CBD and Colon Health, with Scott Hawksworth

Episode Transcript

Dr. Dac: Hello, folks, and welcome to the “Colon Health Podcast” brought to you by colonoscopy.com. I’m your host, Dr. Dac Teoli, and I want to thank you for sharing this time with us and even more for your interest in learning about colon health. Be sure to like us on social media and reach out with any topics that you want to hear more about in the future. We have a very interesting episode lined up today. In fact, we have our guest being Scott Hawksworth, host of “The CBD Guide” podcast and founder of thecbdguide.com. That’s www.thecbdguide.com. Thanks for being here, Scott.

Scott: Hey, Dac. Thanks for having me.

Dr. Dac: I want to hear more about you and your background, but here in a minute. I know our listeners are, kind of, chomping at the bit and craving some answers, so if we can just get to a couple of those first.

Scott: Sure.

Dr. Dac: So let’s start, kind of, at the ground level and work our way up from there. I mean, you’re, kind of, the guru at this, so this is going to be pretty basic. I’m just going to warn you, but what is exactly…for our listeners, what is CBD?

Scott: Yeah, it’s a good question. And it’s important to, kind of, set the stage, I think. So CBD, for those who are unfamiliar, it stands for cannabidiol. And what cannabidiol is, is it is 1 of over 80 chemical compounds, which are called cannabinoids, that are found within the cannabis sativa plant. Now, you may have heard of this plant called by another name. You may have heard of marijuana, or you may have heard of hemp. And basically, the distinction between those two varieties, because they’re the same plant, but the distinction is actually a legal one, and I know we’ll touch on this, but basically, marijuana plants are considered to have more THC than 0.3%, whereas hemp plants are anything less than 0.3% THC. So within that CBD, again, is just a chemical compound that is found within that plant.

Dr. Dac: Right. That makes sense. So, you know, I heard keywords in there. It just made me curious. So, I heard marijuana. So is CBD illegal or…?

Scott: Yeah, so CBD is legal in the U.S., and this is thanks to the 2018 farm bill. And basically, the 2018 farm bill is pretty expansive, but one of the key things with the legality is, again, I was saying that sort of 0.3% THC, that is what’s legal. So anything over that, certainly at the federal level, I’m not talking about individual states which have legalized marijuana, but at the federal level that less than 0.3% THC, that is legal. So any CBD being sold, as long as it’s less than that 0.3%, it is legal. And again, this farm bill, it allows for hemp cultivation. It allows for the creation in hemp-derived products. It doesn’t put any restrictions on the sale, transport, or possession of hemp-derived products. And again, remember when I say hemp, I’m talking about that 0.3%, marijuana, that’s completely separate. So as long as everything is produced within the manner that’s consistent with the law, the 2018 farm bill, yes, CBD is legal.

Dr. Dac: Interesting. So for our listeners that might…they need to hear it a third time, so CBD is different than THC.

Scott: Yes. CBD…So some people, especially, and we’ll talk about this, when you talk about CBD products, you know, one of the first questions they’ll ask is, well, so is this going to get me high? And is not going to get you high. THC is a different chemical in the cannabis sativa plant that is the one that produces that high that, you know, all the movies or whatever have presented for marijuana. CBD is different than that, is a different chemical that is in the same plant.

Dr. Dac: So, I want to just step back for a moment. Can you tell us a little bit more about yourself and the projects that you’re working on currently?

Scott: Sure. So I’m an entrepreneur, podcaster, and digital marketer. I’ve basically been working on the internet since I was in high school, really. That was my first time messing around with websites and, kind of, messing around with businesses and small things like that, and I’ve worked on a wide variety of industries in my career from websites about online education to I’ve started websites on audio recording and mixing music to currently I work on a website that is about the world of payments and credit card processing, and then, of course, my latest efforts with “The CBD Guide.” I’m, kind of a Jack of all trades when it just comes to web marketing and things like that. I kind of stumbled into the podcasting game through that audio, that recording and mixing music sort of info-product business I started. I started a podcast there and it was really successful and it was probably the most successful thing out of that business, and so I just, kind of, said, “Hey, I think there’s something here,” and then that’s where I, kind of, started another podcast that if any of your listeners are interested in the financial world, it’s called “PayPod: The Payments and Fintech Podcast.” It’s a lot of fun. We talk about crypto and all those kinds of things and credit cards and all that, and then, of course, now my latest efforts with “The CBD Guide.”

Dr. Dac: Interesting. No, a Renaissance man, no doubt about that. It sounds like you’re definitely talented and doing a lot of things and helping a lot of people along the way in different sectors. That’s excellent. So for this particular industry, we’ll say the CBD industry, what are your interests in that? Is that something you have personal experience or maybe close friends or family that benefited or what, kind of, pulled you toward CBD?

Scott: Yeah, it’s a really good question. Personally, when it came to CBD, I think like anybody I talk to that’s, kind of, in the industry, you really started hearing about it with that passage of the 2018 farm bill. And I just kind of…Being in business circles, you, kind of, hear that buzz, right? So from the business side, you, kind of, hear like, “Wow, there’s, like, this new industry that’s popped up and there’s all these, you know, companies producing products and things like that.” And then I’m someone who, in my own personal life, I really am into things like holistic health and just trying to lead a healthy lifestyle, and I’m also someone who has had issues with pain. Basically, I have what I would consider to be a chronic hip injury. Basically, when I was in high school, I was a setter for our varsity volleyball team, and during one game, I went up to set a ball and I felt something pull, and when I came down, I was limping all over the place. And I went and got it checked out, of course, and I had pulled my hip flexor and done so pretty badly.

And basically, what happened is over the years, it just kept flaring up, you know. In my early 20s, I was playing…I live here in Chicago. I was playing 16-inch softball, which is very popular to do, and, you know, you’re doing this thing where you’re going from standing still, maybe having a beer because it’s a beer league, to then sprinting as hard as you can. And so, I just, kind of, kept re-aggravating it, and ultimately, I had just a situation where I couldn’t even really walk because it was so painful. So I went and got an MRI, and the doctors, they checked it out and they said, “Yeah, you’ve got a lot of arthritis in your hip.” And then I asked them, “Okay, so what do I do?” And they’re like, “Well, pain management. Take your Advil or whatever if you get a flare-up. Don’t go running marathons, and basically, at some point, you may need a hip replacement.” So that has, kind of, led to pain in my lower back and discomfort and things like that.

So, I kept hearing about CBD and what it can do for pain management and pain relief really, and so I just, kind of, started going down the rabbit hole and I’ve still been testing different types of creams and topical creams like that and things like that and it has helped me. And then I just, kind of, put the two together. I was like, “Hey, this is an interesting thing and I want to learn more and I want to find out what else is behind this CBD thing that is so interesting.” And that’s, kind of, what led me to the industry.

Dr. Dac: That’s a remarkable story, no doubt. And volleyball, you are a Jack of all trades. You weren’t kidding. You weren’t kidding. And what you’re saying is true because it sounds like CBD is pretty popular. You stumbled across it, just going about, you know, essentially going to the doctors, getting recommendations, learning more about different options that you had for the pain, certainly. I’m sure our listeners come across it in different ways. In my own social circle, you know, there’s multiple people that benefit from it. I’m curious just how popular is CBD currently? What’s the estimate in the United States?

Scott: Yeah. So it’s pretty popular. In terms of estimates, what I like to do is just look at some statistics. We actually recently had an episode where we looked at some research by a company called the Brightfield Group which is really focused on market research on CBD. And I just talk about some of the things when you’re talking about the popularity, the percentage of all CBD consumers using CBD for 3 months or less, according to one of their studies, there was 24% as of 2019 and then each month that has, like, maintained to that, kind of, percentage level. So that means there’s just lots of new users, you know, discovering CBD. And then I think the more, sort of, smoking-gun type statistic that they had in their research was the heavy CBD users by quarter, and so that’s basically the percentage of all CBD consumers using CBD five or more days per week. And back in 2019, it was 33%, Q3 2019 was 33%, then it jumped to 54%, 52%, 55%, and then in their most recent…I think it was Q3 2020, 58%. So I think that right there sort of underscores the popularity of CBD and how there’s new folks coming into it all the time, trying it, and then a high percentage of them then really start using CBD quite a bit.

Dr. Dac: Wow. Yeah. It sounds like the popularity is, kind of, skyrocketing as of late. So I’m glad that there’s resources out there, resources like “The CBD Guide” such as your own project that kind of helps guide people to learn more about it, reliable sources. So thanks for your service in that regard, no doubt.

Scott: For sure.

Dr. Dac: You mentioned your own experience. I’m curious, other than pain, which you alluded to, what are some other common reasons why an individual might decide to pursue or decide to at least look more into CBD? What can it help with?

Scott: Yeah, absolutely. Great question. There was actually a Gallup poll that asked this very question. I think there’s some interesting statistics here. I’ve got them right here, but basically, in this Gallup poll, CBD users cited pain relief was number one. That was 40%, you know. That’s what led me to it. But another 20% said anxiety. That’s something that I’ve also, in my life, had some challenges with, so that’s just another reason and another thing that has, kind of, had me exploring CBD, but anxiety is another big one. Sleep or insomnia, 11%. So a lot of people…and there’s a lot of products out there, CBD products that are designed to help people with sleep and things like that. Then you have arthritis, that’s 8%. I kind of tie that to pain relief myself. Then you have things like migraines and headaches, 5%, and then stress, 5%, which again, I might tie that a little bit to anxiety as well just because I think it’s, kind of, you know, two sides of the same coin in a lot of ways. Those are the biggest other reasons why folks are using CBD, but now it’s a small percentage, but it’s growing, but there’s people that are using CBD for their pets. Some pets have arthritis, some pets have things like that. So there’s all these other things that are still ongoing that consumers are exploring for using CBD for.

Dr. Dac: Interesting. So CBD is also…just to, kind of, go on with that theme, CBD is also kind of, like, a Jack of all trades in a way too.

Scott: I mean, in a lot of ways, yeah. I use that term holistic health. And again, we can talk about this, but people can make it sort of part of their regular health regimen and consumers are saying there’s a lot of benefits to it.

Dr. Dac: So, from what you’ve seen in your experience, where do people typically get, where do they obtain CBD from?

Scott: I think there’s three main buckets, really. Number one is online. You know, we’re online. We’ve got our show and everything like that. That’s where a lot of commerce is obviously happening, especially more given this last year and all of that. So online is a big one, then you have your specialty retailers. Actually, where I live, not too far away, there is a retail store that is dedicated to CBD and that’s what they do and they have a storefront and that’s all they sell. And then you have, sort of, other retailers, and there’s folks who you may see whether it’s a supermarket or a convenience store or something like that where they may have some CBD products at the checkout or things like that. Those are really the big three buckets. And online actually is one of the ones that just continues to grow and it’s been accelerated obviously in this last year.

Dr. Dac: That sounds right. You know, I’ve seen it myself in different locations and I’m curious, and we’ll get a little bit more into this a little bit later on the, kind of, science portion, the deep dive per se later on, but I’m curious, is CBD regulated by the FDA?

Scott: What I would say, and I think you’ll touch on this later, maybe, but currently, the FDA has approved only one CBD product to treat an actual disease, so treats seizures which is associated with LGS, BS, or TSC. And currently, it’s also illegal to market CBD by adding it to food or labeling it as a dietary supplement. So one of the things when you look at a lot of these products that are out there, you’ll see all these disclaimers on various CBD websites saying, you know, these statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. So there’s still a lot of research that is ongoing and the FDA is, kind of, saying, “Hey, we’re looking into this. There’s things that we’ve approved and there’s a whole lot that we haven’t necessarily even weighed in on.” And I think that there’s going to continue to be more regulation. It’s just a matter of the research aspect of it and what the FDA is going to put a stamp on versus not if that makes sense.

Dr. Dac: I see. Thinking back to what you said, you gave us an excellent list there, and thanks for doing that research on that regarding, kind of, the breakdown, the demographics of why people across the country are taking CBD. I’m curious again also from folks you’ve interacted with, whether in your professional circle, family, friends, or just even other communities online, what are some other common reported benefits of taking it? Now I know folks, for example, take it for pain and anxiety. You mentioned seizure disorders and you nailed it. We’re going to talk a little bit about that later, but any other things that come to mind that you think our listeners should know about?

Scott: One thing I would say is it’s sort of a feeling of wellness and, like, ease. Again, and that does tie into sort of the anxiety type of thing, but there’s folks, and I’ve talked to them where they may have a CBD gummy and they’ll just have one in the morning and it just, kind of, helps them throughout their day as they’re just, you know, going to work and living their lives. So there’s a lot of this sort of continual thing of, hey, this is just part of a wellness regimen and feeling good. Sleep, that’s just a huge, huge one, trying to get better sleep, deeper sleep, more restorative sleep. I mean, we know that there’s a complete epidemic in this country and certainly around the world of just people not getting enough sleep. So I think that’s another big, big piece.

And then there’s some people who have cited it, and again, you’ll talk about this for gastrointestinal or digestive issues and things like that. There’s skincare as well. Some people will use it and they say that. We actually just recorded an episode with a woman who started a beauty product line of skincare products that are infused with CBD, and there are folks that are out there using it and say, “Hey, it helps my skin stay more moisturized and have a better glow,” and all of that kind of thing. So there’s a lot of different reasons and I think that there are more that are going to be discovered and people are going to keep, you know, looking into it, but those are some of the most notable ones I’d say.

Dr. Dac: Excellent. That sounds promising. And, you know, we’d like to definitely keep a balanced look on things. So every substance under the sun, whether it’s oxygen or water, so you breathe too much oxygen, you’re going to get oxygen toxicity. You drink too much water, your electrolytes are going to get all out of balance. So there’s risks with everything. I’m curious, from what you’ve seen then, what are some of the dangers, if we want to call them that, or the risks or side effects when it comes to CBD?

Scott: Yeah, that’s a really, really important point and a really good question. Again, like anything, I think you hit the nail on the head, you know, too much of a good thing is bad and you can overdo it. But some of the reported side effects of CBD usage can include things like dry mouth, diarrhea, reduced appetite, drowsiness, fatigue. So these are kinds of things that you always want to when you’re taking anything or trying a new health regimen or what have you, you’re consuming anything, you want to be aware of and really take the time to say, “Okay, how is this impacting me? How do I feel after taking this? Is there anything that is, you know, concerning?” Because, of course, if there’s anything like that, that’s where you pick up the phone, you call your physician right away.

So one thing I always, kind of, try to say to people when it comes to side effects and things like that is one of the things with these products is CBD affects everyone differently. So one product I use that seems to really work for me may not work at all for you, or may not give you the results you were, kind of, hoping for. So it’s really important to do the research, look into the potency and things like that, and really take your time with these products, and again, just monitor it because there can be side effects and there can be downsides. And if you all of a sudden go from 0 to 60 and are like, “Okay, I’ve never taken CBD but now I’m having, like, a bag of gummies a day,” it’s like, “Ooh, that’s not a good idea. I wouldn’t recommend doing something like that.”

Dr. Dac: Got you. And that’s an excellent point that you made. Everyone has a different body. Everyone has a different physiology slightly. The broad strokes are the same, but the fine details are certainly different. So what works great for your grandma might not work for you. What works for you might not work for your mom or your dad or your brother or your sister. Everyone is different. So it’s excellent to keep that in mind. So I want to circle back for a moment to colon health, and I want to spend several minutes to talk about the state of current research regarding CBD and colon ailments such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, colon cancer, as well as share my own thoughts.

Now, I want to warn Scott and I also want to warn our listeners that this is going to be a little bit of a deep dive into the research. Leading up to this podcast, I probably read about 30 or so research papers, and trust me, there are over 10 times that, 100 times that out there, but I wanted to pick out a good number of them to kind of dig through, pick apart, see where the current state of the science is at and provide that to you. So I’ll tell you if that’s something that you are not so interested in, feel free to fast-forward 10 minutes or so, and we’re going to come back to Scott and some of his wisdom and recommendations going forward. But in the meantime, let’s do a little bit of a deep dive on some of the science.

So, unfortunately, there’s no cure for ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease, but a proportion of patients with mild to moderate disease do not really respond that adequate to current therapies, unfortunately. There is definitely a need for alternative treatments. As Scott alluded to earlier, a significant portion of folks are trying things like CBD to see and fill that gap, this gap in a different kind of symptom management, different kinds of ways of seeking wellness throughout living with their disease. As of 2020, approximately 15% of IBD patients use CBD or cannabis to address disease symptoms. Unfortunately, so far, there’s only been three small placebo-controlled studies regarding the use in active Crohn’s patients, for example. Combining all of those together comes out to 93 patients, 93. That is a very small number, especially when you’re talking about combining three other studies to a total of that.

Two of these studies did show significant clinical improvement, but there was no improvement markers of actual inflammation in these studies. A 2018 paper published an inflammatory bowel disease entitled…and let me warn you, it’s a long title, “A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Parallel-Group Pilot Study of Cannabidiol-Rich Botanical Extract and the Symptomatic Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis” by Irving et al concluded that although the placebo and treatment groups did not have significantly different rates of disease remission, several signals arose that actually suggested that CBD-rich botanical extract may indeed be beneficial for symptomatic treatment of ulcerative colitis.

A little bit more recent, 2020, a paper authored by Neftali in the expert review of gastroenterology and hepatology titled “An Overview of Cannabis-Based Treatment in Crohn’s Disease” shared the expert opinion that it seems to have a therapeutic potential in IBD. “This potential must not be neglected,” they go on to say, “and needs more studies to investigate it specifically regarding these various compounds such as the different CBD components and how that interacts with the human body. These effects can be investigated in randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials to fully explore the potential of treatment in IBD.” 2017, a study by Clinical Science by Couch et al entitled “CBD and PEA are Anti-Inflammatory in the Acutely Inflamed Colon” found that CBD agents actually did demonstrate significant anti-inflammatory actions in both experimentally and clinically inflamed colons. This reduced multiple proinflammatory cytokines and downregulated proinflammatory intracellular pathways. These drugs that they recommended, they state the word well-tolerated in humans and had very little side effects. Their clinical use in treating inflammatory bowel disease is expected in the future, and there should be clinical trials to assess their clinical efficacy.

On the other hand, we have Oruganti et al who published a case study somewhat recently entitled “Cannabidiol Oil-Associated With Microscopic Colitis.” This was in the journal “Cureus.” Microscopic colitis for any listeners that are wondering is a chronic inflammation condition of the colon characterized by watery diarrhea and normal-appearing mucosa. On the more promising side, in 2018, there was another study in “Biochemical Pharmacology” entitled “Cannabidiol Pharmacology and Therapy and Gut Disorders” by Uranga et al. This posed the potential that there is different cannabidiol-related pharmacological agents that may indeed be useful in treating many digestive pathologies. For example, they could help normalize dysmotility and reduce pain in IBS, also known as irritable bowel syndrome, and may decrease inflammation in IBD conditions such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. Regarding colorectal cancer, apart from alleviating some symptoms, they may play a potential role in the regulation of cell niche lines.

Moving on later into 2018, there is an article out of the Mayo Clinic by Camilleri that remains hopeful stating that, “With the development of novel, more specific agonists and antagonists, it’s possible that CB agents or cannabidiol agents might be part of the pharmacological toolbox in the future to relieve symptoms independent of possible effects with improving sensations such as nausea, anorexia, or pain.” In a review article by Davis in 2016, a little bit earlier on, it was published in the “Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network,” he explores the data within the realm of oncology within the realm of cancer and acknowledges that a significant body of evidence shows that cannabinoids may be effective in the treatment of cancer, but no randomized trials have been performed as of that time. There’s also evidence that in some cancers, it might depend on cannabinoid receptors for survival, and that cannabinoids might stimulate tumor proliferation and migration.

Very recently in 2020, there was a review article by the name of “The Role of Cannabis in Inflammatory Bowel Disease” published in the “Annals of Gastroenterology” by Perisetti. This looked at cannabis, but also more specifically, in addition to that, cannabinoids, summarizing that the effect within the IBD had varied results. There was very small sample sizes and a short follow-up duration with these studies making it very difficult to show clear benefits. More high-quality controlled studies were warranted to elucidate the mechanism and benefits of using cannabinoids in the future for IBD management. And lastly, a couple of 2019 Cochrane reviews regarding both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. They can be pretty much summarized as follows. “The effects of these conditions are uncertain, thus no firm conclusions regarding the effectiveness and safety in adults with active disease can yet be drawn. There is no evidence for use for the maintenance of our mission in these conditions. Further, studies with a larger number of participants are required in the future to assess the effects of cannabis or CBD in people with active and inactive disease.”

I’m going to go ahead and I’m going to share my own layman’s opinion on CBD as it currently stands so we can at least get that out of the way. I do want to say that my opinion on things change with the current state of the science, especially within medicine. New discoveries happen fast, whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing is another story. So I think today might not be the same opinion that I have next year. And in fact, it might not even be the same opinion I have next week. So for me, it all boils down to this. There are benefits that I’ve read about and that I’ve seen when it comes to symptom management.

Nevertheless, currently, only one FDA-approved CBD drug exists for treating diseases, and that is Epidiolex. That is the drug that Scott was referencing earlier in this show. This is used to treat disorders, seizure disorders as Scott also mentioned, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, Dravet syndrome, and tubular sclerosis complex. This does indeed pave the way undoubtedly for new medications and treatments in the future in treatment of other diseases. It just takes time. And in the meantime, I hope that society remains rational with their decisions and their interpretation of advertisements just as Scott alluded to for supplementations, whether that’s verbal or otherwise.

CBD does not cure cancer in the current state of the science. Additionally, it is known to have interactions I think as Scott also alluded to, and these interactions can, unfortunately, be harmful sometimes. The mechanism of that is that CBD has been found to have an influence on an enzyme system with medication metabolism called the CYP450 enzymes also known as CYP450 enzymes, and these enzymes are responsible for the metabolism of up to 60% of medications. Let that sink in, 60% of prescription drugs could potentially have interaction with CBD. An easy way to remember this warning, if we want to call it that, is if your medication that you’re currently on, for example, maybe blood thinners says something to the lines of beware about grapefruit or grapefruit juice, consider that also a warning about CBD in the sense that you need to talk to your doctor, just as Scott alluded to, before starting this route.

Beyond potential complications from drug interactions that might not be monitored adequately, there is also risk for some individuals, not for everyone, but for some individuals such as liver damage or decreased sex hormones. So I always recommend, it sounds just as Scott would, especially for individuals with any medical history or that are currently on medications, just please check with your physician to ensure that CBD is safe to utilize and monitor it on an ongoing basis as needed. That’s it.

Overall, I am cautiously, and again, that is emphasis on cautiously, pro-CBD, especially in individuals that find it useful and if it’s safe for them to use. I recommend they have a discussion on what they hope to achieve if they’re considering starting it, what timeline going forward they hope to set on that so they aren’t just taking something for the sake of taking something forever. So what is their timeline? What’s their discontinuation strategy if they start it? If they aren’t getting the effects that they are hoping for? If they get side effects, what is going to be their exit strategy? And just go from there. If it’s safe and if they want something natural, as Scott alluded to for anxiety, for pain, for nausea, it sounds like a plan, but if someone hopes that they’re going to cure their underlying disease, then a short convo is going to have to become a long conversation. Thanks for bearing with me for that. That was a long-winded talk, but I just wanted to, kind of, put that out there for our listeners, both the research and my own thoughts. If we still have Scott here, if he didn’t fall asleep on me, I wanted to ask him a couple more questions.

Scott: Absolutely. I’m still here. And that was really great. And there were some things in there that I didn’t even know, so it was nice to, kind of, have my student cap on while you were going through all of that. It was great stuff.

Dr. Dac: You know much more about this, CBD and you know, all the intricacies than I do, so I appreciate that. But you know what? As we wind down this episode, Scott, what would you say the number one thing is for listeners that they should know what they should take away regarding CBD itself?

Scott: Yeah. You know, I would really underscore some of the points that you were just making. It is so important to do your research and it’s so important to be thoughtful and realize that, yeah, CBD and a lot of people are saying that CBD helps them in a lot of ways, but with that, you know, approach thoughtfully and, you know, it’s a sad thing, but unfortunately, there are some snake oil salesmen out there in this industry and there’s folks that are promising things like it’s a cure-all or it could do things that it cannot do, at least has not been proven or studied to do just yet. So I think that do your research is maybe the number one thing I would say about CBD and then maybe number two might be, but if you think it might be helpful, you know, consider it, start down that path, start down that research bath.

Dr. Dac: Absolutely. And one step further, what would you say one take-home message should be for our listeners regarding “The CBD Guide?” Again, “The CBD Guide,” this is Scott’s project, his business. It’s tremendous, growing. I’d listen to several of his episodes on his podcast that are immensely informative, so if individuals have an interest in that, again, that’s www.thecbdguide.com. But enough of me, I want to know what you recommend or what you think we need to know about your project, about your business, about “The CBD Guide.”

Scott: Yeah. Quite simply, basically, what I was just saying, you know, do your research. Well, that’s what we want to be there for. We want to really separate the fact from the fiction and just give the cold, hard facts, A, but then also, sort of, introduce people to the folks that I’ve been fortunate to chat with thus far on the show and the folks in their businesses that are doing things the right way in the industry and that have these amazing stories about how they discovered CBD and how, you know, they’re either using it or they’re helping their customers and things like that. Really, we want to be that, basically, informative portal for folks so that what you can do is listen to one of our shows, read our site, whatever, and maybe make a more informed decision, and maybe we can help point you in the right direction if you do want to start trying some CBD products out. Maybe we’ll start you off on the right foot so you’ll have the best chance to find something that works for you and really helps you out.

Dr. Dac: Tremendous. And Scott, if say some of our listeners are out there and they have a speaking arrangement or a conference coming up and they’re looking for guest speakers or they have their own podcast and maybe they’re interested in having you on there, how should our listeners get ahold of you? Is that something they can reach you over thecbdguide.com, or how should they reach you?

Scott: Yeah, yeah. Folks can feel free to actually email me. It’s scott@thecbdguide.com, and I’m always happy to talk through things, and even if you’re someone listening and you’ve got like a financial payments business or something and you want to talk about that, we can talk about that too, but yeah, scott@thecbdguide.com would be great.

Dr. Dac: Got you. Got you. And you know what? You made that last point there, and I just want to give that maybe a couple other moments. Do you want to tell us a little bit more about that project as well?

Scott: Yes. It’s called “PayPod: The Payments and Fintech Podcast.” Basically, I’ve been doing it for years now. I think we’re on our third year of episodes. I just recorded episode 176 yesterday.

Dr. Dac: Wow.

Scott: Yeah. And basically, I talk about everything under the sun and get experts from all over the world under the umbrella of the world of payments and of financial technology, be it everything from cryptocurrency to mobile banking, to the ways that folks are using Apple Pay and touchless payments. So it’s really interesting stuff and there’s a lot of really cool technologies going out there that, well, maybe not as quite important as health, still really influence the way the world is working and really empowering a lot of folks, so that’s pretty cool.

Dr. Dac: Yeah. Yeah. No, that sounds awesome. And one more time, how can we find that? Where can we get those episodes at?

Scott: Yeah. So for that one, all you got to do is go to Soar Pay, that’s soarpay.com/podcast, and you’ll get it there. It’s all our episodes.

Dr. Dac: Excellent. Well, I’m going to check it out. I hope all you listeners out there check it out too because this guy knows his stuff and he’s just been great to have on the show. You know what? I want to thank you for being here tonight, Scott, and sharing your expertise with our listeners.

Scott: Hey, thanks for having me. It was a blast.

Dr. Dac: And just as much, I want to thank all you folks for tuning in and listening to this episode, whether at home, on your commute, or at work. Please be sure to like or share this episode on social media or your favorite podcast app. Remember, it helps to ensure that we keep bringing you the content that you want when you want it. As always, we’ll have a summary of today’s episode, including key points. There’ll be a list of resources available, including all of those studies that I went over earlier, and also links to Scott’s resources as well as his projects. All of this can be found on colonoscopy.com. Please take care, goodnight, and good health.