Two Words…CBD Oil

About a month ago, I wrote about cannabis’ documented health benefits. In continuation of that topic and our pain series, I decided that CBD oil was an extremely important option to discuss.

Question: “What is CBD oil?”

Answer: Cannabis actually contains two compounds with different medicinal effects,  THC and CBD. THC is well-known for the mind-altering “high” it produces when broken down by heat and introduced into the body. Unlike THC, CBD is not psychoactive, which means that it does not change your state of mind, but delivers significant positive benefits. Most of the CBD used medicinally is found in the least processed form of the cannabis plant, known as hemp.  Hemp and marijuana come from the same plant, cannabis sativa, but they are very different.

Question:  “How does CBD oil work?”

Answer:  All cannabinoids, including CBD, attach to certain receptors in the body. The human body produces certain cannabinoids on its own and has two receptors for cannabinoids, called CB1 and CB2 receptors. CB1 receptors are found all around the body, but many of them are located in the brain, and affect:

• coordination/movement
• pain
• emotions/mood
• thinking
• appetite
• memory

THC attaches to CB1 receptors. CB2 receptors are commonly found in the immune system. They affect inflammation and pain.  CBD oil seems to influence the body to use more of its own cannabinoids that positively affect the CB2 receptors.

Just as a side note, drug tests analyze THC concentrations only, which causes the “high,” and not true pain relief. In other words, you can use CBD oil safely and feel confident that you are not doing anything illegal or threatening to your livelihood, but are proactively resolving long term chronic pain relief.

Question: “What kind of pain can CBD oil treat?”

Answer:

• Chronic Pain: In a 2008 study, CBD oil was found to be effective treatment for chronic pain but did NOT relieve insomnia associated with chronic pain. The best results were noted to be with multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.
• Arthritic Pain: Human studies related to effectiveness have not been performed. In 2016 animal studies, CBD gel reduced inflammation and pain without side effects.
• Cancer Pain: In cancer studies, CBD oil sprayed in the mouth in addition to opioid use, produced better pain relief than opioids alone. The National Cancer Institute openly states that CBD oil is a possible pain relief option for cancer patients.

Question: “How much CBD oil do I use?”

Answer:  For chronic pain, the documented dose of CBD oil is 2.5 to 20 mg for about 25 days. I would recommend starting with the lowest dose and gradually increase until pain relief is achieved.  Also, CBD oil has the added benefit of not producing tolerance. This means that once you find the effective dose for you, there should not be a need to regularly increase the dose for treatment of your condition.

As always, please leave your comments, questions, or any other topic that you would like to read about in the future!