CBD For Pain and Anxiety – A Natural Alternative

Over the last few years its been pretty tough for you to avoid the letters CBD, as these three curious letters have created quite a lot of buzz during this period and continue to do so. Articles, news reports and videos have all contributed to CBDs mystique, while there still remains large mysteries as to what it can actually do for people and what it is. In the first of a series of posts, we look at CBD for pain and anxiety to give a better understanding of what it can do to help as an alternative for those who would like more options and understanding before considering and using it.

If you are unfamiliar with what CBD is, then please read my previous post (CBD a beginners guide) to read the basics on Cannabidiol.

Pain That Reigns

The human body is amazing, the human body is so impressive as to how it functions and works on a daily basis and when it works at an optimal level in mind, body and spirit…there’re no limits on what it can achieve. When things don’t run as well and there is a problem somewhere, it can not only change your mood in that moment, but it can have serious implications on your life as a whole.

Pain can be an aching bunion, it can be having to take time off work with a pulled muscle or it can leave you in bed fighting back the tears wondering if you will ever be able to not feel that draining and physical agony anymore.

At the other end of the scale there’s inflammation from an injury, causing your muscles and joints to cry out for help. There can be swelling, changing of colour (bruising), a rush of heat and loss of function when this happens. This also applies to arthritis in regard to the swelling, but there’s also the breakdown of cartilage tissue causing tremendous pain.

A different type of pain that can debilitating is that of anxiety. This type of pain can be crippling to a person in the same way they have a physical problem. This type of pain can sometimes be hidden to others, but stress regarding work, a personal issue or maybe a deeper problem can all contribute to a poor quality of life.

The consultation and guidance of a doctor with the correct medicine and advice most of the time can help you to recover from these injuries, mental or physical, but in some cases people look at other ways of recovery. This is where CBD could help?

What’s Happening To Me?

The big question is…what happens to the human body when you take CBD? This is where people can be apprehensive about using it due to its obvious connections to weed/marijuana.

Let me put on my science teacher lab coat to explain. The human body has something called The Endocannabinoid System (ECS) which is a biological system composed of endocannabinoids. These are tissues and cells in the body on a macro bio molecule level, that send signals throughout the vertebrate to the Central Nervous System (CNS) and the brain. These in turn also send signals to the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) which is responsible for connecting nerves to your limbs and organs.

Neurotransmitters are a type chemical which transmit signals across the body, from one neuron to another target neuron. These are released at the end of nerve fibres and send impulses to other nerve fibres such as a muscle cells and gland cells.

Basically, the above is the process of what happens when you trap your finger in a door and have that agonizing pain, pulling a muscle when working out or you feel the pang of hunger when you are hungry. Pretty much anything you feel is incorporated with the use of neurotransmitters.

These systems (CNS), (PNS) and neurotransmitters act as a relay between the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body, kind of like a very advanced circuit system inside that body of yours on a macro biological level.

It is believed that CBD may help reduce anxiety and chronic pain by having an effect on the endocannabinoid receptors, which reduces inflammation and use of neurotransmitters.

Studies Stats And Cases

There does need to be more studies done on the potential benefits of CBD on the human condition and they are coming out all the time. The majority of studies have been on mice, but the results are promising and continue to improve CBDs reputation.

A study on rats has found that CBD injections reduced pain response to surgical incision, while another study on rats found that oral CBD significantly reduced sciatic nerve pain and inflammation.

Study on humans found that an oral spray significantly reduced pain during movement, rest and improved sleep quality in 58 people with rheumatoid arthritis.

A study back in 2011 researched that people with social anxiety disorder (SAD) showed reduced levels of anxiety when taking 400mg dose of CBD daily, compared to the same amount of people taking a placebo.

Other studies have shown that CBD can help with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms such as nightmares, and repetition of negative memories.

Its also worth mentioning that CBD can have side effects, they are few and far between, but should be considered.

They include the following:

• Diarrhea
• Fatigue
• Weight change
• Appetite changes

DISCLAIMER: You should always consult your doctor before trying any products. If you are on medication please consult your GP before making any decision.

The Saviour To Savor?

The vast majority of people need to know more about CBD as a whole and all the things it can do good and bad. That will only continue with people spreading awareness and scientific studies to back up the anecdotal accounts from people that have accelerated CBDs reputation globally.

For the people that have and do use it, it can be the missing piece of the puzzle to help with chronic pain and anxiety. We should always proceed with caution, but the fact that it is an alternative option for people to regular medicine is a positive step and if it helps take the edge off that horrific pain you are feeling daily or helps clear the fog of anxiety you feel, then surely its something worth considering.

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