Interview with Dr. Long, Lubbock Cooper Health Center
May 18, 2021
Dr. David Long has been practicing medicine in Texas for over 15 years. After working at the same medical practice with a large hospital system, Dr. Long decided to break from the system to start his own medical practice. He now carries Harvey’s All Naturals at his practice for patients looking to CBD as a natural option for multiple health conditions. We had a chance to sit down with Dr. Long to get a physician’s perspective on the benefits of using CBD.
Dr. Long, what led you to start your own practice?
I love practicing medicine for the people of Texas. Over the last 5 years, I noticed the heads of administration at the hospital systems at which I worked were changing course of outpatient clinics, moving to a more corporate model. The over 100 care providers were expected to support the hospital network, but I noticed it came at the costs of autonomy, time with patients, decision-making, etc. Eventually I decided it would be worth the risk to start my own practice and serve patients in this community.
You’re a believer in the health benefits of CBD. Why are you offering it to your patients now?
Within the 100+ care providers in the system where I previously worked, only two offered CBD in their clinics – me and one other physician (former and current Medical Directors, respectively, for the hospital system). Medical Directors oversee medical decisions (types of medication, dosage, treatment, and others). The Administration in the healthcare system wasn’t sure West Texas was ready for CBD – the assumption was that there was too much miseducation and misidentification; that patients would confuse CBD with THC.
What research did/do you rely on when studying effect/uses of CBD?
Practicing Primary care, I tend to have a very broad reading when researching ailments and remedies. I’m no expert on CBD, but as an expert on conditions such as Hypertension, Arthritis, and Heart Disease, I know the sources to go get evidence and credible research. With CBD, I’m in the same boat as everyone else currently is – relying on anecdotal evidence. But as more and more people use CBD regularly, I believe we’ll start to see more clinical studies on its effects and benefits.
How were you introduced to Harvey’s All Naturals?
I have a close friend who lives in Denver, Colorado. His daughter takes a cannabis-based product for seizures. My friend recommended Harvey’s All Naturals to me as a quality product, one that he had come to trust himself. But I still did my own research – taking a look at the third-party testing, safety profiles and recommendations from clients utilizing the product. Harvey’s had great testimonials.
For what ailments do you recommend CBD to your patients?
Many! I’ve been recommending the Elixir for Irritable bowel, bloating, diarrhea – I’ve asked my patients to give it a try, and it’s been worth it. My patients say it really helps.
At my new practice, the bulk of my patients are 32-60 years old, predominantly female. I recommend Harvey’s All Naturals to them as a way to get them off SSRIs (antidepressants) such as Zoloft, Prozac. Many just need to “turn down the volume” on anxiety and to get better sleep. They’ve told me they don’t experience the weight gain which is a common side effect of SSRIs.
As my practice is growing and starting to skew toward older patients, I plan to start recommending CBD more for osteoarthritis. I do believe it can help to naturally relieve the pain associated with monoarthropathy and other inflammatory conditions.
Also, I tell my patients (all of them!) to get better rest. Better health, having less anxiety equals lower blood pressure and less stress on the body’s systems. Anxiety, hypertension, elbow/joint pain and headaches, are often related to stress.
And finally… SLEEP!! I mean “Restorative Sleep”, the kind that really scrubs your brain at night during a full 7-8 hours. We know that a lack of quality sleep may contribute significantly to irritability, attention deficit, foggy thinking. This really is the number one I tell my patients they can do to improve their health.
What resistance do you run into from your patients? And what do you tell them?
To my surprise, I haven’t run into any resistance at all. Given that my former physicians network didn’t think Texas residents were ready to commit to a CBD regiment, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Maybe patients would still confuse CBD with the much more potent THC found in marijuana. Not the case. I’ve found that my patients have educated themselves on the difference between hemp and marijuana. In fact, some patients ask “Does it have the good stuff?” – meaning full spectrum with only trace amounts of THC.
