Stress, or Anxiety Disorders, are common disorders.  Demonstrating the “mind/body connection,” stress has been shown to impact immune function, cardiovascular health, mental health, sleep, and inflammatory skin diseases. The initial goal of SOTA health products was to protect the skin from daytime external environmental insults. However, through our preparatory studies and product development, we became concerned that for some people, internal stress/anxiety is not being adequately addressed, and stress management is essential for an individual’s health and wellbeing. SOTA Calm was formulated to address any potential endocannabinoid imbalance and thereby act as a stress-reducing agent that would benefit both the skin, as well as other health conditions. We strive to produce products with no habit-forming potential and fewer side effects than those of traditional prescription anti-anxiety medications. SOTA Calm ingredients include GABA, Valerian Root, Lemon Balm, Passion Fruit, and Pure Mint (Peppermint and Spearmint) Extract, in addition to water-soluble CBD. Lifestyles that include meditation, mindfulness, and yoga have cannabimimetic effects.  Board-certified psychiatrists, psychologists, and counselors are good to partner with when going thru stressful life transitions. 

Research supporting the many impacts of stress:

Immune Function:  A 2014 review by Dhabhar concluded, “chronic stress can suppress protective immune responses and/or exacerbate pathological immune responses.” 

Cardiovascular Health:  In 2010, Roest and associates performed a meta-analysis of 20 studies to examine the association of anxiety with coronary heart disease. Healthy individuals with high anxiety were at a statistically significant increased risk for coronary heart disease and cardiac death.

Dermatological Health:  In 2017, Yeo and associates described a link between academic stress and skin picking behaviors in adolescent students. Prescription antidepressant medications have anxiolytic effects. However, these medications often take several weeks to become effective. Benzodiazepines are a group of regulated prescription medications that have shown effectiveness for acute anxiety (for example, panic attacks). However, these medications remain regulated due to their risk of being habit-forming.

Anxiety: A study of 24 individuals with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) (compared with 12 control patients) was conducted where participants were treated with CBD (versus placebo in the control group) prior to a simulated public speaking task41.  The CBD treatment group performed better than controls with a significant decrease in anxiety, cognitive impairment, and hyper-alertness.   Pretreatment with CBD reduced the anxiety level in the patients with social anxiety to near that of healthy controls during the simulated public speaking task. 

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric diagnosis in which an external stressor results in a variety of symptoms, including anxiety. There is a single case report of a 10-year-old child with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder who was refractory (less responsive - instead refractory is not easy to read) to traditional psychiatric medications and was treated with 25mg of CBD orally at night to help with sleep as well as 6-12mg of CBD orally during the day for her intermittent anxiety with dramatic symptom reduction42.