Chemistry when comparing products, however I have only ever had good experiences when talking to companies about their products and have always found them knowledgeable and very approachable.
You can find the best quality CBD products stocked at our friends The CBD Barn, with secure checkout and fast shipping.