Hi, my name is Rhys Cameron, and here’s my CBD story. It all started at the ripe, old age of 13 when my parents took me to a psychologist for my mental health. I was diagnosed at the time with ADHD. From there, I was put on Ritalin throughout my early years of high school which made me super aggressive, so much so that they had to take me off it. Coming off Ritalin was not an easy task to where I became super depressed so then I was put on anti-depressants. After this, I went through at least 6 different anti-depressants over the coming years because the side effects were too much to handle. I had been on and off pretty much every drug under the sun from age 13 until I was about 28 years old.
How I Was Introduced to CBD
I had a couple of years in between where I thought I was stable off the meds. But really, I was masking it with alcohol and recreational drugs. My life was spiraling out of control. At 30, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I was so hesitant to get back on another pharmaceutical drug. But, I was assured by the doctors it was the right thing to do so there I went. The medication they suggested was Lamotrigine. It is specific for bipolar disorder. Again, I was assured there were very minimal side effects. Unfortunately, I found it took all my creative thinking away. After this, I changed my career because of it to a really mundane job where my friends all thought I was mad.
I was literally a zombie. There was no desire to follow my creative path. I was so unaware of what I was doing. Looking back it is super scary how much all these drugs changed my brain. I moved to LA for a couple of years and my good friend Corey introduced me to CBD oil and I felt like a new person. After this, I started taking it daily and was amazed at how ‘normal’ I began to feel. I slept like a baby, my mood stabilized and I could feel my emotions and creativity returning. CBD made me feel focused again. I could feel myself getting back into the swing of life.
The positive benefits continued and I found work and relationships flowed with ease and I had zero side effects. From this new foundation, I developed positive daily routines. Without the distractions of the negative effects caused by the previous pharmaceutical medications, I watched my life change before my eyes.
The Creation of Gravydrops
The benefits I had discovered were so positive that I felt driven to spread this knowledge to help others and so Gravydrops was born. Gravydrops is my CBD brand that uses whole-plant extracts from organic farming and extraction practices. It is kinder to the environment due to its sustainable natural production processes. This results in the purest medicine from soil to oil. After moving to California, I discovered the profound benefits of CBD. It made me want to share this with others. I joined forces with my friend Corey who owns a regenerative, sustainable cannabis farm in Oregon.
CBD helps to reduce chronic pain by impacting the endocannabinoid receptor activity in our body. This reduces inflammation. The combination of CBD and THC can be even more effective. In multiple human studies, the results are astounding, helping many with pain from multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and even cancer. Clinical studies have confirmed that CBD reduces the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, inhibiting t-cell proliferation, and apoptosis. These things in your body reduce the migration of your immune cells, so getting over an illness, or even a pimple is difficult.
I hope this brings light to a lot of troubles people have with these pharmaceutical meds that doctors just keep throwing at people. It’s a really dark road going down that road. It normally takes a lot of trial and error to find the right drug and dosage that helps. And also the right diagnosis in the first place.
Disclosure: If you or a loved one is suffering from mental illness, please see a doctor or mental health professional for a proper diagnosis and treatment path.
