This year I got lucky and managed to take a month-long vacation to stay with my mum in England. It was freezing—white, wintry, and wonderfully festive. My days were filled with brisk country walks, carol-singing, mince pies, and the kind of cosy living that typifies an English Christmas. It wasn’t until my journey home, though, that I realised just how many hidden extras my CBD routine had provided during my trip.

As I boarded my homeward flight, I took my last drops of CBD tincture to calm my flight nerves. I’m naturally an anxious flyer—susceptible to that familiar tightened throat and flutter in my chest the moment I step into an airport. Before leaving for Heathrow, I had taken an extra 10 drops of CBD tincture, knowing from experience that it would smooth the edges of my travel anxiety. It worked beautifully. I glided through check-in without that tinge of nervousness, settled into my seat calmly, and even handled the inevitable turbulence with relaxed confidence. But it wasn’t just my nerves that CBD supported during this holiday—it quietly helped in several other ways too.

Anti-Anxiety: Flight Flutters, Gone
CBD’s most obvious benefit for me is its ability to soften nervous tension. Travel can be unpredictable, overstimulating, and exhausting and I find CBD succeeds in taking the stress out of all the worrisome facets of leaving home on a trip.

Sleep Quality: A Jetlag Ally
Nobody escapes jetlag, and I’m no exception. My biggest struggle is waking up far too early when adjusting to a new time zone. During the trip, whenever I found myself stirring awake at some unholy hour, I placed a few drops of CBD tincture under my tongue. Almost every time, it helped ease my mind just enough to let me drift back to sleep. It didn’t knock me out—it simply nudged my system into a quieter, more restful state.

Digestive Support: A Travel Saviour
Travel throws diet and digestion into chaos. Airplane snacks, irregular meals, and holiday indulgences usually leave me feeling a bit sluggish. Increasing my water intake helps, but CBD provided an unexpected benefit by calming my digestion and easing that uncomfortable, “off-balance” feeling that often comes with travel-related digestive disruption.

Joint Pain Relief: Mobility in the Cold
England greeted me with frosty mornings and icy windscreens. After scraping stubborn ice one chilly morning, my thumb joints were stiff and achy. A few extra drops of CBD later, the discomfort eased within an hour. CBD’s anti-inflammatory properties make a noticeable difference when cold weather flares up small joint pains.

Calm Focus: Clear-Headed on the Road
Driving on the opposite side of the road in icy conditions while taking my mum to dental appointments required real focus. CBD gave me the mental steadiness I needed—calm but alert, relaxed yet attentive.

In the end, my regular CBD routine turned out to be a quiet, reliable support system—helping with far more than nerves. These hidden extras reminded me that CBD’s benefits often appear in small, subtle ways that add up to a smoother, more grounded experience, wherever in the world we may be.

Arthritis and inflamed joints are common complaints as we age, this year alone fifty-four million Americans have registered as chronic arthritis sufferers. Joint pain is a cruel thief, arthritic inflammation often leads to diminished ability to perform simple tasks.

Although over a hundred different sub-sets of arthritis are medically recognised, the two main categories are:

Osteoarthritis, which presents due to wear and tear on the body; deteriorated cartilage leads to inflamed painful joints. Secondly, Rheumatic Arthritis, which is an auto-immune condition where the Immune System attacks the joints causing painful inflammation.

Conventional medicine treats arthritic pain with three main medications: anti-inflammatories, steroids and pain killers.

A regimen of anti-inflammatories and non-opioid painkillers can ease symptoms, but chronic pain is often treated with opioids, which relieve pain but have significant side effects; from constipation and mood swings to physical dependency and addiction.

Although the causes of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are different the symptoms are very similar; chronic pain in joints and accompanying diminished ability due to pain and inflammation. There are many herbal anti-inflammatory dietary and supplement recommendations which are widely used: Curcummin, Turmeric, Boswellia, Ginger, Willow Bark and Nettle, all can have value in ameliorating symptoms.

However clinical trials have shown clearly that CBD’s anti inflammation action is medically effective. Now a recent study of CBD use by arthritis sufferers confirms significant relief of arthritic pain and inflammation by the majority of participants.

This new North American study was undertaken in 2020 and used a sample of 428 chronic arthritis sufferers.The study revealed that 88% of sufferers of both types of arthritis perceived a decrease in pain, 66% in the Osteoarthritis group and 44% in the Rheumatic Arthritis group. Both groups reported a 66% improvement in both physical function and sleep quality. The results were so encouraging that it has led to on-going clinical trials into therapeutic applications.

The study also showed that the majority of participants achieved reduction or cessation of other medications following the trial: 18% ceased opioids while 8% reduced opioid use.

There are many methods for treating arthritic symptoms with cannabinoids, and the key is to experiment with different products and doses.

This year a Synergy member with rheumatic arthritis has written a testimonial (Read it here) detailing her personal journey and the daily protocol that has worked for her.

At Synergy Wellness we have been providing CBD-rich products for arthritis sufferers for many years and we offer a wide range of options from topicals to tincture, capsules, edibles and vaporizer cartridges.

Here’s what we regularly recommend to members suffering from arthritic pain.

#1: Synergy Salve:

Consistently re-ordered and lauded by members as a true & consistent help for reduced pain & increased mobility of joints.Our topical salve contains a 1:1 blend of CBD and THC concentrate oil. Absorbed through the skin, CBD works on reducing inflammation & increasing healthy circulation. When applied topically, THC is not psychoactive but can effectively relieve pain. Both cannabinoids work well topically because our skin has many CB receptors throughout. For especially stubborn pain we recommend our Super Salve which has twice the potency of our regular salve. Additionally our 1:1 alcohol based roll on product can be used prior to the salve application, it absorbs quickly, and adds more medicine opening the pores to receive salve most effectively.

All three of these products can be found in our “Topical Pain Relief” section https://www.synergycbd.com/topicals

#2 High CBD Tincture or Capsules:

Setting the stage for success means taking a regular, robust dose of CBD through time. As with most natural supplements, it may take 1-3 months before you wake up to realize you are presenting with less pain, need less pain killers and, for some, better prognosis from physicians tracking inflammation & bone degradation. For folks with Osteopenia, osteoarthritis, or rheumatic arthritis, we recommend 35-75mg of CBD daily. This can be achieved via 2-3 doses of one of our high CBD tinctures, standardized to 17mg CBD per ml or via our full flower CBD capsules at 25mg, 50mg, or the 3:1 Bone/Immunity formulation capsules.

#3) As needed tools for pain relief: While building up your body’s fortifications against inflammation and bone loss you may need the more immediate pain reliving action of one of our THC enhanced products to use in concert with your high CBD protocol. Let us help you find the right fit. THC does not have to be inebriating to be helpful and our blended products give you a full range of choices that keep you in the driver's seat using conservative dosing and titration. Whether it be a 4:1, 1:1 or full strength product, rest assured, we have “as needed” products you can reach for without worrying about inebriation ( dose dependant!) long term health consequences, loss of efficacy or addiction. Pain relief products can be taken in tincture, vape, capsule or edible form depending on your preferences . Synergy Wellness prides itself on customizing recommendations based on what you share with us about your pain & preferences. Call us or send us an email, we are happy to guide you to what makes the most sense and has the highest likelihood of helping you find that better quality of life you deserve.

In conclusion, CBD has shown to have significant value in alleviating arthritic pain, as Jeanne’s testimonial attests, taking a daily CBD supplement leads to improvement in symptoms. Combining CBD and THC for relief of chronic arthritic symptoms is recommended for optimum pain relief. The additional benefits of using cannabinoids for arthritis include improved sleep and anxiety relief

Hidden Extras: How CBD Comes to the Rescue - By Billee Sharpe

Treating Arthritis with Cannabis: A New Study Yields Positive Results for Chronic Symptomatic Pain