Enthusiasts of cannabidiol (better known as CBD) rave about the substance’s health benefits. Some small studies have shown that CBD could be a remedy for anxiety and help children with post-traumatic stress disorder get to sleep. The substance was even FDA-approved last year as a prescription drug to manage rare, severe forms of epilepsy.
So naturally, you might be wondering: Can CBD help people with arthritis and related diseases cope with pain? Anecdotal reports from patients and some preliminary research suggests yes, but the science is still emerging and more research is needed.
Here’s what you need to know right now about how to use CBD to ease arthritis symptoms, how to find a high-quality CBD product, and how to work with your doctor to incorporate CBD into your arthritis treatment plan.
What Is CBD, and Can It Help with Arthritis?
CBD is a chemical found derived from hemp. Hemp and marijuana are both types of cannabis plants, but they are very different from each other. They each have different quantities of various phytocannabinoids, which are substances naturally found in the cannabis plant. (It’s sort of like how different kinds of berries contain different combinations of antioxidants.)
• Marijuana contains an abundance of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is the cannabinoid that gets you high.
• Hemp contains less than 0.3 percent THC. It contains CBD, which is a cannabinoid that doesn’t have any psychoactive effects. CBD cannot make you feel high. Instead, CBD works in other ways with your endocannabinoid system, which is a group of receptors in the body that are affected by the dozens of other documented cannabinoids.
“Cannabinoids can inhibit or excite the release of neurotransmitters [brain chemicals] and play a role in modulating the body’s natural inflammatory response, which are the two things we’re concerned about when talking about CBD for arthritis,” says Hervé Damas,MD, a Miami-based physician and founder of Grassroots Herbals, a CBD product company.
CBD is thought to work on pain in two parts of the body: the site of soreness (such as your finger joints) and the central nervous system, which sends pain signals to the brain when it detects certain stimulation or damage to nerves and cells.
The ability for CBD to calm that response is one reason the compound might be a viable pain remedy for people with arthritis. Another is CBD’s anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation occurs when your body is fighting a perceived infection. In autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, the immune system is attacking healthy parts of your body like your joints.
Another commonly expressed side effect of arthritis is joint swelling and widespread inflammation. Most but not all types of arthritis are the results of inflammation from the immune system. In a healthy individual, the body produces white blood cells and compounds to protect from infection. However, in inflammatory conditions like arthritis, the immune system will trigger a response that causes damage to its own tissues.
Cannabinoids like CBD have been seen to suppress inflammatory responses, which can reduce arthritis symptoms. Cannabinoids have potent properties that regulate pathways involving the suppression of cytokines in inflammatory sites and activating apoptosis within immune cells. Due to this, researchers believe CBD could be a beneficial preventative treatment for diseases that involve chronic inflammation within the body, like arthritis. However, more research is still required.
Joint pain experienced by the arthritis patient can also exacerbate inflammation levels as pain and inflammation have a close relationship and often walk hand-in-hand in many diseases. Inflammation can be chronic or acute. Arthritis patients have chronic inflammation due to a prolonged inflammatory response which can increase oxidative stress, directly affecting healthy organs and tissues.
The Bottom Line
CBD shows promise in reducing the common side effects and symptoms of arthritis by interacting with the ECS to lower inflammation and reduce the perception of pain.
Because of this, many arthritis patients are beginning to use CBD in conjunction with traditional medication. While current research is promising, more studies are required to increase the global therapeutic use of CBD.
About Hemp Joi
It all started back in 2019, we set out to change the way the world deals with chronic aches and pains. Having a background in functional medicine and a passion for entrepreneurship, we set out to bring quality products to the greater SW Florida area and beyond.
We were inspired by family members, in the massotheraphy industry, that kept getting requests from clients to use CBD oils because of their natural healing properties.
We felt this was a great and underserved need, so we began our search for the most natural most authentic CBD oils and lotions.
Please visit us at hempjoi.com, stop by, or call us to find out more at (239) 676-0915.