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CBD And Inflammation: Can it Help?
People are becoming more inflamed in modern Western life through poor nutrition, environmental toxins, and sedentary lives. In addition, as technology has evolved, we are becoming lazier, using more harmful chemicals and eating quick and easy processed foods, which tend to be more pro-inflammatory.
However, if you want to reduce inflammation, is medicinal cannabis or CBD a viable option? There is sufficient evidence to suggest CBD can reduce chronic pain and inflammation, but to what extent?
Please continue our article to find out how CBD can reduce inflammation, the risks, the best products, and more.
What Is Inflammation?
Cannabinoids are the compounds that you can find in the Cannabis Sativa plant. There are two primary cannabinoids in the Cannabis Sativa plant: CBD and THC.
Cannabidiol (CBD) accounts for roughly 40% of the Cannabis Sativa plant’s extract. CBD has many health benefits and anti-inflammatory properties, so doctors often prescribe it for various medical issues like pain relief, anxiety disorders and more.
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has very different properties from CBD. It is a psychoactive compound in the cannabis plant, making you feel euphoric and providing a high effect.
What Are Cannabinoids?
Cannabinoids are the compounds that you can find in the Cannabis Sativa plant. There are two primary cannabinoids in the Cannabis Sativa plant: CBD and THC.
Cannabidiol (CBD) accounts for roughly 40% of the Cannabis Sativa plant’s extract. CBD has many health benefits and anti-inflammatory properties, so doctors often prescribe it for various medical issues like pain relief, anxiety disorders and more.
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has very different properties from CBD. It is a psychoactive compound in the cannabis plant, making you feel euphoric and providing a high effect.
How Does Cannabis/CBD Oil Help Inflammation
CBD Oil Reduces Chronic Pain
There are several cannabinoid experimental models of autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, colitis, diabetes and hepatitis. They protect the host from pathogenesis through the induction of multiple anti-inflammatory pathways.
CBD is excellent for treating chronic pain. Here are some examples of chronic pain that CBD and medical cannabis can help.
- Arthritis Pain: Arthritis inflames the joints, causing significant joint pain. CBD oil can reduce pain and stiffness and has very few side effects. However, CBD for arthritis requires more research; there is little evidence of the full extent of its benefits at this stage.
- Neuropathic Pain: Neuropathic pain stems from numerous neurological disorders (multiple sclerosis, herniated discs, etc.) CBD can help with neuropathic pain by numbing your pain receptors.
- Nerve Pain: You can suffer from nerve pain from MS; MS can cause severe nerve damage. CBD oil can reduce the likelihood of MS muscle spasms and reduce pain.
CBD/Cannabis Reduces Digestive Problems
CBD/cannabis can reduce various inflammatory digestive problems. Some of the digestive issues CBD oil can combat include:
- A leaky gut.
- IBS.
- Colitis
Cannabis and CBD can help with these digestive problems with their host of anti-inflammatory and relaxing properties.
Are There Any Risks Of Taking Cannabis/CBD For Pain And Inflammation?
There are very few side effects when using CBD/ medical cannabis for pain and inflammation, and they occur rarely. However, if you take CBD products with a high dosage of CBD and take it very often, you are more likely to experience side effects. Therefore, It’s best to ask your doctor if any side effects will occur, and if so, ask if a smaller dose is possible.
Some of the possible side effects you can get for taking CBD for pain and inflammation include lessening your appetite (this can result in you losing weight), drowsiness, allergic reactions in some patients and diarrhea.
Other than the side effects, the other significant risk of taking CBD for pain and inflammation is it can interfere with other prescription medications you take. So before prescribing you CBD, your doctor has to have a conversation with you about whether CBD will interfere with any other medication you take and how it will interfere with it.
There are multiple prescription medications that CBD can potentially interfere with, such as seizure medication, blood thinners, valproate (can often end in permanent liver damage if you take it with CBD), and more.
What Are The Best CBD Products For Inflammation?
There are multiple forms and types of CBD to consider for inflammation treatment and pain management. Therefore, it’s best to discuss the various types and forms available with your doctor to decide on the best one for you.
What Is The Best Type Of CBD For Inflammation?
When it comes to CBD inflammation and pain relief, There are three primary types that you can use. They contain varying amounts of compounds from the cannabis plant.
Full Spectrum CBD is primarily CBD but does contain a small amount of THC. However, it still has THC; most of the time, it’s less than 3% THC concentration. Full-spectrum CBD oil provides you with the psychoactive properties of THC. So if you like the high effect, full-spectrum CBD is worth considering.
The second type of CBD oil is broad-spectrum CBD oil. Broad-spectrum CBD oil shares lots of similarities with full-spectrum CBD oil, with the main difference being that there is slightly less THC. So if you still want the THC effect but find full-spectrum CBD oil too strong and potent, broad-spectrum CBD oil is an excellent alternative.
However, if you don’t want any psychoactive effects and only want the anti-inflammatory properties of CBD, CBD Isolate is the best option. CBD Isolate contains no THC; it’s a pure CBD product. CBD Isolate can be more expensive because CBD manufacturers need to extract all other compounds from the cannabis plant to create it.
Considering that it solely focuses on anti-inflammation and pain relief, CBD isolate is the best option
Which Form Of CBD is Best For Inflammation?
Choosing a form of CBD for reducing inflammation and treating pain can be a daunting task because there are numerous forms available. Some of the most popular forms include:
- The most popular CBD form is CBD oil because it covers your entire system to combat inflammation. However, the process of taking it can be time-consuming, so CBD oral spray is a fantastic alternative.
- There are also edible CBD products, such as tablets, gummies and more. Like CBD oral spray, these are a great alternative to CBD oil. CBD gummies may be harder to come by in New Zealand; your doctor can import them from an overseas location.
- Topical CBD products are excellent for targeting a specific pain in the body. You can apply them directly to the centre of your pain, so they target it directly. There are multiple topical CBD products, including creams, ointments, gels, patches, and more.
For inflammatory pain, topical CBD products are the best option because they target the pain directly. However, you can use all forms of CBD for inflammation treatment.
If you want nonprescription CBD products, you can’t legally obtain them in New Zealand, whether on a shop shelf or an online store. However, you can get certain approved nonprescription CBD products by sending a request to the NZ Ministry of Health.
Conclusion: Cannabis/CBD And Inflammation: Can They Help?
Overall, medicinal cannabis/CBD oil can help reduce inflammation by relaxing and numbing effects. Therefore, you can use it to combat many inflammatory pains, such as arthritis, cancer, MS and more. However, despite the promising results, there still needs to be more research on CBD for inflammation treatment and pain management.
CBD Isolate is the most effective type of CBD to use for inflammation, but if you want to feel some of the psychoactive effects, full-spectrum CBD and broad-spectrum CBD also work. There are numerous forms of CBD available, but topical CBD products are the best form for pain and inflammation treatment because they target inflammatory pain directly.
While there are a small number of side effects of CBD for inflammation, they aren’t very common and only fortunately only minor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Use CBD Oil For Inflammation?
Yes, CBD oil effectively lowers the inflammatory pain from numerous conditions. It can target the chronic pain you get from arthritis, cancer, and more.
The calming and numbing effect of CBD on your cannabinoid receptors make it great for pain management.
However, despite its effectiveness, more research on CBD for inflammation would be beneficial because it would provide more valuable insight into the full extent of its effects.
How Long Do I Have To Wait For CBD Oil To Help With Inflammation?
The amount of time it takes for you to start noticing CBD’s anti-inflammatory properties entirely depends on what CBD form you use. For example, you generally start to feel the short-term effects of CBD oil after roughly thirty minutes.
For the long-term effects, you will have to wait at least a week before you start noticing them.
Is Hemp Seed Oil Better For Inflammation Than CBD Oil?
Hemp seed oil (from the hemp plant) provides numerous excellent health benefits but is not as effective for treating inflammation as CBD oil. However, hemp seed oil can help your overall health, so it is worth taking alongside CBD oil. However, we wouldn’t recommend solely using hemp seed oil for inflammation.
Is There Evidence That Transdermal Cannabidiol Reduces Inflammation?
In a 2016 study, transdermal cannabidiol’s anti-inflammatory properties reduced inflammation in a rat model with arthritis. There was a reduction in the swelling of joints and general pain.
However, this is only one test, but it provides enough evidence to suggest that further tests will continue to deliver positive results.
Can You Find CBD In Dietary Supplements In New Zealand?
While there are CBD dietary supplements available (these can help with inflammation and pain), there aren’t many readily available in New Zealand. You can find out how to get hold of CBD oil here.
Any nonprescription CBD dietary supplement in New Zealand is currently illegal; you must go through a doctor to get one.
Dr Ron Goedeke, specialises in alternative and functional medicine. He is a foundation member of the New Zealand college of Appearance medicine and has been a member of the American Academy of Anti-aging medicine since 1999. With over 20 years of experience in the anti-aging field, Dr Ron Goedeke is recognized as one of New Zealand’s leaders in this new and growing field of medicine.
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