More and more people in the world of health and wellness are turning to CBD for its incredible anti-inflammatory benefits. As time goes on and society starts to become more accepting of marijuana and its incredible therapeutic effects, we are bound to see an increase in the number of patients that turn to CBD for treatment.
Something terribly shocking to note is that the United States has one of the worst healthcare systems in the world when it comes to value for money. The country is suffering an epidemic of chronic inflammation & chronic inflammatory disease, and despite having access to some of the best health care technology in the world, the problem is only getting worse. The reasons for this are vast but the continuing changes to the food supply, diets and lifestyles are not helping the issue of chronic inflammation.
Inflammation has been found to be an underlying cause in many conditions, such as arthritis, Alzheimer's, heart disease, asthma, depression, and even hay fever, and as such, it should not be taken lightly. This news has unsurprisingly brought about a variety of self-proclaimed remedies including; diets, herbs, exercise regimes, and supplements that have flooded the market and promise to fight inflammation and improve overall health.
However, it’s so much easier to get our hands on the most accessible prescription medication to ease our pain, rather than attempting to correct our poor diets. While it’s convenient to assume that traditional medication will give us the results that we are looking for, scientists caution that inflammation is still a mystery. And let’s be honest, in most cases, excessive drugs only make the problem worse. Sadly, marijuana is still considered a schedule 1 drug, and as such isn’t being taken seriously for its health benefits, even though cannabinoids like CBD have been proven to have incredible therapeutic effects. Let’s take a closer look and CBD and how it can help with inflammation.
What is Inflammation?
Believe it or not, inflammation is a vital part of the human immune system. You can think of it as more of a warning sign than a disease itself. When harmful bacteria or viruses enter the body, like when you fall and scrape your knee, the body’s defense system will kick into high gear. Natural chemicals then ramp up the body to fight, bathing the damaged area in fluid, blood, and proteins, which results in swelling and heat that protect the damaged tissue. In other words, inflammation is essentially a generic response to a threat to your health.
The interesting thing is that it’s the bad habits of most people that cause inflammation, to begin with. You could say that the only reason that inflammation is a bad thing is because of bad habits like poor diet, excess stress, micronutrient deficiencies, and even the constant exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals, such as those found in smog, plastics, and in the air. Symptoms of inflammation include swelling, pain, redness, soreness, heat, and much more.
Knowing now what we have discussed above, it’s no surprise that inflammation is such a common thing these days. We are quite literally enabling this to happen to ourselves. But all is not doom and gloom. Fortunately, we have CBD to rely on to help us fight this often painful condition.
How CBD Combats Inflammation
CBD is a popular cannabinoid that can be found in the cannabis plant. It’s known for its phenomenal health benefits and healing powers. Inflammation is just one of the many conditions that CBD has been known to treat. Studies seem to suggest that CBD interacts with the receptors in the brain and the immune system.
There are two main receptors that can be found in the nervous system and these are known as the CB1 and CB2. These receptors are the point of interaction for cannabinoids that come into your body and form part of the endocannabinoid system (ECS). CB1 receptors which control perception, mood, memory, appetite and sleep are more affected by THC, while CB2 receptors affect the immune system. CBD interacts with CB2 receptors, and because inflammation is an immune response, the heightened activity of CB2 receptors leads to a major impact.
A study done on approximately 9,000 people looked at the comparison between the inflammation levels of weed smokers and those who had never smoked weed. The results of the study very clearly indicated that cannabis users had lower levels of inflammation. Also important to note is that weed seems to lower the levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), which is an inflammation marker and often linked to an increase in heart disease.
According to a study done at the Imperial College London, CBD is effective in reducing inflammation in mice by 50% at the right dosage and can also fight against type 1 diabetes. Also, research done by G.W.Pharmaceuticals showed that CBD could treat rheumatoid arthritis symptoms, as well as diabetes, bowel disorders, and nausea.
One of the main factors that make CBD a desirable treatment for many is that it has no adverse effects. It doesn’t even have any psychoactive effects, which is what most people worry about when they think of weed. In fact, when compared to the usual drugs like Aspirin, Ibuprofen, and Oxaprozin which often cause minor side effects like vomiting and diarrhea, but could also cause more serious problems like kidney, and liver failure, it would seem a no-brainer, to choose CBD, which has none of the above side effects.
Further CBD & Inflammation Research
Researchers at the University of Naples conducted a study in 2011 on how CBD could be used to treat gastrointestinal inflammation on mice, and also looked into cultured human biopsies from individuals with ulcerative colitis. To no surprise, researchers found that CBD did a phenomenal job of counteracting inflammation in both cases.
In 2016, a study was done at the University of Kentucky which analyzed the effects that CBD had on arthritis-related inflammation. The study was done on rats that were induced with the condition. The rats were then given CBD gels for four consecutive days after, and again, much to no surprise, the CBD was found to reduce both swelling and pain. The kicker was that the rats didn’t experience any side-effects from the CBD.
A major issue surrounding inflammation is the pain that it causes. For years, scientists have been linking chronic pain to an overactive inflammatory response in multiple diseases and illnesses. A study done in 2012 found that CBD could suppress chronic inflammatory and neuropathic pain. Possibly the most appealing part of this study to many was that CBD-users did not gain a tolerance to the substance, in other words, there is no fear of addiction. This is quite the contrast to opioids, which people can easily become addicted to, and work in such a way that users would need more an more of the drug to get the same effect as before. This is because the body builds a tolerance to opioids.
Final Thoughts on CBD and Inflammation
It’s very exciting to live in a time when cannabis and its multiple cannabinoids seem to be on the road to being more accepted by society. Dozens of studies have been done to date, all of which show CBD to be an effective treatment against inflammation. The best part is that it’s non-intoxicating and has no adverse side-effects. The skeptics cannot argue with what science has proven.
Having said this, it’s also important to remember that CBD is not a quick-fix solution. We need to start taking better care of our bodies and changing our lifestyles for the healthier. This means less tobacco, stress, junk food, alcohol, and exposure to toxins. Always think about your health and look after your body because it’s your temple.
SOURCE
https://cbdoilsandedibles.com/cbd-for-inflammation/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22163000
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26517407
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22585736#
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