Healthy living is a goal that many adults across the globe strive to reach every day, increasing the desire for healthy foods or naturopathic medicines rather than heavily processed or manmade alternatives. As a result, use of medicinal alternatives like cannabidiol -- also known as CBD oil -- has seen a dramatic increase in recent years. Though the product may seem like a passing trend, Enterprise business owners Fred and Margo Battenberg are spreading the word that CBD is more than just a fad -- it has the ability to change lives.
The Battenbergs own and operate Your CBD Store, the first business in Enterprise that deals strictly in selling CBD-based products. Their location is part of a chain that has become one of the fastest growing companies in America, said Margo, and the brand of products they sell -- SunMed -- is one of the fastest growing CBD brands in the industry due to its formulation, efficacy and transparency.
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According to Margo, she and her husband Fred first discovered CBD oil three years ago following a back surgery that didn’t heal quite as planned.
“Fred, my husband, served our country for 21 years, and when he retired from the Army, he needed back surgery, so he did that immediately after retirement,” Margo said. “It didn’t go as well as expected, so he was on a lot of medications that were not really making a big change in his level of pain and also had addictive properties. We found CBD, and within a few doses, he decreased one of those medications; within a few weeks, he was off of all medications and managing his pain a lot more effectively. Within a few months, he came to me and said, ‘You know, not only is this managing my pain very effectively, it’s also reducing my anxiety and helping me sleep better.’ We knew that this was something that we wanted to stay on, so we dove deep into the industry after his response to it was so profound.”
The Battenbergs began sharing CBD oil with others two years ago and opened their store in Enterprise two months ago. Margo said customers primarily seek pain relief, arthritis relief, anxiety relief or sleep support when they begin using CBD oil, but the product often addresses other deficiencies in the body due to the body’s endocannabinoid system, which was only discovered within the last 30 years.
“CBD is something that we produce, and although it has a rich history used as a medicine, the discovery of our endocannabinoid system is relatively new -- a doctor in Israel discovered this system 30 years ago,” said Margo. “Our endocannabinoid system is kind of like a thermostat: it will go back and forth and adjust to what we need. The reason people have such a wide range of health benefits is because CBD is something we produce, but most of us are deficient in that production. When you take a supplement of CBD every day, you’re simply giving a boost to your own production of cannabinoids. It’s about getting your own production at an optimal level, and CBD is very smart -- it will go where your body needs it the most, where your body is deficient.”
Though CBD provides many benefits and is naturally produced by the body, its greatest hurdle in being accepted as medicine is the many misconceptions surrounding its biological makeup -- namely, its relationship to the marijuana plant. Margo said that she and Fred are working to clear up some of those misconceptions every time a customer walks into their store.
“The biggest misconception is that this is marijuana, and although the hemp plant and marijuana plant are closely related, they’re two separate plants,” said Margo. “This is a plant-derived supplement, but it’s also a compound that we naturally produce, so there is no high associated with our products. It’s not marijuana and it does not have addictive properties.
“Basically there are two options with CBD: you can take a full spectrum product which does have trace amounts of THC in the product, or a broad spectrum product that contains 0.0% THC. Our company takes that extra expense to extract every bit of the THC compound, but even on those full spectrum products, it’s unlikely that someone would test positive for THC because the amounts of THC in the product are so low.”
According to Margo, customers with concerns about the way their CBD products are manufactured can rest easy with SunMed products, as they are formulated by a doctor and a scientist who track every step of the product “from soil to oil.” Customers can also access lab reports to find out exactly what their CBD product has in it.
“We are highly trained and we have doctors and scientists backing us. If it was something beyond my realm of expertise, I have backup, and I think that’s what a lot of customers and shoppers are looking for,” said Margo.
Though Your CBD Store Enterprise has only been open for two months, Margo said she and Fred have been able to help many people both in person and online manage their pain and improve their physical health, which is rewarding for them as CBD consumers and business owners.
“Sharing CBD oil is very rewarding, because every day we get to witness people come into our store, and they may not be feeling very well, and we offer them a free sample while they’re shopping, and most of those people leave our store with product and feeling better after their first dose,” said Margo. “That’s really rewarding, to go home at the end of the day and know that you provided a clean, safe product for someone and it helped them right away. I’ve gotten so many thank you cards from customers who have said ‘Thank you for sharing this with me, thank you for better health.’ That means a lot to me.”
“You don’t just come in here, get an oil and leave,” added Fred. “You come in here, you get to speak with someone about your ailments, and we try to fit you into the right product. It’s a free consultation.”
Margo said there is still a long road to clearing up all CBD oil misconceptions, but she believes the product has the ability to change the way we look at medicine in the future.
“Part of the stigma with hemp is that it could potentially be a gateway to other drugs, and I don’t see it as a gateway -- I see it as an exit. I see this as an exit to the opioid crisis and the addictive nature of the medications being prescribed,” said Margo.
For more information, contact Your CBD Store Enterprise at 334-470-6327, or visit its website at https://truecbd4u.com/find-us/alabama/enterprise.