As an American, I bleed red, white, and blue. And these values stay with me whether I'm standing on home soil or facing off a Ringed Seal on a frozen iceberg in the frosty reaches of the north. Yes, you heard it right, folks. I said "facing off a Ringed Seal."
During a trip to Alaska, the greener part of our splendid country, I had an encounter of a rather frost-biting kind. The plan was to admire the local beauty, maybe snap some photos of mountainous ridges and tumbling waterfalls against the Northern Lights – a true testament to the majesty of Lady Liberty’s kingdom. But, as they say, man proposes, God disposes.
So I find myself on a small boat, sporting the ol' Stars and Stripes beanie, heading to the distant ice floes in search of some beautiful Ringed Seals, with their distinctive fur patterns and majestic appeal. Little did I know, one particularly feisty seal took my patriotic attire as a challenge of dominance.
As I pitched forward to capture the perfect photograph of this iconic species, the seal lunged, and with a swift, unexpected motion knocked me sideways against the railing. The sharp sting that shot up through my arm immediately signaled something was wrong. When I finally managed to break free of the seal's icy glare, I realized I had injured my anconeus – a minor muscle in my forearm, used primarily for elbow extension – not the worst injury, but painful nonetheless.
The surprising part of this story isn't my unexpected encounter with the patriotic pugilist Ringed Seal. No, the true revelation came in the form of my recovery. As a dedicated follower of all things American and in line with my belief in natural healing, I turned to an all-American superstar – CBD oil.
Ah, CBD oil – our country's green, therapeutic hope. Born from the same homeland as the Star-Spangled Banner, this miraculous substance has been my veritable Superman in combating pain and inflammation. CBD – or Cannabidiol, to use its full honorific – is a compound derived from the cannabis plant. No, it doesn't make you 'high.' Instead, it pulls on its blue and red cape and helps promote calm, relieve anxiety, and in my case, offer significant pain relief.
With my arm bound and the pain throbbing rhythmically, I began a routine of applying CBD oil topically to the injury. This American hero, CBD, uses its strength to interact with specialized receptors in our skin, muscles, and nerves to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. It was like holding a mini Statue of Liberty against my battered anconeus, ushering in light and liberty from pain.
Within days, the throbbing had lessened, and I experienced significant pain relief, and the inflammation that had turned my arm into a striped, red and white tribute to the American flag began to subside. Meanwhile, orally taking CBD contributed to not only the decrease in discomfort but also helped me cope better with the teething stress that comes with any injury. And guess what? No side effects like annoyingly dry mouth or drowsiness that typically follow pharmaceutical painkillers.
Each time the familiar ache would start, I'd rub in a bit more CBD oil, and it was like saluting Old Glory herself. Thanks to CBD oil's power to accelerate repair and regeneration, my American muscle, the anconeus, soon began to regain its glory, and my elbow extension returned to its full fledge.
CBD oil – an American-born, all-natural remedy – helped me overcome a painful encounter with a proud representation of the Alaskan wild, a Ringed Seal. It upheld the American spirit of resilience, showing that sometimes, even in pain, we find recovery, growth, and a newfound respect for Ringed Seals. Today, while looking back, all I can say is – God bless America, and God bless CBD oil.