{"componentChunkName":"component---common-build-tags-template-js","path":"/tag/sports/","result":{"data":{"allArticle":{"edges":[{"node":{"id":"Article_3077-markdown","title":"Can CBD Help Improve Sports Performance & Recovery?","slug":"can-cbd-help-improve-sports-performance-and-recovery","content":"Higher, faster, stronger: This is the mantra of many athletes—professional, amateur and hobbyist—everywhere. However, athletes may reach their goals at a cost. \n\nFirst, there’s the preparation for performance—making sure you’re rested and in peak condition mentally and physically. And on the day of your athletic event, you must feel relaxed and focused.\n\nFOLLOW US ON [FACEBOOK](https://www.facebook.com/pg/hellomdcompany/posts/) and [INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/hellomd_us/?utm_medium=copy_link/)\n\nThen, there’s the recovery afterward where you need to deal with the pain of the performance, the damage done to muscles and tissue, and any lingering tension from competition.\n\nWhile there’s a host of treatments and techniques to deal with sports performance and recovery, cannabidiol (CBD) is increasingly moving up the podium among athletes who want a more natural way to:\n\n* Deal with pain and inflammation\n* Address muscle damage\n* Replenish themselves with deep sleep \n* Relax frayed nerves\n\n“[Some people have [CBD] the night before a workout](https://www.gq.com/story/cbd-fitness-supplements),” says triathlete Andrew Talanksy in an interview with GQ. “Usually less have it during. And most are stoked to have it after as recovery.” \n\nFor his part, Andrew ingests CBD capsules to:\n\n* Ease regular post-performance aches and pains\n* Get much-needed sleep \n* Reduce the stress of competition\n\nRELATED: [CANNABIS FOR ATHLETES? VAPEXHALES FOUNDER SAYS YES](https://hellomd.com/articles/cannabis-for-athletes-vapexhales-founder-says-yes/) \n\n“[CBD for exercise-induced inflammation](https://health.usnews.com/wellness/fitness/articles/2018-05-11/can-cbd-products-improve-your-fitness-results) is absolutely the next big area we need to explore,” says Thorsten Rudroff, an exercise scientist and director of the Integrative Neurophysiology Laboratory at Colorado State University, in a _U.S. News_ interview. \n\nBut he adds: “Most of what we know about CBD and exercise is based on anecdotal reports. There's basically no research on the topic. We need to investigate CBD's effects on inflammatory biomarkers in athletes and exercise recovery.” \n\n### Athletes Turn to CBD to Address Pain & Inflammation\n\nTwo years ago, the World Anti-Doping Agency and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency removed CBD from their list of prohibited substances. Though tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), with its psychoactive effects, as well as synthetic cannabinoids, are still on the list of banned substances.\n\nSo, athletes are free to explore consuming CBD to see how it can supplement the natural defenses of the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS) to deal with pain and inflammation.\n\nThorsten points out that he’s seen increasing numbers of collegiate and professional athletes, and older adults, consuming CBD oils and edibles right after exercise, hoping to recover more quickly and effectively.\n\nInflammation after a hard workout isn’t in itself a bad thing. It triggers the body’s repair mechanisms, allowing muscle tissue to grow back stronger, improving future athletic performances. \n\nBut too much tissue damage and inflammation can injure the body with strains and sprains, and result in poor athletic results.\n\nTraditional ways to cope with inflammation and pain include:\n\n* Eating antioxidant-rich foods\n* Taking ice baths\n* Consuming over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen (Advil) and naproxen sodium (Aleve)\n* Using opioids (for severe pain management)\n\nStudies have shown that cannabis can help reduce pain, which can include stiff joints and musculoskeletal pain from exercise. \n\nAnd while athletes have used NSAIDs for decades, they’re also associated with kidney damage and increased risk of heart attack and stroke. So, some athletes are finding that [CBD can relieve pain with minimal side effects](https://trainright.com/cbd-for-athletes-cannabidiol/). \n\nWhile opioids may be very successful at managing pain, they can come at a cost that may include addiction and death. CBD isn’t as successful at dealing with high-intensity pain, but may have a role to play in long-term pain management, taken on its own or alongside other medications.\n\nThere are also some suggestions that CBD can help slow the breakdown of muscles after exertion and even promote more muscle building. For example, preliminary research offered by the _Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research_ suggests that [CBD works in conjunction with the ECS to interfere with cortisol](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8257923), the stress hormone that reduces protein production and gets in the way of tissue growth.\n\n### But Can CBD Improve Actual Sports Performance? \n\nWhen it comes to sports performance itself, CBD’s benefits are harder to quantify. Yes, the cannabinoid can help relieve stress and promote sleep, both of which can help athletes compete better. \n\nBut this isn’t the same as a direct link in helping during the event or game. And when marathon runners talk about the help cannabis gave them while out on the course, it’s usually in regard to the effects of THC, not CBD.\n\nSays Michael Kennedy, a cardiologist and clinical pharmacologist who examined 15 studies on cannabis and exercise performance: “Different types of cannabis may have a lot of therapeutic values—but none of it will make you run fast, and it won’t make you stronger.” \n\n### Ways Athletes Can Consume CBD\n\nIn taking CBD, athletes have a choice of:\n\n* Oils\n* Capsules\n* Infused foods and drinks\n* Vaping \n\nFor the fastest pain and inflammation relief, you can choose from:\n\n* Vaping\n* Sublingual tinctures\n* Topical creams applied directly to the injured area \n\nThough vaping may be the consumption method that produces effects the fastest, many athletes would probably resist doing anything that risks stressing their lungs. \n\nFor longer-lasting effects, infused drinks and edibles may be the way to go.\n\nIt can get tricky when deciding what CBD dose to consume. First, it’s sometimes hard to calculate doses, because the amount of CBD that’s actually in different products varies so much and the bioavailability (how much CBD is actually accessible in your body) of each consumption method is different. The most precise way to take CBD may be capsules, or by calculating how many milligrams of CBD are in a given volume of a tincture.\n\nBut as a rule of thumb, if you’re new to CBD, it’s best to start with a low dose and work your way up. After all, you have to learn to walk before you run.\n\nPhoto credit: oneinchpunch/Shutterstock.com\n\nWant to try CBD, but don’t know where to start? [Shop our selection of high-quality, lab-tested CBD products](https://hellomd.com/) and have them shipped to your door. And if you have questions about CBD, [ask them](https://hellomd.com/questions-and-answers/) and our community will answer.\n","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","aspectRatio":1.3793103448275863,"src":"/static/9136674b69c9edd8034bffcff68dd9d4/14b42/6289f2589e019f8829bbf5e57055ee86.jpg","srcSet":"/static/9136674b69c9edd8034bffcff68dd9d4/f836f/6289f2589e019f8829bbf5e57055ee86.jpg 200w,\n/static/9136674b69c9edd8034bffcff68dd9d4/2244e/6289f2589e019f8829bbf5e57055ee86.jpg 400w,\n/static/9136674b69c9edd8034bffcff68dd9d4/14b42/6289f2589e019f8829bbf5e57055ee86.jpg 800w,\n/static/9136674b69c9edd8034bffcff68dd9d4/47498/6289f2589e019f8829bbf5e57055ee86.jpg 1200w,\n/static/9136674b69c9edd8034bffcff68dd9d4/0e329/6289f2589e019f8829bbf5e57055ee86.jpg 1600w,\n/static/9136674b69c9edd8034bffcff68dd9d4/ffa36/6289f2589e019f8829bbf5e57055ee86.jpg 1773w","srcWebp":"/static/9136674b69c9edd8034bffcff68dd9d4/58556/6289f2589e019f8829bbf5e57055ee86.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/9136674b69c9edd8034bffcff68dd9d4/61e93/6289f2589e019f8829bbf5e57055ee86.webp 200w,\n/static/9136674b69c9edd8034bffcff68dd9d4/1f5c5/6289f2589e019f8829bbf5e57055ee86.webp 400w,\n/static/9136674b69c9edd8034bffcff68dd9d4/58556/6289f2589e019f8829bbf5e57055ee86.webp 800w,\n/static/9136674b69c9edd8034bffcff68dd9d4/99238/6289f2589e019f8829bbf5e57055ee86.webp 1200w,\n/static/9136674b69c9edd8034bffcff68dd9d4/7c22d/6289f2589e019f8829bbf5e57055ee86.webp 1600w,\n/static/9136674b69c9edd8034bffcff68dd9d4/d1528/6289f2589e019f8829bbf5e57055ee86.webp 1773w","sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"}}}}},{"node":{"id":"Article_2825-markdown","title":"NCAA Bans the Use of Seizure-Preventing CBD Oil","slug":"ncaa-bans-the-use-of-seizure-preventing-cbd-oil","content":"Imagine working your entire life towards your dream, only to have it snatched away because of an outdated policy. This is exactly what’s happening to C.J. Harris, a talented high school football player who was recruited to play college football at Auburn. \n\nHarris thought his football dreams had come true, but then he got the terrible news: He could only play football if he stopped taking his medication—the cannabidiol (CBD) oil that controls his seizures. \n\nFOLLOW US ON [FACEBOOK](https://www.facebook.com/pg/hellomdcompany/posts/) & [INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/hellomd_com/?hl=en)\n\n### C.J.’s Story of Seizures & How CBD Helps \n\nC.J. has been battling seizures since the eighth grade. By sophomore year of high school, the problem had escalated to two to three seizures per month. \n\nLooking for a workable treatment, C.J. tried out a variety of pharmaceutical options. Unfortunately, like [30–40% of those with seizures, the traditional anti-seizure medications were ineffective for him](https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Hope-Through-Research/Epilepsies-and-Seizures-Hope-Through#3109_29). That’s when doctors decided to put him on an alternative treatment that had shown promising results for others: CBD.\n\nCBD is a cannabinoid, or chemical, derived from the cannabis plant known for its ability to calm and even prevent seizures. \n\nRELATED: [EPILEPSY RELIEF POSSIBLE THROUGH MEDICAL CANNABIS](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/55c28a2c65663200065c0000/epilepsy-relief-possible-through-medical-cannabis)\n\nThe results were incredible. Since starting the CBD oil in January 2017, Harris hasn’t had a single seizure. With his condition completely under control, Harris went on to lead his high school football team to the state championship game. \n\nC.J.’s performance caught the eye of recruiters from Auburn, who offered him a spot on its team; it’s one of the top college football programs in the country. \n\nIt was a dream come true for C.J., but soon he received some crushing news. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) reviewed his medical files, and they wouldn’t let C.J. play while he had CBD in his system. As a cannabis-derived product, CBD is banned in college football with no exceptions. \n\nC.J. was left with an impossible choice: Give up his football dreams or go back to having regular seizures. Of course, stopping his medication wasn’t really option, because he had no other treatment alternatives—and having dangerous seizures wouldn’t be safe.\n\nSadly, he remains ineligible to play, despite all of his skill, talent and hard work. \n\n### C.J. Isn’t the Only One Taking CBD for Seizures \n\nAfter his story was widely reported, C.J. received a stream of supportive messages from many, including state representatives, epilepsy foundations and other athletes. They all urged the NCAA and Auburn to reconsider their decision.\n\nJerry Kill, who was Big Ten Coach of the Year while coaching the University of Minnesota football team, has battled seizures himself and harshly criticized the choice to ban C.J. \n\n\"That young man should not be punished for a disorder that is being controlled by cannabis oil,\" said Jerry. \"I encourage both parties to take a good look at what they're doing to a young man's dream. … A kid should not be punished for his seizures being brought under control. It's not fair to the kid.\"\n\nC.J. isn’t the only one taking CBD for seizures. CBD has been shown to be a safe and effective option. Studies show that [taking CBD can lead to a vast improvement in seizure disorders](https://nyulangone.org/press-releases/medical-marijuana-extract-curbs-seizure-frequency-in-early-trial-of-epilepsy-patients)—reducing the frequency of seizures or even stopping them completely. \n\nCBD is legal for medical use in many states, with hemp-derived CBD available nationwide. It’s [non-psychoactive, non-addictive and without any known negative side effects](http://www.who.int/medicines/access/controlled-substances/5.2_CBD.pdf) according to the World Health Organization.\n\nEven the pharmaceutical industry seems to be giving CBD its stamp of approval. Pharma giant GW Pharmaceuticals recently developed a CBD-based medicine for epilepsy called Epidiolex. [Epidiolex even made it through FDA approval](http://ir.gwpharm.com/news-releases/news-release-details/gw-pharmaceuticals-plc-and-its-us-subsidiary-greenwich). \n\nYet, despite these developments, CBD continues to be banned for athletes. \n\n### A Call to Ease the Ban on Cannabis for Athletes \n\nC.J.’s story has made more people think about why most sports leagues continue to ban cannabis. From managing pre-existing health conditions to treating the side effects of sports-related injuries such as concussions and chronic pain, cannabis has shown promising results. But in the U.S., almost all sports organizations ban cannabis, even isolated forms of non-psychoactive CBD. \n\nNow athletes from many different sports are [advocating for access to this life-altering—and sometimes life-saving—medicine](https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/18-of-the-biggest-marijuana-advocates-in-pro-sports-w429975/). From former pro-football stars like Ricky Williams and Jake Plumber to former NBA players like Cliff Robinson to pro mixed-martial artists like Nick Diaz, many are calling for sports leagues to reconsider their cannabis bans.\n\nOf course, there are a few notable exceptions to the blanket ban on cannabis in American sports. [The NHL doesn’t mention cannabis on its list of banned substances](https://www.cashinbis.com/mlb-nba-and-nfls-policy-on-cannabis/) at all. And some former NHL players like Riley Cote have been vocal about their own cannabis use for hockey-related injuries and pain. \n\nThe World Anti-Doping Association (WADA), the organization that regulates which substances are allowed in the Olympics, recently changed its rules on CBD. While all other cannabis is still banned, [WADA made an exception for CBD—adding it to the list of acceptable treatments](https://www.usada.org/wp-content/uploads/wada-2018-prohibited-list-en.pdf).\n\nWADA usually sets the international standards for what’s allowed in sports, with many organizations taking on these standards themselves. But with the exception of a new minor league basketball organization, the North American Premier Basketball League (NAPB), few in the U.S. have followed suit.\n\nHopefully, as public support for cannabis and CBD continues to grow, we’ll start to see more changes in these policies. Our athletes go through so much physical hardship for our entertainment. The least we can do is allow those who rely on CBD, like C.J. Harris, to continue to use the medicine that keeps them healthy.\n\nPhoto credit: [Pixabay](https://www.pexels.com/@pixabay)\n\nIf you’re new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our [Cannabis 101](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/5b8882d88dd0720008373fcf/cannabis-101-what-you-need-to-know-to-about-marijuana) index of articles. [HelloMD](https://www.hellomd.com/) can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it's 100% online, private and efficient. \n","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","aspectRatio":1.3793103448275863,"src":"/static/3ea9c2c3a4a8d6f7cf48357c4ce2d87d/14b42/2b6ec9699ef0149c7e0d8f4c129d573e.jpg","srcSet":"/static/3ea9c2c3a4a8d6f7cf48357c4ce2d87d/f836f/2b6ec9699ef0149c7e0d8f4c129d573e.jpg 200w,\n/static/3ea9c2c3a4a8d6f7cf48357c4ce2d87d/2244e/2b6ec9699ef0149c7e0d8f4c129d573e.jpg 400w,\n/static/3ea9c2c3a4a8d6f7cf48357c4ce2d87d/14b42/2b6ec9699ef0149c7e0d8f4c129d573e.jpg 800w,\n/static/3ea9c2c3a4a8d6f7cf48357c4ce2d87d/47498/2b6ec9699ef0149c7e0d8f4c129d573e.jpg 1200w,\n/static/3ea9c2c3a4a8d6f7cf48357c4ce2d87d/0e329/2b6ec9699ef0149c7e0d8f4c129d573e.jpg 1600w,\n/static/3ea9c2c3a4a8d6f7cf48357c4ce2d87d/d5645/2b6ec9699ef0149c7e0d8f4c129d573e.jpg 2834w","srcWebp":"/static/3ea9c2c3a4a8d6f7cf48357c4ce2d87d/58556/2b6ec9699ef0149c7e0d8f4c129d573e.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/3ea9c2c3a4a8d6f7cf48357c4ce2d87d/61e93/2b6ec9699ef0149c7e0d8f4c129d573e.webp 200w,\n/static/3ea9c2c3a4a8d6f7cf48357c4ce2d87d/1f5c5/2b6ec9699ef0149c7e0d8f4c129d573e.webp 400w,\n/static/3ea9c2c3a4a8d6f7cf48357c4ce2d87d/58556/2b6ec9699ef0149c7e0d8f4c129d573e.webp 800w,\n/static/3ea9c2c3a4a8d6f7cf48357c4ce2d87d/99238/2b6ec9699ef0149c7e0d8f4c129d573e.webp 1200w,\n/static/3ea9c2c3a4a8d6f7cf48357c4ce2d87d/7c22d/2b6ec9699ef0149c7e0d8f4c129d573e.webp 1600w,\n/static/3ea9c2c3a4a8d6f7cf48357c4ce2d87d/baba5/2b6ec9699ef0149c7e0d8f4c129d573e.webp 2834w","sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"}}}}},{"node":{"id":"Article_2696-markdown","title":"Cannabis for Athletes? VapeXhale’s Founder Says Yes","slug":"cannabis-for-athletes-vapexhales-founder-says-yes","content":"Consuming cannabis for athletic performance may seem contradictory, especially if your experience has been that marijuana slows you down or makes you sleepy. But one person who absolutely believes that marijuana can help athletes is [Seibo Shen](https://www.hellomd.com/people/569c5569aadede0008000012/seiboshen). Seibo is a jiu-jitsu fighter who founded Cannathlete, a company that develops products and training programs for athletes. Cannathlete uses cannabis as part of regimented and custom-made training programs to bring competitors’ performances to the next level. He also founded VapeXhale, maker of high-quality, hand-blown glass cannabis vaporizers that feature precise temperature controls for a truly efficient vaping experience. \n\nSeibo is passionate about marijuana and its use in sports and athletic endeavors for those who tolerate the plant well. He was kind enough to answer questions from the HelloMD community about how cannabis could fit into sports performance and recovery programs. And he shared how he personally consumes cannabis for focus, endurance and healing. \n\nFOLLOW US ON [FACEBOOK](https://www.facebook.com/pg/hellomdcompany/posts/) & [INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/hellomd_com/?hl=en)\n\n### Q: With jiu-jitsu, can you use cannabis in order to enhance your sports performance?\n\nI grew up playing many different sports, but currently I do Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which is a form of submission grappling. I compete professionally. There is a masters and executives division for people over the age of 40, but I currently compete in the 18–30 bracket.\n\nBefore a competition, I will typically take about 250 milligrams of some form of THC edible about 90 minutes prior to the competition. The competitions usually last anywhere from four to eight hours, so I like to take an edible because it lasts throughout the competition. And once the competition is over, I'll take a CBD tincture to help with the injuries\n\nWith THC, the focus side of things, obviously you can overdo it, so we at CannAthlete have come up with some new language. So we have medication; we have intoxication; and for athletic performance, we want activation.\n\nCannabis activation means being the best version of yourself. And to be the best version of yourself, you have to be present. So whether you're a CEO like myself or a professional athlete, many times while we're working out or competing, we're thinking about all the various things that we have to do, whether it's picking up the kids, a shopping list. \n\n`embed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYGFEGk9nzU`\n\n### Q: If someone is looking to enhance their sports performance with cannabis, what should they do?\n\nAnswer: I always like to use words that rhyme, so it's easy for people to remember. So, I say start slow and low. So slow and low is utilizing low dosages and having longer periods of time in between doses.\n\nSo, one great way to start off is with a low dosage at nighttime. If your body agrees with it, and you like the way you feel with that dosage, then you should try it during the daytime with the sport of choice that you're trying to enhance your performance in. And by utilizing a methodology like that, you could slowly up the amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabinoids that you're ingesting until you are at that perfect level where you think that you will be present and in the zone.\n\n`embed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxiLJuNr848`\n\n### Q: Is there a mind-body connection when it comes to sports performance and cannabis?\n\nAnswer: One of the things that I learned that may surprise a lot of people by utilizing cannabis with my training regimen is just being able to listen to my body a bit more closely. I think a lot of the sports that we play, a lot of the coaches that teach us how to play these sports, they always tell you to push through the pain. And many times, by pushing through the pain, you will get a lot of great results.\n\nBut as you get older, understanding when you are just feeling pain versus when you’re injured is a very, very good skill to learn. And by utilizing cannabis, I noticed that the mind-body connection is much stronger, and I could start realizing when I'm actually injured versus when I need to push through the pain. And I think being able to delineate the two was a huge barrier for me to break through. Because many times when you are playing combat sports, you don't want to look like the weakest person on the team. But if you are really injured, you need to pull yourself out.\n\n`embed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9eI4Hvf5os`\n\n### Q: Is it appropriate to introduce cannabis into a workout regime such as yoga?\n\nAnswer: That's a really great question. And if we go back to cannabis helping athletes improve their focus, I know that for, let's just say myself. When I first started doing yoga—I'm a highly competitive person, I would look at everybody else and go, “Oh, she's lower than me or she's doing this stretch better than me,” and I would often find myself comparing myself to other students or just thinking about all the other tasks that I have to do after the yoga class.\n\nSo, for someone like yourself, by consuming cannabis before going to yoga, it could help you improve your focus, really have that stronger mind-body connection so that you could really feel the stretch. And I also found that because breathing is such a big part of yoga, I am very conscious and aware of my breath when I'm breathing too quickly or too slowly, and by being conscious of my breath I am able to utilize that to further relax myself. And that's how I think you could really incorporate cannabis into your yoga routine.\n\n`embed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdVGnicrpac`\n\n\nRELATED: [HOW CANNABIS AFFECTS SPORTS PERFORMANCE & RECOVERY](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/5a1df0f2eea891000897e273/how-cannabis-affects-sports-performance-and-recovery)\n\n### Q: In terms of sports recovery, is there any evidence that cannabis actually works?\n\nAnswer: Yeah, absolutely. So, there's many studies that have shown that cannabinoids are a strong anti-inflammatory. On top of that, there's a lot of emotional well-being that you get from consuming cannabis that helps with sports recovery. But for our athletes, the anti-inflammatory properties are so strong—much better than Advil, acetaminophen. And we found that the side effects are so much less for cannabinoids that it's something that they could use consistently and throughout the day as well.\n\nPeople have said THC with the rest of the cannabinoids have an entourage effect. But I recently heard that the cannabinoids have more of an ensemble effect where there's not one main lead but it's all the cannabinoids working in concert with each other. So just like whole foods are better than taking a multivitamin, we always recommend that when you're consuming cannabis, get a full spectrum of the cannabinoids.\n\n[Read more answers to this question](https://www.hellomd.com/answers/5ab044178bf343000746a831/in-terms-of-sports-recovery-is-there-any-evidence-that-cannabis-actually-works)\n\n`embed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Byn_CDaN2n0`\n\nPhoto credit: [Bradley Wentzel](https://unsplash.com/@bradleywentzel)\n\nIf you’re new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our [Cannabis 101]( https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/56201c206430320006bb0000/cannabis-101-your-quick-guide-to-medical-marijuana) post. [HelloMD](https://www.hellomd.com/) can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it's easy, private and 100% online. \n","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","aspectRatio":1.3793103448275863,"src":"/static/4d65e74ab7686d6720218339e66ab82b/14b42/b0b49da302c1d4c3e73807af6bf192d9.jpg","srcSet":"/static/4d65e74ab7686d6720218339e66ab82b/f836f/b0b49da302c1d4c3e73807af6bf192d9.jpg 200w,\n/static/4d65e74ab7686d6720218339e66ab82b/2244e/b0b49da302c1d4c3e73807af6bf192d9.jpg 400w,\n/static/4d65e74ab7686d6720218339e66ab82b/14b42/b0b49da302c1d4c3e73807af6bf192d9.jpg 800w,\n/static/4d65e74ab7686d6720218339e66ab82b/47498/b0b49da302c1d4c3e73807af6bf192d9.jpg 1200w,\n/static/4d65e74ab7686d6720218339e66ab82b/0e329/b0b49da302c1d4c3e73807af6bf192d9.jpg 1600w,\n/static/4d65e74ab7686d6720218339e66ab82b/e0e30/b0b49da302c1d4c3e73807af6bf192d9.jpg 3660w","srcWebp":"/static/4d65e74ab7686d6720218339e66ab82b/58556/b0b49da302c1d4c3e73807af6bf192d9.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/4d65e74ab7686d6720218339e66ab82b/61e93/b0b49da302c1d4c3e73807af6bf192d9.webp 200w,\n/static/4d65e74ab7686d6720218339e66ab82b/1f5c5/b0b49da302c1d4c3e73807af6bf192d9.webp 400w,\n/static/4d65e74ab7686d6720218339e66ab82b/58556/b0b49da302c1d4c3e73807af6bf192d9.webp 800w,\n/static/4d65e74ab7686d6720218339e66ab82b/99238/b0b49da302c1d4c3e73807af6bf192d9.webp 1200w,\n/static/4d65e74ab7686d6720218339e66ab82b/7c22d/b0b49da302c1d4c3e73807af6bf192d9.webp 1600w,\n/static/4d65e74ab7686d6720218339e66ab82b/46196/b0b49da302c1d4c3e73807af6bf192d9.webp 3660w","sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"}}}}},{"node":{"id":"Article_2558-markdown","title":"Does Marijuana Give Athletes an Unfair Advantage? ","slug":"does-marijuana-give-athletes-an-unfair-advantage","content":"As cannabis continues to enter the mainstream, more and more athletes are talking openly about their cannabis use, or deciding to incorporate it into their training regimens because of its various benefits.\r\n\r\nThis increase in use (or increase in talking about use) begs the question: Is cannabis a performance-enhancing drug (PED)? The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which is responsible for coordinating the fight against drugs in sports across 600 organizations internationally, seems to think so—even if many athletes who use cannabis don’t. \r\n\r\nFOLLOW US ON [FACEBOOK](https://www.facebook.com/pg/hellomdcompany/posts/) & [INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/hellomd_com/?hl=en)\r\n\r\n### What’s a Performance-Enhancing Drug? \r\n\r\n2018 is the first year WADA removed cannabidiol (CBD) from its list of banned substances. However, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and the other cannabinoids in marijuana are still “prohibited in-competition.” This means that athletes are normally tested for these substances before a game, fight or meet—but not in the months leading up to or after competition. \r\n\r\nAccording to WADA and its subsidiary the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), a substance is considered performance enhancing and thus banned in some capacity if it meets at least two of the following criteria: \r\n\r\n1. It has the potential to enhance or enhances sport performance.\r\n2. It represents an actual or potential health risk to the athlete.\r\n3. It violates the spirit of sport.\r\n\r\nOn its website, USADA says that cannabinoids meet all three of these criteria. In terms of enhancement, it cites cannabis’s ability to relax muscles, reduce pain after workouts, decrease anxiety and fear, as well as its tendency to increase focus. It also cites studies that suggest cannabis has negative effects on respiratory, cardiac and mental health. And lastly, it contends that cannabis violates the spirit of sport because its illegal status doesn’t exhibit good moral or ethical judgement. \r\n\r\nRELATED: [WHAT STUDIES SAY ABOUT CANNABIS & SPORTS PERFORMANCE](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/5a79f125f24d1300077ccb31/what-studies-say-about-cannabis-and-sports-performance)\r\n\r\nTo many of those who are familiar with cannabis, USADA’s reasoning behind the last two criteria comes off as dated—especially when we consider the number of athletes (and successful athletes, at that) who say that cannabis helps them recover from injuries, thus contributing to their overall health. \r\n\r\nConsider NFL players, many of whom are in the spotlight, and who must endure injuries that often stick with them for the rest of their lives. \r\n\r\n“I would say there's a clear correlation between my cannabis consumption and my football career,” says [Eben Britton, an NFL veteran who used cannabis during his career in spite of its contraband status](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/5a724c2ff24d1300077ccb27/ex-nfl-player-eben-britton-cannabis-can-save-the-league-millions). “I played the offensive line—I was knocking heads. I was one of the guys dealing with those sub-concussive hits 80, 90, 100 times a day, five days a week.” \r\n\r\nEben currently advocates for cannabis use in the league because he believes that cannabis’s neuroprotective properties can better the life of NFL players, who are at a higher risk of head trauma than athletes in other sports. \r\n\r\n“So to me, looking back on my career, looking back at my own personal cannabis use, I started consuming more cannabis the more football I played,” he says. “And I believe that was my body intuitively needing to be supported, basically thirsting for some sort of healing, some sort of cellular nourishment which came only from cannabis.”\r\n\r\nWhether cannabis should be included on WADA’s list at all has been debated among governing sports organizations for years. And now, with cannabis’s positive effects in the spotlight, perhaps it’s time to reopen that door for discussion. \r\n\r\n### Cannabis’s Effects Are Similar to That of Caffeine, Which Isn’t Banned\r\n\r\nIn many ways, cannabis’s effects and the ways its used among athletes bears more resemblance to nutritional supplements than to drugs that are explicitly used to enhance physical performance. \r\n\r\n[Jim McAlpine](https://www.hellomd.com/people/57b786ea066417000be2b3ee/jim420games), founder of the [420 Games](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/567715092829830008000034/the-420-games-celebrates-athletes-healthy-living-and-cannabis), an organization that promotes active lifestyle events to break down stereotypes surrounding cannabis consumers, agrees with that comparison. \r\n\r\n“PED to me means you are gaining an unfair advantage over your competitors by using a substance that does something for you—that makes you have an unfair competitive advantage,” he says. \r\n\r\nJim says there are obvious PEDs like steroids, which enable athletes to build muscle faster than normal. \r\n\r\n“But you have to look at cannabis differently—it’s a natural herb. The easiest analogy I can use is caffeine,” he says. \r\n\r\nCaffeine, often dubbed the most widely used “drug” in the world, is legal in every sports league. \r\nWhile caffeine works differently than cannabis does in the body, it’s similar to marijuana in terms of the advantages it offers for performance enhancement—and yet it’s allowed in all leagues. Studies show that caffeine can increase airflow to the lungs and widen blood vessels, leading to increased blood flow. \r\n\r\nCannabis can do the same thing, according to the article [_Cannabis in Sport_](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marilyn_Huestis/publication/51707508_Cannabis_in_Sport/links/5680792d08aebccc4e07575a.pdf), which is often cited by USADA and others who believe that cannabis is a PED. Moreover, studies show that caffeine can improve mood, mental alertness and provide an energy boost—just like cannabis can. \r\n\r\n“Caffeine is legal in every league. People can drink Red Bull, take powders—do whatever they want,” says Jim. “I don’t like caffeine—it makes me shaky and not perform well, but am I to say, ‘Hey, that's a PED’? I think if you use that direct analogy, marijuana falls into the same category [as caffeine].” \r\n\r\n### Cannabis’s Illegal Status Keeps the Stigma Alive\r\n\r\nSo why is cannabis banned, while caffeine isn’t? There are numerous reasons, but cannabis’s illegal status in most parts of the world is likely the main one, and this prohibition has far-reaching consequences: It greatly affects our ability to study the plant and determine what—if any—detrimental effects on athlete’s health exist, and it promotes a negative stigma against the plant, causing it to violate “the spirit of sport.” \r\n\r\nGiven the growing popularity of cannabis, it’d be in the best interest of both governments and governing sports bodies to promote research on this topic so that athletes who use it in their training regimens can be better informed. \r\n\r\nWhat do you think? Should cannabis qualify as a performance-enhancing drug? Share your thoughts below. \r\n\r\nPhoto credit: [Rob Wingate](https://unsplash.com/@robwingate)\r\n\r\nIf you’re new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our [Cannabis 101](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/cannabis-101-your-quick-guide-to-medical-marijuana) post. [HelloMD](https://www.hellomd.com/) can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it's easy, private and 100% online. ","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","aspectRatio":1.3605442176870748,"src":"/static/c84fa994399eb8cdf7a65565761c470e/14b42/62316d3f83b5b0f27d18acc4c9c249fe.jpg","srcSet":"/static/c84fa994399eb8cdf7a65565761c470e/f836f/62316d3f83b5b0f27d18acc4c9c249fe.jpg 200w,\n/static/c84fa994399eb8cdf7a65565761c470e/2244e/62316d3f83b5b0f27d18acc4c9c249fe.jpg 400w,\n/static/c84fa994399eb8cdf7a65565761c470e/14b42/62316d3f83b5b0f27d18acc4c9c249fe.jpg 800w,\n/static/c84fa994399eb8cdf7a65565761c470e/47498/62316d3f83b5b0f27d18acc4c9c249fe.jpg 1200w,\n/static/c84fa994399eb8cdf7a65565761c470e/0e329/62316d3f83b5b0f27d18acc4c9c249fe.jpg 1600w,\n/static/c84fa994399eb8cdf7a65565761c470e/61e04/62316d3f83b5b0f27d18acc4c9c249fe.jpg 3720w","srcWebp":"/static/c84fa994399eb8cdf7a65565761c470e/58556/62316d3f83b5b0f27d18acc4c9c249fe.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/c84fa994399eb8cdf7a65565761c470e/61e93/62316d3f83b5b0f27d18acc4c9c249fe.webp 200w,\n/static/c84fa994399eb8cdf7a65565761c470e/1f5c5/62316d3f83b5b0f27d18acc4c9c249fe.webp 400w,\n/static/c84fa994399eb8cdf7a65565761c470e/58556/62316d3f83b5b0f27d18acc4c9c249fe.webp 800w,\n/static/c84fa994399eb8cdf7a65565761c470e/99238/62316d3f83b5b0f27d18acc4c9c249fe.webp 1200w,\n/static/c84fa994399eb8cdf7a65565761c470e/7c22d/62316d3f83b5b0f27d18acc4c9c249fe.webp 1600w,\n/static/c84fa994399eb8cdf7a65565761c470e/2eea6/62316d3f83b5b0f27d18acc4c9c249fe.webp 3720w","sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"}}}}},{"node":{"id":"Article_2570-markdown","title":"Top 6 Cannabis Products for Sports Recovery","slug":"top-6-cannabis-products-for-sports-recovery","content":"Cannabis’s anti-inflammatory properties are no secret: From folks afflicted with arthritis to stiletto-clad celebrities with achy feet on the red carpet, it seems that everyone these days is using cannabis to treat some kind of pain. Athletes are also catching on to this trend—a number of high profile athletes from the UFC’s (Ultimate Fighting Championship) Nate Diaz to veteran NFL players like Marvin Washington are using cannabis to help them recover after competitions, games and workouts.\n\nIf you think that your post-workout routine would benefit from consuming marijuana, but you don’t know where to start, never fear—we’ve put together a versatile list of cannabis products to help you recover. \n\nFOLLOW US ON [FACEBOOK](https://www.facebook.com/pg/hellomdcompany/posts/) & [INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/hellomd_com/?hl=en)\n\n### 1. Pure Ratios Cannabis Transdermal Patches \n\n\n\nAlthough transdermal patches are placed on a specific area of the body, they deliver all-over pain relief, making them a good option for soreness you might feel after an intense workout. Patches usually work best when applied to a veinous area of the body, like the wrists, and can be effective for up to 96 hours. \n\nSince the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD)—cannabis’s active components—in these patches enter the bloodstream, some people who are particularly sensitive to THC may feel psychoactive effects. Luckily, these patches from Pure Ratios come in a variety of CBD to THC ratios, so if you’re sensitive, or just looking for daytime relief, you’ve got plenty of options. \n\n### 2. MoonMan’s Mistress Cannabis Edibles\n\n\n\nIn a world full of marijuana brownies, cookies and gummy bears, MoonMan’s Mistress’ superfood edibles are a boon for the health-conscious, fitness-oriented cannabis consumer. The company was founded by Liz Rudner, a holistic nutrition expert and Jamel Ramiro, a certified personal trainer. “We really see ourselves as a health and wellness brand that just happens to be in the cannabis space,” says Liz.\n\nThe company’s paleocentric marijuana edibles are a good fit for those who are on a strict dietary and fitness regimen—or those who just want a healthy option. “Our goal in our product development was making sure that all the ingredients have a functional food property to it,” says Liz. “All the ingredients have a benefit to your body, in addition to using whole plant cannabis. We’re keeping everything nutrient dense.”\n\nMoonman’s Mistress edibles come in seven varieties, and customer favorites include their Cosmic Cacao Peppermint Cookie and Lunar Lemon Maca Cookie Shortbread Cookie. According to Liz, all of the ingredients (not just the THC and CBD) are meant to reduce inflammation in the body—so if you’ve got sore joints and muscles, this may be the edible for you. \n\n### 3. The Green Cacao Company Cannabis-Infused Chocolate Bar \n\n\n\nThe Green Cacao Company’s cannabis-infused chocolate bars are a healthy, post-workout option for discerning fitness enthusiasts. Their bars contain raw cacao, which is packed full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. Additionally, these bars have a low glycemic index—no fillers, cane sugar, agave, dairy, gluten or soy are used, and all ingredients are organic. With four options to choose from: Indica, Sativa, CBD-Rich and CBD Xtra Rich, you’re sure to find one that suits your recovery needs. \n\nPro tip: Break up a section of this chocolate bar and blend it into your post-workout smoothie. \n\n### 4. Sensi Caps CBD Softgels \n\n\n\nIf you have to rush to work or another event after a workout, these [CBD soft gels by Sensi Chews](http://sensiproducts.com/product/sensi-caps-cbd-softgels-full-spectrum-251/) are a good option. With 25 mg of CBD in each capsule, you can pop one after a gym session and enjoy the cannabinoid’s anti-inflammatory effects on the go. The folks at CannAthlete—a program comprising athletes who use cannabis for sports performance and recovery—consider these soft gels a post-recovery staple. \n\n### 5. Papa & Barkley Marijuana-Infused Releaf Body Oil\n\n\n\nCannabis-infused topicals are a good option if you’re looking for localized relief. All of Papa & Barkley’s topicals, including the Releaf body oil, come in 3:1 CBD-to-THC ratios—meaning, you can get the anti-inflammatory benefits of both cannabinoids. Topicals typically don’t impart psychoactive effects—even those that contain THC—so you can use them any time of day. \n\nPapa & Barkley’s products also include a blend of eucalyptus, lavender, peppermint and tea tree oil, which also have anti-inflammatory properties to soothe sore muscle and joints. \n\n### 6. VapeXhale EVO\n\n\n\nWhile this product doesn’t contain cannabis, we included it in here because it provides a clean, efficient way to consume cannabis flowers and concentrates—an important factor for athletes who enjoy inhaling cannabis, but who are also concerned about lung health. \n\nMost vaporizers heat up flower or concentrate directly, which runs the risk of creating tar and carcinogens. The VapeXhale EVO has patent-pending PerpetuHeat Thermal Technology, which evenly and consistently heats up the air around the flower or concentrate, creating a cleaner vapor for the user to inhale. While pricey, VapeXhale is lauded by professional athletes and cannabis connoisseurs alike. \n\n“It's an extremely clean way to experience cannabis,” says NFL veteran Eben Britton. “You really get the taste of all terpenes. You just have a much more eloquent experience with the plant this way.” Eben uses the VapeXhale and a THC concentrate before workouts, but this device can also be used post-workout for athletes who want to feel immediate relief. \n\nDo you use cannabis to help you recover after a workout? If so, let the community know what some of your favorite products are below. \n\nMain photo credit: [Justyn Warner](https://unsplash.com/@justynwarner)\n\nIf you’re new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our [Cannabis 101](https://hellomd.com/articles/cannabis-101-your-quick-guide-to-medical-marijuana) post. [HelloMD](https://www.hellomd.com/) can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it's easy, private and 100% online. ","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","aspectRatio":1.3605442176870748,"src":"/static/d3ef4d1c25fda74554f06c1f142792ff/14b42/7ed5b22f81bf6360aaf286357c06c801.jpg","srcSet":"/static/d3ef4d1c25fda74554f06c1f142792ff/f836f/7ed5b22f81bf6360aaf286357c06c801.jpg 200w,\n/static/d3ef4d1c25fda74554f06c1f142792ff/2244e/7ed5b22f81bf6360aaf286357c06c801.jpg 400w,\n/static/d3ef4d1c25fda74554f06c1f142792ff/14b42/7ed5b22f81bf6360aaf286357c06c801.jpg 800w,\n/static/d3ef4d1c25fda74554f06c1f142792ff/47498/7ed5b22f81bf6360aaf286357c06c801.jpg 1200w,\n/static/d3ef4d1c25fda74554f06c1f142792ff/0e329/7ed5b22f81bf6360aaf286357c06c801.jpg 1600w,\n/static/d3ef4d1c25fda74554f06c1f142792ff/8e202/7ed5b22f81bf6360aaf286357c06c801.jpg 3952w","srcWebp":"/static/d3ef4d1c25fda74554f06c1f142792ff/58556/7ed5b22f81bf6360aaf286357c06c801.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/d3ef4d1c25fda74554f06c1f142792ff/61e93/7ed5b22f81bf6360aaf286357c06c801.webp 200w,\n/static/d3ef4d1c25fda74554f06c1f142792ff/1f5c5/7ed5b22f81bf6360aaf286357c06c801.webp 400w,\n/static/d3ef4d1c25fda74554f06c1f142792ff/58556/7ed5b22f81bf6360aaf286357c06c801.webp 800w,\n/static/d3ef4d1c25fda74554f06c1f142792ff/99238/7ed5b22f81bf6360aaf286357c06c801.webp 1200w,\n/static/d3ef4d1c25fda74554f06c1f142792ff/7c22d/7ed5b22f81bf6360aaf286357c06c801.webp 1600w,\n/static/d3ef4d1c25fda74554f06c1f142792ff/c13ad/7ed5b22f81bf6360aaf286357c06c801.webp 3952w","sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"}}}}},{"node":{"id":"Article_2561-markdown","title":"CannAthlete’s Cannabis-Enhanced Workout & Recovery Plan","slug":"cannathletes-cannabis-enhanced-workout-and-recovery-plan","content":"The Dark Horse Gym in San Jose seems like any other training facility for combat athletes—the loud smack of boxing gloves on leather echoes throughout the space, while punching bags jingle and sway from the impact made by mixed martial artists (MMA). \n\nBut every weekend, enter the gym and you’ll notice something different—amidst the crowd of pro-MMA fighters, fitness enthusiasts and folks simply trying to get in shape is a station where a group of athletes consume cannabis in its various forms. \n\nJean Paul Ghazeleh-Aceves, who goes by JP, is the founder of [InEx](https://www.facebook.com/inex.fitness.bootcamp/) and cofounder of CannAthlete, the organizations responsible for introducing cannabis to the Dark Horse Gym. Together with [Seibo Shen](https://www.hellomd.com/people/569c5569aadede0008000012/seiboshen), a jiu-jitsu fighter and the CEO of VapeXhale, the two have constructed a program and a community that brings together people of all backgrounds who are interested in using cannabis to reach their full athletic potential.\n\nFOLLOW US ON [FACEBOOK](https://www.facebook.com/pg/hellomdcompany/posts/) & [INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/hellomd_com/?hl=en)\n\n### Cannabis Can Enhance Sports Performance \n\nCannabis’s ability to enhance sports performance is nothing new. “Athletes have been using this plant for thousands of years,” says ex-NFL player Eben Britton who has no connection to CannAthlete, but is currently working on a book about cannabis and sports. “I think there’s a very [integral relationship between the warrior and the cannabis plant](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/5a555edfc7e0180007a78268/cannabis-use-in-sports-from-medieval-to-modern-times). It just hasn’t been talked about because of how stigmatized [cannabis] has been.” \n\nIndeed, soldiers in ancient times would sometimes use cannabis during battle because it lowered inhibitions, and modern-day athletes have tuned into these benefits—many like Eben say that it adds to their workouts. \n\n“I like to do high THC concentrates before my workout. I feel like it really primes my body for the physical stress I'm about to inflict on it,” says Eben. “I’ve got a lot of scar tissue and bad joints and muscles that don't necessarily stretch the way they used to—consuming a high THC concentrate eases my tissues and wipes out a lot of inflammation that I might feel in my joints.”\n\nRELATED: [EX-NFL PLAYER EBEN BRITTON: CANNABIS CAN SAVE THE LEAGUE MILLIONS](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/5a724c2ff24d1300077ccb27/ex-nfl-player-eben-britton-cannabis-can-save-the-league-millions)\n\nFor many of the folks at the CannAthlete session, cannabis helps them focus on the task at hand: Nate Moore is a professional mixed marital artist who uses cannabis because it helps with his striking. Nate described the first time he used cannabis during a workout, saying, “I was relaxed; I felt that I could hit much harder—I was more fluid, and I had more endurance.”\n\n“When [my trainer] said, ‘Turn your hip,’ it had a new meaning to me. So that’s when I started to see that [cannabis] was one of the bigger elements in my life that was missing,” he adds.\n\nNot all of the individuals who come to CannAthlete sessions are professional athletes. Cameron Whigham suffered a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed, but he says that cannabis has helped him regain some of the sensation in his legs. Like Nate, he uses cannabis during workout sessions.\n\n“[Cannabis] helps me focus on my workout,” says Cameron. “I get into the zone more, and I actually end up doing more than I intended to.” \n\n### Cannabis Helps Athletes Recover\n\n“After I work out, I like to use CBD to help relax my body,” says Cameron, touching on another application cannabis has in the sports world: recovery. Athletes are realizing that cannabis’s anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties can help them recuperate—UFC fighter Nate Diaz notably puffed on a CBD vape pen during a post-fight press conference last year, and Eben uses CBD lotions after workouts to help with joint pain.\n\nNate and Eben—who both partake in sports where hits to the head are the norm—add that the neuroprotective qualities of cannabis are particularly applicable to their bodies’ needs. \n\n“I've studied a lot of plants and herbal remedies—ancient and Ayurvedic, traditional Chinese medicine—there's no other substance on this planet that I know of that has the same neuroprotective qualities that cannabis does,” says Eben. \n\n`embed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=et7viXB8nR4`\n\n### Creating a Workout Plan That Integrates Cannabis\n\nAs athletes and avid cannabis consumers, both JP and Seibo are familiar with the relationship between cannabis and sports, and how the plant can help both athletes and non-athletes achieve fitness goals. \n\nJP works closely with athletes to fine-tune a regimen that works best for their body. He puts an emphasis on getting his clients to establish athletic goals and then uses cannabis to help them zero in on those goals. \n\n“Weed brings you back to a child's mind,” says Seibo. “You see something interesting and your attention focuses on that interesting thing. If we make that thing your competition—that's when we increase performance. And it's not just the weed—it's the full process.” JP and Seibo use cannabis to help athletes become “supple leopards”—calm and focused, yet also dynamic and ready to spring into action.\n\nCannabis is notorious for its myriad effects: What works for one person may not work for another. “Cannabis tends to facilitate a state of homeostasis—that's why people have so many different effects with the same strain. If you're a little wired and you need to calm down, you can smoke cannabis; if you're really tired and you need to pep up, you can consume cannabis,” says Seibo. \n\nJP and Seibo developed a program with this in mind. Generally, they first observe participants working out normally—without the help of cannabis. They then decide whether an individual would benefit from using cannabis as part of their workout regimen. For those who might gain an advantage, Seibo and JP’s program consists of roughly six steps: \n\n1. Cannabis performance assessment (CPA) \n2. Cannabis performance facilitation (CPF) \n3. Massage\n4. Reassessment \n5. Individualized workout \n6. 3:1 cardio interval\n\nThe CPA is a simple questionnaire that you can fill out before attending a CannAthlete get together—it’s a way to evaluate the trainee’s experience with cannabis and what they hope to get out of the program. \n\nBased off of answers in the CPA, participants consume a form of cannabis that meets their personality type and needs—this is the CPF. Participants then move onto the massage and stretching part of the program, which is conducted by a certified resistance stretching instructor and usually lasts for 10–15 minutes. \n\n“We do the massage because most people neglect that aspect of health and fitness and training,” says JP. He adds that this portion is meant to prime the body for the workout to come. This is also the time for the participant to acclimate to the cannabis they’ve consumed. \n\nDepending on how they feel after their massage, participants either consume more cannabis to balance out their mental state, or if they feel ready—they begin their workout. \n\nOftentimes, if participants are training as a group, JP and Seibo will also incorporate a kundalini breathing technique called “breath of fire,” which gives participants hyper-control of their diaphragm. According to Seibo, this technique “allows us to get everyone (more or less) at the same starting point, which is relaxed but with heightened awareness.”\n \nIf participants are on their own, JP and Seibo work with them to create an individualized workout. “This is where [participants] take many different paths. … We’re able to fine-tune the program by adding mixed martial arts, rhythm, dancing, stretching, personal training that includes weightlifting, posture, correction—but it's different for everybody,” says JP. \n\nWorkouts are rounded out by 3 to 1 cardio intervals. This type of high-intensity interval training is thought to be an efficient way to increase endurance, burn fat and build muscle—thus it’s applicable to many athletic pursuits. \n\nOnce the interval training is complete, athletes are welcome to explore more of the gym on their own, partake in CBD recovery or mingle with others who subscribe to a similar workout regimen and lifestyle. \n\nOverall, the CannAthlete program is about fine-tuning the participant’s relationship with cannabis. \n\n“If you really want to discover this, show up here on Saturday or Sunday. Everything is free,” says JP. “The cannabis is free; the snacks are free; the friendships here are definitely free—and even more valuable than anything else you'll get.”\n\nIf you’re new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our [Cannabis 101](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/cannabis-101-your-quick-guide-to-medical-marijuana) post. [HelloMD](https://www.hellomd.com/) can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it's easy, private and 100% online. ","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/png;base64,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","aspectRatio":1.36986301369863,"src":"/static/3f410239d80b04fab2d3dd42cd92372a/ee604/367b3580aa6f52250bd71bef2ecd5a3f.png","srcSet":"/static/3f410239d80b04fab2d3dd42cd92372a/69585/367b3580aa6f52250bd71bef2ecd5a3f.png 200w,\n/static/3f410239d80b04fab2d3dd42cd92372a/497c6/367b3580aa6f52250bd71bef2ecd5a3f.png 400w,\n/static/3f410239d80b04fab2d3dd42cd92372a/ee604/367b3580aa6f52250bd71bef2ecd5a3f.png 800w,\n/static/3f410239d80b04fab2d3dd42cd92372a/f3583/367b3580aa6f52250bd71bef2ecd5a3f.png 1200w,\n/static/3f410239d80b04fab2d3dd42cd92372a/5707d/367b3580aa6f52250bd71bef2ecd5a3f.png 1600w,\n/static/3f410239d80b04fab2d3dd42cd92372a/7b560/367b3580aa6f52250bd71bef2ecd5a3f.png 1931w","srcWebp":"/static/3f410239d80b04fab2d3dd42cd92372a/58556/367b3580aa6f52250bd71bef2ecd5a3f.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/3f410239d80b04fab2d3dd42cd92372a/61e93/367b3580aa6f52250bd71bef2ecd5a3f.webp 200w,\n/static/3f410239d80b04fab2d3dd42cd92372a/1f5c5/367b3580aa6f52250bd71bef2ecd5a3f.webp 400w,\n/static/3f410239d80b04fab2d3dd42cd92372a/58556/367b3580aa6f52250bd71bef2ecd5a3f.webp 800w,\n/static/3f410239d80b04fab2d3dd42cd92372a/99238/367b3580aa6f52250bd71bef2ecd5a3f.webp 1200w,\n/static/3f410239d80b04fab2d3dd42cd92372a/7c22d/367b3580aa6f52250bd71bef2ecd5a3f.webp 1600w,\n/static/3f410239d80b04fab2d3dd42cd92372a/1bcc0/367b3580aa6f52250bd71bef2ecd5a3f.webp 1931w","sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"}}}}},{"node":{"id":"Article_2545-markdown","title":"What Studies Say About Cannabis & Sports Performance","slug":"what-studies-say-about-cannabis-and-sports-performance","content":"In athletic competition, as well as when working out, athletes of all skill levels are always looking for an edge—whether it’s the best replacement for lost fluids from sweating, gels for an energy boost or a post-workout recovery mixture. \r\n\r\nA rising trend that’s quite interesting is athletes incorporating cannabis into their pre- and post-workout routines. Those who use it claim that it helps them get into the “zone” so that they’re able to concentrate on repetitive activities and muscle movements.\r\n\r\nSome athletes also feel they’re less sore and recover more quickly, perhaps due to the anti-inflammatory properties of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) & cannabidiol (CBD). \r\n\r\nFOLLOW US ON [FACEBOOK](https://www.facebook.com/pg/hellomdcompany/posts/) & [INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/hellomd_com/?hl=en)\r\n\r\nA variety of factors come into play when considering cannabis and exercise, such as: \r\n\r\n* mood \r\n* eating habits\r\n* time of day \r\n* workout partners \r\n* competition level \r\n* type of cannabis used\r\n* consumption methods\r\n* quality of cannabis \r\n\r\nThus, coming up with controlled studies to test the effectiveness of cannabis in boosting athletic performance is somewhat challenging. Athletic performance without the addition of performance-enhancing substances already varies on a day-to-day basis. How do you test the benefits of cannabis in lieu of these other confounding factors?\r\n\r\nBecause of these difficulties (and other issues, like cannabis’s contraband status in most parts of the world), few studies have attempted to look into this topic. A 2013 review article in _Sports Medicine_ acknowledges that [cannabis has the potential to enhance performance](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3717337/), based on anecdotal reports. \r\n\r\nRELATED: [3 POPULAR QUESTIONS ABOUT MARIJUANA & SPORTS ANSWERED](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/5a287acc100a820006562eba/3-popular-questions-about-marijuana-and-sports-answered)\r\n\r\nAnd according to a study that surveyed French student-athletes, [cannabis is interestingly more frequent in athletes who practiced a “sliding sport” such as bobsled or luge, than in other sports](http://www.ukcia.org/research/CannabisUseToEnhanceSportive.pdf). Researchers theorize this could be due to the danger of those sports, and that thrill-seeking may be involved. These findings align with anecdotal evidence from athletes who say cannabis helps reduce anxieties and inhibitions they often have during competition. \r\n\r\nThe study on French athletes doesn’t really address if cannabis affects performance—and so far, no research has attempted to take on this subject. It simply showed that chronic recreational users of cannabis tend to also use cannabis for sporting activities. \r\n\r\nGiven the growing popularity of cannabis use for sports performance, it’d be beneficial for organizations—both federal and athletic-oriented—to fund research that further delves into the pros and cons of this topic. \r\n\r\nPhoto credit: [Josh Nuttall](https://unsplash.com/@jjnuttall)\r\n\r\nIf you’re new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our [Cannabis 101](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/cannabis-101-your-quick-guide-to-medical-marijuana) post. [HelloMD](https://www.hellomd.com/) can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it's easy, private and 100% online. ","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","aspectRatio":1.36986301369863,"src":"/static/b803fff33bead9e9b7bdd7b12a409245/14b42/7a21764e58050e341d30e8970de4b887.jpg","srcSet":"/static/b803fff33bead9e9b7bdd7b12a409245/f836f/7a21764e58050e341d30e8970de4b887.jpg 200w,\n/static/b803fff33bead9e9b7bdd7b12a409245/2244e/7a21764e58050e341d30e8970de4b887.jpg 400w,\n/static/b803fff33bead9e9b7bdd7b12a409245/14b42/7a21764e58050e341d30e8970de4b887.jpg 800w,\n/static/b803fff33bead9e9b7bdd7b12a409245/47498/7a21764e58050e341d30e8970de4b887.jpg 1200w,\n/static/b803fff33bead9e9b7bdd7b12a409245/0e329/7a21764e58050e341d30e8970de4b887.jpg 1600w,\n/static/b803fff33bead9e9b7bdd7b12a409245/a4d80/7a21764e58050e341d30e8970de4b887.jpg 3825w","srcWebp":"/static/b803fff33bead9e9b7bdd7b12a409245/58556/7a21764e58050e341d30e8970de4b887.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/b803fff33bead9e9b7bdd7b12a409245/61e93/7a21764e58050e341d30e8970de4b887.webp 200w,\n/static/b803fff33bead9e9b7bdd7b12a409245/1f5c5/7a21764e58050e341d30e8970de4b887.webp 400w,\n/static/b803fff33bead9e9b7bdd7b12a409245/58556/7a21764e58050e341d30e8970de4b887.webp 800w,\n/static/b803fff33bead9e9b7bdd7b12a409245/99238/7a21764e58050e341d30e8970de4b887.webp 1200w,\n/static/b803fff33bead9e9b7bdd7b12a409245/7c22d/7a21764e58050e341d30e8970de4b887.webp 1600w,\n/static/b803fff33bead9e9b7bdd7b12a409245/d4f48/7a21764e58050e341d30e8970de4b887.webp 3825w","sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"}}}}},{"node":{"id":"Article_2555-markdown","title":"4 Cannabis Strains to Get a Better Workout ","slug":"4-cannabis-strains-to-get-a-better-workout","content":"As cannabis’s popularity reaches new heights, an increasing number of professional athletes are coming forward to discuss their marijuana use. Athletes who use cannabis to enhance their performance usually cite its ability to boost focus, quell anxiety and spur motivation. If you’re having a hard time convincing yourself to get off the couch and hit the gym, or if you just want to shake up your workout routine, here are some marijuana strains you can try. \n\nFOLLOW US ON [FACEBOOK](https://www.facebook.com/pg/hellomdcompany/posts/) & [INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/hellomd_com/?hl=en)\n\n### 1. Red Congo \n\n`embed: https://www.instagram.com/p/BeXEAdJBwYQ/`
\n\nRed Congo’s high promotes focus and euphoria. It also provides the kind of mental clarity that helps you laser in on the task at hand—whether it’s going on a run or lifting weights. This African landrace sativa is often used by Seibo Shen, founder of VapeXhale and a jiu-jitsu fighter who trains with cannabis. Seibo says he’s started winning more matches since he began using cannabis in his training regimen. \n\n### 2. Green Crack \n\n\n\nGreen Crack’s uplifting effects are a favorite among users who are looking to get things done—this includes working out. Its invigorating qualities will help get you outside or to the gym, while its mysterious indica heritage will give you a sense of euphoria and calm as you lift those weights or sprint around the track. \n\nRELATED: [3 POPULAR QUESTIONS ABOUT MARIJUANA & SPORTS ANSWERED](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/the-5-most-popular-strains-of-cannabis)\n\n### 3. Harlequin \n\n`embed: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb3EymFFBvf/`
\n\nNot everyone does well with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), so for folks looking for an energy boost _sans_ psychoactivity, Harlequin is a good bet. This high-cannabinol (CBD) strain washes away any pain or anxiety you may experience during exercise, thus helping you focus and get the best out of your workout. \n\n### 4. Grape Ape \n\n\n\nIt might seem odd to have an indica included on this list, but frequent cannabis users often enjoy a body-heavy indica while exercising. This cannabis strain’s sedating effects may even be a boon for those prone to overthinking—Grape Ape is used by the folks at CannaAthlete, a community of athletes who use cannabis during training, for just this reason. According to Jean Paul Ghazeleh-Aceves, the organization’s founder, this strain’s high myrcene content can calm the mind and allow users to fully engage in their workout. \n\nDo you have a cannabis strain that you like to use when working out? If so, let the HelloMD community know in the comments section below. \n\nMain photo credit: [Element5 Digital](https://unsplash.com/@element5digital)\n\nGreen Crack and Grape Ape photo credit: [Dank Depot](https://www.flickr.com/photos/dankdepot/)\n\nIf you’re new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our [Cannabis 101](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/cannabis-101-your-quick-guide-to-medical-marijuana) post. [HelloMD](https://www.hellomd.com/) can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it's easy, private and 100% online. ","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/2wBDABALDA4MChAODQ4SERATGCgaGBYWGDEjJR0oOjM9PDkzODdASFxOQERXRTc4UG1RV19iZ2hnPk1xeXBkeFxlZ2P/2wBDARESEhgVGC8aGi9jQjhCY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2P/wgARCAAPABQDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAGAAAAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIDBAX/xAAVAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAf/aAAwDAQACEAMQAAABlbOYCqWf/8QAGhAAAgIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAhEBEgMTIv/aAAgBAQABBQKwTlYbGDfaC5J//8QAFREBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEBH/2gAIAQMBAT8Bp//EABURAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAR/9oACAECAQE/AYf/xAAdEAABAgcAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARABABEiEiMTJR/9oACAEBAAY/ArdSjSVRPWw3/8QAGhABAAMBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQARQSExkf/aAAgBAQABPyFSQUp5OJ2hx7aGi05cNL7O+if/2gAMAwEAAgADAAAAEGDP/8QAFREBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEBH/2gAIAQMBAT8Qg//EABYRAAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEQEf/aAAgBAgEBPxCiv//EABwQAQADAQADAQAAAAAAAAAAAAEAESExQVFxof/aAAgBAQABPxBAIdzCUX+3O0VaoVrfHqEufQ0vIAxLChEOkqOag1IXwWf/2Q==","aspectRatio":1.36986301369863,"src":"/static/c6b403bcef0bc4773c3b96f0fd93b9fc/14b42/d39829ea24402ed83a4c9f89d3c547c3.jpg","srcSet":"/static/c6b403bcef0bc4773c3b96f0fd93b9fc/f836f/d39829ea24402ed83a4c9f89d3c547c3.jpg 200w,\n/static/c6b403bcef0bc4773c3b96f0fd93b9fc/2244e/d39829ea24402ed83a4c9f89d3c547c3.jpg 400w,\n/static/c6b403bcef0bc4773c3b96f0fd93b9fc/14b42/d39829ea24402ed83a4c9f89d3c547c3.jpg 800w,\n/static/c6b403bcef0bc4773c3b96f0fd93b9fc/47498/d39829ea24402ed83a4c9f89d3c547c3.jpg 1200w,\n/static/c6b403bcef0bc4773c3b96f0fd93b9fc/0e329/d39829ea24402ed83a4c9f89d3c547c3.jpg 1600w,\n/static/c6b403bcef0bc4773c3b96f0fd93b9fc/79e48/d39829ea24402ed83a4c9f89d3c547c3.jpg 2322w","srcWebp":"/static/c6b403bcef0bc4773c3b96f0fd93b9fc/58556/d39829ea24402ed83a4c9f89d3c547c3.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/c6b403bcef0bc4773c3b96f0fd93b9fc/61e93/d39829ea24402ed83a4c9f89d3c547c3.webp 200w,\n/static/c6b403bcef0bc4773c3b96f0fd93b9fc/1f5c5/d39829ea24402ed83a4c9f89d3c547c3.webp 400w,\n/static/c6b403bcef0bc4773c3b96f0fd93b9fc/58556/d39829ea24402ed83a4c9f89d3c547c3.webp 800w,\n/static/c6b403bcef0bc4773c3b96f0fd93b9fc/99238/d39829ea24402ed83a4c9f89d3c547c3.webp 1200w,\n/static/c6b403bcef0bc4773c3b96f0fd93b9fc/7c22d/d39829ea24402ed83a4c9f89d3c547c3.webp 1600w,\n/static/c6b403bcef0bc4773c3b96f0fd93b9fc/b06c5/d39829ea24402ed83a4c9f89d3c547c3.webp 2322w","sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"}}}}},{"node":{"id":"Article_2568-markdown","title":"Feeling the Burn With MoonMan's Mistress","slug":"feeling-the-burn-with-moonmans-mistress","content":"Last Sunday, 30 pro-cannabis fitness enthusiasts, including a couple of HelloMD staffers, joined [Moonman's Mistress](https://www.hellomd.com/biz/56f3650f7bedba000c000019/moonmans-mistress/our-story)—maker of healthy, whole-food marijuana edibles—for its second Burn and Baked boot camp-style event. Held at [Hit Fit SF](http://hitfitsf.com/mission/) in San Francisco's Mission district, the nearly hour-long, high-intensity workout exemplified the company's focus on fitness, nutrition and education.\r\n\r\nMoonman's Mistress co-founder Jamel Ramiro, who's also a personal trainer, started the session off by explaining Moonman's goal to destigmatize cannabis consumption and dispel the myth of the couch-potato stoner with these kinds of events, which integrate cannabis into a healthy, active lifestyle. \"Cannabis can help you with your workouts, with inflammation, or if you're just looking for a better quality of life,\" Jamel said. \"It can give you freedom so you can live better and move better.\"\r\n\r\nFOLLOW US ON [FACEBOOK](https://www.facebook.com/pg/hellomdcompany/posts/) & [INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/hellomd_com/?hl=en)\r\n\r\nFollowing his brief informational-cum-inspirational introduction, Jamel then led the group through a short warmup, followed by a series of exercises that included burpees, jumping jacks, lunges, squats and more. Folks were clearly having a good time—there were smiles all around with plenty of whooping and hollering heard over the high-energy music.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nBut don't take my word for it. Here's what attendees—which included weekend warriors, firefighters, personal trainers and folks living with Parkinson's disease—had to say about the Moonman's Mistress event, its mission, and consuming cannabis for sports performance and recovery:\r\n\r\n**Jessica H.:**\r\n\"[Burn and Baked] was a great workout. Super tough and really fun. … I think the Moonman mentality is really cool because there's [this idea of the] lazy stoner, but a lot of people like to smoke or use edibles or CBD to relieve anxiety or a whole host of other things _and_ they can be active. It doesn't necessarily have to be separate. It's cool that there are companies promoting that.\"\r\n\r\n**Keith Lucitt:**\r\n\"The social theory is that you're a lazy stoner. Trying cannabis in my 20s, I was like, well, I don't have that same reaction. I like to get up and do stuff. Sativa fires me up. I'm a certified personal trainer [and] an outdoor enthusiast. I use cannabis medicinally, for recovery and for fuel. With the use of the cannabis plant, I've had tremendous anti-inflammatory benefits. \r\n\r\nI believe in fueling the body with quality ingredients from Mother Nature. One of the biggest things that I really enjoy is the quality of ingredients that goes into the Moonman's Mistress products. In their Solar Flare cookies, they put in cinnamon to help regulate your blood pressure, pumpkin seeds for your skin and hair—they're a great way to take care of the body, and you feel better after you eat them.\"\r\n\r\nRELATED: [HEAL YOUR BODY WITH FOOD & CANNABIS](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/57d303eda18c34000b895b56/heal-your-body-with-food-and-cannabis)\r\n\r\n**Carrie Krane:**\r\n\"I was smiling for the entirety of the intense workout. Liz [Rudner] and Jamel of MoonMan's Mistress live their mission to educate on the importance of fitness and nutrition, incorporating cannabis into _healthy_ foods. I loved the CBD edible after my workout. It filled me up with good fats and proteins, and I'm guessing I won't be as sore tomorrow.\"\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n**Kevin Krejci:**\r\n\"I loved it. I went to the last Burn and Baked event. It was such a great workout; I ate a Moonman's Mistress CBD cookie afterwards and went to work and had one of my most productive days. And I slept great that night. \r\n\r\nI've always been one to try different things without jumping off a bridge. Even before my Parkinson's disease diagnosis, I've always looked for ways to track [my vitals] better. I just feel like—just try it and see what happens. So, I'm kind of experimenting still. I just find in general that [after eating a Moonman's Mistress CBD cookie], I relax a lot better in the evening, sleep better.\"\r\n\r\n**Kevin Kwok:**\r\n\"A few years ago, there was really nothing for Parkinson's [disease]. I think Kevin [Krejci] and I represent a group of folks who say, we're going to fight back. I feel great 10 years into Parkinson's. You exercise and you come back rejuvenated, so it feeds on itself. It all stems from the ability to get up and move. \r\n\r\nFor us, exercise is medicine. The ability to move, to do high-intensity workouts. … One of the things with Parkinson's, it's not just a movement disorder; it's also a psychological disorder. It comes with fatigue, apathy, depression. And you just have to bust out of that. For me, the ability to sleep well and removing the apathy so you can show up and then move with freedom, this is all part of our daily medication. And so, something [like Moonman's Mistress] that helps us get back out here and move is sacred.\"\r\n\r\nRELATED: [6 STRENGTHENING MOVES FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE PATIENTS](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/5a5f84c48425e40008273a2a/6-strengthening-moves-for-parkinsons-disease-patients)\r\n\r\n**Hank Frost:**\r\n\"As an athlete, professional boxer and personal trainer, my body goes through a lot of stress, so I've got to get that recovery. Recovery is key. I was kinda iffy about [cannabis], but I tried the [Moonman's Mistress CBD] product and felt a difference. I use CBD instead of taking ibuprofen or aspirin. It really helps with the pain and inflammation, and also sleep too. I love my sleep. That's how your body repairs and recharges. And then you're good for the next day.\"\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nIn the spirit of helping attendees repair and recharge post-workout, Moonman's Mistress handed out goody bags containing its CBD star cluster superfood cookies; superfood trail-mix cookies from [BellyWell Kitchen](http://bellywellkitchen.com/)—Liz and Jamel's non-cannabis, paleo baking company; Loki CBD pain salve and Dirt Ninja CBD capsules.\r\n\r\nJamel, who hopes to run a few more Burn and Baked events this year with the next one targeted for spring in L.A., says that Moonman's Mistress is all about health and wellness: \"We live it. We breathe it. This is our lifestyle. … We continue to advocate for patients and for responsible [cannabis] consumers looking for health benefits.\"\r\n\r\nMain photo credit: Mike Rosati\r\n\r\nIf you're new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our [Cannabis 101](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/cannabis-101-your-quick-guide-to-medical-marijuana) post. [HelloMD](https://www.hellomd.com/) can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it's easy, private and 100% online.","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","aspectRatio":1.3605442176870748,"src":"/static/f6a623727be358ae16efbb65cb6d77ae/14b42/1f341839dbd74d3a93e139cdfaa5666b.jpg","srcSet":"/static/f6a623727be358ae16efbb65cb6d77ae/f836f/1f341839dbd74d3a93e139cdfaa5666b.jpg 200w,\n/static/f6a623727be358ae16efbb65cb6d77ae/2244e/1f341839dbd74d3a93e139cdfaa5666b.jpg 400w,\n/static/f6a623727be358ae16efbb65cb6d77ae/14b42/1f341839dbd74d3a93e139cdfaa5666b.jpg 800w,\n/static/f6a623727be358ae16efbb65cb6d77ae/633a0/1f341839dbd74d3a93e139cdfaa5666b.jpg 913w","srcWebp":"/static/f6a623727be358ae16efbb65cb6d77ae/58556/1f341839dbd74d3a93e139cdfaa5666b.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/f6a623727be358ae16efbb65cb6d77ae/61e93/1f341839dbd74d3a93e139cdfaa5666b.webp 200w,\n/static/f6a623727be358ae16efbb65cb6d77ae/1f5c5/1f341839dbd74d3a93e139cdfaa5666b.webp 400w,\n/static/f6a623727be358ae16efbb65cb6d77ae/58556/1f341839dbd74d3a93e139cdfaa5666b.webp 800w,\n/static/f6a623727be358ae16efbb65cb6d77ae/fe727/1f341839dbd74d3a93e139cdfaa5666b.webp 913w","sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"}}}}},{"node":{"id":"Article_2579-markdown","title":"Ex-NFL Player Eben Britton: Cannabis Can Save the League Millions","slug":"ex-nfl-player-eben-britton-cannabis-can-save-the-league-millions","content":"Eben Britton played six seasons in the National Football League (NFL): four years for the Jacksonville Jaguars and two years for the Chicago Bears. Like many players, he was given opioids and anti-inflammatory pills to cope with the pain from the injuries he sustained while playing the game. \n\nNow retired, he’s one of the few players to openly talk about his cannabis use while still in the league. Eben attributes marijuana to helping him manage the grueling mental and physical challenges of playing in the NFL. \n\nEben has now become an advocate for ending cannabis prohibition in the NFL. He also founded [Athletes for Care](https://athletesforcare.org/), a support network that helps former athletes of all creeds find their footing after their sports careers have ended. \n\nOn his career after the NFL he says, “Man, this is what I'm supposed to be doing.”\n\nDr. Perry Solomon, HelloMD’s chief medical officer, sat down with Eben over video chat. In front of an expansive mural of Los Angeles painted by his father, Eben recounted his days in the NFL, how cannabis helped him manage pain and overcome opioid dependence, and what he’s up to now. \n\nFOLLOW US ON [FACEBOOK](https://www.facebook.com/pg/hellomdcompany/posts/) & [INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/hellomd_com/?hl=en)\n\n### Q: You’ve been open about your cannabis use during your NFL career. Can you talk about why you decided to use cannabis, even though it was (and still is) a banned substance?\n\nI think that to me, the more I'm out of the game, the more distance I've had from it, the more context behind it—it just becomes more and more clear to me that cannabis and football are really integrally related. \n\nI would say there's a clear correlation between my cannabis consumption and my football career. I played the offensive line—I was knocking heads. I was one of the guys dealing with those sub-concussive hits 80, 90, 100 times a day, five days a week. So to me, looking back on my career, looking back at my own personal cannabis use, I started consuming more cannabis the more football I played. And I believe that that was my body intuitively needing to be supported, basically thirsting for some sort of healing, some sort of cellular nourishment which came only from cannabis.\n\n### Q: How did cannabis help you manage the pain from injuries you sustained during your NFL career? \n\nI suffered a laundry list of injuries—from dislocating my shoulder multiple times, to concussions, to a herniated disc in my back, which created excruciating sciatic pain that ran down my leg.\n\nThis was dealt with—at least from a pain management perspective—with a lot of prescription pills and a lot of prescription anti-inflammatories, like Indocin and Cataflam. These types of drugs are very toxic, and they create pain in the gut. \n\nNFL players—including myself—were very much reliant on these drugs to be able to produce at 100%—or at least there was a time when I believed I needed to take these [drugs] to be able to play at 100%.\n\nRELATED: [HOW CANNABIS CAN HELP BREAK THE CYCLE OF OPIOID ABUSE](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/5a14b5edeea891000897e26c/how-cannabis-can-break-the-cycle-of-opioid-abuse)\n\nI felt many of the negative side effects that are so commonly associated with opiates. For instance, I remember after my first shoulder surgery, [I was] taking Vicodin at the time—the prescribed dosages—and I felt like my emotions, my anger and rage, all came billowing up to the surface. I was on a hair trigger—very out of control and irrational. I felt insane, felt severe discomfort throughout my body. I was in in the throes of withdrawal symptoms. … Juxtapose that to my experience with cannabis.\n\n[Cannabis] didn't really become something that I incorporated into my athletic career until I was in the NFL, and I was dealing with pain on a daily basis. … Time and time again it just brought me back to center. It helped not only ease the physical pain, but it was very calming and peace-inducing mentally. \n\n### Q: How did cannabis help your mental health when you were in the NFL? \n\n[In the NFL], you're stressed out about producing at a very high level in front of millions of people. It’s a highly competitive environment. The NFL work day starts at about 7 a.m. on the later end, the first team meeting starts at 7:30. You're in three hours of meetings; you've got about an hour weightlifting session to get in there somewhere; you've got a two-and-a-half-hour full-speed practice; you've got three more hours of meetings; you've got walkthroughs— this is all grinding the axe.\n\nBy the time you get home, you're exhausted—both physically and mentally. For me, cannabis really became this replenishing substance—something that I could come back to that would help me fall into a much more peaceful state of mind. I was calmed down from all the adrenaline, testosterone and cortisol I was running all day. \n\n\n\n### Q: How does cannabis fit into your life now that you’ve retired from the NFL? \n\nI founded a company called [Be Tru Organics](https://betruorganics.com/). We do hemp-derived CBD (cannabidiol) products: an oral spray, pain relief cream and a daily vitamin. \n\nI use our pain relief cream every day. I think it's a fantastic method for anyone dealing with joint pain. My back hurts all the time—I don't have full range of motion in my neck. I use it on my neck and on my shoulders and before I lift weights. I think it's great for before and after exercise. Our pain relief cream is definitely something I wish I had when I was playing. \n\nI’ll also do high THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) concentrates—they help me go to sleep. I also like to do them occasionally for high-intensity workout or weight-training sessions. I feel like the THC primes me in a way that’s not quite like anything else. I have a vaporizer machine that I use—a VapeXhale. \n\n### Q: There’s unprecedented support for marijuana legalization across the nation. What’s the current environment like in the NFL in terms of marijuana prohibition? Do a lot of players presently use cannabis? \n\nIt's at least 50% of the guys in a locker room—that's extremely conservative. I would say even upwards of 75% of the guys, especially nowadays. I think they're becoming more aware of the positive medical benefits of cannabis, especially for football players. \n\nI think the owners are really beginning to understand the implications of ending cannabis prohibition in the league—or whether that's on a state-by-state basis. I think the league wants to avoid anything where one team gets a seeming advantage over another. For instance, guys on the Titans aren't going to have very easy access to cannabis (because Tennessee still deems cannabis as an illegal substance). Meanwhile, you've got the [Seattle] Seahawks or the [L.A.] Rams or the [San Francisco] 49ers all with easy access to cannabis. \n\nBut among the owners, there really seems to be a quiet, under-the-surface groundswell of support, and actual ownership moving towards taking cannabis off their banned substance list. I think it's smart—looking down the line this is going to save the league millions, if not billions of dollars in health-care costs. \n\nI feel as though we're all being a little naive that we don't think the NFL is already working on some sort of product—whether it's an inhalant, a vaporizer, a capsule, a tincture or creams. If that's not the case, they're falling way behind on an incredible opportunity to better the lives of their players and better the lives of athletes in the future. \n\n### Q: Do you think cannabis has medical applications in youth football? \n\nAbsolutely—that's something that's being navigated currently. High school is really the beginning of when these kids are developing their physical bodies to a point where they can really inflict damage on each other—and they’re taking it seriously. High school is really the initial minor leagues of the NFL—in America that's the farm system.\n\nIt starts in high school, it moves into college, and the best of the best are sifted out 'til they eventually get to the NFL. Those kids in high school who are serious about playing the game, who play at a high level, should be doing everything they can to protect their brains and mitigate as much of that damage as possible. \n\nI've studied a lot of plants and herbal remedies—ancient and Ayurvedic, traditional Chinese medicine—there's no other substance on this planet that I know of that has the same neuroprotective qualities that cannabis does. And from what I can tell, from what I've experienced, football does a lot of damage to the brain—that's what we're seeing. Cannabis seems to be a good start in mitigating that. \n\n### Q: Given the state of the NFL and football in general, would you let any of your children play the game?\n\nMy wife, she would say absolutely not. I wouldn't be encouraging it, but I wouldn't tell my son “no” if he truly wanted to play football. That's a tough one—it’s a sad realization. There are other games to play: There's basketball; there's track and field; there's a lot you can do that doesn't involve smashing your head and other people with you. \n\nI think Pop Warner football should probably be done away with completely. I don't think kids should be putting on helmets and playing full contact football until they're least 14 years old. People who started playing football before the age of 14 are seemingly at a much higher risk for developing CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) later in life. It's what a lot of the research and science has shown. \n\nI think that would do away with a lot of the damage right away—if we made that move. Young kids can play other sports: flag football, basketball, baseball—you can learn a lot from those games.\n\n### Q: You’re working to improve the lives of athletes, and cannabis is just one part of that—let’s talk about Athletes for Care. How did it come about and what do you hope to accomplish? \n\n[Athletes for Care](https://athletesforcare.org/) was inspired out of myself and Nate Jackson—my good friend and another former NFL player—talking about our experience dealing with injuries, and the positive effect cannabis really had for us compared to the opiates and the anti-inflammatories. We realized that there are a lot of guys that shared that story and a lot of guys who need to be educated, who are in really bad places—really struggling, really suffering. Their families are falling apart—they've had a really difficult time re-identifying themselves as people in their lives after sports.\n\nThat's why we created Athletes for Care. We wanted to create a resource for athletes—men and women of all ages. It's not only for former professional athletes, it's collegiate level and high school. It's about offering the support and resources necessary for re-identifying yourself in life after sports. We wanted to create a little hub and cannabis is just one component of that. \n\nThere are entrepreneurial programs; there's investment and financial support. We have an actual support group network: the Athletes Afterlife program, which is a network of men and women who have all been through this transition of moving from one career to the next.\n\nWe wanted to offer a support system where you can pick up the phone and call somebody who's been through something similar to what you've been through. … It's a preventative as much as anything. If [current athletes] are bringing this into their thought process, their transition to life after sports is going to be a much smoother.\n\nWe're really encouraging connection with the league right now. We've had some great phone calls with the NFLPA (NFL Players Association), the union. \n\n### Q: What are some other things—besides cannabis—that you incorporate into your lifestyle to stay healthy? \n\nMeditation is number one. I think every single person on the planet should be meditating at this point. Other than that, I would say sticking to a ketogenic diet, a high-fat diet—low carb, high vegetable content. Eating as much organic, grass-fed foods as possible—sticking with real foods. \n\nI use curcumin on a daily basis—I think it's fantastic for inflammation. For my mental clarity, I also take a number of mushrooms—lion's mane mushroom has some fantastic neurological effects, as well as chaga and cordyceps. These mushrooms have profound neuroprotective qualities and anti-cancer qualities. [They] really affect my joint pain and keep me feeling good throughout the day.\n\nI do some sort of exercise just about almost daily—I'd say at least six days a week. It just makes me feel good—whether that's yoga or going on a hike, I'm getting out in nature. I still like to lift weights. I can be much more productive in the weight room these days and not tear myself down because I'm not trying to lift the world—I'm just trying to feel good. \n\nIf you’re new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our [Cannabis 101](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/cannabis-101-your-quick-guide-to-medical-marijuana) post. [HelloMD](https://www.hellomd.com/) can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it's easy, private and 100% online. ","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","aspectRatio":1.3605442176870748,"src":"/static/ead03adf17b9dafe084814b0a8ebc465/14b42/7d7d33d2badf3d7a19c6c9adff29b768.jpg","srcSet":"/static/ead03adf17b9dafe084814b0a8ebc465/f836f/7d7d33d2badf3d7a19c6c9adff29b768.jpg 200w,\n/static/ead03adf17b9dafe084814b0a8ebc465/2244e/7d7d33d2badf3d7a19c6c9adff29b768.jpg 400w,\n/static/ead03adf17b9dafe084814b0a8ebc465/14b42/7d7d33d2badf3d7a19c6c9adff29b768.jpg 800w,\n/static/ead03adf17b9dafe084814b0a8ebc465/2a6ad/7d7d33d2badf3d7a19c6c9adff29b768.jpg 1105w","srcWebp":"/static/ead03adf17b9dafe084814b0a8ebc465/58556/7d7d33d2badf3d7a19c6c9adff29b768.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/ead03adf17b9dafe084814b0a8ebc465/61e93/7d7d33d2badf3d7a19c6c9adff29b768.webp 200w,\n/static/ead03adf17b9dafe084814b0a8ebc465/1f5c5/7d7d33d2badf3d7a19c6c9adff29b768.webp 400w,\n/static/ead03adf17b9dafe084814b0a8ebc465/58556/7d7d33d2badf3d7a19c6c9adff29b768.webp 800w,\n/static/ead03adf17b9dafe084814b0a8ebc465/f2b5c/7d7d33d2badf3d7a19c6c9adff29b768.webp 1105w","sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"}}}}},{"node":{"id":"Article_2560-markdown","title":"Super Bowl Champ Marvin Washington Talks Cannabis & the NFL ","slug":"super-bowl-champ-marvin-washington-talks-cannabis-and-the-nfl","content":"Marvin Washington spent 11 years as a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) with the New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos; it was with the Broncos that he won the Super Bowl in 1998. During the course of his football career, Marvin sustained injuries that would affect him for the rest of his life. Like many players, he was given opioids to deal with his pain and to keep him out on the field. As players age, they face a number of challenges—among them, the realization that the painkillers they rely on can ultimately lead to a dead end. \r\n\r\n As a way out of this opioid dead end, many ex-NFL players, including Marvin, have turned to cannabis. The plant's anti-inflammatory, pain-fighting properties have helped these players manage their injuries with minimal side effects. \r\n\r\nThese players have also come to another realization—one that wasn't out in the open until a few years ago: that athletes involved in contact sports are vulnerable to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. This brain disease—which is caused by frequent head injuries—can lead to mood and behavioral disorders, and ultimately dementia, depression and suicidal thoughts. Studies are showing that cannabis's neuroprotective properties may help those with this disease. \r\n\r\nArmed with this knowledge, Marvin and other players are now calling on the NFL to change its policies towards cannabis use. The policies they're pressing for would impact how the league approaches pain, brain health and overall player wellness. \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nDr. Perry Solomon, HelloMD's chief medical officer, sat down with Marvin to talk about his cannabis use and advocacy, and the future of football.\r\n\r\nFOLLOW US ON [FACEBOOK](https://www.facebook.com/pg/hellomdcompany/posts/) & [INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/hellomd_com/?hl=en)\r\n\r\n### Q: How has cannabis helped you address injuries you sustained in the NFL? \r\n\r\nI played 11 years in the NFL, and I had seven surgeries, some major some minor. These injuries were things that happened in the off season. I didn't miss any time. But as you retire, and you get up there in years—it's been about 18 years since I've played in the NFL—I can feel those injuries; it's not just bumps and bruises. … Playing football was fun, but after you finish playing the game, there's a price you have to pay. \r\n\r\nI was introduced to cannabis, this industry, this movement about four-and-a-half years ago on the CBD (cannabidiol) side. It helps me achieve homeostasis at the age that I am—I just turned 52. I work out every day that I can. I attribute CBD to making me active, to letting me have an active lifestyle. \r\n\r\n### Q: What CBD products do you prefer to use? \r\n\r\nEverything that I use is from [Isodiol](https://isodiol.com/). I have a joint venture that I did with Isodiol last year. Instead of getting our CBD from hemp or the cannabis plant, we're getting it from hops. The bioavailability of hops-derived CBD is 85%, and this is something that has been a game changer for me. I can tell the difference. … I've been having it for the past six to eight months, and they're phenomenal. \r\n\r\nWe have water, salves, pills. The pills are called [ImmunAG](https://isodiol.com/isodiol-international-announces-us-sales-launch-hops-derived-cbd-product-immunag/)—it's time-released and deposits in the lower intestines. It's like my supplement. Before I work out, I put on our cream. I still lift, and I still do ballistic training where I'm jumping and stretching, so it definitely helps. I take the oil after working out in the morning.\r\n\r\nRELATED: [THE NFL & MARIJUANA: ONE SHOULD ADOPT THE OTHER](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/56bb8f39add826000c00001f/the-nfl-and-medical-marijuana-one-should-adopt-the-other)\r\n\r\n### Q: Can you talk about the NFL's opioid problem and how cannabis can help address these issues?\r\n\r\nNFL players are four times more likely to abuse opiates than the rest of society—that tells you what's happening with my peers and people that I played with. We're being introduced to these opiates and benzodiazepines at a younger age. Take a guy like me: I started this pharmaceutical regimen of pills—anti-inflammatories and pain pills—from July all the way until January, and I played for 11 years. I'm supposed to go cold turkey? It doesn't work that way for a lot of guys. \r\n\r\nMost of the guys are old, out of shape, not active, and they're sore—these football injuries have immobilized them. I say microdose with [cannabis], take it every day and see how you feel—it usually makes a difference. … Most of the people I know who are using cannabis are guys that have been addicted to the opiates and pharmaceuticals. There's a plethora of them: Ricky Williams, Kyle Turley, Eben Britton, Jim McMahon—cannabis helps them. … But when a guy has an opiate addiction issue, I can't just say, \"Here take this oil or this vape.\"\r\n\r\nI had an ex-teammate call me years ago—he was living with his mother, taking 12 Percocets a day, hadn't played football in 15 years. He was looking in the laundry room thinking about drinking bleach—that's how low he was. Me just giving him CBD wasn't going to do the deal. I have cannabis doctors and nurses that I consult with, so we went at it as a team. We were able to wean him off of the opiates, but he had to go to a facility in Texas that uses CBD.\r\n\r\n### Q: You only use CBD products—how do you feel about the use of cannabis products with THC by NFL players? \r\n\r\nI'm all about full-plant cannabis—THC, THCA, CBD, CBN. Some guys, the thing that has helped them has been THC. Particularly as an anti-inflammatory, particularly for anti-anxiety and particularly for pain management. The NFL medical program has something called TUD—therapeutic use exemption—where they let guys that have ADHD take Ritalin and Adderall, which are banned substances according to WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency). The NFL lets these guys take it under doctor's orders. \r\n\r\nMy thing is in the states and municipalities where it's legal, do the same thing with cannabis. Instead of sending guys home after a hard practice with pain pills and anti-inflammatories, send them home with something that could be THC, CBD or a combination of both.\r\n\r\nWe're not talking about sending guys home with a blunt. There's all types of delivery systems: There's swabs, vapes, transdermal patches. There are plenty of ways these guys can medicate with cannabis, come back the next day and have no negative side effects.\r\n\r\n### Q: Does cannabis have medical applications in youth football? \r\n\r\nWhen you're talking about contact sports—especially football—I think it's a no-brainer. [Federal] patent 6630507 says that CBD is an antioxidant and neuroprotectant for the brain, in relationship to concussions. Why not CBD? It's non-psychoactive, not toxic, not addictive. Cannabis is being used with kids anyway, for epileptic strokes and seizures. \r\n\r\nConcussions happen in youth football; concussions happen in high-school football. [Raphael Mechoulam](https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/mvxde4/raphael-mechulam-father-cannabis-discover-thc) has said you can mitigate the symptoms of a concussion if within 30 minutes to an hour [you administer] a massive dose of CBD—this is what I'd like to see.\r\n\r\nThis is something that should be on every sideline of every football league from youth, to middle school, to high school, to college and definitely pro football. This is something that I think should be on the sidelines of any contact sport where there's a possibility of head trauma. \r\n\r\nI understand there will be trepidation from some parents about giving their kids THC. I would say use CBD, use very low doses of THC, but the thing with kids is that we're not giving them medical doses. I would say microdose with them. Give them oils or CBD gum—something they can take every day. \r\n\r\n### Q: Your cannabis advocacy goes beyond the NFL—let's talk about your lawsuit with Jeff Sessions. What do you hope to accomplish with that? \r\n\r\nWhat we hope to accomplish is for the highest court in the land to decide that cannabis as a Schedule I drug is unconstitutional. The government tried to get the case dismissed. We didn't get it dismissed—we got an expedited trial date for February 2018. I feel like we've won the first battle. \r\n\r\nFor me, being an African American, being an athlete and being in this space, when you look at the etymology of why Richard Nixon put it on Schedule I, he wanted to go after two groups: hippies, who were protesting the Vietnam war, and African Americans. \r\n\r\n[Nixon] had the [Shafer Commission](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shafer_Commission) that told him everything we're saying about cannabis now. He didn't go through a body of Congress or anything like that. He just put it on as Schedule I, so we're saying that it's unconstitutional and that it's racist—the etymology of [cannabis] being a Schedule 1 drug. \r\n\r\nI can't go to states that have a prohibition on THC, and I can't get an SBA (Small Business Administration) loan to start a business. Minorities already have an issue with lack of access to capital, but a lot of times the government steps in, and we can get these minority loans from the SBA, but we can't do that with cannabis being a Schedule I drug. \r\n\r\n### Q: Can you talk about social justice, diversity and inclusion in the cannabis industry—what does that look like? \r\n\r\nEven though minorities and Caucasians use marijuana at the same rate, [minorities are] getting arrested five to 12 times more than the majority. \r\n\r\nI want to see—like they're doing in Oakland and Los Angeles—the communities affected most by cannabis's Schedule I status—with the arrests, incarcerations, breaking up of families, the devastating penalties of having a non-violent felony and being sent away for years—I want see those communities participate now that it's gone from the black market to the green market. I don't want us to continue to go to jail while everybody else is going to the bank. That's why I believe there has to be a social equity program for the communities most affected. \r\n\r\nI think it all ties together. We don't want to do business as usual and end up looking like Silicon Valley. We want to do a better business—and when I say a better business, I say a better business for minorities, a better business for women, a better business for people of a lower socioeconomic status. \r\n\r\nCalifornia is expunging records. That's going to affect a million people, not just for the cannabis industry—that's not withstanding. It's going to put [people] back into society so they can vote, get federal housing, [have access to] loans, because they don't have this felony on their record anymore. \r\n\r\n### Q: What are your opinions on the descheduling versus rescheduling of marijuana?\r\n\r\nI think medical marijuana is a no-brainer. When it comes to adult use, that's something you take to the people. We as a society have said that [certain] things with a social ill are acceptable—we regulate and tax them through the government. Alcohol, tobacco and gambling all have connotations attached to them, but we've accepted them as a people. Why can't we do this with cannabis?\r\n\r\n### Q: Can you talk about chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the impact it might have on the future of the NFL and how cannabis can help? \r\n\r\nSince the concussion lawsuit was filed in 2010, youth participation is down across the board. I believe people are aware of the head trauma that's associated with this game. Everybody is aware of orthopedic injuries that football players are going to have—my generation knew about them. I was willing to accept that, but I didn't know that there was a possibility that I could leave this game with a disease. \r\n\r\nThey just came out with a study that says it's not even about concussions, but the repetitive hitting, bashing of the head—especially if you're playing along the offensive-defensive line. Patient one of CTE was Mike Webster: He played 17 years as a center; a center leads with this head. He was getting his head hit 95% of the time he was on the football field. It's the repetitive hits, and then you have the concussions as well. That's going to build up a lot of tau protein. \r\n\r\nNow football moms and dads are aware of what can happen to their kids if they're playing this game. I wouldn't let my kid play football unless a football coach could come into my living room, sit down with me and say, \"I can guarantee you that little Marvin can play this game and he's not gonna get a brain disease.\"\r\n\r\nUntil you're able to do that with me, I can't let him play—and I think a lot of parents are there. No helmet or equipment stops a concussion. I think the thing that stops a concussion is going to come through science, and I believe that cannabis can go a long way in solving that issue for the NFL. \r\n\r\n### Q: Given the state of the NFL and football in general, would you currently let any of your children (or future children) play the game? \r\n\r\nI'd let them play Pop Warner; I'd let them play junior high—but not with helmets. Take the helmets off these kids until they're at least in high school. Your brain doesn't stop developing until you're 21, so what the hell are you doing out there with these kid in helmets at age 7?\r\n\r\nNick Buoniconti, an iconic NFL player, just came out with an initiative yesterday: He recommended that kids not have on helmets until the age of 14. You don't need to have helmets on these players to learn how to throw, to learn how to catch, to learn how to block, to learn how to tackle. In the '20s, '30s and '40s, nobody had on these helmets, but there was still a game of football. They were tackling the proper way. \r\n\r\nMy company is going to fund a league out of California. We have to find leather helmets that are durable, cost-efficient, etc. We're going to show kids how to play football. You can learn how to tackle and block the right way, instead of leading with your helmet. \r\n\r\nI'm not trying to kill football. I love the game of football. There are plenty of life lessons in football that are not in other sports—I'm only trying to make it safer. \r\n\r\n### Q: What can people do to combat cannabis's stigma? \r\n\r\nIf THC is working for you, show you're using it responsibly. Don't show that you're using it and feeding into a Cheech and Chong, Reefer Madness-type of stereotype. That's my biggest pet peeve with this industry. Everybody says, \"We're going to be different,\" but you go to conventions, and guys are walking around with full leaf marijuana suits and a hat—that's what the news people show. Let's show that this is responsible; let's show that this is a medicine.\r\n\r\nWe are just stewards and stakeholders, the dynamic athlete that's going to make this acceptable is probably in junior high school. In 2050, [cannabis] is going to be accepted everywhere, but we have to do it right—we can't have any setbacks.\r\n\r\nIf you're new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our [Cannabis 101](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/cannabis-101-your-quick-guide-to-medical-marijuana) post. [HelloMD](https://www.hellomd.com/) can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it's easy, private and 100% online. ","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/jpeg;base64,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","aspectRatio":1.3605442176870748,"src":"/static/4931fe1d93931769e4d43e14821a6bde/14b42/c9a3703dee4402ebfd66ceaced9f6e90.jpg","srcSet":"/static/4931fe1d93931769e4d43e14821a6bde/f836f/c9a3703dee4402ebfd66ceaced9f6e90.jpg 200w,\n/static/4931fe1d93931769e4d43e14821a6bde/2244e/c9a3703dee4402ebfd66ceaced9f6e90.jpg 400w,\n/static/4931fe1d93931769e4d43e14821a6bde/14b42/c9a3703dee4402ebfd66ceaced9f6e90.jpg 800w,\n/static/4931fe1d93931769e4d43e14821a6bde/47498/c9a3703dee4402ebfd66ceaced9f6e90.jpg 1200w,\n/static/4931fe1d93931769e4d43e14821a6bde/0e329/c9a3703dee4402ebfd66ceaced9f6e90.jpg 1600w,\n/static/4931fe1d93931769e4d43e14821a6bde/7019e/c9a3703dee4402ebfd66ceaced9f6e90.jpg 1870w","srcWebp":"/static/4931fe1d93931769e4d43e14821a6bde/58556/c9a3703dee4402ebfd66ceaced9f6e90.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/4931fe1d93931769e4d43e14821a6bde/61e93/c9a3703dee4402ebfd66ceaced9f6e90.webp 200w,\n/static/4931fe1d93931769e4d43e14821a6bde/1f5c5/c9a3703dee4402ebfd66ceaced9f6e90.webp 400w,\n/static/4931fe1d93931769e4d43e14821a6bde/58556/c9a3703dee4402ebfd66ceaced9f6e90.webp 800w,\n/static/4931fe1d93931769e4d43e14821a6bde/99238/c9a3703dee4402ebfd66ceaced9f6e90.webp 1200w,\n/static/4931fe1d93931769e4d43e14821a6bde/7c22d/c9a3703dee4402ebfd66ceaced9f6e90.webp 1600w,\n/static/4931fe1d93931769e4d43e14821a6bde/c24b7/c9a3703dee4402ebfd66ceaced9f6e90.webp 1870w","sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"}}}}},{"node":{"id":"Article_2531-markdown","title":"5 Easy Ways to Treat Your Sports Injury","slug":"5-easy-ways-to-treat-your-sports-injury","content":"Sports injuries are extremely common. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control, [2011–2014 saw an annual average of 8.6 million sports and recreation-related injuries in the United States](https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr099.pdf).\n\nSome of the most common sports injuries include:\n\n* ankle sprain\n* pulled groin\n* strained hamstring\n* shin splints\n* knee injuries\n\nFOLLOW US ON [FACEBOOK](https://www.facebook.com/pg/hellomdcompany/posts/) & [INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/hellomd_com/?hl=en)\n\nAlmost all musculoskeletal injuries have to do with two things: stretching a ligament too far (sprain) or overstretching/overusing muscle fibers (strain). The pain associated with these issues is often caused or exacerbated by inflammation, the body’s natural response to injury that repairs damaged tissue. While inflammation is a good thing for injury in the long run, it often causes a lot of pain in the short term and is associated with swelling, redness, warmth, pain and tightness. \n\nThe majority of the time, these injuries are painful enough to derail us for a couple of days but aren’t quite serious enough to seek professional medical help. If you’re suffering from joint or muscle pain, you may want to avoid the co-pay and possible prescription, and instead opt for an at-home treatment. We rounded up a few ways you can treat a sports injury to help you recover quickly and effectively.\n\nKeep in mind that serious sports-related injuries deserve proper medical attention; if you aren’t sure whether an injury is serious, it’s best to err on the side of caution and head to your doctor. \n\n### Follow the RICE Method\n\nYou may have learned about the RICE method in a high school PE class or back when you were on the track team. Let’s take a trip down memory lane to recap all of the important steps this acronym stands for. \n\n* **Rest.** Stop whatever it is that caused the injury and rest up for the first 24–48 hours. If you restrict as much activity as possible on the injured area, you reduce the risk of further injury. \n\n* **Ice.** It’s important to ice an injury immediately to curb initial inflammation. It’s recommended that you have a layer between the ice and your skin (like a hand towel), icing for 20 minutes at a time every one to two hours for a day or two. \n\n* **Compression.** By compressing the injured area, you’ll be able to reduce swelling. Use an ace bandage to wrap the area, making sure you leave it just loose enough to allow proper circulation. \n\n* **Elevation.** Elevating the injury is another way to reduce swelling. For best results, keep the area elevated above the heart, if possible. \n\n### Try a Cannabis Topical Cream \n\nTreating sports-related injuries really comes down to reducing inflammation and swelling. There are all sorts of prescription anti-inflammatory topicals, but [cannabis is an excellent, all-natural option that seems to be just as effective](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/55a3f31338323000062f0000/medical-marijuana-as-an-aid-against-inflammation). Marijuana is full of natural anti-inflammatory properties that help ease pain all throughout the body. \n\nYou can try:\n\n* a cannabis-infused mentholated salve for muscle relief\n* a marijuana-infused cream for all over aches.\n* a targeted cannabis pain patch for localized pain and mess-free application. \n\n### Take a Salt Bath\n\nEpsom salt is a tried and true remedy that people have sworn by for decades. Your great grandmother’s grandmother probably used this treatment, and it’s just as effective now as it was hundreds of years ago. When submerged in water, Epsom salt breaks down into magnesium and sulfate, two minerals with anti-inflammatory properties.\n\nSoaking in an Epsom salt bath every two days can help ease aching joints and muscles. If you really want to take your treatment to the next level, try making your own [cannabis-infused Epsom salt bath bomb](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/59cd5092a6dac230b182c30c/diy-recipe-marijuana-bath-bomb). \n\n### Eat a Low-Inflammation Diet\n\nThere are all sorts of diet tricks you can use to help increase your chance of a speedy recovery. First thing’s first: Keep yourself hydrated, especially if you’re dealing with joint pain. The [cartilage between joints, which provides cushioning for the bones, is made up of 65–80% water](https://academic.oup.com/bmb/article/87/1/77/338508), and water is essential in delivering all of the nutrients needed to repair cartilage.\n\nAs for the rest of your diet, you’ll want to solve for one (predictable) thing: reducing inflammation that accompanies any injury. Eat foods high in magnesium, like cashews, cacao, molasses, leafy greens, parsnips and whole grains. Lay off acidic items like coffee, alcohol, dairy and wheat. Double down on your protein intake so you get the necessary amount of branch chain amino acids (BCAAs), which restore damaged muscles. \n\n### Commit to Consistent Stretching\n\nYou probably won’t want to stretch immediately following the injury, but after a few days of rest, it’s good to get the injured areas moving to get rid of any stiffness. Take it slow your first few days back to avoid further injury. If you’re feeling up to it, go to an all-levels yoga class and let your instructor know you’re dealing with an injury; they can give you modified poses to help stretch what you need. \n\nAnd while we’re on the subject, here’s an interesting fact: [Many believe proper stretching before a workout can prevent injury, but the CDC hasn’t been able to find any such evidence](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15076777).\n\nWhat’s the key to preventing injuries? An active warm-up that increases blood flow throughout the muscles. \n\nNow you know what to do the next time you twist an ankle or strain a muscle, and you can do it all from the comfort of your own home. \n\nPhoto Credit: [Martin Barak](https://unsplash.com/@fotobarak)\n\nIf you’re new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our [Cannabis 101](https://www.hellomd.com/health-wellness/cannabis-101-your-quick-guide-to-medical-marijuana) post. [HelloMD](https://www.hellomd.com/) can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it's easy, private and 100% online. 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