In the 30s, propaganda films such as Reefer Madness made marijuana seem like a drug that promotes violence, and even half a century later, in the 80s, figures as large as Ronald Reagan called marijuana “probably the most dangerous drug in the United States.”
Now, marijuana is in the hands of tons of Americans due to recent studies on the medical benefits of CBD. You often hear the scientific benefits of CBD talked about, but what exactly are these benefits?
This article will walk you through some of the most important benefits of cannabidiol to understand before you shop for CBD products.
Anti-inflammatory Properties
You often hear that CBD can help people manage pain. More specifically, CBD is capable of reducing inflammation, which is the cause of many pain problems.
CBD is a cannabinoid that acts on certain receptors in the body to reduce pain. CBD has even been proven to reduce pain caused by conditions that are tough to treat with other forms of medication.
Arthritis is one form of inflammation-based pain that CBD can treat. Mayo Clinic defines arthritis as the swelling and inflammation of one or more joints. Arthritis isn’t one condition, but a series of conditions causing joint-based pain.
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. It’s a tough condition to understand since it’s really just a fancy name for the erosion that happens between bones over time or after injuries. This also makes it tough to treat — especially since it often comes naturally with aging.
When tissue that covers the end of bone breaks down, bones start rubbing against each other, causing joints to become inflamed. However, CBD can act on the parts of your body that react to inflammation, and stop the pain in a different way than traditional methods of medicine.
Help With Seizures/Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder, causing seizures, which can make life tough to handle. Some people have reported improvements in their epilepsy as a result of CBD. But what does the research suggest?
Generally, scientists agree that CBD is best for people who are dealing with types of drug-resistant epilepsy. This means it’s most likely best to stick with the traditional drugs and forms of dealing with epilepsy, and rely on CBD if this does not work.
It’s generally believed that full-spectrum CBD oil is the best treatment for those with seizures/epilepsy. Later on in this article, we’ll explain the “outrage effect”, which causes full-spectrum CBD to be more efficient.
For now, all you need to know is that when dealing with a neurological condition that’s so strong and devastating, you can try some natural treatments such as CBD, of course with the support of your doctor.
However, the schedule 1 status of marijuana in many states makes it tough to conduct research on this topic. Take all of this research with a grain of salt, knowing that more research might come out and shift the perspective of the scientific world on this topic.
Head to the rest of our blog to stay updated on news in the world of CBD.
Anxiety Support
Another one of the most commonly touted positive effects of CBD is the support of mental health problems. While in the past, it was assumed that marijuana helped people’s anxiety, we now know that CBD can help anxiety independent of THC (which causes the psychoactive effects).
CBD, as well as reducing inflammation, acts on the body’s serotonin receptors within the brain. People who suffer from mental health conditions, such as anxiety, often have a tough time regulating chemicals in their bodies, such as serotonin, which keeps people happy. (It’s important to remember when considering CBD for mental health, that mental health problems are often caused by physical differences in brain chemistry).
It should also be noted that CBD has significantly fewer side effects than many traditional mental health medicines. People who have steered away from mental health medicine might do well to give CBD — which is far more natural — a go.
The best solution however is to use CBD in conjunction with therapy. CBD will help you get your emotions down to a manageable level, so you can use the tactics you learned in therapy to create more permanent changes. In this way, CBD might come to replace SSRIs for many people in the coming years.
Pain Relief
The body contains a group of cells known as endocannabinoids. These bind to cannabinoid receptors in the nervous system. CBD can, if administered correctly, alter the way this system works to treat types of pain that aren’t caused by inflammation, such as nerve pain.
CBD is more effective at treating pain like this when it’s teamed up with THC. THC mainly has psychoactive effects (it’s the agent that gets people “high” in marijuana). It can also work together with CBD to enhance the therapeutic effects.
There’s a scientific phenomenon known as the “entourage effect“, which relates to this. Due to this effect, different types of cannabinoids and terpenes work together on the body’s symptoms to produce a therapeutic effect greater than the sum of its parts.
One should note, however, that there are still studies being done to figure out just how many pain-related problems CBD can handle. The research is, so far, incomplete.
Understand the Medical Benefits of CBD
As you can see, CBD has medical benefits spanning many different types of conditions. CBD can reduce pain caused by inflammation, help with seizures, calm people’s anxiety, and help reduce pain caused by other problems. When you consider the medical benefits of CBD, it’s no wonder it’s becoming so popular now.
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