Cannacares provide clear, factual insights about CBD to help educate their community so they may take positive action to improve their health and wellbeing.

Why was Cannacares formed?
For so long, the CBD market has contained a myriad of varying quality CBD products that are typically overpriced. Getting access to quality CBD products at affordable prices is one of the biggest concerns that our community members currently have.

Cannacares was born out of a mission to provide their active community with safe, high-quality CBD products, at prices that will not break the bank, while providing a unique focus on their industry. Cannacares CBD gel capsules are just one of many products that they produce.

Took evening medications at 9:30pm

Slept as normal, but for a little longer, waking at 1:30am ish.

I awoke feeling a bit drowsy rather than wide awake like I usually do. It took about 2 hours until I felt moderately awake, but could not get back to sleep.

Excitedly, again, one of the main things that I noticed was the lack of pain and redness in my feet, and the ability to walk on them without severe pain and discomfort.  However, as per normal I don’t like to count my chickens before they hatch and wanted to wait until later on to see if these changes were still there.

Much to my delight my feet were still free of from the severe pain and discomfort and the arthritis in my hands and feet related to the musculoskeletal / connective tissue health problems seemed to have reduced. Again, I did not have to rub Voltarol pain gel into my feet to reduce the fiery pain that I endure so that I could walk to the bathroom.

Currently I am under the care of biomechanics and trying to help get a few of the problems under control through orthopaedic personally measured insoles for my footwear.

It was easy to notice the fact my mobility wasn’t as stiff; pain was lesser than usual, and I wasn’t getting numbness with pins and needles as much in my hands and feet.  Speaking of hands, after a few nasty stumbles and falls this year I have damaged my hands through being hypermobile (from the ehlers-danlos syndrome) and the arthritic pain and stiffness increased ten-fold as a result.  The pain has been immobilising and this morning it’s like I have been given a new pair of hands.

Another noticeable difference was my mood which appears to be a lot more relaxed than it has been for months and I have to say that reduced pain levels do help with mood and I don’t mean full blown depression, just general low mood.  Although, I do have depressive episodes during the Autumn and have been dealing with that via self-management but have since gotten it under control.  The whole change of seasons, darker and damper cold days cause increased inflammation levels and chronic pain etc, are enough for anyone to sink into bouts of depression.

9:30am 12 hours later when prescribed and controlled medications have worn off and next dose is due

It is always important to remember that medications wear off and I notice this aspect of medication therapy twice daily.  My mobility stiffens, pain increases, numbness and pins and needles kick in as well as the muscular spasms which the Pregabalin usually controls.

After having that one of my daily doses reduced to accommodate the Cannacares CBD gel capsules I was eager to see if there would be a difference in the time of those symptoms / comorbidities kicking in.  To my surprise they didn’t rear their heads until around 8:00 am instead of 6:00 ish, which is a vast improvement.  However, I’m not naïve and once my system gets used to absorbing the Cannacares product this is likely to change.  It is also not likely to be the same every day due to the uncontrollable nature of the multiple chronic conditions that I manage on a daily basis.  Obviously, no idea whether the Cannacares CBD gel capsules are responsible for such a change either, but for now I would like to think that it is.

I am smiling for a change despite having negative thoughts about certain aspects of my life and whether I have Cannacares to thank for that I cannot say!

Morning medications

9:30am I take 150mg Pregabalin as I realised that I should take the reduced dosage when I take the Cannacares product in the evening, so I have made that change.  Other morning medications include 100 mg slow release Tramquel (tramadol), 800ui Fultium D and 2 X Paracetamol.

At 3:00pm I took 2 X paracetamol as my hands and feet began to get feel sore and inflamed, pain levels were rising, and I needed to be able to function.  Still no desperate need to use Voltarol pain gel which means I have undergone 24 hours without using it as a top-up pain medication.

Throughout the afternoon the niggles and symptoms crept in and by 7:30pm I could feel that my prescribed medications were wearing off.

Sticking to the Cannacares CBD gel capsules trial I am only taking one capsule per day alongside regular prescribed medications, and alongside food.

The pain in my hands and feet began around 9:00 pm with half an hour until evening medications were due and my next Cannacares capsule when I would begin Day 2 of this trial.

I am stiff and sore, my stomach is beginning to hurt again like it did for 3 days earlier in the week and as a whole my musculoskeletal system feels very painful, clicky-cracky and the bursitis is on top form in my hips.

Couldn’t type anymore because my hands and arms were too painful, plus I was very uncomfortable sitting.

In the beginning

Day 2 – 27 November 2019

Took evening medications at 9:30pm

Slept as normal but for an hour longer waking at 1:00am ish when I took duloxetine.

Felt drowsy when I awoke rather than wide awake like I usually do, which leaves me sitting for about 2 hours until I nod off for another hour.

One of the main things that I noticed was the lack of pain and redness in my feet, and the ability to walk on them, like yesterday, without severe pain and discomfort.  Again, initially I didn’t want to be too optimistic and wanted to wait until I re-awoke later on to see if these changes were still there.

It was easy to get back to sleep and I didn’t wake back up until 5:20am, a more respectable hour for me to wake up for the day.  Admittedly, I enjoy being awake from around 4:30am to do some work because it is a lovely peaceful time of the day!

Again, my feet were still free of from the severe pain and discomfort that I’ve been suffering with for weeks, on and off for a few months.  I have arthritis in my hands and feet and many other health problems related to musculoskeletal / connective tissue, muscles, tendons, bones etc. I did not have to rub Voltarol into my feet to reduce the fiery pain so that I could walk to the bathroom.

It was easy to notice, again, the fact that my mobility had improved as my back, legs and hips wr not as stiff; pain levels were lesser than usual,. Again, I wasn’t getting numbness with pins and needles as much in my hands and feet. The arthritic pain and stiffness that ‘increased ten-fold’ as a result of the falls I had earlier in 2019 has caused a lot of problems and the pain has been quite debilitating but, this morning, again, it’s like I have been given a new pair of hands.

My mood, like yesterday, still appears to be a lot more relaxed than it has been for months and I have to say that a better mood does help to reduce pain levels.  To repeat from yesterday, ‘I do have depressive episodes during the Autumn and have been dealing with that via self-management, but have since gotten it under control.  The whole change of seasons, darker and damper cold days cause increased inflammation levels and chronic pain etc, are enough for anyone to sink into bouts of depression.’

9:30am 12 hours later when prescribed and controlled medications have worn off and next dose is due

Again, as mentioned yesterday, it is always important to remember that medications wear off and I notice this aspect of medication therapy twice daily.  My mobility stiffens, pain increases, numbness and pins and needles kick in as well as the muscular spasms which the Pregabalin usually controls.

To my surprise today the comorbidities, increased pain etc from the meds wearing off didn’t rear their heads until around 8:00 am instead of 6:00 ish, which is a vast improvement.  Remember –‘However, I’m not naïve and once my system gets used to absorbing the Cannacares product this is likely to change.’  What I feel and when I feel as medications wear off is not likely to be the same every day due to the poor sleep regime and what activities that I may have undertaken. Also, as stated earlier having multiple chronic conditions that I manage on a daily basis makes it difficult.  Obviously, again, I cannot say whether the Cannacares is responsible for such a change to my better mood and sleep, lessened stiffness, pain and inflammation, but for now I would like to think that it is.

Morning medications

9:30am I take 150mg Pregabalin.  Other morning medications include 100 mg slow realease Tramquel (tramadol), 800ui Fultium D and 2 X Paracetamol.

At 3:00pm I took 2 X paracetamol as my hands and feet began to get feel sore and inflamed, pain levels were rising, and I needed to be able to function.  Still no desperate need to use Voltarol pain gel which means I have undergone 48 hours without using it as a top-up pain medication.

Throughout the afternoon the niggles and symptoms crept in as they usually do, and like they did yesterday, by 7:30pm I could feel that my prescribed medications were wearing off.

Sticking to the Cannacares CBD gel capsules trial I am only taking one capsule per day alongside regular prescribed medications.

I am feeling the pain in my hands and feet a lot now at 9:00pm with half an hour until I take my medications and my next Cannacares CBD gel capsule. I have been on my feet today more than normal.

I am stiff and sore, my stomach is beginning to hurt again like it did last night and also earlier in the week. My whole body hurts and moving about is very painful, my joints are clicky-cracky, again like yesterday, and the bursitis is on top form in my hips.

In typical form like I was yesterday, I can’t type anymore, my hands and arms are too painful, again, a usual trait for this time of day. Plus, I’ve spent too much time sitting and it causes bursitis in my hips, especially the left.

_{Week two}

Okay, my days follow a usual routine, although, sleep was disturbed quite a lot through the nights. A familiar experience when the bursitis is flaring because applying pressure to my hips causes searing pain, an unavoidable circumstance when lying down. However, my bowel disorder is the main culprit bothering me and no amount of pain medications work on the chronic pain that I end up enduring sometimes for long periods of time. Even the Voltarol Pain Gel only helps a little by reducing inflammation, sadly the pain is just untouchable, even when some of the inflammation has been reduced.

This article that I wrote will give you a picture of what I endure under these circumstances and help you to understand my experience a lot better.

The burdens of pain management, inflammation and sensitivity to anti-inflammatories. | Carole Scrafton | 27 March 2019

https://fibroflutters.com/2019/03/30/the-burdens-of-pain-management-inflammation-and-sensitivity-to-anti-inflammatories-carole-scrafton-27-march-2019/

Naturally, I was hopeful that the CBD capsules would help me to get this pain under control, or to a manageable level, but unfortunately that did not happen. What I must stress is that nothing really helps with this health problem and I did end up back at gastroenterology getting some biofeedback advice.

However, the capsules did keep those pins and needles at bay, the stiffness out of my hands and feet, and underneath it all I was generally happy. It was only the chronic bowel disorder and it’s friends’ by means of comorbidities that caused me upset and pain.

_{Week three}

Whilst taking the Cannacares CBD gel capsules I noticed a massive difference in my inflammation levels despite having, persistent, chronic problems with my bowel disorder, bursitis and arthritis that left me in very high, often severe, levels of chronic pain and debilitated as a result. Due to being highly sensitive I cannot take anti-inflammatories orally so my life really is plagued by inflammation with very little therapeutic help to manage it. This is discussed in my article that I provided the link for above.

The only medicated help that I have access to is the topical Voltarol Pain Gel that I can apply to the offending areas of my body. Sometimes, I feel like I need to bathe in it… which, obviously, is not feasible, nor practical as a solution.

The difference in inflammation levels when using the combination of the pain gel and taking the CannaCares capsules was pretty amazing. Naturally, as a result it did help to ease the pain levels a little. I suppose some would consider that as the product reducing pain, but it doesn’t ‘directly’, only through helping to reduce the inflammation… the pain levels lessen as a secondary effect.

_{By week 4…}

My bowel disorder eased up this week for a change so I got to have a better opportunity to gauge the effects of the capsules. It is just a shame that it hampered things for the other three weeks of my trial.

It was easy for me to notice the fact that the stiffness and inflammation levels were at a level that enabled me to be able to move about better, and even pursue my daily gentle stretching exercises. Walking was very painful before due to the arthritis and psoriasis in my feet, but I found that as long as I paced myself and was careful that I could tolerate walking about the flat.

Like I have previously noted, it had become clear to me that the CannaCares capsules did not appear to help much with my pain levels, which was quite a surprise. However, saying that I may just need to take a higher dosage to get that experience. I do wish to take that challenge on at some point, but due to going through weaning off Pregabalin under the guidance of my doctor it is better for me to wait, and, try again at a later date.

It must be said that other people may experience things differently to me and find that the capsules do help to reduce their pain, so please do not be put off by my personal experience.

_{Positive thoughts}

Moving on I want to discuss the huge positive from taking the Cannacares capsules that really did have an impact on my life.

For anyone that follows my journey and battles with multiple health conditions they know how my health battles involve fighting high levels of inflammation on a daily basis. From watching my diet and the foods that I eat to being careful about the types of activities that I undertake, it is always an upwards battle to keep inflammation at a controllable level.

As noted throughout my experience notes above I did find a considerable change with my inflammation levels, and despite my bowel disorder causing problems, those reduced inflammatory levels helped to make my mobility levels a little better than usual.

Another aspect that I noted was the fact I had a better mood and found myself able to focus on things. Cognitively, I often struggle and keeping focus can be a huge problem when trying to keep to deadlines, write things and in general hold important conversations. The downside to this upside was the fact that during the times of severe levels of pain due to my health issues these effects were not felt… and I did spend a lot of time in severe pain!

Cannacares even have a blog:

https://www.cannacares.co.uk/blogs/blog

Many thanks for taking the time to read my product review for Cannacares CBD Capsules that act as a food supplement.