Does CBD Oil Help With Pain Management?

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a naturally occurring compound in hemp plants that is growing in demand for pain management. This is because there are no side effects that you would typically see in other pain-relieving medications such as opioids.

There’s also no risk for addiction and no other harmful side effects that you would experience with opioids, which was confirmed by the World Health Organization in their report on CBD.

Are There Any Side Effects for CBD?

While CBD-based products are essentially harmless compared to traditional pain killers, there are still possible side effects. These are typically experienced by first-time users or when consuming CBD in excessive amounts.

  1. Fatigue or drowsiness can be one of the most noticeable effects, which can be enhanced if you’re concurrently taking other sedating medicines.
  2. Dry mouth or dry eyes, so you may want to take a little extra notice to drinking your eight glasses of water a day!
  3. Changes in mood and alertness.

How Does CBD Oil Work?

Your body sends “cell signals” from stimuli in your body, to the pain receptors in your brain and immune system. This is called your endocannabinoid system (ECS) and these receptors help your body respond to what we experience as pain.

This is where research suggests that CBD helps to assist with pain management by enhancing anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects. Studies conducted from 1970 to 2018 have confirmed the effectiveness of minimizing chronic pains from neuropathic conditions and cancers, while omitting harmful side effects; even in long term users.

What Do Studies Say About CBD Oil and Chronic Pain?

Typically, we all produce endocannabinoids nearly on a daily basis to combat pain. It’s particularly beneficial to supplement with a plant-sourced alternative if you experience chronic pain or if your production of endocannabinoids is limited.

And like any other CBD based product, CBD oils combat pain and inflammation by interacting with our body’s normal ECS receptors to boost anti-inflammatory, pain relieving and anti-bacterial responses and over-all wellbeing.

Since CBD operates on such a level, it’s worth mentioning that even for the same type of pain, results and effectiveness can vary between individuals. The results can differentiate based upon body chemistry, weight, frequency of use, and dosage. We’ll talk more about dosage in a minute.

CBD oil has also been shown to relieve insomnia and anxiety disorders like PTSD, even in young adults and children. Anti-depressant properties have also been found in CBD and has excelled in reducing effects of anxiety, and stress-related conditions, as well as boosting the production of serotonin.

What about THC? When you first think about CBD your thoughts probably jump to THC. We do know that CBD oils do not carry risk of addiction or get you “high” or exhibit extreme side-effects, like with THC. This being said, when buying CBD oil, the percentage of THC should be less than 0.75% to avoid any psychoactive effects. Just like with anything else, be sure to carefully review any products before you purchase them, and especially before you take them.

So, What Types of Pain Can CBD Help With?

CBD is widely used to help alleviate pain, particularly:

  1. Chronic Pain: Some forms of chronic pain include neuropathic pains caused by damaged nerves, muscle spasms, and pain from multiple sclerosis. All of these, depending on the severity and pain intensity, can be assisted in relieving symptoms by CBD.
  2. Arthritis: There are two major and widely experienced types of arthritis: autoimmune rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Autoimmune rheumatoid arthritis is when you’re experiencing inflammation and pain due to an attack on your joints by your own body’s immune system.
    And on the other hand, osteoarthritis is when your immune system attacks your bones and joints, causing them to degenerate. The Arthritis Foundation states that there has been a great deal of reports expressing positive effects of CBD in alleviating pain, improving sleeping patterns and quality, as well as reducing anxiety.
  3. Cancer Treatments: Chemotherapy has encouraged studies to explore the benefits of CBD among cancer patients. These studies have shown that CBD has therapeutic potential for easing pain, side effects of the chemotherapy, apatite loss, nausea, and other symptoms that come from cancer.
  4. Migraines: Studies have already shown that CBD individually can aid in reducing the pain of headaches. Thankfully, there are full-spectrum CBD products that contain more cannabinoids found in hemp plants, then just pure CBD. Using full-spectrum CBD products can actually benefit chronic migraines more effectively than pure CBD.

What About Dosage for CBD Oil?

As we mentioned earlier, what is best for you won’t be what’s best for everyone else, and will most likely take a bit of trial and error. A good starting point would be half a dropper, twice daily. There are several product and dose finders that can help you narrow down where to start for your personal journey. Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions! Wherever they sell CBD, they can point you in the right direction to get started.

If you are thinking about using alternative CBD options such as cream or gummies, be prepared to do a little math. The concentration of the product is going to determine what you have to do to figure out what you need to do to get your desired dose.

Are There Other CBD Options Besides Oil?

There are many different ways to ingest CBD today. You can find a wide range of CBD products from our store. Here are some of the most popular and how they work:

Oils and Tinctures

The most basic way to use oils is to take the dropper that typically comes in the oil bottle itself and drop your preferred amount under your tongue, wait a minute or two, and then swallow. A few other ways to ingest your oil is to:

    • Add it to your favorite beverage
    • Add it to salad dressing
    • Add it to sweet baked goods or other sweet treats
    • Add it to your favorite cocktails (Now that sounds like a good way to relax!)

Topical Creams, Balms, And Lotions

This form of CBD is particularly convenient due to ease of application. Since this form is just applied directly onto the skin, it’s commonly used for joint aches and pains. It is absorbed directly through the skin and promptly taken by your neurotransmitters to begin the process of dulling pain and relieving inflammation in the targeted area(s).

Edibles (Gummies and Capsules)

Edibles are widely favored because their compact size eliminates taking the wrong doses, as they can be purchased to whatever dose you want. Not to mention you can get gummies in tasty flavors like berries!

After reading about how CBD can potentially help with pain and you’re looking to buy high-quality CBD products in Canada, click here to shop now!