Health
Using CBD Oil for Pain Management: Does It Work?
by Samuel Njoroge
CBD or Cannabidiol is a type of cannabinoid (Chemical compounds found in the marijuana plant). Unlike THC and other cannabinoids, CBD does not produce a ‘high.’ With almost no day passing without new studies on the benefits of CBD oil being published, use of CBD for pain relief and other health conditions is on the rise.
CBD exists in different forms. CBD edibles, tinctures and recently CBD sprays are some of the ways that you can use to consume CBD.
What exactly is CBD oil and can I use it to manage pain? We let you know in the following section.
How CBD Works
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The human body has a biological system known as the endocannabinoid system or the ESC. This system is made of receptors that are located throughout our bodies, including the spinal cord, the brain, and the immune system.
ECS helps control vital body functions such as immune response, sleep, and pain. CBD oil affects the endocannabinoid system in a variety of ways. For instance, it inhibits the body from absorbing anandamide. Anandamide is the chemical compound responsible for regulating pain in our bodies. By inhibiting the absorption of this compound, CBD helps eliminate pain as well as inflammation.
Below are some of the benefits of CBD oil as far as pain management is concerned.
1. Crohn’s Disease
Crohn’s disease refers to an inflammatory disorder affecting the gastrointestinal tract. This condition is caused by an abnormal immune response resulting in chronic inflammation in the digestive tract.
Some of the symptoms include constipation, diarrhea, and abdominal pain
How CBD Oil Helps – CBD is an ideal treatment for Crohn’s disease since it contains anti-inflammatory properties.
According to research, CBD also boasts of excellent pain relieving properties and is also known to boost the functioning of the white blood cells.
According to a study by the National Institute of Health, CBD possesses some fantastic antibacterial properties. This property makes CBD effective in the fight against Crohn’s disease because according to research, gastrointestinal infections are more prevalent in people suffering from chronic Gl conditions.
2. Chronic Pain
This is perhaps the main reason why people have turned to medical marijuana. There are so many causes of pain in human beings. Some of them include cancer, injuries, infections, inflammations or even fibromyalgia.
How CBD Oil Helps – As already mentioned, CBD boasts of excellent pain relieving properties.
The best thing about CBD is that it doesn’t have any known serious side effects hence an ideal natural remedy for chronic pain and other severe medical conditions. For patients with respiratory-related medical conditions, CBD edibles come in handy since you don’t have to inhale the smoke.
3. Dysmenorrhea
Did you know that dysmenorrhea or excessive menstrual pain is a common medical condition affecting millions of women across the globe?
Some of the symptoms for this condition include lower abdomen pain, back pain, and even hip pain. In some severe cases, women may experience diarrhea, lightheadedness, nausea or general body pain.
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How CBD Oil Helps – As we have already mentioned, CBD has pain-relieving properties.
According to research, women who use CBD oil at least twice a day as a supplement tend to experience less pain as compared to their counterparts who use nothing or turns to other medications and pills. Remember that period cramps is something you can’t control unless of course, you are pregnant. You are not ready for that yet, are you?
The best thing about CBD oil is that it takes a short period, sometimes even less than an hour to alleviate the painful symptoms of menstrual pain.
4. Respiratory and Lung Diseases
This could be any of the following conditions; lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), flu, asthma, the common cold, and chronic bronchitis.
Some of the symptoms include chest pains, pneumonia, difficulty in breathing, and coughs. As you probably already know, smoking is not an option for people suffering from lung and respiratory disease.
This is because smoking can cause air obstruction or even introduce more harmful irritants. This is where CBD oil and edibles come in.
How CBD Oil Helps – Cannabidiol boasts of strong anti-inflammatory properties, and scientists believe that it can improve lung function especially in people suffering from acute lung injury. Trials and studies carried on marijuana suggests that CBD can be a potential treatment for inflammatory lung diseases.
According to a post by the open-access journal PLOS One, several researchers from Germany and Brazil were able to protect some mice from acute lung injury.
They did this by increasing the level of cannabinoids, 2-AG (2-Arachidonoylyglycerol). According to the study, the scientists were able to control the immune system by activating cannabinoids receptors.
Please note that your body immune cells travel via the bloodstream. This means that CBD can be used for medical purposes without having to inhale the smoke.
Although the results still need to be confirmed in human beings, the scientists believe that by targeting or dealing with the cannabinoid pathways, inflammatory lung diseases can be eliminated.
5. Musculoskeletal Pain
Muscles, joints and bone pain may be as a result of rigorous activities, muscular dystrophy, lupus, gout, arthritis, muscle spasms, and even old age!
People suffering from these conditions may experience excessive pain for several hours. The individuals may also suffer from muscle twitches, lack of sleep and fatigue.
How CBD Oil Helps – CBD may work by strengthening the bones as well as the muscles. Athletes or people who engage in rigorous activities may benefit more from consuming low-dose CBD oil. Just ingest a macaroon, CBD-infused water or a brownie!
About the Author
Samuel Njoroge is a freelance writer specializing in medical marijuana, cannabis cultivation and vaping among other topics. He understands almost every aspect of the marijuana/cannabis/vaping industry and aims to create content that provides helpful information to readers on these topics.
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