February 22nd, 2019
By Kelsi
Guest writer for Wake Up World
A lot’s been written about the hemp product CBD, but what does medical science actually say about its healing properties and are there any diseases that it can cure? Hemp has been used throughout history recreationally and/or for medical purposes; but for someone living with a serious medical condition, the idea that cannabis can offer better results than prescription pills may come as a surprise. But if we’re to look at the ongoing fight to decriminalize weed, this is what a growing section of the population want to see happen.
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There’s a lot of digital content coming out about CBD’s medical properties (and mounting evidence to support many of these claims), so to educate you further, we’ve compiled a list of five severe medical conditions that research has proven can be treated by hemp products.
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Pain and Inflammation
Chronic pain accounts for a big chunk of medicines bought each year, but many of these drugs when used for a long time cause moderate-to-serious side effects.It explains why there’s such a growing interest in hemp as pain medication. What’s worse, some users don’t experience the same relief from pain as they do when using CBD.
CBD works through a seemingly straightforward mechanism to alleviate pain and because cannabis contains endocannabinoids that are similar to the ones produced naturally in the body, a type of binding occurs between CBD and the endocannabinoid system. Cannabidiol (CBD) attaches to brain receptors responsible for transmitting pain signals and basically stops the brain from recognizing pain.
Neuropathic pain is one of two types of pain that CBD has been shown to treat. In this particular case, neuropathic pain resulting from Multiple Sclerosis can be treated with the spray Sativex, which contains CBD as the active ingredient. The second type of pain that has been studied with regard to CBD is bowel disease, or intestinal problems that cause pain and inflammation. A 2011PLos One study on bowel disease found that CBD was a “promising therapeutic agent”.
Most people agree that cannabis has a history as pain medication, so it’s not hard to conclude that when the psychoactive element is removed, cannabis products basically become pain medication. Clinical trials have supported this claim, and you can look it up anywhere and find studies supporting cannabidiol as a pain reliever.
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Cardiovascular Health
After performing extensive blood work in a clinical trial, one researcher found that of all the 16 individuals that took part in the trial showed “significant improvements” in the range of 12-15% with regard to lowered markers for cardiovascular dysfunction. The main inflammatory markers were c-reactive protein, EST, and homocysteine – all of which are risk factors for heart health.
It’s important to mention that research at this point has not been done extensively on people to prove entirely that CBD can be used in place of pharmaceutical products especially when treating things like stroke, myocardial infarction, and hypertension. A lot more medical research needs to be done before something conclusive comes out of it. At the moment, there is some indication that CDB has a positive effect on hemodynamics in situations where the entire cardiovascular system has changed; all of which means that CBD may at some point be recommended as treatment for hypertension, stroke, and myocardial infarction.
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Depression & Mood Disorders
Depression is characterized by constant feelings of sadness and despair, and in many cases mood disorders are marked by fluctuations between extremely positive feelings followed by extremely sad episodes. Most of the pills used to treat depression attempt to increase serotonin levels to counter the effects of sadness, however CBD acts on the neural network of the endocannabinoid system to generate a similar effect, but with a more profound effect.
CBD works as a mood stabilizer, which is great news for anybody with mood disorders, but it also causes the body to release more positive hormones like anandamide, which works in the same way that serotonin does. Anxiety disorders including PTSD can also be treated with CBD, and this is attributed to the same general effect it has on natural cannabinoids in the body.
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Brain Health
What every researcher agrees with is that CBD is neuro-protective, and that makes it an important source of healing properties the brain needs to stay healthy for longer. Old age is commonly associated with cognitive decline, memory loss, problems with basic motor functions; but what’s interesting is science actually supports the idea that it’s possible to keep the brain working perfectly in old age.
Pollution and poor diet play an important role in brain health, and now CBD may be a major boost to cognitive function and prevention of degenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s and dementia. Thanks to a host of antioxidant compounds in hemp, and the effect on glutamate, CBD can keep the brain producing neurons at a rate that will keep you sharp and alert well into your senior years. In low doses, CBD supports creation of new nerve cells, and this prevents many degenerative conditions from developing in the first place.
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Diabetes and Obesity
Those who know about weed are familiar with the munchies effect and how it can sometimes cause you to eat more than you normally do. But what’s interesting about all cannabis products including CBD and regular marijuana is that it never causes you to gain unhealthy amounts of weight. The American Journal of Epidemiology conducted a survey back in 2011 that established that obesity is reduced by at least 1/3 among cannabis users. Wait, doesn’t weed make you eat more? It is true that CBD and other cannabis products cause hunger, but the other thing they also do is suppress appetite, which is more important in the long term when dealing with weight management.
One of the ways that CBD helps with weight loss is by converting white fat into a more friendly form of fat (brown fat) that is more in tune with sugar metabolism andinsulin production. CBD reduces insulin sensitivity, which is crucial in reducing the risk of diabetes and obesity.
HDL cholesterol levels are higher when CBD is present in the body, and according to one researcher, insulin resistance drops an average 17% for CBD users. With a lower insulin production, the conversion of sugar into fat is reduced, and this plays a major role in weight loss and management of diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Many of these effects are attributed to the dynamic between CBD and the endocannabinoid system, which has been studied to show how CBD reduces the risk of type II diabetes and severe obesity.
Conclusion
To understand how CBD works, one has to first look into cannabinoids and how we generate the same properties found in cannabis, and also how these same chemicals interact with CBD. The effects cannabidiol has are subtle, effective, and wide-ranging. CBD is being studied to see how it can be used more widely in skin care, the fitness industry, pain relief, and even in food. You can find dozens of great recipes with CBD, and countless ways to take hemp. All of these are ways to get the CBD into your system, so what really matters is what cannabidiol can do for you. Even if you don’t have a medical condition to treat, CBD can be useful for improving quality of sleep, reducing stress, reducing workout-related injuries, etc. Learn more about how CBD can help you attain a higher quality of life, through better health.
About the author:
As a nature/natural-living enthusiast and passionate researcher with ten years in the cannabis industry, Kelsi enjoys playing her part to educate the world on the benefits of alternative health and medication options. Find out more at cbdcentral.com
