Cannabis Products for Recovery & Pain Management—with Don Moxley – EP119
As endurance athletes, we know that recovery is key in optimizing performance. We also deal with pain on a regular basis. For those reasons, many of us are curious about the medicinal benefits of cannabis as an anti-inflammatory and pain remediator. But with all the hype out there, how do you know what products to choose? Do you need CBD, THC or both? How do you identify a quality supplier?
Don Moxley is a respected exercise physiologist who specializes in tracking and improving performance and alleviating unnecessary suffering. His work with elite athletes led to an interest in the role of cannabinoids in the central nervous system and his current role as an advisor at Mendi, a company using cannabis to build recovery tools that optimize performance. Don has 30-plus years of classroom and industry leadership to his credit, and as an athlete, he served as captain of The Ohio State University Wrestling Team, earning a Big 10 Title in 1985.
Today, Don joins us to discuss the medicinal value of cannabis and explain the differences among THC, CBD, THCA and CBDA. He describes the role of CBD in athlete recovery, sharing how he manages his own knee pain and inflammation with cannabis. Don also uncovers the important role of anandamides in the central nervous system and addresses how elite athletes can leverage intentional recovery. Listen in for insight on the appropriate ratios of THC and CBD in topical and ingested products and learn to be an informed consumer of cannabis!
Topics Covered
[2:32] The different species of cannabis plants- Vary by percentage of TCHA + CBDA
- Neither psychoactive until heated
- Powerful anti-inflammatory
- Pain remediation
- CBD + CBDA seems to give bump in HRV
- Find right combo of THCA, THC, CDBA + CBD
- Manages knee pain and inflammation with CBD
- Topical + oral ingestion relieves pain, anxiety
- Pay less than $50/gram of CBD
- Ask for certificate of analysis (COA)
- 1:1 THC to CBD for topical, 250 mg of each in 2 oz. jar
- Ingest 1 mg of CBD/lb. body weight daily (pain, anxiety)
- From 5% to 28% THC by weight since 1970’s
- Starting to breed for CBD content now
- Need both THC + CBD for relaxing effect
- May help regulate pain
- Not recommended
- Exercise benefits by building anandamides
- Fear conditioning leads to drop (causes hypervigilance)
- Consumption of exogenous cannabinoids to normalize
- Elite athletes must alleviate environmental stressors
- Chronic cannabinoid deficiency limits performance
- Start with quality CBD product, CBDA if available
- Look in established markets (WA, OR, CO + CA)
- Shed tradition to see new opportunities
- Use HRV as tool to monitor benefit and recovery
Learn More About Don Moxley
Resources
Polar Heart Rate Transmitters on Amazon
