CBD Oil for Arthritis pain
Approximately 54 million adults and 300,000 children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with arthritis or some other type of rheumatic disease causing joint pain according to the Arthritis Foundation (AF).
Many more may have it, but have not been diagnosed and some experts estimate 92,000,000 people have arthritis. That number is expected to grow by 49 percent by the year 2040.
Most Common Symptoms with Arthritis
Pain, stiffness, and decreased movement within the joints, all of which can be severe and worsen over time.
In addition most patients also have anxiety and depression, which tend to get worse when you may also have conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
Treatment options
Some medications and treatment programs can potentially help ease these negative effects, but many people are searching for a more natural pain relief option. This is where CBD oil comes into play.
What is CBD Oil?
CBD is short for cannabidiol, which is found in the marijuana plant Cannabis sativa. Although CBD oil is just now becoming fairly mainstream, largely because of the debates surrounding medical marijuana, cannabis actually has a long history of providing relief in many different countries around the world. And again, because of the legality questions about marijuana, studies about the use of CBD have been limited.
How Cannabis Oil Works
According to Medical News Today, the body’s endocannabinoid system has two cannabinoid receptors: CB1 and CB2.
A majority of CB1 receptors are located in the brain and are associated with cognitive actions related to coordination, mood, thinking, memory, and appetite. The CB2 receptors, on the other hand, can be found in the immune system. This makes them more responsible for the body’s response to pain and inflammation.
Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, attaches to the CB1 receptors, which explains why smoking or otherwise ingesting marijuana affects users on a cognitive level.However, CBD impacts the CB2 receptors. And it does so indirectly, not by attaching to the CB2 receptor, but by enticing the body to make more of its own cannabinoids. This creates a positive effect on the body’s pain and inflammation responses.
CBD Oil Eases Arthritis Pain
One of the primary CBD oil benefits for arthritis sufferers is its positive effect on pain, and research confirms it.
A study published in the journal Pain in December 2017 analyzed whether CBD could prevent osteoarthritis pain and joint neuropathy. Based on their findings, researchers affirmed that it did both because it decreased joint inflammation and served as a protectant to the nerves.
Other studies have reported positive effects for individuals taking CBD to ease their fibromyalgia pain, many of whom only experienced mild side effects from this chemical compound, such as dry mouth, drowsiness, and dizziness.
CBD Oil and Anxiety
CBD oil has also been linked to a variety of mental health benefits, such as a reduction in anxiety. Research suggests that it is so effective in this regard that it has “considerable potential as a treatment for multiple anxiety disorders.”
CBD Oil for Depression
Several studies have also linked CBD to a reduction of symptoms associated with depression. This is extremely important because as the Arthritis Foundation says that the depression rates of those diagnosed with certain types of arthritis “can be between two- and ten-times greater than the rates of the general population.”
Is CBD Oil Legal?
The compound in the cannabis plant that is most well-known is THC. This is the chemical responsible for marijuana’s notorious high and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) says that it is the THC that makes marijuana illegal. So if you use CBD without THC it should potentially be legal to use.
Is CBD Oil Safe?
Patients are always concerned with additional potential and side effects. According to some top health experts and agencies, the answer is yes. It is safe to use. But it can interact with other drugs and it can make you drowsy.
How much CBD should I use?
It largely depends on how you will consume the CBD because when you inhale it, or use it in pill form you may get much less of the CBD in your system. I prefer topical application. Research published in the European Journal of Pain studied the effectiveness of this approach and found that “topical CBD application has therapeutic potential for relief of arthritis pain-related behaviours and inflammation without evident side-effects.”
*** As always, discuss with your healthcare provider before starting any new medications or supplements to ensure that there are no interactions with your current medication and treatment regimens.
Do you have pain?