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I'm An M.D. & This Is The Supplement I Take To Cope With Chronic Stress
I'm a doctor working with patients who are health optimizers, and I teach a course at Stanford on health span, or extending the healthy years of life. One barrier to health that I see over and over with patients—and experience myself—is that modern life is chronically stressful. When experienced over long periods of time, this chronic stress can lead to problems such as insulin resistance, risk of infection, poor sleep, and more.
How I cope with my stress.
You name it, I've probably done it for managing my own stress. I've had several burnout phases throughout my life—after medical school, residency, and starting a company—I was just doing too many things at the same time.
I'd notice that my skin wasn't as bright, and it was breaking out more. My digestion wasn't as strong, I'd have a hard time with fasting, and my blood sugar wasn't as optimal as it could be. These cues tell me stress is using up my capacity, and I need to take a break.
When I get into one of these states, I try to scale back my work, travel, do a bunch of outdoor activities, and reconnect with my community. I reach out to a support group for women who deal with anxious thoughts. Soon, I'll start feeling new levels of well-being and feeling resourced again.
And importantly, I have a whole arsenal of management techniques that help me mitigate the "little s" stresses. (Unlike big, stressful events, these little stressors—things like air pollution, noise pollution, or not having a strong sense of community—constantly exist in the background and signal to the body that it's not safe.) I meditate every morning, I fill my home with plants, I spend time with my family and my friends, and I also use different supplements and adaptogens. One newer addition to my routine is hemp multi+.
How hemp multi+ helps ease my everyday stress.*
mindbodygreen's hemp extract supplement added a layer of wonderful relaxation to my day.* When I started taking it, I found myself a little bit more at ease and peaceful after a busy day, when typically I'd be carrying a lot of tension.* Overall, I noticed a general lessening of minor annoyances and stress.* It even took the edge off a very stressful experience recently when I was working on too many projects at once.*
hemp multi+ added a layer of wonderful relaxation to my day.*
I like to take it in the evenings when I'm winding down from a busy day, maybe right before a bath or a yin yoga class when I just want to chill out. For me, it makes it a little bit easier to just drop into my body and relax.
How hemp multi+ works.
You've probably heard about using CBD for managing stress. As a substance, CBD (or cannabidiol, the main ingredient of hemp extract) is truly fascinating, but there are additional benefits to hemp extract over CBD because it contains more than cannabidiol.*
Hemp extract also contains phytocannabinoids and terpenes, which have additional benefits like supporting the immune system and digestive system and promoting neurological health.* This is likely due to the "entourage effect," which basically means that the ingredients in the extract taken together work synergistically in a way that provides greater health benefits than the individual ingredients on their own.*
I've found in clinical practice, that generally healthy patients use hemp to take the edge off of high-stress days or to enhance their sleep.* It's not a cure-all and doesn't replace the work on one's lifestyle and mindset, but it's certainly a good adjunct support.*
With hemp extract, though, it's paramount that you choose the highest-quality supplier you can find and do your homework on how the product is tested. In general, European product testing standards for hemp extracts are more rigorous and stringent than U.S. standards, so choose products that comply accordingly. In collaboration with trusted manufacturers, mindbodygreen developed its E.U. Certified hemp formula.
If you feel your level of well-being is declining and you're waking up every day feeling tired, that's a sign that you need a break. Most people just power through it and end up with a serious illness, or their body is in a state of weakness. But it's possible to maintain a state of balance and resilience—if you have the right support.
If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking medications, consult with your doctor before starting a supplement routine. It is always optimal to consult with a health care provider when considering what supplements are right for you.
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