Reader, Andrea came to my clinic looking for a natural therapy to treat her anxiety. She'd been plagued with symptoms – irritability, agitation, stress, insomnia, and panic attacks – for months.
My patient isn't alone in how she's feeling. It turns out the country is in the middle of an anxiety epidemic.
In fact, a recent survey found that Americans' anxiety levels have increased dramatically – with almost three-quarters of the country saying they feel more stressed today than they did a year ago.1
Andrea knew she needed help getting her anxiety under control. But there was one thing she was adamant about…
She refused to take any of Big Pharma's prescription drugs.
I get it. These anti-anxiety pills are marketed as safe and effective. But they're not...
They cause negative side effects that range from mild to downright dangerous. Some of these side effects include: - Confusion
- Drowsiness
- Decreased sex drive
- Dizziness
- Memory loss
- Nausea
- Blurred vision
- Slurred speech
- Headache
- Depression
- Hallucinations
Anti-anxiety medications can even cause increased anxiety – the very symptom they are intended to treat!
In some cases, it's even worse… In one study, researchers followed almost 35,000 people who filled prescriptions for these pills for three years. After excluding factors like smoking, age, and alcohol, researchers were left with a horrifying fact:
People who took these drugs had more than double the risk of death than those who didn't.2
And for some people, the risk is even higher. Those who took 90 or more doses during the first year – that's the equivalent of a three-month prescription – saw their risk of unnatural death skyrocket by 451%.
That's why I always suggest natural remedies that have been proven safe and effective for hundreds of years. I've recently started recommending a miracle oil that dates back more than 6,000 years.
It comes from cannabis sativa – or CBD.
Until the early 20th century, it was widely used in American medical practice. In fact, it made up half of all medicines prescribed and sold.
But then the federal government got involved and for political reasons, they declared this lifesaving herb illegal. But here's what the politicians got wrong from the get-go...
CBD has virtually no THC. That's the psychoactive compound in marijuana that can alter your state of mind. CBD cannot get you "high."
Luckily, the government reversed course and CBD hemp products are once again legal in every state.
For Andrea and patients like her who don't want to take Big Pharma's pills, that's a relief... Because this age-old oil has been proven to relieve anxiety and stress.
In one study, researchers asked 24 people who suffered from Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) to speak in front of a large audience. At different times during the speech, they measured participants' blood pressure, heart rate, and skin conductance. Then they compared the anxiety levels of those who took CBD to those who received a placebo or nothing at all.3
They found that those who "took the hemp reported significantly less anxiety."
In a second study, researchers gave patients a single dose and found it boosted their mood in just 30 minutes.
Today the oil is being studied as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. That's a severe form of anxiety triggered by a terrifying event.
In a recent study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, researchers gave CBD to 21 PTSD patients. After just four weeks of treatment, a stunning 91% of patients reported a decrease in symptoms.4
Although research is still in the early stages, scientists think they've figured out how CBD works to relieve stress – by targeting and boosting the signal of 5-HT1A serotonin receptors on brain cells. Serotonin helps regulate mood and is associated with feelings of well-being.
CBD also increases gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA. That's a brain neurotransmitter that produces a calming effect when amplified. What You Must Look For In Your CBD CBD is everywhere today. That means you must take care when choosing the right product. Here's what I recommend to my patients… - Look for a Certificate of Analysis. It should be printed on the bottle or label. Every COA verifies that the ingredients have been evaluated to prove they contain the proper contents in their proper quantities. But COAs also tell you what's not in the ingredients. They confirm they've been tested and found to be free of toxic heavy metals.
- Read the ingredient list. Avoid CBDs that are made using chemicals like propane, butane, pentane, or hexane, as they can leave behind dangerous contaminants.
- Choose a product with high-quality ingredients. Avoid corn syrup, GMOs, pesticides, trans fats, or artificial additives.
- Don't buy "cheap" products. It's expensive to produce high-quality CBD. Super low prices, as you find in gas stations or convenience stores, should be a red flag to stay away from.
To Your Good Health, 
Al Sears, MD, CNS
P.S. If you're ready to embrace this ancient, natural remedy——be sure to check your email tomorrow afternoon for a special announcement that could transform your life!
References: - Dockrill P. "America really is in the midst of a rising anxiety epidemic." https://www.sciencealert.com/americans-are-in-the-midst-of-an-anxiety-epidemic-stress-increase. Accessed on March 14, 2025.
- Welch S, et. al. "Effect of anxiolytic and hypnotic drug prescriptions on mortality hazards: retrospective cohort study." BMJ 2014;348
- Bergamaschi MM, et al. Cannabidiol reduces the anxiety induced by simulated public speaking in treatment-naïve social phobia patients. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2011 May;36(6):1219-26.
- Elms L, et al. "Cannabidiol in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder: A case series." J Altern Complement Med. 2019 Apr 9;25(4):392–397.
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