Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Book Review: The Athlete's Guide to CBD by Scott Douglas

Disclaimer: I received a pre-release copy of The Athlete's Guide to CBD by Scott Douglas from Net Galley and PenguinRandomHouse Books in exchange for my unbiased review. This post contains affiliate links.

Unless you're living under a rock, you've heard about CBD (cannabidiol). If you believe what everyone is saying, CBD seems to be that "miracle" substance that can cure everything. I've had more people suggest I use CBD for my rheumatoid arthritis than I can count. The last time I went for a massage, my massage therapist opened a jar of CBD capsules, shook out a few, and offered them to me. "It will enhance the experience", she said. (I took a pass.) The local video store--believe it or not, there is still one just down the street--advertises CBD oil on its sign. A neighbor swears by the CBD oil he buys at the local gas station.

Can so many people be wrong? Is CBD the real deal? Or is it the modern version of snake oil? Is CBD something runners could benefit from?

I've been using a topical CBD product on my joints when they are inflammed and yes, I'm finding CBD to be an effective adjunct to my medications. I've also noticed that I have been sleeping better when I use it.

Is it the real deal? A magic bullet? Or is CBD just another supplement that is really a placebo?



Scott Douglas, author of Running is My Therapy, which I reviewed last year, has a new book, The Athlete's Guide to CBD, coming out on September 24 that answers many of our questions about CBD. After reading this nifty little book, I feel like I know a lot more about CBD than I did previously. Douglas shares his experience as well as the experience of many other athletes who have found CBD to help them with performance as well as anxiety, insomnia, and recovery.

As I was reading this, I started to wonder where CBD had been my whole life. As a child of the 1970s, marijuana was everywhere. Full disclosure and no judgement, please: I did smoke marijuana in high school. I found that marijuana didn't always calm me down--in fact, it sometimes made me more anxious than normal. Why couldn't I have the mellow calm without the high? Hello, CBD! CBD is non-intoxicating and is actually used in medical marijuana to temper the high of THC (the active ingredient in marijuana). CBD targets the same receptors as antidepressants and can block the same pain receptors as antiinflammatories.

CBD is a product of the hemp plant. In 2018, the farm bill passed legislation, which legalized the cultivation of hemp at the federal level. What this means is that farmers can legally grow hemp for the production of CBD. This is why you've seen CBD just about everywhere. Well, everywhere except for mainstream stores. Douglas notes that CBD is not available to buy everywhere because of government red tape, which he discusses in more detail in the book. But for those of us who want to buy CBD, we're able to purchase it online and at smaller retailers--like the gas station, as my neighbor does. It doesn't make sense, but really, does anything connected with the government make sense?

I found Douglas' book very interesting. In fact, the entire book was a quick, easy read and I couldn't put it down until I was finished. If you like books that have just the facts, The Athlete's Guide to CBD will work for you. Douglas is a writer for Runner's World, and he does a great job of gathering a lot of information about CBD and putting it into an immensely readable book.

Douglas reviews the different formulations of CBD; the most commonly used forms are tinctures, sprays, and topicals. Tinctures and sprays are taken 'sublingually', that is under the tongue. There is quick absorption via that route. While some might be averse to putting something under the tongue, there are CBD capsules that can be taken orally, but keep in mind that the absorption from the GI tract is slow and not much gets absorbed overall. Topicals are applied to the area of the body that is causing problems. There is research that supports better absorption of CBD topically vs orally.

Other topics covered in the book include CBD and sleep, recovery, and anxiety. At the end of each chapter, Douglas summarizes key points in a handy little chart, which I found really helpful. At the very end of the book is a glossary as well as a checklist to help the reader make smart decisions when purchasing a CBD product. If you want to learn more about CBD, Douglas' book is a great place to start. I'm excited to see what the future holds for this amazing product. For now, I'm good with my topical CBD. It really seems to work well.

CBD!!! Try it, you'll like it! Want to learn more? Check out my review /via @oldrunningmom @mescottdouglas @netgalley @penguinrandom #runchat #running

Have you tried CBD? If you have, share your experience in the comments. If you haven't, why not? Do you think CBD is the real deal?

I'm linking up with Kim and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics.


16 comments :

  1. You're right - it seems like CBD products are popping up everywhere! I've tried topical CBD a few times but I haven't been consistent about using it. I need to use it more regularly to see if it will help with my joints, especially my lower back.

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    1. I've been pleasantly surprised by my topical CBD product. But sadly, it is no longer available. Hmmm

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  2. I just shared your post with a colleague who is trying a CBD version of a Biofreeze type product (can't recall brand) and he's happy to hear you had relief.
    Also drive by comment so the reply lands in my inbox and I can save for when I read this

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    1. My topical product, which has been really effective, is not available anymore. I'm going to have to find a new one.

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  3. It does seem like CBD is everywhere and in everything. I am a little skeptical myself and have not tried any of it personally. Sounds like an interesting and timely book-nice review!

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    1. I was skeptical until I tried it myself. What a pleasant surprise!!!

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  4. You're right, I keep seeing things about CBD everywhere! It does sound a little snake oil-y but this book sounds like a good resource to learn more.

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    1. I'm sticking with the topical form...I've had really good results!

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  5. I have not tried CBD (in any form) yet. I'm still on the skeptical side of the fence. This book does sound like a good resource, though.

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    1. All I can say is that the topical CBD has worked for my joint pain.

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  6. I have not tried CBD but would like to so I can sleep better. But will it cure and prevent plantar fasciitis? If so then I will need to get it! :-)

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    1. CBD doesn't cure anything. But it can help with inflammation. You certainly could try it on your plantar fascia to see if it helps with the pain.

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  7. We even sell CBD at my country club fitness center! And use a CBD massage cream as an upgrade for treatments. I've tried it in various forms with high hopes and not a lot of success. I used a lovely cream but, aside from smelling really good it didn't make a lot of difference. I have a couple of balms, which do help the arthritis in my hands but not enough to make me remember to use them consistently. And I tried some CBD gummies to help me sleep and they were amazing, but I think it was as much the melatonin in them as the CBD. And they were kind of expensive.

    Marijuana had the same effect on me, which was probably fortunate in the long run since I didn't like it. I thought of the feeling as being in a car when the tires are slipping on the road. It does help a bit with my migraines, though, and it's now legal in California, so...

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    1. MJ is legal in Illinois too--it's going to be interesting to see how that all plays out. Funny, it's already pretty mainstream considering that it's been illegal up until now!

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  8. So with all of the nerve pain I've unfortunately experienced, I looked into alternative routes of relief since nothing was helping. Unfortunately I live in Texas where NOTHING is legal - I absolutely would have tried medical marijuana at my worst. When we went to North Carolina in May CBD oil was advertised and available, and I looked into it, but holy crap it was expensive - like over $100 for a small bottle with a low mg...it went to $1000 for the highest mg that the store had! So I didn't buy it because I wasn't convinced it would help and I didn't want to throw my money away. Also I think it is so weird to buy it from random stores and yes, gas stations...but that's the square in me, LOL. Good to hear that it helps your joints - would you mind sharing (or emailing, if you prefer) the brand you are using?

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    1. I've had such good results with my CBD cream that I wondered if there was 'more' than CBD in it! I went to reorder it and the website has disappeared. That make me sad! I'm waiting for a new cream to come--it was recommended by an RA website. Stay tuned.

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