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CBD, also known as Cannabidiol, is a naturally occurring chemical compound found in cannabis. Cannabis is a group of plants, with the two most widely known being hemp and marijuana. CBD is one of many “cannabinoid” compounds found in cannabis plants. Unlike the THC, another well known compound from cannabis, CBD does not make you feel high.
The lack of psychoactive properties has made CBD an increasingly popular method of treating a variety of health conditions. It is especially popular among people who suffer from different chronic pain conditions to help relieve their symptoms.
But there is some concern that it is overhyped, and that it doesn’t help with pain that much. So does CBD actually help with chronic pain?
How CBD Works
The short answer is: yes, CBD can help relieve pain — including for chronic pain disorders like fibromyalgia. There are two main ways that CBD helps treat the sensations of pain.
First, it interacts with the endocannabinoid system (ECS). ECS is a cell-signalling system in your brain that has been found to regulate things like sleep, mood, appetite, and pain. The receptors for ECS are found within your nervous system, and CBD interacts with these receptors. More specifically, it interacts in a way that both dampens the sensation of pain you feel.
The second way CBD helps treat pain is by reducing inflammation, which is a common issue in most pain disorders. The combination of the two makes CBD a highly effective method of reducing feelings of pain for most chronic conditions. The effectiveness is partly why things like the Joy Organics Wholesale CBD Program have been so successful.
CBD mostly comes in the form of the raw oil that is extracted and refined from the cannabis plant. However, you can also get it in topicals, edibles, teas, bath salts, transdermal pain relief patches, and more.
Here are more details about how CBD has been found to help with different chronic pain conditions.
Chronic Pain
Back in 2018, a review was released that examined how effective CBD was in relieving pain for people with conditions like fibromyalgia and neuropathic pain disorders. The review cited numerous studies and research involving CBD and pain relief. The review concluded that CBD was an effective third-line treatment for pain management and had no negative side effects.
A third-line treatment with no side effects means that CBD is effective as a supplement to more rigorous medical treatments and medication. It provides additional relief without hampering the effectiveness of other pain relief methods.
Arthritis
Arthritis is a chronic condition that is caused by inflammation in affected joints, which puts pressure on and causes pain and stiffness. There are many kinds of arthritis, and as a chronic condition it mostly affects the elderly but can be found in children and adults.
A study released in 2016 tested if CBD could help relieve arthritis pain in lab rats. They applied CBD gel to the rats with arthritis in a variety of doses. They found after four days with moderate doses that the rats had reduced inflammation in their affected joints. There are still ongoing studies to show how well CBD can reduce pain in humans, but early results are promising.
CBD has also been used to treat pain caused by different kinds of cancer, as well as conditions such as migraines. There is an increased interest in more studies to discover the exact list of benefits of CBD for pain relief, as well as to fully understand how it works. If you have a chronic pain condition you should speak with your doctor about trying CBD as a third-tier treatment option.