How Does CBD Help Senior Citizens Lead A Better Life Quality?

People have reported cases of CBD improving their lifestyle as a few drops of CBD oil under the tongue improve their health generally, including elderly ones. The content in the article explains how CBD improves life for seniors by providing information about; what is CBD. How to take CBD for seniors and health benefits of CBD to seniors' lifestyle.

People are now largely using CBD products as they have released and understood the power of CBD. Seniors are not left behind, since CBD has proven to help them cope with chronic conditions such as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson and arthritis. Clinical studies show that CBD can reduce symptoms associated with those conditions thus improving their lifestyle. Prescribed medication can help control pain, inflammation, anxiety, etc, but not all elders respond well to these treatments, and sometimes undesired side effects come together with the medications. CBD is non-addictive, and non-intoxicating rarely comes with negative side effects for the elderly when treating chronic conditions. Learn more about tinnitus and cbd: will it help?

What is CBD?

It is a healthy chemical compound existing naturally in the leaves and flowers of the hemp plant.  Freeman at el. (2021) stated that the hemp plant contains a high concentration of CBD and a low-level content of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC is a compound responsible for making users high and confused. Unlike THC, CBD has shown healthy properties like anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and non-addictive. The elders harvest those features without the risk of getting high. After extraction of CBD, it is diluted by carrier oils such as coconut and hemp seed oil which heightens the benefits of CBD for elders by providing organic nutrients like vitamins, amino acids, and omega 3 & 6.

How to Take CBD for Seniors

Before administering CBD for seniors you must first understand the types of CBD in the market. Companies use different extraction techniques resulting in a range of different cannabidiol available (CBD isolate full-spectrum and broad–spectrum). Nelson et al. (2020) explained that for elders, the two efficient and effective CBD types is CBD isolate and CBD broad spectrum. CBD isolate is the purest, odorless, and tasteless crystals that contain no traces of other cannabinoids including THC.  Crystals are dissolved in organic oils since CBD is fat soluble, making the type enriched with organic nutrients suited for seniors' life. Broad-spectrum CBD contains most cannabinoids except THC thus it provides elders with entourage effects from other cannabinoids like terpenes without the risk of getting high. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not regulated the production and selling of CBD products; therefore, the full-spectrum CBD type is not suited for elders since it contains traces of THC and due to no regulations, the product type may contain more than the recommended level of THC (less than 0.3%).

Most elders have difficulty swallowing therefore most CBD products may face some challenges when administering CBD to seniors. The following are the best ways elders can take CBD without complications;

• Sublingually- involves placing a few drops of CBD oil under the tongue and holding the oil for 60 seconds before swallowing or spitting. It allows the CBD compounds to penetrate the soft mucous membranes of cheeks to the bloodstream.
• Directly to the skin- elders are largely associated with muscle, joint, and skin pains. This method is best suited since it helps elders to bypass the undesired earthy taste of CBD oil which is a roadblock to many. CBD topical like lotion, cream, or salve is rubbed to the affected skin point and CBD penetrates the epidermis to the inner layer.
• Infusing CBD oil into soups- CBD oil can be added to the ingredients of making a soup whereby it is added to the dish after the cooking process is completed. Most seniors prefer this method because it allows them to have the privilege of harvesting CBD benefits with a delicious flavor.
• CBD sprays- it is done orally like sublingually but it involves using small-scale bottles to spray a CBD liquid in the mouth.

Health Benefits of CBD to seniors' Lifestyle

Older people are characterized by many complications starting from chronic pains, anxiety, and chronic diseases to depression. CBD plays a crucial role in tackling those problems as explained below;

Managing Pain and Inflammation

Pains from diabetes, arthritis, surgery, and other chronic conditions are very common among elders. Inflammation is also common since it is regulated by the immune system and elders have weak body systems. Sunda & Arowolo (2020) found that CBD is anti-inflammatory and it interacts with body receptors to alleviate pain and inflammation occurring due to body infections.

Helps in Cancer Treatment

65% of reported cancer death happens between the age of 60 and above. Doctors have released that CBD can help in treating cancer and medicinal symptoms thus administering the remedy to cancer patients. Seltzer et al. (2020) said that CBD lowers the occurrence of medicinal symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea which causes most patients to give up on medication lowering their chance of surviving. Moreover, CBD can manage cancer inflammation and increase cell reproduction in tumors, reducing tumor growth. Learn more about how cbd can help in treating thyroid disorder?

Improves Heart Condition for seniors

In most cases, high blood pressure causes hypertension associated with complications in the heart. Heart disorder is among the leading causes of death in older adults. CBD interactions with ECS, lower body pressure and cardiac inflammation resulting from oxidative cell stress.

Reduces Memory Loss

Older people are characterized by loss of memory as they age. Factors like depression, social isolation, and loneliness cause mental problems resulting in memory loss. Apart from combating depression and loneliness, CBD increases brain neuron production which is responsible for thoughts and memory loss, preventing further loss of memory.

Reducing Anxiety and Depression

Stress and anxiety are common to elders as they carry it from a young period and it intensifies when they experience sudden changes like the death of a loved one, chronic diseases, retirement, or self-denial. Zieba et al. (2019) commented that CBD is known for its anti-depressant properties whereby it reduces anxiety by changing how the brain receptors respond to challenges. It also interacts with the body gland to produce the hormone serotonin which alleviates stress thoughts.

CBD Provides Quality Sleep to Elders

As one gets old, the neurons that control sleep are broken down with time, making most seniors struggle to fall asleep. Prescribed drugs for sleep can come with long-term side effects like high dependency. Therefore, CBD is best suited to improve sleep since it is non-addictive and it targets sleeping problems like pain and stress. it also increases the production of sleeping neurons thus promoting deep relaxation and calmness which makes you fall asleep. Importantly, it keeps elders fresh and alert during the day hence stabilizing the sleeping pattern.

Conclusion

Psychological and physical challenges are accompanied by aging since the body systems weakens. CBD has improved the life quality of elders due to its health benefits like relieving pain, and anxiety, improving heart conditions, cancer treatment, improving sleep, and boosting mental issues. It treats these symptoms without dependency problems like most medications and portrays rare side effects like dry mouth and drowsiness. CBD is available for seniors on every corner of the street in the forms of capsules, oil, soft gels, topicals, and edibles with each depending on the senior preference and problem.

References

Freeman, T. P., Craft, S., Wilson, J., Stylianou, S., Elsohly, M., Di Forti, M., & Lynskey, M. T. (2021). Changes In Delta‐9‐Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) And Cannabidiol (CBD) Concentrations In Cannabis Over Time: Systematic Review And Meta‐Analysis. Addiction, 116(5), 1000-1010.

Nelson, K. M., Bisson, J., Singh, G., Graham, J. G., Chen, S. N., Friesen, J. B., ... & Pauli, G. F. (2020). The Essential Medicinal Chemistry Of Cannabidiol (CBD). Journal Of Medicinal Chemistry, 63(21), 12137-12155.

Seltzer, E. S., Watters, A. K., Mackenzie Jr, D., Granat, L. M., & Zhang, D. (2020). Cannabidiol (CBD) Is A Promising Anti-Cancer Drug. Cancers, 12(11), 3203.

Sunda, F., & Arowolo, A. (2020). A Molecular Basis For The Anti‐Inflammatory And Anti‐Fibrosis Properties Of Cannabidiol. The FASEB Journal, 34(11), 14083-14092.

Zieba, J., Sinclair, D., Sebree, T., Bonn-Miller, M., Gutterman, D., Siegel, S., & Karl, T. (2019). Cannabidiol (CBD) Reduces Anxiety-Related Behavior In Mice Via An FMRP-Independent Mechanism. Pharmacology Biochemistry And Behavior, 181, 93-100.