Author: jessica

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Research

Research Version 2.0 is Here!

Johns Hopkins
Research partners Johns Hopkins University

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new research registry version 2.0 in partnership with Johns Hopkins University! 

If you haven’t been involved in our observational research programs before, now is the time to start. We make it simple for you and every survey can be completed on your computer or mobile phone. 

Why is version 2.0 so much better?  First, you’ll notice improved overall user experience including shorter surveys to save time, and auto-generated research ID’s. 

Certain data is saved on follow-up surveys to speed up the process for you and general and condition-specific surveys are now combined into one. Automatic, unique email reminders will keep you on track, and our Care Team is available to answer your questions. 

So, let’s get started! 

  1. Log in to your Client Portal
  2. Access the Research Portal

Our Observational Research Registry (ORR) is the largest cannabinoid therapy research program in the US and with your help – it will soon be the largest in the world. Bringing more data to light regarding cannabis therapies is REALLY important. Be a part of the movement! 

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at 719-347-5400 option 1. 
Thank you for your help,

Realm of Caring Team

Categories
Education

5 Tips for Caregivers

Caregiver Burnout
5 tips for caregivers

For most caregivers, being there when a loved one or client needs you is a core value and something you wish to provide.

Shifts in roles and emotions are almost certain. It is natural to feel angry, frustrated, exhausted, alone, or sad. Caregiver stress — the emotional and physical stress of caregiving — is common. It’s normal to feel guilty sometimes, but understand that no one is a “perfect” caregiver. Believe that you are doing the best you can and making the best decisions you can at any given time. 

To help manage caregiver stress:

Set realistic goals. Break large tasks into smaller steps that you can do one at a time. For me, trivial things like folding laundry and organizing emails and paperwork (appointments, reminders, bills, junk, ahhh!) are my least favorite things to do. However, I noticed I became more stressed when I didn’t do these tasks because my house and my brain started to become cluttered, disorganized, with a clothes mountain that I have to dig through to find a pair of socks. It can be easy to go down this path so make sure to prioritize, make lists, and establish a daily routine. I use a gamified app called Habitica to help create lasting habits, increase productivity, manage my household, and my life in general. This app makes it fun to get things done.

Get connected! Make an effort to stay well-connected with family and friends who can offer non-judgmental emotional support. You can also join a virtual meet up group. This can provide validation and encouragement, as well as problem-solving strategies for difficult situations. Connecting with others who are going through similar scenarios. A group can also be a good place to create meaningful friendships! Check out our Facebook event page for Caregiver Connect and Community Connect – both are virtual and private meet up groups hosted via Zoom.

Set personal health goals. For example, set goals to establish a good sleep routine, find time to be physically active on most days of the week, eat a healthy diet, and drink plenty of water. Find ways to nourish your mind, body, and soul. Mindfulness meditation practices, body scanning exercises, breathwork (I personally enjoy the Wim Hof Method), and restorative movements are amazing tools for managing stress. Schedule intentional check-in’s with yourself to feel and release emotions. While yoga and meditation can be beneficial, I do realize it can be difficult for caregivers to find time for such activities. However, there is time if you make time! Set a timer on your phone or watch 3 times a day for a 7-minute workout or stretch to keep you active and resilient to stress. I personally enjoy Lucy Wyndham Reed’s 7-minute 1,000 step workout. I use an app called Calm for free 10-minute meditations.

Use CBD daily. Research suggests CBD may improve or alleviate symptoms of stress, depression, anxiety, pain, inflammation, irregular sleeping patterns, changes in appetite, and immune function. These conditions are all common ailments that occur with caregiver stress and burnout. Check out our research library for condition-specific research articles. If you need product and administration suggestions contact the Care Team! 

Reduce personal stress and increase self-awareness. Ask yourself, “What is causing stress for me?” Sources of stress might be that you have too much to do, family disagreements, or the inability to say no. Identify what you can and cannot change. When you try to change things that you have no control over, you will only increase your sense of frustration. Ask yourself, “What do I have some control over? What can I change?” Even a small change can make a big difference. 

Journaling can be helpful in identifying your needs, wants, fears, goals, and aspirations. It is not selfish to focus on your own needs and desires when you are a caregiver—itʼs an important part of the job. If you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to care for anyone else!

I hope you found this article to be helpful. From my experience, establishing a self-care routine can be challenging with many ups and downs so be patient and have compassion for yourself. If you want to connect with me you can do so at lacie@realmofcaring.org 

Categories
Education

Stratos: Bringing Pharmaceutical Accuracy to Cannabis

Stratos Products
Stratos products

Helping people powers everything we do. 

It’s our mission to offer people safe, pure, and reliable cannabis and CBD products they can trust.

Our careers didn’t start out in cannabis, they began in the pharmaceutical industry. When people go to Walgreens or CVS, they trust that what they buy is safe and will help them get better. And while the pharmaceutical standards for manufacturing and production are well-trusted, some of the motives behind pharmaceutical companies are not.

We get it. And we got out because of it. 

We started to see some of the highly controlled drugs we were developing to “help” people being abused by patients, doctors and pharmaceutical manufacturers. Instead of helping people, we started to see the drugs hurting them. 

We knew there had to be an alternative to truly help people that didn’t involve potential long-term damage. 

When we learned about the healing effects of cannabis, it reinvigorated our passion to help people. From that day forward, we’ve worked to create cannabis and CBD products with the same pharmaceutical standards as what you’d find on pharmacy shelves.

What We Do

Before our team spends months developing a product, they spend time at the drawing board. After comparing the different ways to ingest cannabis and CBD, we narrowed the options down. Our research found that tablets, tinctures and topicals are the best options for rapid onset, longevity, and body receptivity. 

Because health and safety are top priorities, our focus is on products that are vegan, sugar-free, and gluten-free, and our topical products are paraben-free. Excipient ingredients are pharmaceutical grade, and all of our hemp and cannabis are grown in Colorado.

Every product is tested multiple times during the manufacturing process. This includes pesticides, microbial growth, heavy metals, potency, and residual solvents to ensure your safety.

You can put us to the test by reviewing a Certificate of Analysis for our CBD products. We include one with each online purchase. We want to earn your trust, and we will go to any length to earn it. We are grateful that nearly 700 dispensaries in Colorado have entrusted our THC products to their customers by adding them to their shelves.

We’d also like to share a bit about our products for you to consider.

Tablets:

This option is portable, discreet, reliable, convenient and long-lasting. Unlike infused food products such as gummies, which may require 90 minutes to take effect, tablets have an onset of 15-30 minutes and can last up to 8 hours.

Tablets can be halved or quartered based on your dosing needs. Be sure to take the tablets with a fat source (such as a spoonful of peanut butter) to experience the maximum benefits. Cannabinoids are fat soluble so they need to bind to a lipid to absorb into the body.

  • Stratos CBD tablets are available in Full Spectrum 300 (30 tablets of 10mg each), Full Spectrum 750 (30 tablets of 25mg each), Isolate 300 (30 tablets of 10mg each), and Isolate 750 bottles (30 tablets of 25mg each). 
  • Stratos THC tablets are available in Sleep (Indica THC), Energy (Sativa THC), Relax (Hybrid) and CBD 1:1, CBD 2:1, CBD 15:1, CBD 25mg (THC and CBD). Tablets come in doses of 5mg, 10mg, or 50mg. Available in bottles of 75mg, 100mg, 300mg, or 500mg. 

Tinctures:

We want you to get the most out of your tincture, and quickly. To increase absorption and speed up onset, we use high-shear technology to break down cannabis and CBD molecules into smaller particles. This allows the plant to take effect in less than five minutes and last 3-4 hours. 

Placing a tincture under the tongue (sublingual absorption) is up to 10x faster than anything you chew or swallow (first pass digestion absorption). Place the tincture under your tongue, wait 30 seconds, then swallow. The tincture then heads straight to the bloodstream. 

  • Stratos CBD tinctures are created with hemp-derived CBD oil and MCT oil and are available in 500mg and 1000mg quantities for Full Spectrum or Isolate.
  • Stratos THC tinctures have two options:
    • A tangerine tincture created with MCT oil and cannabis oil available in Sleep 1:1 (Indica, CBD), Energy 1:1 (Sativa, CBD), Relax 1:1 (Hybrid, CBD). Each come with 100mg of THC and 100mg of CBD. There is also a 15:1 CBD option with 100mg CBD and 6.67mg hybrid THC.
    • A chocolate mint tincture created through a phospholipid emulsion of water, MCT oil and cannabis oil. This special emulsion offers the highest bioavailability tincture option available and must be mixed well before taking. It is also available in Sleep 1:1, Energy 1:1, Relax 1:1 and 15:1 CBD.

Topicals:

If you’re looking to target a specific part of the body, such as your back or legs, then a topical salve is perfect. Our salves are infused with a whopping six essential oils, shea butter, coconut oil, and beeswax, so it’s like a big hug for your skin. This smooth, silky salve can be massaged wherever you need it, and you’ll feel the benefits within minutes. For those concerned about any psychoactivity, it’s important to note that you won’t “feel high” by applying a THC product to your skin (it must be ingested).

  • Stratos CBD topicals have 500mg each, and are available in Full Spectrum or Isolate.
  • Stratos THC topicals include Soothe 1:1, which is infused with 100mg THC and CBD, and Soothe ER, which includes 300mg THC and 300mg CBD.

We hope we’ve piqued your interest. If you’re still reading, we’d like to say thank you: visit www.stratoscbd.com 

Want to see if you’re eligible for discounted products?  Have questions about how to use Stratos’ products? Call Realm of Caring’s Care Team 719-347-5400 Option 1 

Learn more about what we offer or reach out with questions or comments at info@stratoscbd.com or info@stratosthc.com – we’d love to hear from you.

Categories
iROC365

Juliana’s tumor has shrunk 90%!!

Juliana’s tumor has shrunk 90%!! The grant helps with medically related expenses not covered by our health insurance, like gas to get to the hospital, parking at the hospital and supplements. Without the grant it would be extremely difficult to afford the CBD oil for Juliana. We very much appreciate Realm of Caring’s help.

Juliana’s story

Categories
iROC365

My insulin requirements have been cut in half.

My insulin requirements since June have been cut in half.  In June my A1c was 7.0 and in October was 6.4. My type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, colitis, Crohn’s and adrenal gland cancer have gotten a little better.  Last week when I got the dosing high enough, I started sleeping a few hours a night.

Your grant for CBD gave me the chance to try a natural approach to lowering inflammation.   It is amazing that I just started sleeping again! Instead of laying on the bed most of the day, I am able to accomplish things.  Thank you!

Lynn’s story

Categories
iROC365

His mood seems to be better

The cannabinoid therapy has helped my son stay stagnant in regards to his seizure medication and only progress slightly in his gabapentin, that helps him with his leg pain. He is having shorter and less frequent seizures than when he started as well. His mood seems to be better. He doesn’t fuss as much as he used to, even after a seizure. Before, he would cry and scream and be agitated for an hour or two after a seizure. Now, it almost seems to not affect him once it’s over.

The biggest impact for me has been the ability to tell Canaan’s doctors that I want to try this “alternative” medication instead of going up on his seizure medication every time we go for a check-up. Also, he hasn’t had an increase in the medication he takes for leg pain since he’s been taking CBD oil. He’s calmer, more content, if you ask me. And that’s everything!! One of my biggest fears of having a child who is non-verbal was him being in pain and me not know it and/or not know what was hurting and how to help.

Canaan’s story

Categories
iROC365

Improved Health Outcomes!

Celeste’s autism symptoms and seizures have improved greatly since starting Charlotte’s Web CBD oil and she has been taken off one of her traditional medications since being on the oil.

If we didn’t receive the grant we wouldn’t be able to afford Charlotte’s Web for Celeste. We would be stuck with the traditional medications that were no longer working. I like Charlotte’s Web because it has no negative side effects.

My kids feel that it is really cool that y’all help us so they don’t have to go without some of the extras that the grant has allowed us to have. I am just grateful that people like you exist and are so generous.

Celeste’s story

Categories
iROC365

Fibromyalgia pain is crippling

For years I have dealt with chronic pain, muscle spasms and nerve pain and my doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong. Along with severe fatigue, I had a hard time managing daily life activities and work.  Brain fog consumed me. I couldn’t concentrate or keep my train of thought. I lost the ability to carry meaningful conversations because I couldn’t grasp my words.  Eventually my doctor diagnosed me with fibromyalgia.  

I started taking cannabis oils and using vape pens a couple of years ago and have seen an incredible difference.  I use a combination of THC and CBD in addition to topical balms for the pain. 

After a few weeks I starting seeing changes and in a few months I could say confidently that I have my life back! 

Jessica’s story

Categories
iROC365

CBD has improved my child’s life

Bradley is autistic. Health wise he is okay, as far as I know, he can’t tell me. Cannabinoid therapy has helped with his violent meltdowns, eye contact, and his concentration. It has not helped with his language, still non-verbal. I would say his meltdowns have improved by 90%.

This is my theory: autistic children have lots of inflammation. Inflammation causes pain and the pain caused his violent meltdowns. CBD reduces inflammation, which took his pain away. I kept taking Bradley to doctors saying it looks like he’s in pain and all these doctors just ignored me and wanted to put him on psych meds, which I never did. I’m so happy I found CBD, it has improved my child’s life.

CBD is expensive. I’m a single mother of a severely autistic child. I am a nurse but had to quit my job because I couldn’t find daycare for my child. Plus, trying to work full-time and take care of a disabled child all by yourself is extremely physically and mentally exhausting. I want the best for my child and it so hard to do that when you can’t work. I am so grateful for this grant.

Bradley has violent meltdowns and as he gets older he gets stronger. If I didn’t find CBD Bradley could have been seriously injured or dead from his meltdowns. I believe it has saved his life.

Bradley’s story

Categories
iROC365

Chronic pain has wreaked havoc on Sheila’s life

I have only recently been able to begin experimenting with the CBD tincture but my initial results are incredibly encouraging!  Even if the only benefit derived is an increase in my ability to achieve sleep for longer than an hour or two at a time (which has been the norm for nearly 2 decades, constant waking and poor sleep) it would be more than worthwhile!  However, I am still hopeful and expectant that it may have other benefits, especially in relation to calming my overactive neurological system, with muscle spasm and constrictor. I expect part of the reason for the intensity of my pain is a constant state of muscle tension, caused by both chemical aspects of the disease and my unstable musculature and body alignment. It causes me to spend probably 3 of every 4 weeks bedbound in a state of torture, gripped by pain and unable to move or do anything.  Nothing has been able to touch it and muscle relaxers only make me sick and loopy but don’t ease the muscle tightness, certainly not enough to outweigh the negative side effects.

This treatment is my only hope for relief in this area, and so far it seems it will help. My concern is how much I’ll have to continually increase the dosage in order to outpace the adaptation to it. The dispensary told me that will be a factor. I have been tested genetically to have resistance to opioid medications, which partially explains why even with large doses of Oxycontin, etc, I have very limited relief. Hopefully, the tincture will be a way to get around the lack of efficacy of opioids, and also help me avoid their terrible side effects, including constant opioid-induced constipation and many other problems.  This would be a more natural, less harmful solution; the only inhibitor is cost, which is why this aid is so important and appreciated!

This financial aid of $150 per month has been the difference between being locked into the old methods of treatment that have been ineffective or under effective and trying new solutions.  It allows me to purchase CBD tincture to explore other ways to alleviate symptoms that cause such tremendous pain and disability. I am only able to get out of bed a couple of days per week around the house, and if I’m lucky, to get out of the house for errands approximately one day a week for 2 or 3 hours.  This is not enough window to accomplish even the basic tasks to sustain life, even one as sedentary as mine. I am always behind, always struggling and letting things fall between the cracks. It’s stressful and devastating. If the tincture can give me even hours of function, it’s well worth it. Anything more is gravy!!

When you have as little functional time available to you as I do, and have for 2 decades now, it takes a huge toll on yourself but also, and more so, family members.   My beautiful daughter, Allegra, was only four years old when I was injured and has gone through so much with having a mother who was around but not really around and able to do things. She had become my caretaker, and that’s a role she cannot handle any longer, it’s taken a terrible and devastating toll on her.   She is the second victim of my injuries and subsequent illness. My mother, 85 years of age, having lived through bombings in England during WWII, even having her school bombed into oblivion at age 10, has been more affected by my prolonged, extreme state of illness than anything in her long, not always easy life! It means everything to us, and others, friends and community, who are affected, inconvenienced, saddened by my suffering.  It takes a village to raise a child, but also to care for a sick person. The more that burden can be reduced the better for everyone!

Sheila’s story

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