Bri — a natural health & fertility coach in Texas — shares how supplementation with CBD, especially Foria Relief, has improved her life.
Discovering CBD
FORIA: How did you discover CBD?
BRI: I've always been an advocate for medicinal marijuana, but CBD was the missing piece for me when it comes to Cannabis use. When CBD started to get really popular I started researching a lot more about it.
CBD gives me a sense of calmness, the chatter in my mind slows and quiets and because of that I am able to be more productive in my business. Last year I suffered from depression and anxiety for virtually the entire year, but this year I was able to manage the depression much easier because of CBD. Also, I had my first completely pain-free period with CBD and after that I was completely sold.
Traveling for CBD
FORIA: Can you get CBD in Texas?
BRI: Unfortunately for a while there you couldn't get access as easily as you can now with the hemp-based full-spectrum CBD you can get in Colorado or California. I’m one of those people who will travel for cannabis...I actually go to Colorado pretty often.
So in 2015 I was there — and it was actually kind of a fluke, the timing, because my period came early and I was having a lot of menstrual discomfort my first day there. So I went to the dispensary, and they were like, “You have to try this.” And they handed me Foria Relief.
First Time Trying Foria
FORIA: What was it like using Relief?
BRI: The first time I used it, it took about 20 to 30 minutes for me to notice anything. And then after that it felt like...I told my husband, “Just imagine having your hand balled up in a tight fist, and then after about 30 minutes that tension is just completely released.” All that tension that was there was completely gone. So it was just a relief, that aspect where I kind of relax. I felt like my uterus just went "Phew!" — just a sigh in my pelvic area.
So that allowed me to just feel like I can move around rather than feeling like I want to be crumpled up or protecting my body because that area is so tense and sore. I went from being curled up in bed at my hotel, to feeling well enough to go sightseeing and out to dinner that evening. Foria totally saved my vacation!
CBD vs Advil
BRI: So after I started using CBD, I noticed that I had this sense of calm — almost immediately the first time I tried it — I was like, “Oh my god is this how I'm supposed to feel every day?” It felt so good.
So I've been taking it every day, and when I had my first cycle after I started using CBD, I really noticed a difference. It just feels like taking an Advil or an aspirin, but we know that those are very disruptive to the digestive system, so instead of doing that I can just take two droppers full of CBD and I'm good.
Different Sources of CBD
FORIA: Have you noticed a difference in the types of CBD sources?
BRI: For CBD I take tinctures or edibles and I have noticed a difference — I prefer the CBD from cannabis. I feel like it has a more profound effect on me. It might be because I’m a cannabis user so maybe I need that to feel it, but when I use just the regular hemp-based CBD it takes off the edge, but it's not as powerful I guess you could say. I get my hemp CBD online from Blue Bird Organics when I’m unable to travel to a recreational state for cannabis-based CBD.
CBD for Women’s Health
FORIA: Is CBD a useful supplement for women’s health?
BRI: I got into CBD through my own research, discovering that it's a good alternative for women — I work in fertility so I deal with a lot of these issues — women who might be experiencing discomfort from endometriosis or ovarian issues, and they want relief but they don't want the psychoactive effects of THC. Just knowing about the whole endocannabinoid system and how that works in connection with the menstrual cycle and endometriosis specifically — that really got me interested.
FORIA: So have you incorporated CBD into your health consulting practice?
BRI: I have briefly on social media, but I haven't done a blog post about it on my site (fertile alchemy) but it's on my list of things to share about with my private clients. I'm just waiting for more research to come out. I don't like to share things in my audience unless I try them. Like with the hemp-based product that I'm using now, I don't know that I would necessarily recommend that to my audience, so I'm researching which product works best before I tell them “This is what CBD is, this is how you use it, and this is where you can get it.”
Supporting Fertility Naturally
FORIA: How did you get into fertility coaching?
BRI: I started just as a health coach — I got my certification in holistic health. But when I got married, we wanted to start a family, and I found that nobody was really talking about pre-conception care.
Everyone was talking about what happens when you go to the doctor and they tell you that something's wrong. They don't talk about preparing yourself and your body.
So I started doing a lot of research and sharing information that I found, and from there I just started attracting women who needed that help. So I kind of fell into it, honestly, and I just started expanding into the lives of women in my family and myself. I’ve had menstrual issues so I'm just an advocate, sharing what I know and my experience bringing different products they can use to help.
CBD for Calm & Stress-Support
FORIA: What else do you use CBD for?
BRI: Anxiety is something that i've struggled with with pretty much since high school. During college I went and actually got diagnosed with general anxiety. They put me on medication and I felt like a zombie. I hated it.
So finding a natural way to treat myself has been a complete journey. I tried everything. I still take those supplements. I do yoga. I meditate.
But I definitely think top of the list is CBD for me, because I can actually notice a difference. So if I'm having an anxiety attack or if i'm getting ready for an interview or something that I know I need immediate relief, that's what I'm going to reach for.
FORIA: Do you recommend any anxiety tonics or elixirs for stress?
BRI: A lot of the tonics that are really popular right now — ashwagandha and holy basil — I think those are great. But they're marketed like “take these and you'll be stress-free right away” but that's not true. They help you adapt to stress, but there's this illusion thinking that this will help you feel stress-free instantly.
Whereas with CBD... like I said, that first time I tried it, that wave...I can feel it kind of come on — it's like an instant thing for me.
So I definitely tell people when they wanna get into different tonics or elixirs, I say “Grab CBD first to see if that works for you, because I've noticed an instant change.” Whereas with those other thing you have to wait a while if you have extreme anxiety two or three weeks that's like hell ... with CBD you can try that instantly. And everyone that I know has felt an immediate difference, with immediate relaxation.
Lifestyle & Diet
FORIA: What about lifestyle or dietary changes for anxiety?
BRI: Reducing gluten. Reducing the amount of sugar definitely helps with my anxiety, and I recommend that to people.
FORIA: What about omega 3 fatty acids?
BRI: Definitely. Definitely beneficial. In the fertility work that I do it's one of my supplements in the list that I recommend. I just recommend getting it through actual food sources, but a lot of people don't, so they should definitely take omega 3s.
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