Contents
1. Hemp and Pain: A Trip in History
2. What Is CBD oil?
3. CBD, Your Brain, and Pain Relief
3.1 Does CBD Help with Migraines?
3.2 Multiple Sclerosis, Pain, and CBD
3.3 CBD and Irritable Bowel Disease
3.4 CBD and Pain from Arthritis
3.5 CBD for Cancer Treatment and Pain Management
4. Wrapping up: Pain and CBD
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1. Hemp and Pain: A Trip in History
While hemp—and CBD, especially—has grown exponentially in popularity over the last several years, humanity has used Cannabis sativa L. in various forms to manage pain for ages.
Turns out the first documented use of hemp to ease pain was over 3,700 years ago in China. Chinese medicine used hemp-infused wine in surgical interventions to reduce the patients’ pain in the process and to act as a sedative.
The good news:
The millennia-long history of using hemp is still unfolding. It has gained momentum once again, as the contemporary legal cannabis movement has raised awareness over its healing properties. [1]
RELATED: The Difference Between Hemp and Cannabis
Overall, there are 12,000 years of history between hemp and humankind. The analogy between hemp and dogs is vital in order for us to comprehend this history.
Think about it:
The long relationship between humans and dogs created a sense of utility that shaped dogs to our needs. The result was a plethora of dog breeds that were more adaptive to those needs. Some kinds were bred to make good company, some would watch the yard, some would bring whiskey to hikers trapped in an avalanche, etc.
Likewise, we have adapted various forms of hemp and CBD to fit a wide variety of needs. The different types play various roles: some are specialized for enhancing appetite; others for lovemaking; others for easing pain, stress, and other applications.
In this article, we will explore the benefits of using CBD oils in chronic pain management. First, we will take a look from a more general standpoint; then, we will move on to more specific situations and diseases individually.
RELATED: How Useful Is CBD Oil for Pain Management?
2. What Is CBD Oil?
Cannabis sativa L. extracts have been used for medical purposes across the world for millennia. As the studies on hemp developed, science discovered the different chemicals found in hemp that held these healing properties: the cannabinoids.
Among the most notable cannabinoids are THC, CBD, CBG, CBN, and others.
CBD oil—or hemp oil—is an extract of Cannabis sativa L. that’s particularly rich in CBD and has less than 0.3% THC in its composition. CBD oil can provide all the medical benefits of cannabidiol (CBD) without the typical psychoactive effects that come with THC. (Click to tweet)
RELATED: What Is CBD Oil? A Beginner's Guide to Cannabidiol
Even better:
CBD has the effect of neutralizing the psychoactive effects of THC. So if you get uncomfortable with THC’s head high, you can take some CBD, and the high will go away.
CBD oils are legal in the U.S. on a federal level, thanks to a change in the legislature in 2018. Further, since COVID-19 began, medicinal cannabis has been deemed essential in many of the states where its use is legal—and that means CBD along with it. (Click to tweet)
Along with CBD oil comes a wide variety of uses that provide relief; recently, we’ve seen CBD prescribed for:
- anxiety,
- depression,
- cancer symptoms, and
- chronic pain.
3. CBD, Your Brain, and Pain Relief
As we know, hemp contains a variety of chemicals that have medical properties. Our bodies respond to these properties because our brains have some neuroreceptors that match the plant’s compounds—in particular, CBD.
It’s like a puzzle: our brain has one piece of the puzzle, and CBD has the other part.
When the two pieces match, we have a neurological effect. The part of the puzzle that our brain has is called the endocannabinoid system. When our endocannabinoid system receives the stimulus from CBD, it releases a response accordingly.
RELATED: How CBD Works
Here’s the best part:
Studies reveal that when we consume CBD, our brains trigger an anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and sedative response. (Click to tweet)
CBD also prevents the body from metabolizing anandamide, the compound associated with pain regulation. It helps maintain high levels of anandamide in the body and reduces feelings of pain.
The medicine reveals that this interaction not only systematically helps us manage pain in general, but in particular symptoms of chronic pain related to other diseases. In recent years, western medicine has applied CBD treatment to the pain originating from:
- cancer and chemotherapy,
- fibromyalgia,
- arthritis,
- multiple sclerosis,
- irritable bowel syndrome, and
- many other illnesses.
RELATED: What to Expect from CBD Balm for Pain
3.1 Does CBD Help with Migraines?
CBD is a powerful ally for migraines treatment, according to the 3rd Congress of the European Academy of Neurology. (Click to tweet)
The Congress revealed a series of studies and clinical trials that tested the impacts of CBD and other cannabinoids on pain from migraines, and the results were positive on the reduction of pain.
Not only the frequency of the migraine attacks but also the pain intensity is reduced compared to other traditional medicine, with fewer side effects.
The proof:
In 2018, The Journal of Headache and Pain published research indicating that over 2,032 people with migraines, headaches, and other chronic pain illnesses were able to replace their opioid prescriptions fully with medicinal cannabis. [2]
RELATED: Can CBD Provide Migraine Relief?
3.2 Multiple Sclerosis, Pain, and CBD
CBD offers better life quality and mobility for multiple sclerosis patients by relieving pain caused by swollen and irritated tissues. (Click to tweet)
Pain is frequent and disabling among patients. For multiple sclerosis patients, the pain appears most frequently on feet, ankles, limbs, and lumbar regions. Pain affects most aspects of health-related quality of life, including functional domains such as working or performing physical exercise.
Pain is not always bad since it can serve as an alert to other issues. However, MS pain is not one that falls into that category; it’s chronic and serves no purpose. It saps energy, robs sleep, immobilizes, feeds depression, and curbs appetite.
RELATED: CBD Oil for Multiple Sclerosis—Does It Work?
Here’s the kicker:
CBD can help multiple sclerosis patients not only because it’s a powerful painkiller with amazingly good results for patients dealing with chronic pain, but it also helps in treating some of the main symptoms. (Click to tweet)
Multiple sclerosis is caused by an inflammatory process that triggers the immune system to attack our neurons. CBD’s analgesic and anti-inflammatory traits can make a difference because CBD prevents this neurological inflammatory process and suppresses the immune system, slowing the disease’s progression.
The result: enhanced physical and mental health, helping MS patients carry out their daily activities.
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3.3 CBD and Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Inflammatory bowel disease is a collection of inflammatory diseases affecting the digestive tract. Approximately 1.6 million Americans currently have inflammatory bowel disease, and the incidence has grown recently. Among the main symptoms, there is nausea, cramping, bloating, diarrhea, and frequently disabling pain.
RELATED: How CBD Benefits Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Not only does CBD help to manage the pain from inflammatory bowel disease, but its anti-inflammatory properties also help with other main symptoms. Besides that, CBD provides diarrhea and fatigue relief and brings appetite back. (Click to tweet)
The endocannabinoid system regulates numerous gastrointestinal functions, including the speed of digestion and also the metabolism. All of these features indicate a promising future for CBD as the leading remedy for inflammatory bowel disease.
3.4 CBD and Pain from Arthritis
The Arthritis Foundation conducted a poll that found that 29% of Americans with chronic arthritis pain reported the current use of CBD. Nearly 80% of respondents said that they were either using, or had used in the past, or were considering it.
Most importantly, most of the people in this sample reported improved physical function, sleep, and well-being in general. [3]
As an inflammatory disease, it’s easy to understand why people with chronic arthritis thrive with CBD. It is also the reason CBD is a promising remedy—especially since it offers a low risk and minimal side effects, traits typical of CBD. (Click to tweet)
RELATED: The Potential Benefits of Using CBD Oil for Arthritis Pain
3.5 CBD for Cancer Treatment and Pain Management
Many people with cancer today are using CBD to cope with the side effects of chemotherapy. Common side effects of chemotherapy include pain, vomiting, and lack of appetite. CBD directly addresses the pain related to this treatment. (Click to tweet)
Still, CBD also provides improvements in the appetite problem as well as nausea. The U.S. National Cancer Institute has pointed to CBD as a possible option for people under the effects of chemotherapy. [4]
Studies also reveal that CBD helps to cope with chemotherapy side effects. Still, it also showcases properties that promise to enhance the body’s ability to kill cancerous cells. Watch Netflix’s documentary, Weed the People, where various families dealing with pediatric cancer try CBD as a potential alternative medicine. It’s fascinating and brings hope to plenty of children.
RELATED: How to Use CBD Oil for Cancer
4. Wrapping up: Pain and CBD
Over the ages, humankind has developed a close relationship with Cannabis sativa L. This connection helped shape both medicine and holistic treatments. While this relationship has been strained in the past centuries, especially in Western civilization, we now have another shot at reconciling medicine and hemp.
Here’s the bottom line:
Among the compounds of hemp, CBD shines as a powerful ally against acute and chronic pain for a myriad of illnesses that have pain as a common symptom. (Click to tweet)
RELATED: How to Determine Correct CBD Dosage for Pain
When it comes to irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, cancer, and migraines, CBD can go above and beyond the pain relief. Even if in those cases pain can be disabling, CBD also helps with other deeper symptoms.
If you share some of the illnesses mentioned in this article, look for a CBD oil that fits your needs.
For further information or questions, a local doctor specializing in medicinal cannabis can assist you. CBD oils are federally legal and are very likely to provide you the help you need.
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