A huge percentage of people who experience chronic pain has been using CBD oil or cannabidiol over recent years as a natural alternative to alleviate pain. This natural approach has since gained popularity as an increasing number of users have seen a vast improvement in their conditions after committing to it. Ailments that have been reported so far include the following:
- Back pain
- Migraines
- Headaches
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Cancer pain
- Multiple sclerosis pain
- Neuropathic pain
- Fibromyalgia
- Osteoarthritis
- Temporomandibular disorder
Medication prescriptions as well as those obtained over-the-counter are usually recommended for chronic pain treatment. However, people still choose to look for natural alternatives for relief to avoid the side effects of medication on top of preventing high dependency on them. Nutritional supplements, herbs, and products like CBD oil are those that have been suggested to even ease tougher symptoms like opioid addiction.
Potential Benefits
Even with countless feedback from users, cannabidiol is still being researched as at the current moment, on its effectiveness on relieving pain. Thus far, there has been evidence on how cannabidiol may have an impact on the cell-to-cell communication system of the body. It also affects how one’s brain functions on controlling a person’s mood and memory, and ultimately impacts one’s pain threshold.
It has been evident that cannabidiol has an impact on pain management upon its tests on animals. It also contains poor bioavailability when consumed orally. Topical CBD when applied directly to pain is reported to provide levelled amounts of CBD when not being fully involved. Other research has shown that topical CBD in gel form reduces joint swelling on a substantial level as well as different levels of pain in rats with arthritis.
Side Effects and Safety
There has been inconsistency on the data covered regarding the research on cannabidiol’s side effects. The amount of CBD in the tested products might not have been consistent and have contained different traces of THC, the psychoactive component.
The information that has been made available so far is that CBD is considered as cannabis’ main non-psychoactive component. In previous tests of different doses, combination of THC products, and administration processes, there have been several side effects observed. They include appetite and mood changes, anxiety, dizziness, diarrhea, dry mouth, drowsiness, nausea, mental confusion, low blood pressure, and vomiting. There has also been concern amongst users with Parkinson’s disease who claimed to experience worsened body tremors and muscle movements when high doses of cannabidiol are consumed.
Cannabidiol may also promote a chemical reaction when mixed with certain medications like those that are changed by the liver like chlorzoxazone, clozapine, theophylline, and progesterone as well as sedative medications like phenobarbital, benzodiazepines, morphine, and fentanyl.
As for cannabis, it is found to contain a type of fungus, Aspergillus, when it is smoked. This should be avoided by users who have suppressed immune systems.
Lastly, CBD has risks of causing skin irritation when applied topically.
Thus, use cannabidiol at your own risk after assessing your current health conditions and seeking professional advice.
