Modern-day science continues to show the link between Stress & Disease. We continue to learn how stress leads to inflammation, which leads to disease.
“Chronic stress results [in] failures of homeostasis, [and] thus leads to various diseases such as atherosclerosis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and depression. However, while 75%–90% of human diseases is related to the activation of stress system, the common pathways between stress exposure and pathophysiological processes underlying disease is still debatable.
Chronic inflammation is an essential component of chronic diseases. Additionally, accumulating evidence suggested that excessive inflammation plays critical roles in the pathophysiology of the stress-related diseases, yet the basis for this connection is not fully understood.” this paper publishes.
In previous blog posts, I have spoken widely about CBD’s potential in regulating inflammation and returning the body to homeostasis. I have even shown how CBD acts in a similar way as antidepressants as it works on the serotonin (5HT)1a receptor. Serotonin deficiency is associated with depression, cognition, mood, aggression, and other neurological disorders such as migraine, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease (PD), multiple sclerosis (MS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and Dementia/Alzheimer’s as evidenced here and here.
Stress can be defined as any experience that causes tension, whether that be physical, psychological, or emotional- and especially if it sets off the “fight or flight” response – during which the adrenal gland releases adrenaline, leading to rapid pulse and breathing, and increased blood pressure.
In addition to high blood pressure (in which my previous blog post discusses in relation to the healing potential of CBD), Autoimmune Diseases such as: Lupus, Psoriasis, Type 1 Diabetes, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, etc. have shown to be linked to stress. For example, in this study citing a higher incidence of autoimmune diseases among people who were previously diagnosed with stress-related disorders. Another paper publishes:
“Physical and psychological stress has been implicated in the development of autoimmune disease, since numerous animal and human studies demonstrated the effect of sundry stressors on immune function. Moreover, many retrospective studies found that a high proportion (up to 80%) of patients reported uncommon emotional stress before disease onset.
It is presumed that the stress-triggered neuroendocrine hormones lead to immune dysregulation, which ultimately results in autoimmune disease, by altering or amplifying cytokine [inflammatory response] production. The treatment of autoimmune disease should thus include stress management and behavioral intervention to prevent stress-related immune imbalance. “
What I am trying to point out here is the correlation between our mind and our body- how what we perceive as stress can manifest in the body as disease. In other words, if we can turn on stress response by our thoughts alone, and these stress chemicals can make us sick, then-
By definition, our thoughts can make us sick.
A great example of this is the placebo effect. Modern day science commonly purports the placebo effect as a nuisance that disrupts the results of an experiment or clinical trial, but what they are really reporting on is the scientific proof of the power of thoughts/intention. Many more studies such as those within the field of quantum mechanics, report a similar “phenomenon” of intention, or desire, altering the results of experiments. One such example is by a Japanese Scientist, Dr. Masaru Emoto, who spent more than 20 years studying and providing scientific evidence of how the molecular structure of water transforms when it is exposed to human words, thoughts, sounds and intentions.
Dealing with present stress, for future bliss:
The responses or emotional reactions of our body can either be released as we deal with stressors in the present, or trapped in our body to be dealt with later.
What we cannot make order or sense of, in dealing with the present stressors at the present moment, we store in our bodies as chaos at an atomic (molecular & cellular) level. Since we know that gene mutations cause diseases and cancers in the body, what I am presenting is that this lack of order when stress is presented causes dis-order or disorders.
Many times when our body is presented with stress, it contracts or tightens in response to the situation. The stress of the experience is felt by the body, but the emotions triggered are not allowed to be felt and moved around or released, and thus energy is trapped in the body.
We see this exemplified often as our stress gets held as body tension. Knots or thickening of connective tissue happens in areas in which we carry stress, such as our shoulders, neck, or lower back.
This paper proposes that “Connective tissue may function as a previously unrecognized whole body communication system. Since connective tissue is intimately associated with all other tissues (e.g. lung, intestine), connective tissue signaling may coherently influence (and be influenced by) the normal or pathological function of a wide variety of organ systems.” Connective tissue conducts energy all over our body as it runs all the way from our ears to our toes.
Thus, our subconscious body is always communicating with itself as it sends signals around the physical body. It then talks to our conscious selves by sending signs little by little of underlying problems. This can start as a thickening of the “body armor” of connective tissue as energy gets trapped gradually as muscle tension waiting to be released, or as little body pains felt here and there that continue to speak to us about a problem until we listen. Our body keeps talking to us as symptoms surmount, sometimes all the way up to a disease level if the situation requires.
Our subconscious body speaks to our conscious “aware” body of past pains still plaguing us and being brought to the present. Our bodies continue to regenerate moment by moment, and it becomes pressing for our cells to carry energy that is in order so as not to create mutations or disorders during the cell division and replication. This speaks to the importance of feeling emotions in the present and transmuting that energy so that it can continue to flow, and not get stuck in the body,
In 2005, the National Science Foundation published an article summarizing research on human thoughts per day. It was found that the average person has about 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day. Of those thousands of thoughts, 80% were negative, and 95% were exactly the same repetitive thoughts as the day before. This exemplifies how the tendency of the mind is to focus on the negative and repeat almost the same thoughts over and over again.
With 95% of thoughts the same as the day before, its no surprise how we can manage to keep up beliefs that keep our body in a state of stress.
Our pain, just waiting to be validated:
Our bodies are basically just waiting to be told they are safe, to have their experiences & their pain validated, dealt with, and released so they can come out of this tense survival state of being.
Unfortunately, disease can cause more mental stress if we let it. We can torture ourselves with our thoughts, especially the thought of a reality in which we are “diagnosed” as sick. Every day, with those repetitive thoughts, we prescribe to the notion that we are sick, or that there is something wrong with us, making us incapable. Instead of validating our own pain that we stored in the body and receiving its messages, we let an outside force diagnose that pain for us and choose to live in the “sick, incapable” mentality over and over.
What I have found is that generally every human being just wants their experience validated. We find ourselves these days posting our lives on social media to be seen and acknowledged, complaining about our bad day to our friends and family so that we can hear them acknowledge how bad our day was, and listening to others for advice instead of listening to our gut intuition. We are constantly searching in today’s society- for what, I don’t think many know, but I do know that many believe that the answers are outside of themselves. I believe our subconscious would say very differently.
Not to say that it is easy to release yourself from pain, or tap into the subconscious for these answers, or that it will be easy once you can tap into the information of the pain, but I firmly believe if we let energy build as dis-ease, it will get louder and stronger until we can face it. For some people, it may take a life-threatening disease for them to start listening to the signals from their body, but the goal is to not let it get to this point by facilitating open communication.
I would like to personally validate your pain- I see you are suffering. I feel your pain. You are not alone, and I want to help you.
I can also feel how frustrating it must feel for me to say to you that your pain is “all in your head,” but what I’m really saying is your solutions are all “in your head” as well. You are the key to releasing yourself from your “body armor”, and letting your body relax out of that stress state. How you choose to respond when your body is talking to you is everything.
One thought that has come to me is – Have you ever noticed how when you’re in pain, if you focus on it then it seemingly gets stronger and more overwhelming?
There’s this funny thing my dad used to do which I believe he picked up from his father. When I stubbed my toe on the couch and was wailing in pain, or something along those lines, he would pinch my arm. I would then cry out about my arm, and he would say- well, are you still thinking about your toe? Which always made me laugh, made light of the pain, and let me laugh that whole experience out.
Laughing out the pain of stubbing my toe is such a seemingly trivial example of releasing pain, but I want to highlight the shift in focus that my dad used to help me reframe my pain, and the subsequent release.
If we ever need help understanding how to live an authentic life free of pain, we can look to the way children/toddlers/babies behave. They are always taking life as it comes, fully immersing themselves in any given moment, and expressing everything– laughing or even screaming when they’re happy, dancing when they feel like dancing, and most importantly, always expressing their unmet needs.
We see how our perceptions can alter reality as we process the energy of situations. Our body responds to any given situation with emotion, which can be seen as e(nergy) in -motion. It is our responsibility to feel through these emotions and return our bodies back to homeostasis so that it can continue to function properly in its natural state of bliss.
Doing so can be no easy feat, but if we do not deal with the present in the present, it will follow us to our future’s health.
CBD as a tool for the Mind, Body, and Spirit:
CBD can be a helpful tool in balancing the mind, body, and spirit. Seen as the three pillars of health, these three aspects are all equally important in creating a healthy environment in which to live.
While I recognize the desire to not do anything differently and to just heal with a magic pill, prescription, or oil, that is not what I am suggesting here. I believe we desire to help ourselves, but can get stuck in our point of view of our limitations, believing we are separate from a healing potential. However, I think Cannabis can help in this process as it lets us look at healing, and ourselves in a different way.
CBD activates the Hippocampus part of the brain as the “[Endocannabinoid System] regulates synchrony of neural ensembles, enabling us to process context of self within our physical environment”(Robbe et al. 2006; Katona and Freund 2008).
Historically, Cannabis has also been used in spiritual rituals and has been evidenced all throughout the Bible to access higher realms of being, as I discussed in a previous blog post.
For the body, CBD Oil brings homeostasis (balance) to the endocannabinoid system. Virtually every organism on Earth has an endocannabinoid system moderated by cannabinoids like CBD. This complex network of receptors is commonly starving in today’s environmental conditions. When the body does not create enough endocannabinoids, a condition called Clinical Endocannabinoid Deficiency (CECD) can cause serious health problems.
In terms of feeling pain, CBD is proven to prevent the breakdown of chemicals in the brain that transmit the signal of “pain,” causing your brain to tell your body that you are in less pain than you really are. This can allow you to tap into certain tense areas of your body to receive its messages without being overwhelmed by the sensation of pain.
My Grandpa J was quoted to say when he used our Pain Salve on his broken rib:
This makes it easier for me to stretch through my injury. It takes away my pain so I can stretch and breathe better!
Grandpa J
In addition to the healing and pain relieving qualities of CBD & other plant extracts in our Pain Salve, I believe the simple act of being present in your pain with the intention to heal it is powerful in itself. You therefore acknowledge/validate its presence, and provide it the space to release its messages. The pain may speak to you as you massage the salve into those painful areas, for example, by triggering a painful memory, thought, or recent bad dream to come to the surface. It is then your responsibility to search for the meaning of this triggered response. You may ask your subconscious- Why has this thought or memory been brought to the present? Are there unresolved feelings surrounding that experience? Are there actions of transmuting energy that I need to do such as letting go of the shame, embarrassment, or fear caused by that experience? Is there anybody I need to forgive- including myself?
Nature provides all the solutions to our human experience. From biological functionality, to plant medicines, Mother Earth provides for us in ways we are still (re)discovering. We just have to learn to listen with open hearts, minds & spirit, rooted in the potential of the present moment to receive its messages.
For more on how CBD can help ground you in the present reality, read my blog post on CBD for Grounding here. Leave your thoughts below & subscribe for more posts about leading a healthy lifestyle.
Written by Rylee Josipovich, founder of Golden Bee Hemp & COO of True Natural Oils & Natural Pet Oil.
Not Medical Advice. Not intended to treat, cure, diagnose, or prevent any disease.
Golden Bee Hemp 
“Unfortunately, disease can cause more mental stress if we let it. We can torture ourselves with our thoughts, especially the thought of a reality in which we are “diagnosed” as sick. Every day, with those repetitive thoughts, we prescribe to the notion that we are sick, or that there is something wrong with us, making us incapable. Instead of validating our own pain that we stored in the body and receiving its messages, we let an outside force diagnose that pain for us and choose to live in the “sick, incapable” mentality over and over.”
I found this line to be so true and accurate. As a Cancer survivor, at times I lived in denial that I was even ill because I didn’t want to face the reality my body was working against me. Many times part of healing is a state of mind that we are in as well and if GREAT READ! GREAT SALVE AS WELL! I’m Happy this Company is about body, mind and educating it’s clients as well.
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Awww thank you! I appreciate you sharing your experience & wisdom. Sending much love & continued healing to you! And thank you for all the compliments!!
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What a well written and informative article that clearly shows the alternative to popping addictive pills that the world seems to rely on these days. Thank you for the great information
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