This article was originally published on blueribbonhemp.com. To see the original article, click here.
When it comes to cannabis, broad spectrum hemp is one of the best options available for senior citizens. Rather than turn to opioids and other potentially deadly medications, patients can get a safer, healthier alternative. Now that the stigma surrounding cannabis has come to an end, senior citizens have more options for treating chronic conditions and taking control of their health.
The Three Kinds of Hemp Oil
If you want to buy hemp-based products, there are a few options you can choose from. The first decision you have to make is whether you want full spectrum hemp, broad spectrum hemp or hemp isolate. Your best choice depends on what you are looking for in your Blue Ribbon Hemp product.
When you buy full spectrum hemp oil, you can get a product that contains a wide range of phytocannabinoids and terpenes. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the component in marijuana that gets people high. While hemp oil does not have enough THC to make you high, it could still have enough THC to make you fail a drug test. You can fail a drug test if there is any THC at all. If you need to take a drug test for work, this product is probably not the best option.
Full spectrum hemp is a lot like whole-plant hemp. The main difference is whole-plant hemp has not been refined as much as full-spectrum products. This is why whole-plant products still contain fibrous materials, fats and waxes from the cannabis plant.
Unlike full-spectrum products, broad spectrum hemp has gone through several layers of processing. It is basically an option in between full-spectrum products and hemp isolates. A broad-spectrum oil still has terpenes and phytocannabinoids, but it uses an additional refinement process to remove THC. That makes it a perfect option for senior citizens who are potentially scared of using a psychoactive substance like THC.
Finally, a hemp isolate only contains one cannabinoid. It has gone through a complex extraction process to remove other compounds like terpenes and THC. Technically, you should not fail a drug test if you have purchased an isolate. Unfortunately, isolates are only as good as their manufacturer is. There are a number of fly-by-night companies that sell poor-quality isolates, so it is important to buy your products from a reputable company like Blue Ribbon Hemp.
Is Hemp Oil the Right Choice?
In the United States, the opioid crisis has reached epidemic proportions. Originally, people used opioids to treat pain because these drugs were approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Unfortunately, the FDA failed to properly regulate pain medications. Worse still, major pharmaceutical companies actively pushed drugs opioids like Vicodin and Oxycontin.
There are 47,600 opioid related deaths per year. Currently, 67.8 percent of overdose deaths are from opioids. Other than overdoses, opioids also cause other health issues. You can develop liver damage from opioids if you take them for a long time. In addition, taking drugs like oxycodone can immediately cause symptoms like respiratory depression if you take too much at once.
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Thanks to anti-marijuana propaganda, people have spent years thinking that marijuana was a worse option than prescription painkillers were. In recent years, the end of marijuana prohibition has finally provided patients with safe alternatives to opioids. Known by nicknames like opio and vic, these pain medications are addictive and harmful to the human body. Cannabis allows senior citizens to get an alternative treatment without any chance of a deadly drug overdose. In addition, cannabis does not cause the same harmful effects.
Does Hemp Oil Offer an Alternative to Pain Medication?
Now that hemp Prohibition is finally over, senior citizens across the country can enjoy some of the benefits of hemp oil. Scientists have also discovered that hemp is an excellent source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. The 3:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids is actually ideal for human health. Hemp-based foods like hemp milk and hemp hearts qualify as superfoods because of their anti-inflammatory benefits and fatty acids. Part of the reason why cannabis may have this effect is because of its ability to lower anxiety and stress levels. This is because it works with your body’s built-in cannabinoid system, a system which has only been recently discovered. This system acts to normalize each organ in your body and act in balance with each again.
Because of the long-lasting marijuana prohibition, many research studies are still underway so we don’t know a lot about this amazing plant unfortunately. There is a lot of promising research that indicates cannabis has anti-tumor effects and other unique properties. Only lifting the veil of federal Prohibition will allow the true potential of this substance to be discovered.
Do You Need Other Phytocannabinoids?
Unfortunately, there are a number of products on the marketplace that only contain hemp isolate. If you want to benefit from all of the phytocannabinoids in the hemp plant, a hemp isolate is not the best option. Instead, you probably need broad spectrum hemp. With a full-spectrum or broad-spectrum option, you get all of the benefits of hemp's different phytocannabinoids.
Currently, some scientists believe that all of the hemp plant's phytocannabinoids work together to create something known as the entourage effect. The entourage effect revolves around the idea that different phytocannabinoids work together to create different effects. When taken together, these phytocannabinoids have a sum that is greater than their individual parts. Rather than get a less effective, synthetic product, you can use Broad Spectrum hemp instead. Blue Ribbon Hemp offers Broad Spectrum products that allow you to enjoy all of the hemp plant's many benefits without any of the THC. That’s the Blue Ribbon difference.
Are There Any Side Effects?
Scientists are still working to figure out all of the advantages and disadvantages of using hemp. Because of anti-marijuana propaganda, scientists were unable to legally conduct research trials that involved cannabis or hemp plants in the past. Based on current research, scientists are aware of a few side effects of using hemp products. Thankfully, even with our limited understanding, most doctors would agree hemp and cannabis do not cause side effects that are nearly as bad as the side effects caused by opioids. Because of how the phytocannabinoids work, you may want to avoid hemp oil if you take any medications or supplements that warn you not to eat grapefruit while you take them.
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The FDA has actually conducted some research on phytocannabinoids from hemp. Since one hemp-based drug was recently approved by the FDA, there have been a few clinical trials already. Because of these trials, doctors generally recognize hemp as a safe product with very few major side effects.
The Advantages of Using Broad-Spectrum Oil
For senior citizens, broad spectrum hemp is one of the best options available.
It takes advantage of the entourage effect by including a range of phytocannabinoids and terpenes. Unlike full spectrum hemp, broad spectrum hemp has been processed to remove THC. Because of this, you won’t fail a drug test or have any of its psychoactive effects.
If you are looking for hemp-based products, a broad-spectrum hemp extract may be your best choice. You get all of the benefits of the entourage effect and the advantages of hemp's terpenes, but you do not have to take a product that contains THC. If you are uncertain about which option to choose, Blue Ribbon Hemp can help you figure out the product that is right for your needs here.
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