All oils are not created (or sourced) equally
CBD WILL BE THE GOLD RUSH, but do you have the proper tools to reap the rewards? Sooner rather than later, CBD will become mainstream not only within retail stores nationwide, but within the chiropractic industry. Are DCs ready for it?
Be ready to answer questions
As CBD or hemp oil or CBD creams become a larger trend covered by mainstream media and health outlets, more and more patients will be asking for recommendations, dosages, side effects and types of products.
As a doctor, maybe you don’t currently believe in or know enough about CBD. CBD aligns perfectly with the chiropractic industry, as it’s a natural product derived from the hemp plant. Its benefits tout help for a wide range of ailments, starting with inflammation. And the more the public learns about its benefits, the greater the demand.
The demand is starting to explode for consumers, and if DCs don’t start learning more about the product, they could miss out on an industry that is expected to triple to $1.3 billion by 2022, according to Hemp Business Journal.
The main issue now is that the amount of information and education about the best CBD cream or quality and types of CBD (yes, there are different types) is extremely clouded. With the growing demand and lack of regulation from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (there’s only one FDA approved CBD product currently), many companies in the industry are wholesaling from hemp farms — either foreign or domestic — without any type of batch testing or quality assurance. They’re putting their label on the product and touting all the benefits of CBD with a watered-down version that may lack efficacy or quality.
As professionals, we are the first line of communication to patients. They trust us with recommendations and quality products that can help them heal and find the best CBD cream or products. We are also educators, and the current CBD oil education pipeline is broken.
It’s important to not only ask questions, but to ask the right questions when it comes to potentially bringing a CBD product into your practice.
The oil essentials
One of the most misunderstood aspects of CBD is that not all oils are created equal. This is something both patients and companies alike tend to get wrong (some companies don’t even know what type of CBD oil they produce!).
While CBD has many benefits and is the most popular, it’s only one cannabinoid of the entire spectrum that is produced by the hemp plant.
Here’s a brief breakdown of the different types of CBD oils:
Full-spectrum hemp oil: Contains CBD, CBC, CBN, CBG, 0.3 percent THC, flavonoids, terpenes and other phytonutrients from the aerial parts (flowers and leaves) of the hemp plant.
Other names: Full-spectrum CBD oil, whole-hemp oil.
Full-spectrum hemp oil is usually extracted with ethanol or supercritical CO2. While THC is present in full-spectrum, it is only a trace amount (approximately 0.3 percent or less to be federally compliant).
When all cannabinoids are extracted from the hemp plant and consumed, they work together synergistically to provide a more effective, longer-lasting result known as the Entourage Effect.
Broad-spectrum hemp oil: Contains most of the cannabinoid profile, flavonoids, terpenes and phytonutrients of the aerial parts (flowers and leaves) of the hemp plant and is THC-free.
While this approach seems like the best of both worlds within full-spectrum profile, the efficacy of the product significantly decreases without the trace amounts of THC, and the Entourage Effect most likely cannot be achieved.
CBD Isolate: Contains only the CBD cannabinoid, no other cannabinoids or phytonutrients, and is THC-free.
Other names: CBD oil, hemp oil.
Most of the products on the market fall into this category. With a CBD isolate, only CBD is extracted from the plant without any other cannabinoids. Some companies will later add other cannabinoids or terpenes.
When CBD isolate is extracted, it is produced in a crystalized powder form. This process is not only quicker, but cheaper than full-spectrum or broad-spectrum extraction. While isolate is a lesser-quality product, it allows many companies to produce product more cheaply, and they are still able to say they are THC-free.
Hempseed oil: Contains no CBD or cannabinoids and is THC-free.
Other names: hemp extract.
Seeds from the hemp plant are some of the most nutrient-dense seeds of any plant species. While they contain no CBD or other cannabinoids, they do have a healthy amount of omegas. Hempseed oil may be used as a carrier oil for full-spectrum or isolate products, although its earthy taste usually isn’t the first choice for product producers.
CBD product sourcing
As practitioners, it’s not only the quality of a product we should be questioning, but also where it is sourced. The same goes for hemp and associated CBD oils.
What to look for:
Does the company have their own farm, or do they wholesale from multiple farms?
This is the most important question to ask, because a company that owns its own farm is going to produce a more consistent product. A large portion of the CBD industry is made up of companies that buy wholesale from different hemp farms. When companies source their product from multiple farms, the consistency of levels of cannabinoids in products could be widely varied, and thus not consistent in quality.
Does the company have an up-to-date Certificate of Analysis (COA) for each product?
Third-party lab testing is crucial for a CBD product to not only break down how many cannabinoids or percentage of CBD are in a product, but also to analyze for heavy metals, leads or large amounts of pesticides.
Is the product grown and extracted in the U.S. or overseas?
This should go without saying, but supporting a product that is 100 percent grown and extracted in the United States is very important. Purchasing a product from overseas does not guarantee quality. Hemp and CBD are delicate compounds, and with the time it takes to ship overseas and compliance of packaging facilities, this is something you do not want to risk.
Be a CBD health care leader
What are the best CBD creams or products? Not only will the demand for CBD increase, the number of questions a patient will ask will increase exponentially. Because the industry is so new, many practitioners have steered patients away simply because they are not educated enough to know the benefits this product provides.
Doctors of chiropractic can be leaders in the CBD space if they choose to adopt it as an extension of their products and practice — but it takes accurate information and education to truly be an authority.
FAB MANCINI, DC, is “America’s #1 Healthy-Living Media Expert,” a world-renowned chiropractor, Hay House’s international best-selling author of The Power of Self-Healing and host of the popular radio show “Self-Healing with Dr. Fab.” He is also the best-selling author of Chicken Soup for the Chiropractic Soul, and an internationally-acclaimed educator, business leader, speaker, consultant and president emeritus of Parker University. To contact him or for more info, visit drfabmancini.com.