The world of wellness products is vast and confusing. In our new series, Well Spent,听国产吃瓜黑料听staffers听recommend the hidden gems that they鈥re unabashedly obsessed with.
As a desk jockey with big–mountain dreams, I鈥檓 overly familiar with aches and pains. I slouch at a computer all week and then听spend my weekends slogging up skin tracks, going over the bars of my mountain bike, or climbing with stronger-than-me friends. I鈥檝e had overuse injuries in just about every joint, and I currently have a bruise on my left butt cheek that鈥檚 been there since October.听
But please听don鈥檛 tell me I need to stretch. Or try dry needling or听herbal medicine. I鈥檝e experimented with it all. The few remedies that I repeatedly turn to are basic, tried-and-true approaches. I ice, take hot baths, foam-roll, and sleep a lot. I drink plenty of water, eat well and often, and do a lot of yoga.听I鈥檓 also completely obsessed with CBD balm.听
I first discovered the stuff听this winter听when, for the third year in a row, an excruciating and as yet undiagnosed pain came back above my ankles. After downing听a troubling amount of ibuprofen, trying听five different pairs of ski boots, and consulting听with over a dozen boot fitters听and several orthopedic surgeons, I started rubbing my ankles down with .
It鈥檚 potent鈥攈alf a teaspoon has 50 milligrams of CBD, and I regularly use more than that. For the first听time听since 2017, I didn鈥檛 have to pause听my ski season听to let the inflammation in my ankles subside. I鈥檓 convinced the balm had something to do with it, along听with dedicated icing, stretching, mobility work, and ski boots modified to fit my weird feet. I applied it every night before bed听and also kept a tub in my car to rub on听after a long day on the mountain. When an ongoing hip problem flared up, or my instep was bruised from seven straight days in touring boots, I smeared it in those areas, too. (Another bonus: It smells fantastic. The Portland Rose听balm听is听fragrant without being overbearing听and was a welcome change during a January hut trip with 14 people in close quarters. And one time, some guy in the Taos听Ski Valley听parking lot complimented the scent from 15听feet away, which was the first time anyone has ever noticed a pleasant smell coming from the trunk of my car midwinter.)
Now, as I enjoy warm, dry-weather sports, I鈥檓 rubbing the balm on fresh bruises, achy joints, and knots in my shoulders. I even put it on sunburns. If I鈥檓 dealing with a chronic condition, I apply the balm daily听and increase听my usage whenever things start to get sore.听
Still, I don鈥檛 know how or why it works. While there are countless anecdotes like mine, the research on topical CBD鈥檚 efficacy is听inconclusive. There are some promising studies that indicate听it may have real pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory benefits, though there are plenty of experts who would chalk it all up to a placebo effect. But honestly, given my own experience with it, placebo鈥檚 good enough for me.听
I do have one听theory as to why CBD听works听so well for me, though.听A tai chi instructor once told me听that she had听students experiencing听joint pain practice 鈥渒nee love鈥 throughout her class. They would听take听a few seconds to simply rub their knees vigorously with their hands, one after the other. Maybe it got the blood flowing or reminded their brain听to fire up听nerve endings. Maybe it was just a nice gesture that put听their mind in the right place. At the听risk of sounding a little woo-woo, I think of applying CBD balm in a similar way: it鈥檚 a sweet little ritual, where I can take a moment to acknowledge and pay attention to the parts of my body suffering for the cause. The cause, of course, being long days at the crag with friends, fast singletrack descents, and the weightless feeling of a powder turn.听
