CBD Cheat-sheet: Cannabis and Inflammation

Information supplied here is not intended to replace advice from your doctor. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease.

Inflammation has been found to be associated with just about every health condition. Researchers are furiously investigating chronic inflammation’s effects on health and possible preventive medical applications.

It’s “an emerging field,” says UCLA’s Dr. David Heber. “It’s a new concept for medicine.”

Inflammation is responsible for long-term chronic pain in conditions such as arthritis. With chronic pain, life becomes a constant struggle and basic tasks like walking become impossible. What causes inflammation? simplistically put, it results when the immune system mistakes normal cells for foreign matter. Thus, it responds by attacking the cells leading to their deterioration, eventually causing inflammation.

How do I Treat Pain?

Painkillers, antihistamine drugs, and sleeping pills are the most common ways of dealing with pain conditions. However, they never solve the problem but offer temporary relief. The few who turn to CBD oil stand to benefit more and experience no side effects.

Continuous use of painkillers substantially damages the kidneys, liver, and stomach. Some painkillers like opioids are highly addictive. Recent fatality data from the USA from the use/abuse of painkillers resulted in the declaration of a national emergency.

Why Treat Inflammation with CBD?

Through several studies, CBD has been shown to reduce inflammation. Scientists interested in the potential benefits of CBD to inflammation due to THC’s antiepileptic and sedative effects. However, unlike THC, cannabidiol is non-psychoactive.

In the UK, CBD is being regulated as a food and dietary supplement, and doctors need not prescribe it. However, the CBD must be hemp derived with no trace of THC, which makes it 100% legal to import, export, buy, sell and use in the UK and most of Europe.

Cannabidiol Working Mechanism

If you are weighing the decision to use CBD or not, there are various studies conducted on its potential effects on the body. In a revealing study published by the European Journal of Pain, researchers used a topical gel on rats suffering from arthritis, primarily caused by inflammations. In just four days, rats experienced quick relief, thus proving that cannabidiol can produce a similar effect in humans.

CBD has been shown to impact the endocannabinoid system (ECS). It is responsible for the regulation of immune-responses, pain, and sleep. ECS features two receptors CB1 and CB2 that receive instructions from cannabinoids on how to act.

CB1 receptors are thought to regulate appetite, memory, sleep, moods, and perception, commonly activated by THC. On the other hand, CB2 receptors are thought to influence stress, inflammation, and cell death, all functions of the immune system. CBD activates the CB2 receptors leading to reduced inflammation. In addition, it has been shown through studies to reduce oxidative stress, which together with inflammation, leads to the development of numerous diseases.

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