Used to be that "data" was the buzzword of the moment. Any company that asked for your name, rank and email address said they were in the data business. Didn't matter if they were health care providers, car manufacturers or online retailers. Take insurance giant Allstate. They collect about 11,000 terabytes of data from 1.2 million people every day. Says CEO Tom Wilson, "Allstate is not an insurance company, we are a data company - a customer-centric data company."
Then there was "cloud." Why have anything local when it can reside somewhere else? A market which is projected to reach $214 billion this year means that almost every piece of information you need is somewhere over there, wherever "there" is. Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud are increasingly the repositories of everything from customer data to product information to patient files. Even your own pocket reaches to the skies: those pictures you took of your cat are safely filed away on a server in Ashburn VA (Amazon) or Maiden NC (Apple) or Pineville OR (Facebook).
If you had to pick the next word of the week, it might not be a word but an abbreviation. CBD can mean Central Business District, as in the downtown area of Bangalore India. Or it can refer to Christian Book Distributors, a company in Peabody MA. Or it can be the designation of a type of accredited midwife, also known as a Certified Birth Doula. But none of those are why the initials are turning up on the shelves of Kroger supermarkets or in aisles at Walgreens. That's because these days CBD generally refers to cannabidiol, a component found in marijuana. And unlike its cousin tetrahydrocannabinol (or THC), it's not known for its psychoactive effects, but rather for its calming qualities.
According to the Harvard Medical School blog, the strongest case for CBD is "its effectiveness in treating some of the cruelest childhood epilepsy syndromes, which typically don't respond to antiseizure medications." Additionally, it may prove to be an option for managing anxiety, insomnia, and chronic pain. However, these therapeutic uses are anecdotal at best, as studies are just getting underway and "because CBD is currently mostly available as an unregulated supplement, and it's difficult to know exactly what you are getting."
Still, as grass and its offshoots have become legal in state after state, CBD products are cropping up everywhere. Its calming properties make it a natural for an almost unimaginable array of items. Topicals are big, like Saint Jane Luxury CBD Beauty Serum, "An antioxidant packed serum with 500 mg of full-spectrum CBD plus 20 potent botanicals that help to deeply hydrate, detoxify pores, and boost skin's natural glow." You can soak in it as well: Vertly Hemp CBD Infused Bath Salts combines the active ingredient with "lavender, lemon and clary sage and you've got good vibes right in your tub." And if it really hurts somewhere you can try a Pure Ratios Hemp Patch which applies "50 milligrams of CBD on a targeted area for up to 96 hours. It's strong, so save it for those bad days when nothing else works."
Beyond that there's a CBD-infused breakfast cereal called Froot Poofs, snacks like Chill Gummies Gummy Bears, and artisanal chocolate bars infused with CBD. Depending on local laws your favorite grocery store might carry Recess Sparkling Water, CBD Pops White Cheddar Popcorn or Flaming Hot Weetos, all boasting of great flavor and that special calming goodness.
You can even buy CBD infused workout clothes. Acabada ProActiveWear is designed to preemptively sooth your aching muscles with CBD oil. Prices start at $120 for a bra, which can be worn and washed 40 times before the oil runs out. As with most CBD products, proof that it works is sketchy: testers reported "feeling exhausted, as per usual" after working out, but certainly no less sore.
CBD may indeed turn out to be a miracle elixir, once they figure out the right dose, concentration and method of use. But as of now it's just a modern version of snake oil. If you think it works for you, go ahead and rub it on or eat it. That said, sing its praises a little too much and you might need to forgive any inquisitor who asks if you are indeed smoking something.
-END-
Marc Wollin of Bedford favors a hot shower as calming his drug of choice. His column appears regularly in The Record-Review, The Scarsdale Inquirer and online at http://www.glancingaskance.blogspot.com/, as well as via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Then there was "cloud." Why have anything local when it can reside somewhere else? A market which is projected to reach $214 billion this year means that almost every piece of information you need is somewhere over there, wherever "there" is. Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud are increasingly the repositories of everything from customer data to product information to patient files. Even your own pocket reaches to the skies: those pictures you took of your cat are safely filed away on a server in Ashburn VA (Amazon) or Maiden NC (Apple) or Pineville OR (Facebook).
If you had to pick the next word of the week, it might not be a word but an abbreviation. CBD can mean Central Business District, as in the downtown area of Bangalore India. Or it can refer to Christian Book Distributors, a company in Peabody MA. Or it can be the designation of a type of accredited midwife, also known as a Certified Birth Doula. But none of those are why the initials are turning up on the shelves of Kroger supermarkets or in aisles at Walgreens. That's because these days CBD generally refers to cannabidiol, a component found in marijuana. And unlike its cousin tetrahydrocannabinol (or THC), it's not known for its psychoactive effects, but rather for its calming qualities.
According to the Harvard Medical School blog, the strongest case for CBD is "its effectiveness in treating some of the cruelest childhood epilepsy syndromes, which typically don't respond to antiseizure medications." Additionally, it may prove to be an option for managing anxiety, insomnia, and chronic pain. However, these therapeutic uses are anecdotal at best, as studies are just getting underway and "because CBD is currently mostly available as an unregulated supplement, and it's difficult to know exactly what you are getting."
Still, as grass and its offshoots have become legal in state after state, CBD products are cropping up everywhere. Its calming properties make it a natural for an almost unimaginable array of items. Topicals are big, like Saint Jane Luxury CBD Beauty Serum, "An antioxidant packed serum with 500 mg of full-spectrum CBD plus 20 potent botanicals that help to deeply hydrate, detoxify pores, and boost skin's natural glow." You can soak in it as well: Vertly Hemp CBD Infused Bath Salts combines the active ingredient with "lavender, lemon and clary sage and you've got good vibes right in your tub." And if it really hurts somewhere you can try a Pure Ratios Hemp Patch which applies "50 milligrams of CBD on a targeted area for up to 96 hours. It's strong, so save it for those bad days when nothing else works."
Beyond that there's a CBD-infused breakfast cereal called Froot Poofs, snacks like Chill Gummies Gummy Bears, and artisanal chocolate bars infused with CBD. Depending on local laws your favorite grocery store might carry Recess Sparkling Water, CBD Pops White Cheddar Popcorn or Flaming Hot Weetos, all boasting of great flavor and that special calming goodness.
You can even buy CBD infused workout clothes. Acabada ProActiveWear is designed to preemptively sooth your aching muscles with CBD oil. Prices start at $120 for a bra, which can be worn and washed 40 times before the oil runs out. As with most CBD products, proof that it works is sketchy: testers reported "feeling exhausted, as per usual" after working out, but certainly no less sore.
CBD may indeed turn out to be a miracle elixir, once they figure out the right dose, concentration and method of use. But as of now it's just a modern version of snake oil. If you think it works for you, go ahead and rub it on or eat it. That said, sing its praises a little too much and you might need to forgive any inquisitor who asks if you are indeed smoking something.
-END-
Marc Wollin of Bedford favors a hot shower as calming his drug of choice. His column appears regularly in The Record-Review, The Scarsdale Inquirer and online at http://www.glancingaskance.blogspot.com/, as well as via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
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