@Parus that is beautiful is this a pumpkin flower? In my vegie garden Some plants like squash,pumpkins would get a blossom.

The gene site testing I have referred to is by one specific company. If your on Medicare Medicaid or any other kind of government insurance it is 100% covered. I believe if you have private insurance or are uninsured the fees are on a sliding scale based on your income. The Doctor Who did my cheek swab said that only the test for psychotropic meds would be covered by Medicare and that the three other tests for mood drugs ADHD drugs and pain meds would be a separate charge and that the company would contact me and tell me what that was. I never was called and I got all four tests administered and I have not seen a bill. According to one of the sliding fee scale says I had seen I was expecting I might have to pay $150 for the service. It would have been cheaper twice the price for what I learned. Just go on your computer and search under genesight dot-com. There you will find the actual name of the company and a phone number which will allow you to contact them and get any information you need. If you can't find what I'm talking about let me know with a private message and I will find the link and send it to you. Good luck and love and blessings

@lioness This is a Nasturtium bloom It is similar to some of the squash blooms. I have a small secret garden which is so full of color with varying hues of greens. It is lush!!! I only grow flowers now and appreciate how they respond to my kindness and reward me daily with their beauty. Helps my attitude too...Those of us with chronic pain do our best to remain positive. The flowers help me. Is there something that helps you?

@parus beautiful love it when you share your beautiful art/photos it really helps all of us in pain please keep it up Linda

@parus In my apt I'm growing Coleus flowers started from seed have replanted some but others are to small I'm working on a callender 2019 right now.Hopefully it will be done by then. lol

@parus

Yes, Medicare will pay for your genetic drug tests. I don't know if you have private insurance, whether or not they will pay for it. I didn't answer right away because @wsh66 answered your question much better than I could. I'm going to get the testing myself. I hope you find something to bring you relief. I'm happy to read you're use of CBD is helpful. Things are looking up for many of us with the legal use of Marijuana products and derivatives. I've been using CBD oil each afternoon or evening when I have pain, which seems to be increasing again lately. I see my doctor middle of September.

I love your photo of the nasturtium. Viewing flowers always improves my feelings. I feel joy when I see them. Nature is so inspiring. We're in the desert at our daughter's "getaway" home close to Palm Springs. Even though it's 111° here, the landscaping of the community we are in is beautiful! There are many flowering desert plants and bougainvillea that grace her yard overlooking a small manmade lake. It's also peaceful. I enjoy the dry heat here for short periods of time during the evening. We have several ducks that visit when we're outdoors. One always comes up the little hill from the lake and peaks at us while hiding behind a short wall. His little head and eye pops up and he stays while I talk to him. I love it! Then, I give all the ducks some bread crumbs. Joy in small things makes my life better.

Gail
Volunteer Mentor

@gailb What a great life! (For both you and the ducks.)

Teresa

@gailb dry heat sounds good to me right now here in Long Beach the humidity is horrible I moved here to get away from it The cbd cream helps I put it on morning and night Tomorrow I go see Dr.going to write myself a list of what I want to talk to her about Nature is awesome isn't it .

I don't want to tell you what to do but whatever legal forms of marijuana will do for you the illegal forms of marijuana will surely do a better job of it. You don't have to smoke it you can vaporize it you can eat it you can drink it period hard to get most of those products unless you live in a state where things are legal but even if you don't you can always go to the head shop and get a vaporizer and vape your pot which is a lot safer than smoking it and should they catch you they're not going to put some old sick person in jail for trying to ease their Pain by smoking a little dope. Just saying you know maybe it's bad advice from a child of the 60s. I don't use it myself but that's only because I've only got one long left and I had to sign a contract promising not to when I became a patient at the Pain Management Center. Love & blessings

It is against the Terms of Use (https://connect.mayoclinic.org/terms-of-use/) to advocate the use of anything unlawful in discussions on Connect.

As the discussion has turned to marijuana and cannabidiol (CBD), a naturally occurring cannabinoid constituent of cannabis and medical marijuana, I thought it wise to repost the following information. The articles and information below give some guidance about the evidence, regulation (or lack thereof), and legalities of CBD use in the US. It's not an exhaustive list, but a starting point to help you with your own research and decision-making.

1. Evidence vs usage
To date CBD to treat epilepsy (in children) is the only condition that has some scientific evidence supporting its use in some cases. CBD for pain, anxiety, inflammation and sleep remains as yet scientifically unproven and requires more validated research.

According to this article by NPR (https://n.pr/2HnI1SM), “By one estimate, the CBD industry has doubled in size over the last two years, and is now worth $200 million. But with this popularity the hype may have gotten ahead of the science.”

While there is promise and ongoing research into CBD effectiveness in managing pain, anxiety, inflammation and sleep, the jury is still out. Here are recent articles that help clarify.

– CBD Oil: All the Rage, But Is It Safe & Effective? (WebMD) https://wb.md/2K11QfD
– Does CBD Really Work For Anxiety? (HuffPost) https://bit.ly/2wF1VUs
– Anxiety Relief Without The High? New Studies On CBD, A Cannabis Extract (NPR) https://n.pr/2HnI1SM

2. Industry is unregulated
CBD is not regulated. “Because of the legally murky nature of marijuana, the FDA has not stepped in to regulate products like CBD oil.” States are struggling to put regulations in place. … Meanwhile, a 2017 study led by Bonn-Miller found that nearly 7 of 10 CBD products didn’t contain the amount of marijuana extract promised on the label.” Read more about regulation in this WebMD article (https://wb.md/2KCS4UW).

There are risks associated with medical marijuana CBD. See this post from a Mayo Clinic pharmacist (https://mayocl.in/2KDyip2). People should also consider interactions with other drugs and always discuss the use of CBD with their medical provider and consult with a pharmacist.

3. Concerns about attracting sellers and fraudsters
With the increasing activity related to CBD on Connect comes the unwanted attention of commercial sellers of product and fraudsters. Mayo Clinic Connect’s Terms of Use (https://connect.mayoclinic.org/terms-of-use/) prohibit “any material which … (viii) contains any information, software, or other material of a commercial nature; (ix) contains solicitations or advertisements of any kind; (x) constitutes or contains false or misleading indication of origin or statement of fact…”

Our Moderating team keeps a watchful eye for people with commercial interests posing as members on Connect. If you see posts that contravene the Terms of Use, please report them. Here's how: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/page/about-connect/tab/moderators/

4. Is it legal?
It has often been stated or asked about the legality of CBD in all 50 states. According to this article in Forbes “CBD is not legal in all 50 states (https://bit.ly/2KFY2nV) — even though it is widely available. At best, the law is murky and open to differing interpretations.” Canada is changing its laws for both medical and recreational marijuana use. It's important to know the law in your jurisdiction.

– Is CBD Legal? The Legal Status of CBD in 2018 (Medium) https://bit.ly/2EEuwYB
– The legal status of cannabis (marijuana) and cannabidiol (CBD) under U.S. law (Elsevier 2017) https://bit.ly/2tk68Zu
– State Medical Marijuana Laws (2018) https://bit.ly/1udxSs4

5. Information from Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic provides the following information on medical marijuana https://mayocl.in/2KyrGvp

6. Get informed
Information about the use, efficacy and legality of CBD and medical marijuana is constantly being updated. Do your research. It is advisable to talk with a health care professional if you have questions.