Written by If you are afflicted by chronic arthritis pain, you may be considering an adjunct therapy that has no adverse effects and is not addictive. CBD (cannabidiol) is gaining in demand as an alternative therapy for pain management and combating inflammation, which is also a causative factor in pain. This healing plant compound can combat all types of pain, be it neuropathic, joint pain, arthritis, or nociceptive pain. CBD, together with delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and different chemicals, is present in cannabis. But in contrast to THC, CBD is not “psychoactive” – it does not induce the high or intoxication connected with cannabis use.
There’s a great chance you’ve attempted it already: as per a Gallup poll in August 2019, nearly 14% of Americans mention utilizing CBD products, and the primary reason is pain. The Arthritis Foundation performed its own poll and discovered that 29% informed current utilization of CBD (mainly in topical or liquid form), and almost 80% of respondents were either employing it, had employed it previously, or were thinking about it. Of those utilizing it, the most informed improvement in sleep, physical function, and wellness; notably, a minority informed improvement in stiffness or pain.
Maybe you’ve been tempted to attempt it. Ultimately, most kinds of arthritis are not healed by other treatments, and CBD is regarded as a less addictive alternative than opiates.
Arthritis patients undergo chronic pain which can get debilitating if it goes unattended. While no cure exists for arthritis pain, initial studies have displayed that CBD can potentially assist in some of the anxiety, discomfort, and inflammation linked to the condition.
CBD is a popular cannabinoid occurring in the cannabis plant. Cannabis is an amazingly unique and complex plant, replete with compounds that provide its distinctive effects, smell, and taste. Compounds comprise cannabinoids like THC and CBD, flavonoids, terpenes, lipids, and different plant compounds. CBD is common and extensively hailed for its well-tolerated nature and its extensive range of therapeutic effects that can help our mental and physical well-being.
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An Overview Of Arthritis
Arthritis is a popular condition that affects persons of all ages and causes joint pain and inflammation. The individual symptoms experienced will rest on the kind of arthritis. Nonetheless, they usually include tenderness, joint pain, stiffness, weakness, high levels of inflammation, and limited movement around the joint. Two of the most popular kinds of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. While there is presently no cure for arthritis, treatments comprising physiotherapy, surgery, and medication have been effective in delaying arthritis for numerous patients.
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CBD And Arthritis
CBD has already been used to relieve and aid multiple health conditions, including nausea, anxiety and depression, insomnia, and chronic pain. Arthritis comes under the category of chronic pain conditions. While studies are yet in their infancy, the results are encouraging.
Traditional medication for arthritis differs, but generally includes a combination of various options:
- Painkillers to decrease pain.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to lower inflammation.
- Corticosteroids decrease inflammation and restrict the immune system.
- Counterirritants to thwart the transmission of pain signals.
- Biologic response modifiers target different proteins concerned with immune response.
- Disease-altering antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) restrain your immune system from invading the joint.
Whereas these medications are successful, safety from longstanding use is frequently questioned. Continuous use of these drugs has been displayed to harm the arthritis patient’s liver, heart, kidneys, and stomach. When doses are excessively high or taken for an extended period, this can also lead to liver damage in a few cases.
More patients are getting aware of optional treatment methods such as physical therapy or lifestyle changes. Additionally, natural medication options like CBD have grown in popularity as an alternative with fewer adverse side effects.
CBD can reduce pain and inflammation through its interaction with the endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS comprises a complex, cell-signaling system accountable for regulating body processes, including our metabolism, mood, pain output, and energy levels. The ECS includes cannabinoid receptors, endocannabinoids, and receptor proteins. Cannabinoids such as CBD can interact with receptors in our nervous system and brain and induce the uptake of specific compounds and hormones.
CBD can affect how our brain feels pain and elevates the serotonin level by interacting with serotonin receptors. This generates feelings of relaxation in our body and brain, which can aid lower the intensity of arthritis side effects.
Cannabinoids can also obstruct specific receptors that affect pain and inflammation within the body. Particularly, CBD can obstruct receptors that permit levels of anandamide, an endocannabinoid, to rise in the body. This influences the way receptors react to signals that they receive, lowering both pain and inflammation.
Studies On CBD And Arthritis
The association between CBD and general health conditions like chronic pain has long remained a topic of interest. Researchers have started to diversify to like conditions such as arthritis, particularly, rheumatoid arthritis. This inflammatory and autoimmune disease induces the immune system to invade healthy cells, generally leading to one of the various joints being attacked.
One of the initial trials that examined the effectiveness of cannabis-related medication to treat rheumatoid arthritis included patients who utilized Sativex, a spray-carrying cannabis extract, over 5 weeks. Participants discovered the drug was successful in lowering pain and inflammation also leading to improved sleep quality. Any mentioned side effects were mild and did not impact the patient’s life quality.
Another study comprising rats considered the topical use of CBD gels for inflammation and joint pain. Researchers discovered that the transdermal assimilation from the CBD was adequate enough to decrease joint swelling and lower pro-inflammatory biomarkers. They accepted that topical CBD use has powerful therapeutic potential for relief from arthritis and inflammation-based conditions without severe adverse side effects.
While preliminary research is extremely promising, further long-term and big-scale studies concerning human participants are still needed for researchers to understand the effects of CBD on arthritis symptoms completely.
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CBD As A Preventive Treatment
Arthritis is awesomely popular and affects persons from all walks of life. With the growth in the occurrence of different kinds of arthritis, considerable attention has been accorded to stopping this disease.
The causes of arthritis are complex and can arise from multiple risk factors that deliver a compounding effect. These comprise:
Your genes and family history. This makes you more prone to environmental factors, and due to this, you may be more probable to acquire arthritis if a close family member has the disorder.
- Your age. Risk factors usually grow with age.
- Your gender will influence what kind of arthritis you acquire. For instance, women are more probable to contract rheumatoid arthritis
- An earlier joint injury can raise the possibility of that joint developing arthritis.
- Being obese and bearing extra weight can stress joints, primarily your hips, knees, and spine.
While patients cannot regulate most of these risk factors, one that can be tracked is obesity. It is well known that obesity is highly affected by lifestyle choices like exercise, diet, sleep, and also stress levels. This implies including a well-balanced and healthy diet with plenty of vegetables and fresh fruits, raising the frequency of exercise, obtaining good quality sleep, and practicing mindfulness.
CBD can aid to lower stress and enhancing your quality of sleep through its interaction with the ECS. When it interacts with cannabinoid and serotonin receptors in your nervous system and brain, it can better your mood, support relaxation, and decrease feelings of anxiety.
CBD As A Treatment For Side Effects Of Arthritis
Arthritis is a complicated autoimmune disease that can make your body attack joints, and with time, it destroys cartilage and bone which causes the loss of stability and joint function. While symptoms of arthritis can differ, based on the individual and how serious the disease advancement is, some popular side effects are frequently felt all-inclusive.
Chronic Pain
Chronic pain can occur from an illness or injury like arthritis and is categorized as elevated levels of pain that endure over some months and remain continual even after complete recovery. While the degree of chronic pain can differ, based on the individual, it can be serious and drastically impact the arthritis patient’s life quality.
Pain is among the most mentioned side effects of arthritis, and though painkillers can manage it, the side effects of these medications above what is already taken to heal arthritis can be harmful to the patient’s health long-term. Due to this, more persons are seeking natural and mild pain-relief alternatives, like CBD. CBD oil stays a common choice for numerous patients as studies have displayed its effectiveness in lowering the severity of chronic pain output.
A 2017 review examined CBD use for normal chronic pain and summarised the major findings from different studies. After analyzing the outcomes of dozens of reviews and trials, researchers confirmed that ample evidence hinted at cannabis being an ideal treatment alternative for adults who felt chronic pain.
Another study upheld these findings, with researchers noticing that CBD and different cannabinoids could provide a new and successful treatment alternative for chronic pain patients by decreasing pain and inflammation. They also affirmed that patients were unlikely to develop a tolerance to the powerful effects of CBD, which was advantageous, as this implied the dosage did not require to be raised over time.
CBD is a common cannabinoid, but it doesn’t produce euphoric “high” and psychoactive effects such as THC, another cannabinoid discovered in cannabis. Researchers in a 2015 study indicated that when CBD acted in combination with different cannabinoids, it can affect receptor systems within the ECS and our body. Anandamide comprises a compound that has been connected with decreasing pain perception and enhancing mood in individuals, and CBD can elevate the anandamide levels in our body.
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Inflammation And Swelling
Another popularly exhibited side effect of arthritis comprises joint widespread inflammation and joint swelling. Most but not whole kinds of arthritis are the outcome of inflammation from the immune system. In a healthy person, the body creates white blood cells and compounds to secure from infection. Nonetheless, in inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, the immune system will activate a response that leads to damage to its own tissues.
Cannabinoids such as CBD have been noticed to restrict inflammatory responses, which can lower arthritis symptoms. Cannabinoids have powerful properties that control pathways concerning the suppression of cytokines in inflammatory sites and triggering apoptosis within immune cells. Consequently, researchers hold CBD could be a helpful preventative treatment for diseases that comprise chronic inflammation within the body, such as arthritis. Nevertheless, further research is still needed.
Joint pain felt by the arthritis patient can also aggravate inflammation levels as inflammation and pain have a close association and frequently walk conjointly in several diseases. Inflammation can be acute or chronic. Arthritis patients have chronic inflammation on account of an extended inflammatory response which can raise oxidative stress, directly influencing tissues and healthy organs.
Decreased Appetite
Another popular side effect of arthritis is decreased appetite or weight loss on account of the stiffness and extreme pain that can directly impact the patient’s mood, quality of life, metabolism, and affinity for eating or food. A few arthritis medications can also impact appetite, leading to unintentional loss of weight.
A 2016 study discovered that the medication leflunomide, popularly advised to patients with rheumatoid arthritis, was connected with weight loss. This is because leflunomide can cause diarrhea, nausea, and modifications in bowel habits, the whole of which can affect weight management.
Long-term loss of appetite can adversely impact the patient, as this could result in inadequate nutrient consumption and fatigue due to intense muscle loss. The majority of studies that research the association between CBD and appetite have displayed variable data, with a few displaying weight gain and others displaying clear weight loss. Despite incomplete research, researchers deduce CBD has a potent effect on appetite and hunger.
Another study examined the connection between CBD and nausea and discovered notable results. Research from 2011 indicates CBD and its interaction with the endocannabinoid system results in the regulation and decrease of nausea and vomiting in both humans and animals.
As a popular cause of arthritis can be too much obesity or weight, a decreased appetite or weight loss can prove helpful in improving their health and lessening their symptoms. Nonetheless, for patients at a healthy weight or who are already underweight, unexpected weight loss and a reduced appetite can be injurious to their health.
Moreover, animal studies have displayed that CBD may influence other systems involved in regulating pain and inflammation, like TRPV, adenosine receptors, PPARγ, and the (NF)-κB pathway.
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How To Use CBD To Handle Arthritis Pain
There are several ways to utilize CBD for arthritis pain. Practically speaking, you can take CBD internally, which will impart body-wide effects, or utilize it externally, which will just work in the region where it’s applied and is ideally suited for arthritis pain. You’ll also require to figure out the correct CBD dosage for yourself.
Using CBD Internally (CBD Oil, Edibles, Capsules, And Vaping)
The most popular method of employing CBD is sublingual – placing drops of CBD oil below your tongue. This method sidesteps the digestive tract by avoiding liver degradation and stomach acid, which hugely improves the blood levels and the effectiveness of CBD.
It also generates systemic effects, which is particularly essential for rheumatoid and different inflammatory kinds of arthritis. If you could only select one product for arthritis, CBD oil is certainly recommended.
You can also utilize CBD edibles, capsules, and different oral products, but they’re not as successful as the sublingual route because they have reduced oral bioavailability, which implies that only a little percentage of the CBD you consume in this form accesses the blood.
Another alternative is to vape CBD, which will deliver immediate effects and has similar or improved absorption to CBD oil. Nonetheless, it also wanes more quicker. And vaping has other likely risks to lung tissue.
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Utilizing CBD Externally (Creams And Different Topical Products)
The second important option for arthritis is to rub CBD directly on the skin near the affected joints in the shape of creams and different topical products.
This is viably the finest choice if you’re mainly looking for pain relief because it will act only where you applied it. In any instance, it may be suitable to use both internal and external routes together, like CBD oil and a CBD-infused cream.
CBD Dosage For Arthritis Pain
There isn’t a single dosage of CBD that will act in all instances. We’re all separate and the proper amount of CBD to take will rest on how much you weigh, the severity of your arthritis, your specific genetics, and the type of CBD product you’re taking.
Consequently, the finest approach to finding out your CBD dosage is to “begin low and go slow” as recommended by health experts. That implies taking a little dose (10-15 mg), noticing how you feel over the following few years, and slowly raising the dose over time. Do this until you begin experiencing relief and adhere to that amount.
The Best CBD Products For Arthritis
ThoughtCloud provides an extremely wide range of CBD products, it sources its organically grown hemp plants from sustainable and vegan farms throughout the US.
ThoughtCloud’s range of CBD products comprises Pills, Full Spectrum Tinctures, Topicals, Gummies, and many more CBD products that aid you with arthritis relief and management.
Final Thoughts On CBD For Arthritis Pain
CBD displays promise in lessening the popular side effects and symptoms of arthritis by interacting with the ECS to reduce inflammation and lower the perception of pain.
Due to this, numerous arthritis patients are starting to use CBD in combination with conventional medication. While recent research is promising, further studies are needed to raise the global therapeutic utilization of CBD for arthritis pain.
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