For many years people have used marijuana with the explanation that it helped ease symptoms of chronic pain, aside from being a mood enhancing and mind-altering drug. Extraordinarily little was known about how the plant worked in the body until recently, thanks to the easing of regulations and the anti-drug war that has raged in the United States since the Reagan era.
The legalization of medical marijuana in 1996 by California sparked a controversy that finally got people to investigate more thoroughly the value of the plant and how it could help millions of Americans. By 2016, other states began to follow suit and legalize medical use marijuana. It is still a highly regulated industry because it is known that the THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) in marijuana is a psychoactive ingredient.
Since the legalization of marijuana, thousands of research studies have been done regarding marijuana and THC. It’s been found that when removing THC from the oils of the plant, CBD (cannabidiol) can be separated completely from the THC. Both CBD and THC are compounds within the plant and are cannabinoids. CBD maintains much of the benefits of the marijuana, without resulting in the psychoactive high. The impact of this is tremendous for so many people who would like to have relief from pain, without experiencing the awfulness of being rendered incapable of functioning with a clear head.
When under the influence of psychoactive ingredients, such as THC, the average person cannot operate a motor vehicle, loses control of fine motor skills, and is rendered incapable of many cognitive functions. CBD, by itself, does not have any of these psychoactive effects from THC. This is a boom for the hemp industry. Hemp is the plant that CBD is extracted from, which is selectively cultivated for less amounts of THC. Hemp is not the same plant that medical marijuana strains are produced from. They are, conversely, selected for their strains of THC. Medical marijuana is the sativa cousin of the industrial hemp plant.
There is still some THC in the industrial hemp, but most of that is left behind when the CBD oil is extracted. Only a tiny .03% of the CBD oil can be THC, this is one of the few regulations that exist in the CBD industry. That isn’t enough THC to cause you to fail a drug test, nor is it enough to give you any of the psychoactive side-effects.
While this supplement cannot get you stoned, it does still retain most of the benefits that users of marijuana have been enjoying for an exceptionally long time, either legally or illegally. CBD oil has the same basic characteristics of a plant that is known to help with pain and inflammation. Most chronic conditions cause pain to the victims. This opens a wide audience to the use of CBD products.
Aside from being able to help most people on the planet in some way, hemp plants also are being researched and used as paper substitutes and textile products. Hemp fibers can be made into clothing and paper. Since hemp is far easier to reproduce than trees, it makes complete sense to cultivate this crop over chopping down our forests. Hemp may save the forests of the world and save the environment in the process.
Chronic Diseases CBD Is Proven to Help
Psoriasis
Is a chronic condition that effects people all over the world. It can cause painful itching and patches of raw, weeping skin sores. Those who suffer from severe psoriasis are often subjected to years of trying different combinations of medications and herbal products, doing anything to get some relief. CBD oil has been found to slow the spread of psoriasis. The way that psoriasis works in the body is that it moves from location to location, sometimes causing a flare on the neck and then moving to the arm. CBD oil seems to have the ability to stop this movement and slow the flare-ups. More research is needed but with more time and study, this could lead to far-reaching results for those who are afflicted with the chronic condition. For now, many are using CBD oil to help, and it can be used in a cream.
Neuropathic pain
Typically associated with chronic conditions that impact the nervous system. Some of those who may be affected include people suffering from multiple sclerosis, diabetes, lupus, and fibromyalgia. By inhibiting the messages sent between the brain, via neural pathways, pain can be lessened and sometimes completely diminished. The benefit of using CBD for the pain is that patients can use extra, whenever they feel they need more pain relief. CBD can be taken in massive doses without worry of overdosing. Side-effects of too much CBD at one time would include diarrhea and a possible headache. Simply stopping the CBD until diarrhea subsides is typically all that is necessary.
Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis
Are also improved by CBD oil. Those who suffer with these chronic conditions will tell you that they have become far less likely to leave home due to the nature of either of these issues. They are caused by inflammation in the bowels and can render sufferers in capable of leaving the area of a bathroom. CBD has proven highly effective in reduction of the inflammation that occurs in the intestines that causes rectal bleeding and sudden onset diarrhea. Those with Crohn’s Disease have found that within a few doses of CBD oil, their conditions have improved greatly.
Rheumatoid arthritis
Sufferers have reported having as much as a 60% reduction in the pain associated with their condition. RA is expensive to treat unless you have exceptionally good insurance. Some of the shots that are given to give patients the ability to move each day without living in excruciating pain can range into thousands of dollars each month.
Epilepsy, Parkinson’s Disease, and other convulsive conditions
Are also helped extremely well from CBD. People with Parkinson’s have been videotaped both before and after taking just a few drops of CBD oil. Tremors nearly stop for these patients. This is ground-breaking and life-changing for those who are afflicted with any of these conditions. Parkinson’s Disease has received a lot of attention since the actor Michael J. Fox came forward to announce that he had the disease, a chronic condition, and it sent him into retirement. He has since made a raging comeback as more research and medicine is explored that help the condition. No doubt that CBD oil will be one of the medicines that helps to ultimately cure conditions like this.
Chronic conditions
Simply don’t need to be a sentence to not being able to enjoy your life anymore. In the past, people would often become hermits and have no more social life. Some conditions are so severe that without treatment, patients are left unable to even pick-up a coffee pot. When your hands don’t work, or your clothes hurt, or your feet feel like you are standing on hot coals, life is extremely difficult. There is no joy in living when you are the victim of a chronic condition that brings you daily doses of pain.
Fibromyalgia
Sufferers had to deal with people telling them that their condition was all in their heads. It wasn’t until far more research was conducted that they were finally validated. Now they are still looking for a cure for this affliction that causes its victims to curl-up in pain, unable to even get out of bed on some days. After taking CBD oil, these people are often able to enjoy pain-free days more often. Being able to get up and dress yourself shouldn’t seem like something that is impossible, but for those who have suffered chronic, painful afflictions, they know that this happens.
How CBD Can Be Taken to Help You
Most people find that the easiest, no-nonsense way to take their CBD is by taking drops of oil. Most people who do drops will take them straight from the dropper, sublingually. When you take anything under your tongue and count five seconds off the clock, you allow it to be absorbed right into your blood stream under the tongue. Raise your tongue and look in the mirror. You’ll see veins in large quantity under your tongue. Many types of medications are designed to be taken sublingually for this reason. Additionally, you don’t have as much flavor when you take something under the tongue. Swallowing it with a bit of coffee or other drink will nearly ensure you don’t taste much of your medications.
Some people like the taste of CBD but other people find that it tastes too strong and too much like marijuana. If you would prefer not to taste the lingering flavor caused by the plant terpenes, then you may wish to seek a CBD syrup. These syrups can be flavored, such as fruit flavors or mints. These syrups are used to add flavor to cocktails, beers and other types of drinks. Many people really enjoy taking their CBD in this form. It makes the perfect addition to a cocktail. Syrups could be used in many different applications and your imagination is all that is required.
Sprays
Have been developed that allow you to use CBD directly on skin or the back of your throat. Since CBD Is an anti-inflammatory, it works well for a sore throat. If you have a sunburn or psoriasis that is acting up, using the spray on those areas is a great way for you to use your CBD oil.
Creams
With CBD incorporated into them allow users to apply the oil directly to a joint, skin lesion, or just to enjoy the benefits of the glow that comes from the high levels of vitamin D and omega fatty acids that are in CBD oil. Creams may take a bit longer to give relief as they take time to absorb into the joint, if you are using it as an arthritis cream. Experimenting with using the creams vs the oral drops might help you decide which helps you the most.
Shampoos
Have been made with infusions of CBD in them. This is fantastic for those who suffer with dandruff. Since dandruff is often an affliction which is a cousin to psoriasis, CBD oil has a rich benefit in helping clear this issue.
Vaping
Oils have been developed for those who prefer to take their CBD in the form of a vapor. Vaping pens have become all the rage and oils with CBD and other flavors have been incorporated that has a satisfying effect for those who enjoy vaping. This method is the subject of a lot of controversy at times, much like the CBD industry itself. This is only due to a lack of understanding and knowledge. Vaping is essentially harmless and the benefit of vaping directly into your lungs is that you bypass digestion and metabolism. From the lungs, the CBD is introduced directly into your bloodstream within a few minutes. It is as close to instant as any other method that exists. This could be extremely beneficial for someone who is suffering a panic attack brought on by social anxiety. There are other methods of using CBD and new ways that are being discovered daily right now. Because the production to a mass audience is relatively new, people are coming up with new ways of taking their oil constantly.
Be Wary of Claims of Miracles
Some of the producers of CBD oil products make claims that simply aren’t true. When you look at extremes, CBD oil products lay somewhere in the middle. CBD products will not cure you. You cannot, yet, cure anything by using CBD oils or other products. What you can do is relieve your symptoms and sometimes help your body to heal itself.
The websites that claim CBD as the product that will cure your cancer are simply misleading and playing on the emotions of people who have become desperate. There is a possibility that when used as a supplement, CBD may have a positive impact on reducing the free radicals that we know cause cancer. One you have cancer, CBD isn’t going to cure you of it. Not yet. There is certainly information that looks good and test results that are positive that show CBD may have a future in treating cancer. Like many natural supplements, it could play a role in creating medications or treatments in the future that could cure cancer or play an especially important role in treatment.
For now, we know that CBD helps alleviate symptoms of nausea. This has held true in placebo experiments and patients who have undergone chemotherapy for cancer report that they have less nausea when given CBD after treatments and continuing its use while doing chemotherapy. Chemotherapy has other side-effects that are sometimes painful. CBD can help with everything to do with the chemo side-effects.
CBD is an important tool in helping you enjoy a more pain and symptom-free life. CBD products can reduce inflammation which is often one of the side-effects of illness. Whether you twisted your ankle, or your fibromyalgia is flaring, CBD can help you to be able to still take part in your own life. Without something to help take the edge off pain and neuropathy, people pull themselves into cocoons that keep them from family.
For a parent with school-aged children, it’s simply not an option to choose not to be involved in the lives of your children. Being able to raise your kids and watch them as they accomplish things, like participating in choir or band, being a part of the state champion wrestling team, or being in debate club. CBD can help you get out of bed and function. CBD might even give you the ability to enjoy your life in a way that you never thought possible.
Hemp is a plant that has many uses and more to be discovered. There is every reason to have hope, but don’t expect CBD to cause you to wake-up without Parkinson’s Disease. Right now, that isn’t possible, but it can give you your life back in a thousand other ways. Being a part of your life, and not just watching it go by without you, is a miracle for many people. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t try CBD to determine if you won’t feel a huge improvement in symptoms and side-effects of your current medications or treatments.
Additionally, you won’t need a prescription or a doctor’s permission to purchase and use CBD oil. This is big positive to many who don’t have health insurance and money to spend on doctor visits. CBD can be obtained, not matter who you are or where you live. Using CBD oil isn’t extremely expensive so for many people, it is a viable option to other medications that aren’t as easy to come by if you don’t have proper health insurance. If you are on other medications, CBD may enhance your experience and overall relief. You cannot overdose on CBD oil. You won’t get stoned. What’s to lose?
Sources:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3728280/