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What Can You Expect For Your First Acupuncture Appointment

For those who’ve never experienced it, acupuncture sounds kind of counter intuitive. The practice of having small needles inserted into different areas of your body shouldn’t lead to relaxation and stress relief, but it is what it is. Studies demonstrate that acupuncture does the job, providing benefits for patients’ mental health, blood flow, pain, stress and inflammation on the body.

Bustle reports that, for first timers, going to the acupuncturist should be a very similar experience than going to any other doctor. Daniela Freda, licensed acupuncturist, claims that first time patients should expect a discussion and review of their symptoms and an analysis of their medical history. After that, “the acupuncturist will perform a Chinese Medicine examination by taking the wrist pulse and looking at the tongue. Then, they will determine the treatment plan and administer the acupuncture.”

The most stressful part of an acupuncture appointment is obviously the needles. We’ve been conditioned to associate them with pain and discomfort, but acupuncture needles are much thinner than regular ones. According to Freda, the needles cause much less sensation than others. A lot of people also wonder about the risk of infection that comes with using needles, which Freda claims that is a moot concern since licensed acupuncturist are required to use sterilized needles only once.

A licensed acupuncturist will talk you through the entire process and will probably “insert about ten needles in different parts of the body and the needles are retained for twenty to thirty minutes.” The experience is also meant to be relaxing, where there rooms are private and filled with soft music and dimmed lights.

Like most alternate methods of medicine, acupuncture is a personal experience that largely depends on your level of comfort with the practice. For the most part though, patients claim that it produces almost magical results. “I went in expecting to see little, if any, improvement. Immediately after that first session, I felt calm and slightly pleasantly disoriented. I felt some immediate pain relief, but it was subtle. What had been a deep, throbbing pain was now more of a dull, steady ache,” said an acupuncture patient. A lot of people agree.

Nike Is Making Fanny Pack Flip Flops Just In Time To Ruin Summer

Nike’s Benassi slides are infamous. They’re overused, ugly and expensive, yet for some reason people still fight over them because they’re “comfy” and easy to slip on — no matter how bad they make people’s feet look. Now, because there’s not enough craziness in the world, Nike has decided to stick a fanny pack on top of them, resulting in flip flops with pouches, allowing you to store change, toe rings, and other small objects.

These Benassi slides will be called the “Fanny Pack” collection and will come in three different colors: green/blue, pink/black, and black. While the images of the flip-flops were first leaked though US11, Nike has yet to make an announcement regarding when the items will be available for purchase, or who the designer is behind this awful and unpractical idea.

The images and rumors sent the internet spinning, with many users wondering why the flip-flops were even created in the first place, and with other psychos claiming that they’re the best thing they’ve ever seen.

CBD Market Set To Grow 700 Percent By 2020

America is crazy for cannabidiol (CBD). Despite the fact that this non-intoxicating derivative of the cannabis plant is still illegal in the eyes of the federal government, much of the population is now at least curious about the therapeutic benefits of CBD products. The mainstream hype over this compound has contributed to an enormous market over the past few years, generating sales in awards of $820 million in 2107.

But this bizarre market is expected to increase exponentially, according to a new report from the Hemp Business Journal. It shows the CBD market could grow by 700 percent within the next two years.

The CBD market is interesting because the majority of consumers, while on a mission to experience the medical effects of the substance, have no idea what they are actually purchasing. Some CBD products, like those sold in dispensaries in legal marijuana states, are extracted from the cannabis plant. These items can contain up to 30 percent CBD. Yet there are hemp-based versions, arguably the most popular, which are sold in health food stores across the nation, containing only around 3.5 percent of the compound.

The market is so muddled that counterfeit CBD products are even showing up in states from Utah to Tennessee. A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that these goods do not contain any CBD at all — they are manufactured in the same manner as K2 and Spice – and they are dangerous to the consumer.

Nevertheless, Americans are dropping large chunks of change on CBD products in search for a wonder drug to treat ailments from chronic pain to anxiety. Some people are even leaning on this substance to do more – cure cancer, stop their children from having epileptic seizures, slow down early onset Alzheimer’s disease and, perhaps, further their quest to live forever. It’s a weird world. The population has become convinced that CBD is wherewithal to medical downtrodden, and it is putting its hard earned money on it. The latest report shows the CBD market could be worth $2 billion by 2020.

The numbers are impressive considering that the U.S. government still considers CBD a banned substance. Even the hemp-derived CBD-lite products sold in 7-Eleven and Walmart are still technically violating the terms of the Controlled Substances Act. But that could soon change. There is a push in Congress right now to legalize industrial hemp nationwide.

Regardless of whether this happens or not, there is certainly no sign of a slow down in the marketing of CBD products in the United States. Yet there is much more to health and wellness than CBD. Although this compound is considered the most medicinal part of the cannabis plant, research has shown that it is more effective with THC.

Couple Loses Child Custody Over Medical Marijuana

You know marijuana laws are unjust when parents are jailed for six days and lose custody of a teenage son suffering from seizures. But that is exactly what happened to Matthew and Suzeanna Brill, a Georgia couple who gave their son cannabis to hele reduce his seizures. The medicine clearly worked. The law, in this case, clearly failed.

Before cannabis treatment, David, 15, was experiencing about 10 seizures a day. Frustrated by the red tape involved with Georgia’s medical marijuana program, the Brills were stuck between a rock and a hard place. They bought their cannabis illegally, but the smoked marijuana eliminated his seizures entirely. In fact, he went 71 days without suffering a debilitating seizure.

“I’m a father that did what it took to make sure my son was OK,” Matthew told CBS News. “For our son, it was a miracle for him,” he added.

But since the treatment did not conform to the state’s laws, David’s parents were charged with reckless conduct. Georgia’s medical marijuana program, like many in the South, are quite onerous for patients and their families. And there currently is a six-year waiting list to get a medical marijuana card, according to Suzeanna.

Related: NCAA Denies Football Player CBD Oil For Epilepsy 

Instead of waiting for their underage son to turn 21, the Brills took the proactive step of saving their son’s life. Six more years of 10 seizures a day would be nearly 22,oo0 more episodes and that was just not a solution for the family.

According to the CBS report:

[S]omeone alerted the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services. The couple said they spent six days in jail. On April 20, David was removed from the Brills’ custody. That day, he had a seizure and had to be rushed to a hospital.

“When I talked to him tonight… the 10-minute phone call I was allowed to have with him, he is on the verge of going into a seizure,” Suzeanna said.

David is currently living in a group home about 60 miles from his parents.

The Georgia Division of Family and Children services said in a statement, “Case managers continue to work with the parents…so the family can be restored as quickly as possible.”

The Georgia Division of Family and Children Services is with the Brills “so the family can be restored as quickly as possible.”

Red Wine Is The Best Alcohol For Great Sex And Here’s Why

Everyone knows booze is called “social lubricant” for good reason. It helps us loosen up and relax and go with innocent urges we might otherwise deem too risky when we’re totally sober.

Now that the cooler months are rolling in, it’s plausible more people will be hunkering down with a bottle of cozy red wine over its chillier counterparts. And that is actually a really good thing because red wine, it turns out, is excellent for the sex drive.

That’s got to be at least one reason why most babies are born in late summer, right?

Everyone knows booze is called “social lubricant” for good reason. It helps us loosen up and relax and go with innocent urges we might otherwise deem too risky when we’re totally sober. A glass or two is the perfect push we give ourselves when we want to impress, have fun and/or feel Olivia Pope level confident.

https://giphy.com/gifs/drinking-scandal-sd6NCj9QyJbk4

It also helps us have really great sex (well, as much as it can).

Italian researchers learned awhile ago that red wine has compounds that increase a person’s sex drive.

According to VinePair:

What the researchers uncovered was that the red wine specifically increased blood flow to women’s erogenous areas, which in turn led to increased levels of desire. The researchers were quick to point out, however, that after more than a drink or two the other effects of alcohol began to take hold, which led to a less pleasurable experience. Moderation, it seems, is key.

https://giphy.com/gifs/biglittlelies-hbo-shailene-woodley-3og0IU2ayAqGgJ2VfW

Red wine has also been found to boost testosterone levels in men. According to researchers from London’s Kingston University:

…a compound in red wine, known as quercetin, partially blocked the action of an enzyme called UGT2B17, which looks for testosterone and then sends a message to the kidneys to excrete it.

The team of researchers also found the results were the same for red wine extract in supplement and food forms. Many plant-based foods such as apples, peppers, leafy greens and citrus fruits contain the same active compounds in red wine, such as quercetin.

The next time you want to enhance date night without completely ruining it, split a bottle of wine with your lover and retreat to bed. Calling it a night after a couple of glasses each will help ensure you don’t wake up the next morning feeling completely destroyed. Nice and slow is the name of the game.

https://giphy.com/gifs/campoviejouk-red-wine-3ohzdZOJ0CNxrY1PS8

Baller: 6 Of Our Favorite Joints and Blunts on Instagram

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Instagram is one of, if not the only, tolerable social media platform. There’s no constant bombardment of news and bad jokes like on Twitter, no obnoxious political arguments and baby pics like on Facebook, and no weird emojis that only teens understand like on Snapchat. So it makes sense that people would feel comfortable posting photos of themselves smoking variously sized joints and blunts. Below you’ll find our favorites:

Cross-Joint

A cross-jont is famously difficult to make (for us, at least), which is why spotting one in the wild (on Instagram) is notable. Behold below a flawless cross-joint made by a gentleman named Sir Stoned. Well done, Sir Stoned.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BP-dJs9DDq1/

Big-Ass Joint In Front Of A Big-Ass Pizza

Nothing goes together like weed and pizza, so this photo is a no brainer to include. It is, as the title above implies, a picture of an absolutely gigantic joint in front of a huge cheese pizza. We’re writing this near lunch time, so we’re extremely jealous of whoever took this photo.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BP_ZrRCByiQ/

Donut Blunt

While we doubt the blunt below is actually functional, we admire its craftsmanship. Also, once this guy does smoke, he’ll have the perfect munchies cure right there.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BP885bBgwGd/

Tattooed Model Rolling A Joint

Few things could improve the natural beauty of a well-rolled joint, but having a beautiful model pose with one certainly works.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BP_X3JmhktW/

Cake Joint

The downside, if there is one, to most joints is their plain white color. So why not give them so color? Below view a photo of a joint decorated to look like a cake.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQAxLSVloaK/

Mural of Drake Rapping Into A Mic Made Of Weed

An important piece of art for the turbulent times we live in.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQBA-w7BdPA/

More stories

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Jeff Sessions Called Out By ‘The Onion’ In The Best Way Possible

Need a chuckle for the weekend? The Onion delivers the laughs this week with a hilarious “news in brief” spoof of embattled Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his dicey standing with his boss, President Donald Trump.

Ever since Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation early in Trump’s presidency, the two have been having trouble getting along. The Onion combined this controversy with Sessions’ long record of reefer madness propaganda to deliver a hilarious takedown of the attorney general. All with tongue planted firmly in cheek.

Under the dire headline “Inconsolable Jeff Sessions Tries To Commit Suicide By Smoking Joint,” The Onion its best shot at the nation’s top cop. The short brief begins:

Following months of bruising criticism from Democrats and President Trump alike, an inconsolable Jeff Sessions was reportedly trying to commit suicide Thursday by smoking a joint. “I swore I’d never take the coward’s way out, but what choice do I have?” said a teary-eyed Sessions, carefully laying a sealed envelope containing his farewell note on a tool bench in his garage as he raised a lighter to the marijuana cigarette with trembling hands.

Accompanying the story is a doctored photo of a disconcerted Sessions about to spark up a joint in an undisclosed garage. This is not the first time the satirical “news” site has poked fun at Sessions’ antiquated position on cannabis.

Last year, in its regular man-on-the-street interview series called “American Voices,” it parodied Sessions’ suggestion to revive the D.A.R.E. program, a money-losing failure. The question and answer from a “random respondent”:

Q: Attorney General Jeff Sessions reportedly wants to revive the 1983 Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, although many studies have questioned its effectiveness. What do you think?

A: “A hip, charismatic rockstar like Jeff Sessions could be just the thing to get teens interested in anti-drug education again.”

Oregon To ‘Pause’ Acceptance of Marijuana Applications

Earlier this week, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (“OLCC”) published a news release titled “OLCC Will Pause Acceptance of Marijuana License Applications.” This “pause” takes effect Friday, June 15th. The agency’s sudden announcement was a big surprise to almost everyone, and we received a flood of emails and phone calls throughout the afternoon.

Personally, I cannot remember receiving so many urgent calls and emails related to an administrative or political development at any point in the past seven years of working with cannabis businesses. That includes industry shakeout after recent seismic events like the election of Donald Trump, the appointment of Jeff Sessions as U.S. Attorney General, and Mr. Sessions’ rescission of the Cole Memo. In all, the OLCC announcement caused a major stir.

This post will address questions along the lines of those we received yesterday afternoon, in an attempt to give some consolidated thoughts as to what is going on with Oregon marijuana licensing.

The OLCC announcement says it will “temporarily shift licensing staff to exclusively process recreational marijuana license renewals and applications…”. Does the word “applications” refer to new applications, as well as change in ownership applications? What about “applications” for changes in financial interest?

We have confirmed with OLCC that the announcement refers only to new applications. We also have confirmed that the agency will continue to accept new applications after June 15th cut-off. However, OLCC will not move those applications forward in the queue or begin to process them. The focus will shift entirely on applications submitted prior to June 15th, changes within existing licenses, and renewals.

How long is the pause?

We don’t know. And OLCC probably doesn’t even know at this point. Conceivably, it could last through the next legislative session, beginning in early 2019, when the OLCC may look to the legislature to set some parameters on new license issuances. At a minimum, it seems likely that the pause will extend into the fall, given the application backlog and given the fact that the announcement states OLCC’s intent to put “additional resources into the field for compliance activity, with a focus on targeting Oregon’s 2018 fall outdoor harvest.”

Can the pause go on indefinitely?

Probably not, unless the legislature changes something. In our discussions with OLCC over the past few years, the agency has always acknowledged that the current statutory structure prevents it from capping the number of licenses it awards. Thus, under current law, the only way OLCC can limit the amount of marijuana being produced in Oregon is through controlling canopy sizes (which it has not sought to do).

Is OLCC going to ask the legislature for further statutory controls for licensing in 2019?

It seems likely, yes.

I am closing a large real estate transaction next week! There is no way I can get a LUCS and everything else I need to apply by June 15th. Am I screwed?

You might be. If you aren’t willing to forfeit your earnest money and walk away, the best you can do is close the deal and apply for a license, and wait and hope for OLCC to re-start its conveyor belt.

Is there any chance OLCC will extend this abrupt deadline?

Anything is possible but that seems unlikely. It’s also possible that we could see a carve-out for prospective applicants who can somehow prove compelling circumstances or financial hardship due to the abrupt deadline. But that also seems unlikely, and it’s hard to know how those parameters would even be set.

Why are they really doing this?

The reasons stated in the news release are compelling. Given all of the mergers and acquisitions going on in the Oregon industry, our Portland office processes a large amount of change-in-ownership, loan clearance, and other types of transactions with OLCC. We can confirm that the process has become painstakingly slow for businesses and investors, despite OLCC’s best efforts. Applications for new businesses are also very slow. In addition, the announcement references the need to “put additional resources into compliance activity” as stated above. That’s a good idea generally, but there is doubtless some political pressure behind this objective, too.

What do we do next?

More information will be available in the coming days and weeks. So sit tight and stay tuned. Alternatively, you can always head to California. They have the opposite problem.

Vince Sliwoski is an attorney at Harris Bricken, a law firm with lawyers in Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Barcelona, and Beijing. This story was originally published on the Canna Law Blog

What Happens To Your Penis When You Take Viagra?

Erectile disfunction is something that concerns a lot of Americans, it’s rarely discussed openly, and that causes a lot of strain on relationships, and that costs a lot of money. Even though it may not be discussed in our day-to-day conversations, it’s a surprisingly common condition. More than half of men between the ages of 40 and 70 have experienced some form of erectile disfunction, and have turned to Viagra as a result.

We’ve all heard of the pill, but we don’t really know how it works.  did a study to appease our curiosity, giving the people a play by play of what happens to the body of a man after taking the pill. The results are very interesting and demonstrate that Viagra is a very powerful drug.

First 12 minutes 

The pill is super fast acting, producing erections in some men as soon as 12 minutes after taking it, although this result doesn’t translate to all men.

27 Minutes In

The average erection from users start happening around this time, half an hour after the pill is consumed. Doctors generally suggest to plan ahead and to take the pill around an hour before you’re planning on having sex but, for most cases, erections happen faster.

57 Minutes In

About an hour in is when erections hit their peak moment and are at their best, giving the pill the necessary amount of time to enter the circulatory system.

4 Hours In

It’s almost over now! This doesn’t mean that you’ll have a continuous erection for four hours, it just means that your body will still be able to have erections during this period of time.

10 Hours In

In some cases men were still feeling the effects of Viagra 10 hours after it was originally consumed. Some men were able to have erections that rivaled the ones they had two hours after consumption.

24 Hours In

It takes about a day for all remnants of the pill to disappear from your bloodstream. After this time period there are no reported boosts of sexual performance.

7 Musicians And Their Bizarre Backstage Food Demands

Brown M&Ms caused quite a stir back in 1982 when it was revealed that Van Halen wanted them banished from their dressing room candy bowl, as evidenced in their hand-written, 53-page rider. Little did we know, that was just the beginning of bizarre backstage food behavior. With even more types of food to chose from than ever before, today’s backstage food demands are even more specific and elaborate. Here are 7 examples: 

Pharrell Williams

The musician’s 2015 tour rider calls for Nilla Wafers, a bag of Goldfish (crackers, we assume), salted Kettle chips and grape jelly.  And a framed photo of Carl Sagan, for good measure. The rider also notes that Williams has “changed his diet” with a list of dinner ideas that includes “fish cooked well, preferably in a pan,” beef stew (grass-fed beef only) with carrots, sweet potatoes and yams. There’s also a long list of possible vegetarian items and a note that “most of the touring party is on the Atkins Diet.” Sounds fun.

Tenacious D

Mustard is the food focus of the band’s 2010 tour rider. The duo requires “1 Bottle of Brown Mustard (must be VERY tasty and delicious)” in their main dressing room and mustard that is “equally as tasty as the one in Band room” for the family room. Also on the list: a “large bar of dark chocolate (with highest percentage of chocolate possible),” and a large deli platter with “turkey based meats” and a cheese platter with “assorted cheddars.”

Adele

Adele’s 2011 rider not only asked for Marlboro Lights and a disposable lighter, but also an assortment of chewing gum, and a small plate of “freshly made, individually wrapped sandwiches” that “must NOT contain tomatoes, vinegar, chili or citrus fruit.” Adele also required her tour bus to be stocked with a selection of bite-size chocolate bars, including Twix, Aero, Milky Way, and Mars. And for boozing, to bottles of  the “very best quality red wine” and 12 bottles of “best quality European lager beer. “North American beer is NOT acceptable.”

Creed

An undated rider from the band requires “simpler meals or southern cooking” since the band is predominately southern. In fact, “anything prepared with tofu is a bad idea.” The band appeared to have a thing for comfort foods. “A good rule of thumb is that the more common the dish (spaghetti with meatballs, steaks, fried chicken, ) the happier the band and crew will be.” And to wash it all down with? A case of Hi-C assorted fruit juices. Surprise ending!

Brandon Flowers

According to the rider of his 2010 solo tour, The Killers frontman only allowed certain fruit preserves backstage, depending on the day of the week. Sundays and Tuesdays are reserved for strawberry, Mondays and Thursdays for apricot, and red raspberry jam on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

T.I.

In 2009, before he realized he’d soon be sustaining on prison food, the rapper demanded “steak filet mignon butterflied well.” Nine of them. Oh, and they each had to be at least nine ounces.

Foo Fighters

One-upping their 2008 rider, which earned a place is the Rider Hall of Fame for requiring a selection of unopened cereals that are not recycled “from last night’s Dio show” and vegetarian soups, since “meaty soups make roadies fart,” the band’s 2011 rider is even more absurd, if not hilarious. Depicted to look like a coloring book titled, “Foo Fighters Field Guide To Food,” the rider disses croissants, contains a catering “dont’s” word hunt, and sketches out what a proper entree (and ice cubes) should look like — all in cartoon form.

 

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