Relaxation that can only be enjoyed when healthy
God bless you and your family.
New U Life’s SomaDerm®: 3 Things You Need to Know about Hormones and How to Keep Them Balanced
If you want to stay on track with your health this year, one important thing to think about is how balanced your hormones are.
In order to achieve this, we first need to understand, one, what hormones are; two, how your hormones affect your everyday life; and three, what you can do to keep them balanced.
1. What are your hormones?
Your hormones are chemical messengers found in the endocrine system that relay messages to different parts of the body. These hormones affect many different processes, including:
Growth and development
Metabolism – how your body processes energy from food
Sexual function and reproduction
Mood
2. How do hormones affect your health?
Hormone imbalances can cause things like weight gain, fatigue, low mood, lack of sleep, and other unhealthy problems.
Restoring hormone balance can improve your overall health and bring homeostasis to the body. Homeostasis is when the internal and physical processes in the body achieve a state of steady equilibrium, allowing you to function at your optimal.
3. What can you do about it?
The good news is, there are many ways to support your endocrine system and help balance out those hormones! One of our favorite products for hormone support is our transdermal SomaDerm gel. This gel uses botanical herbs and ingredients to help balance our hormones and rejuvenate our bodies as they age.
Here are some other ways to naturally support your hormones:
Eat healthy fats
Eating healthy fats like avocado, nuts, or fish at each meal can help stimulate the production of hormones that control appetite.
Take time to de-stress
Too much stress can increase our cortisol levels and lead to a hormone imbalance. Mindfulness practices and deep breathing can help reduce cortisol and overall, help you mentally!
Limit toxins
Toxins can negatively impact metabolic activity in our bodies. Eating plenty of greens, drinking water, and washing your fruit and vegetables are great ways to reduce toxins in your life.
Less sugar
Studies show that sugar (fructose) can increase your insulin, the hormone that controls your body’s blood sugar and metabolism. Avoiding sugar can help you decrease insulin levels and lower your risk for disease.
Now that you know how to fight hormone imbalance, tackle this new year feeling your best! Learn more about SomaDerm and how it can help support your body as it ages.
Cannabidiol (CBD): What we know and what we don't
How is cannabidiol different from marijuana, cannabis and hemp?
CBD, or cannabidiol, is the second most prevalent active ingredient in cannabis (marijuana). While CBD is an essential component of medical marijuana, it is derived directly from the hemp plant, a cousin of marijuana, or manufactured in a laboratory. One of hundreds of components in marijuana, CBD does not cause a "high" by itself. According to a report from the World Health Organization, "In humans, CBD exhibits no effects indicative of any abuse or dependence potential…. To date, there is no evidence of public health related problems associated with the use of pure CBD."
Is cannabidiol legal?
CBD is readily obtainable in most parts of the United States, though its exact legal status has been in flux. All 50 states have laws legalizing CBD with varying degrees of restriction. In December 2015, the FDA eased the regulatory requirements to allow researchers to conduct CBD trials. In 2018, the Farm Bill made hemp legal in the United States, making it virtually impossible to keep CBD illegal – that would be like making oranges legal, but keeping orange juice illegal.
The evidence for cannabidiol health benefits
CBD has been touted for a wide variety of health issues, but the strongest scientific evidence is for its effectiveness in treating some of the cruelest childhood epilepsy syndromes, such as Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), which typically don’t respond to antiseizure medications. In numerous studies, CBD was able to reduce the number of seizures, and, in some cases, stop them altogether. Epidiolex, which contains CBD, is the first cannabis-derived medicine approved by the FDA for these conditions.
Animal studies, and self-reports or research in humans, suggest CBD may also help with:
- Anxiety Studies and clinical trials are exploring the common report that CBD can reduce anxiety.
- Insomnia. Studies suggest that CBD may help with both falling asleep and staying asleep.
- Chronic pain. Further human studies are needed to substantiate claims that CBD helps control pain. One animal study from the European Journal of Pain suggests CBD could help lower pain and inflammation due to arthritis when applied to skin. Other research identifies how CBD may inhibit inflammatory and neuropathic pain, which are difficult treat.
- Addiction. CBD can help lower cravings for tobacco and heroin under certain conditions, according to some research in humans. Animal models of addiction suggest it may also help lessen cravings for alcohol, cannabis, opiates, and stimulants.
Is CBD safe?
Side effects of CBD include nausea, fatigue and irritability. CBD can increase the level of blood thinning and other medicines in your blood by competing for the liver enzymes that break down these drugs. Grapefruit has a similar effect with certain medicines.
People taking high doses of CBD may show abnormalities in liver related blood tests. Many non-prescription drugs, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), have this same effect. So, you should let your doctor know if you are regularly using CBD.
How can CBD be taken?
CBD comes in many forms, including oils, extracts, capsules, patches, vapes, and topical preparations for use on skin. If you’re hoping to reduce inflammation and relieve muscle and joint pain, a topical CBD-infused oil, lotion or cream – or even a bath bomb -- may be the best option. Alternatively, a CBC patch or a tincture or spray designed to be placed under the tongue allows CBD to directly enter the bloodstream.
Outside of the US, the prescription drug Sativex, which uses CBD as an active ingredient, is approved for muscle spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis and for cancer pain. Within the US, Epidiolex is approved for certain types of epilepsy and tuberous sclerosis.
The bottom line on cannabidiol
Some CBD manufacturers have come under government scrutiny for wild, indefensible claims, such that CBD is a cure-all for cancer or COVID-19, which it is not. We need more research but CBD may prove to be a helpful, relatively non-toxic option for managing anxiety, insomnia, and chronic pain. Without sufficient high-quality evidence in human studies, we can’t pinpoint effective doses, and because CBD currently is typically available as an unregulated supplement, it’s hard to know exactly what you are getting.
If you decide to try CBD, make sure you are getting it from a reputable source. And talk with your doctor to make sure that it won’t affect any other medicines you take.