How Exactly Does CBD Affect Pain in Your Body?
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Author: Jason Beverly
Using CBD for various benefits has become popular these days. Perhaps you have friends who resort to cannabis for potential health benefits, or someone recommended trying cannabidiol. But is this cannabinoid capable of helping with pain, and how it interacts with the human body?
In this article, we will try to explain how cannabidiol works and discuss its potential effectiveness for different types of pain. Here is what you should know about this component and its capability to provide relief!
How CBD Interacts with Your Body
The working process of CBD for pain relies on interacting with the endocannabinoid system (ECS). Although we know a lot about the human body, scientists only discovered ECS several decades ago. Even today, it’s not sure how different components interact with it.
However, you can find many studies that mention how this system can affect sleep, appetite, memory, mood, and other processes in the human organism.
These are the main components of the endocannabinoid system:
- Receptors – they are in charge of interacting with the components ingested from cannabidiol.
- Enzymes – these compounds have the task of breaking down endocannabinoids.
- Endocannabinoids – these are substances that contribute to everything running smoothly in the organism.
While there is an important difference between CBD and THC, they are both cannabinoids. These are active ingredients that enzymes break down to communicate with the receptors in the ECS.
The system has two receptor types – CB1 and CB2. According to scientists, cannabidiol interacts with the receptors and is capable of altering how they function. While it doesn’t cause psychoactive effects, that is how cannabidiol manages to affect painful sensations in the human body.
What Does the Science Say?
If you are dealing with chronic pain, over-the-counter drugs might not be able to help. You will probably develop resistance after a while, which will limit the NSAID’s effectiveness.
According to a detailed review, cannabidiol is capable of assisting in providing chronic pain relief. The critical thing to note is that the type is irrelevant for cannabidiol. It can be equally effective for everything from fibromyalgia to neuropathic and cancer-related painful sensations.
Another vital thing to note is that the best CBD oil for pain doesn’t get you high. Since it doesn’t have psychoactive effects, you don’t have to worry about this side effect. As for other potential drawbacks, cannabidiol is generally safe, especially if used in recommended amounts.
Can CBD Help with Arthritis?
The Endocannabinoid system is a relatively new discovery, which is why there aren’t many cannabinoid-related studies. The research conducted mostly focuses on animals, but the results are encouraging.
A study from 2016 speaks about using cannabidiol from marijuana for pain treatment in rats dealing with arthritis. The authors indicate they administered this cannabinoid for four days, and the animals were divided into groups treated with different doses of cannabidiol.
According to the results, it took at least 6mg per day to deliver a satisfying outcome for reducing swelling and painful sensations. It is interesting to note that animals who received 60mg daily experienced similar pain relief to those who took only 6mg. That indicates it is not about using a high amount of CBD, but finding the right amount for an individual.
Is CBD Effective for Migraines?
A study conducted in 2017 focused on the effectiveness of cannabinoids working together to provide cannabis pain relief when dealing with migraines. The result showed that the right combination of these substances could assist in reducing the hurting intensity.
CBD might also be helpful to counteract the side effects of cancer treatments. Painful sensations are only one of those drawbacks, and a lack of appetite and vomiting might also appear. Multiple users reported that the substance is capable of reducing the negative effects of chemotherapy. It is possible to use it combined with opioids for additional benefits.
Tips to Optimizing CBD Effectiveness
Here are several pointers to use if you are trying this compound l for the first time:
- Find the right product – the general rule is that you can use a CBD pain cream for joint and muscle injuries. However, for migraines and other chronic problems, you should resort to capsules or oil.
- Identify the right dose – the dose will depend on your weight and how your body reacts to the substance. You should consider starting with about 15-20 milligrams daily. If you don’t experience the desired effects after several days, increase the dose slowly. Using too much cannabidiol might make you drowsy and sleepy, so be careful when adjusting the dosage. The best way to ensure you picked right is to use a dosage calculator.
- The importance of using it regularly – you can’t expect to take the substance once and experience maximum benefits. It is all about creating a routine of taking this product.
Ultimately, scientists and users agree that cannabidiol can provide relief regardless of the pain type you are experiencing. It interacts with the endocannabinoid system and is capable of reducing its severity.
There are a lot of advantages of using CBD. For me it works as an excellent pain killer. I want to try CBD oil because I have heard a lot of good reviews about it