PhenoLife has closed. Thank you to all customers for the support!

PhenoLife has closed. Thank you to all customers for the support!

Expert Guidance

Why CBD Doesn’t Work

Almost everyday, we hear from people who have had frustrating experiences with CBD. Maybe you’ve had similar experiences, especially if you:

  • Took CBD as an oil, gummy, or other edible
  • Tried a generic CBD formula
  • Quickly stopped using CBD after not seeing fast results
  • Chose a cheap, low-quality CBD brand

If that sounds familiar to your experience, you’re in luck! These are common pitfalls that CBD customers often fall into, but there are ways to avoid these issues entirely. Below, we’ll discuss these issues (and more) in detail, why they prevent a fully satisfying CBD experience, and what you can do to make sure you get the full benefits that CBD has to offer.

Problem #1: Using CBD Products with Low Bioavailability 

The biggest problem customers face when trying to use CBD products is the lack of bioavailability. In short, bioavailability refers to how easily medicine or other substances  (including CBD) can be absorbed into your body. If you’re using a CBD product with low bioavailability, then you may not have had enough CBD absorbed into your body to feel the active effects.

Factors that Affect Bioavailability

Not sure what impacts CBD’s bioavailability? There are several factors that can increase, or decrease, CBD’s ability to absorb into your bloodstream:

  • Method of Use: Patches or inhaled forms of CBD usually have higher levels of bioavailability because in this delivery method, the CBD avoids the digestive system. Ingestible forms of CBD, like oils or capsules, usually have low levels of bioavailability, since your digestive system destroys most of the CBD.
  • Product Purity: If your CBD product has ingredient fillers or contaminants, you’re not going to get the levels of absorption you would with pure CBD products.
  • Product Design: Certain CBD products may be specifically designed from the beginning to increase bioavailability (like PhenoLife). This is especially important for ingestible forms of CBD, since it has to survive harsh stomach acids. 

Problem #2: Using the Wrong CBD Formula

Another common issue we see customers face is getting the wrong kind of CBD formula. If you don’t get a CBD formula that’s a good match for your health challenge, then you may not get the results you were hoping for. Let’s take a look at the different kinds of CBD formulas that you’ll commonly see on the market.

Full-Spectrum CBD

Products made with full-spectrum CBD contain the entire spectrum of cannabinoids and terpenes that were present in the sourced hemp. Full-spectrum CBD products may offer superior effects due to the entourage effect. For customers looking for the most impactful results, full-spectrum CBD is the best choice.

Broad-Spectrum CBD

Broad-spectrum CBD is the same as full-spectrum CBD, except the trace amounts of THC have been removed. This may allow customers to still benefit from the entourage effect from other cannabinoids and terpenes present in the products while avoiding THC.

CBD-Isolate

Products made with CBD-isolate will contain only CBD. None of the other cannabinoids or terpenes present in the sourced hemp will be present. This means customers won’t be able to benefit from the entourage effect, and customers will generally pay a premium price, since isolating CBD requires extensive processing.

Catered Formulas

Many CBD brands create CBD formulas that include other active ingredients to help target specific health challenges. Choosing a CBD product that’s targeted to help soothe anxiety when you’re looking to manage chronic pain might not give you the results you were hoping for. 

If you are trying to hone in on a targeted health challenge, a catered, full-spectrum CBD formula is the best choice for maximum results.

Problem #3: Inconsistent or Improper CBD Dosing

This is one of the most common problems we see with customers that say that they felt some effects from CBD but never got the results they were looking for. It’s a confusing issue because most customers will feel CBD the very first time they take it, but they won’t get the best results on the first dose

To start, your first dose is not likely to be the amount of CBD you take forever. Regardless of what CBD product you use, we usually recommend our customers start with low doses and slowly work their way up as they understand how a specific product will make them feel. Starting with a huge CBD dose can cause uncomfortable side-effects.

CBD Needs Consistent Dosing To Work

Not only do you need to work up to your ideal dose of CBD, but you need to regularly take it to begin to feel the best effects. Usually, this takes up around 10 days of daily CBD dosing of any product you choose. We’ve noticed many customers take CBD for just a few days and quit without giving the CBD enough time to fully saturate the body. 

Give yourself time to find the ideal dose and then consistently take that dose for the best effects.

Problem #4: Choosing the Wrong Delivery System

As we mentioned in the previous point, different forms of CBD offer different advantages for customers. Certain delivery methods of CBD are better for helping to manage certain health challenges, and a delivery mismatch can make it feel like CBD isn’t offering the benefits it’s supposed to. Here’s a quick overview of the primary kinds of CBD and what to expect during use:

Inhalable Forms of CBD

Forms of CBD that you can inhale will enter your bloodstream the fastest, and since it bypasses your digestive system, the bioavailability of inhaled CBD is generally high (around 30%). This form of CBD is great for sudden, unexpected problems, like acute pain or a panic attack, but the effects don’t last very long compared to ingestible forms of CBD or transdermal patches.

Transdermal CBD Patches

Transdermal CBD patches allow for consistent CBD dosing for up to 8 hours, and with bioavailability levels at 80%, they are perfect for consistent, long-term dosing. However, it can take a while for the CBD to absorb through your skin and reach your bloodstream, which makes patches a poor choice for sudden, unexpected issues. 

Also, transdermal patches are not the same as topical CBD lotions. Topical lotions may provide some local relief directly where applied, but they are not designed to deliver CBD into the bloodstream. That means using lotions to help with widespread pain or anxiety will never provide the results you want.

Ingestible Forms of CBD

Finally, ingestible forms of CBD, while popular, have notoriously low bioavailability levels. Most ingestible forms only have 6% bioavailability, which means products like oils, tinctures, or capsules need extra potent, consistent doses to be effective. Ingestible CBD tends to have longer effects than inhalable forms of CBD and will usually take effect faster than transdermal patches.

Problem #5: Fraudulent CBD Products

In the UK, the CBD isn’t regulated by a formal government body. That means it’s up to CBD brands to police themselves to provide pure, high-grade products. Some less reputable brands will add fillers to their CBD products (and not disclose it), or they may be lying about how much CBD is in their products. 

This is a common issue. A study performed by the National Institute of Health showed that, from their sampling of CBD products, 26% contained less CBD than advertised, while 43% contained more CBD than advertised. This same study also showed that 21% of these products also contained THC levels above the legal limit, which was “enough to intoxicate children.”

Your CBD product may not have worked because it didn’t have the amount of CBD as advertised.

How PhenoLife Makes CBD That Works

If you think that you’re ready to give CBD another try, then take a look at how PhenoLife resolves these common problems with CBD

PhenoLife Products Offer Superior Bioavailability

We have crafted our products specifically to increase bioavailability. First, our products like the PhenoPen and the PhenoPatch have naturally high rates of absorption. Next, our PhenoGel capsules use advanced microencapsulation technology to offer superior bioavailability to traditional CBD ingestible products. 

PhenoGel capsules are made with a protective coating that prevents CBD from being destroyed by your stomach acid (and that protective coating is dissolved from a specific enzyme released from the pancreas). Then, the microbead technology releases our CBD formula in a controlled dose, which gives your body a chance to absorb more CBD (while also helping the effects last longer).

PhenoLife Uses Full-Spectrum, Targeted Formulas For Superior Results

PhenoLife uses full-spectrum CBD in all of our products, since we want our products to provide the best results possible. We’ve also created targeted formulas for the three most common health challenges that CBD has the potential to help manage: 

  • Body for managing pain 
  • Mind for soothing anxiety 
  • Sleep for encouraging a full night of sleep

All three of our formulas are available with PhenoPen, PhenoGel, and PhenoPatch.

PhenoLife Offers the Best CBD Delivery Systems

PhenoLife has developed three primary methods of taking CBD, each that have their own pros and cons of use:

PhenoPen

PhenoPen creates a vapor that is inhaled by users, which quickly delivers CBD into the bloodstream. This form of CBD is ideal for fast-acting relief for acute, onset challenges (like unexpected pain or an anxiety attack). However, the effects are short-lived, which may present an issue for customers looking for a longer-lasting option (like for help sleeping).

PhenoPatch

PhenoPatch is a transdermal patch that is applied directly onto your skin to deliver a slow, controlled dose of CBD. The patch lasts up to 8 hours, which makes it a great choice for customers wanting to use CBD to help get a good night’s rest, or for customers that want an all-day CBD solution. 

However, it can take 45 minutes to an hour for customers to feel the effects of the PhenoPatch, which makes it a less optimal choice for trying to manage acute pain or a bout of unexpected stress.

PhenoGel

PhenoGel is a slow-release gel capsule specifically designed to enhance CBD absorption. The effects of the capsules take longer than the PhenoPen, but the effects will last longer than inhaling vapor. PhenoGel capsules will begin to take effect faster than the PhenoPatch, but the effects last a few hours less than the patches. 

PhenoGel shines as a convenient way to take CBD regardless of where you are. If you want a discrete, easy way to take CBD (without having to manage a patch), then PhenoGel may be your ideal choice.

Combined Solutions

We encourage customers to combine PhenoLife products if there doesn’t seem to be a single product that meets their needs. This is a common practice for customers who struggle to fall asleep and stay asleep, who want to manage chronic pain consistently but also experience acute pain spikes, or who want to keep general anxiety low while also being prone to panic attacks.

PhenoLife Takes CBD Seriously

We want our customers to trust us, but we understand that trust has to be earned. That’s why we perform third-party lab testing on all of our products, which demonstrates:

  • The amount of CBD labeled on products is accurate
  • The amount of other labeled cannabinoids is accurate
  • The lack of contamination from heavy metals

We also work to educate customers on the best way to take CBD, including ideal initial doses, how to step up to more potent doses, and techniques to follow if the desired results aren’t being experienced.

Contact Us to Learn More

PhenoLife loves helping customers learn the most effective ways to use CBD. If you have more questions about what stops CBD from working, feel free to reach out to us with questions. If you’re ready to give CBD another try, and want to start with PhenoLife, then take a look at our online store to see what we offer. 

We look forward to hearing from you and helping you find CBD that works!

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