How Can CBD Help Relieve Your Pain from Arthritis?
Share this Post
Are your joints feeling a little achy or creaky?
You aren’t the only one…
Arthritis affects over 50 million Americans, making it the number one disability in the United States. Sufferers experience symptoms from swollen joints and general achiness to debilitating pain that prevents them from enjoying life to the fullest.
While there are many different pain treatment options available, from over the counter anti-inflammatories to prescription pills, more and more arthritis sufferers are turning to CBD to seek relief.
So how does it work, and how do you know if it’s the right choice for you?
How it Works
Humans have something called an endocannabinoid system in our bodies that helps us to stay in balance. It does this by regulating things like:
- Immune responses
- Pain and pleasure
- Body temperature
People suffering from arthritis experience pain either all over or in very specific areas. This may be due to an autoimmune condition (rheumatoid arthritis), or because of degeneration (osteoarthritis).
Research suggests that for both kinds of arthritis, the associated pain is connected to the endocannabinoid system, and its receptors that are spread throughout the body.
When we take CBD therapeutically, it interacts with these receptors to stimulate the immune system, reducing pain and preventing nerve damage in the affected joints.
Much of the research has been done on animals, leading to promising results for people too.
3 Reasons Why You Should try it
1. CBD Has Multiple Benefits
When you take CBD it can help reduce the pain and inflammation associated with arthritis while also helping with so much more! It’s commonly used therapeutically for conditions ranging from anxiety and depression to cancer and dementia.
CBD can unleash all of its benefits, even if you are just taking it for one thing.
2. It Has Minimal (if any) Side Effects
The most commonly reported side effects of CBD are drowsiness, changes to appetite and diarrhea, but any symptoms are mild if experienced at all.
In fact, a reportby The World Health Organization found that CBD had multiple medical applications while being safe, well tolerated and had no negative public health effects, or abuse potential.
This stands in contrast to over the counter and prescription medications, which can cause liver and kidney damage, dependency issues and can become ineffective over time.
3. It Won’t Get You High
Unlike THC, CBD isn’t intoxicating and is non-psychoactive. This means you can take it safely without worrying that you’ll accidentally get high.
And, because hemp is required by law to contain less than 0.3% THC, when you use CBD sourced from hemp, you can rest assured that you can take your CBD buzz free.
How to Use CBD For Arthritis
There are a number of ways to take CBD. The most common are in the form of an oil or tincture under the tongue, through the skin with a salve or inhaled as vapor.
Your decision to choose one or two methods over others may be related to how you experience arthritic pain, how precise you prefer to dose and what you find to be most effective.
For example, if you experience pain all over, taking a tincture or vaping may give you rapid relief, but if you only have arthritis in your knee, then massaging it with a salve might be more effective.
If you are trying to be exact about the dosage that you are taking, then a tincture may be your best method of delivery as opposed to massage oil, which may be less precise.
Furthermore, if you can’t even stand the idea of vaping, or don’t have the time or ability to apply a salve to sore spots, then a tincture will be an easy and reliable solution.
While the research supports each of these ways of using CBD for arthritis, what’s most important is choosing a way that works best for you.
How to Use CBD For Arthritis
The swelling, aches and pains experienced by sufferers of arthritis are all part of the internal endocannabinoid system. A growing body of research supports that taking CBDs can have a direct effect on the receptors in the body that help reduce pain and prevent long term nerve damage.
The benefits of CBD are many, the side effects are few and far between and it won’t get you high when you take it.
If you are thinking about trying CBD to manage your arthritis, there are many different forms you can use to see what suits you. But remember, if you are taking any other medication, always consult with your doctor before changing or adding anything to your health regimen.
If you want to learn more about how to maximize the benefits of the CBD you are taking, read more here.