Does CBD Oil Help Treat Arthritis Pain?

CBD helps in treating various pain conditions, arthritis being one of them. It is made possible since it has anti-inflammatory properties. Herein you learn more about arthritis pain, CBD oil, arthritis pain treatment, How CBD works, and the Risks of taking CBD oil for arthritis pain. Should you use CBD for arthritis pain? Guidelines about using CBD oil for chronic arthritis pain and Using CBD oil for arthritis pain

You've heard about CBD and its pain-relieving properties; you might wonder whether it may help with arthritis pain. Most people who have arthritis normally experience constant pain. Although there is no cure for arthritis pain, studies have proven that CBD oil can help relieve the discomfort and inflammation linked to arthritis pain. CBD does not contain THC (tetrahydrocannabinol); hence it is not intoxicating. Most patients are turning to CBD oil for their arthritis pain since it is not addictive like opioids and rarely has any side effects.

Understanding Arthritis Pain

Arthritis is chronic joint inflammation. Arthritis is used to refer to joint pain. There are over one hundred types of arthritis, including; psoriatic arthritis, osteoarthritis, and more. Various popular symptoms of arthritis include; swelling, joint pain, stiffness, and joint deformities. Boyden et al. (2016) suggested that there are several causes of arthritis, such as:

• Autoimmune disease
• Overweight
• Previously injured joint. Learn more about can you drive when using cbd oil?

CBD Oil and Arthritis Pain Treatment

Arthritis is one of the diseases that cause disability in America, affecting about 58.5 million individuals. The most popular typed of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis attacks an individual's joints and affects the feet and hands. It also causes swollen, painful, and stiff joints. Osteoarthritis affects joint bones and leads to pain and stiffness. It affects the thumb joints and the knee.

The Arthritis Foundation stated that various individuals who use CBD oil for arthritis pain have reported pain relief, reduced anxiety, and sleep improvement. However, so far, no clinical studies confirm this. However, studies on rats have suggested that CBD oil can help treat arthritis pain. CBD oil has proved effective in treating joint pain linked to osteoarthritis; when used topically, it also helps relieve pain associated with arthritis by affecting how the pain receptors respond to stimuli.

How CBD Works

Scharf et al. (2017) commented that in treating pain, CBD interacts with the body's endocannabinoid system (ECS) since it is responsible for various functions in the body, pain being one of them. CBD prevents the breakdown of endocannabinoids without ant psychoactive effects like that of THC. Patil et al. (2021) CBD decrease inflammation by affecting the endocannabinoid receptors (CB 1 and CB2) activities. It interacts with these receptors since it affects the neurotransmitter release to the brain, relieving various pain levels, nausea and anxiety.

Risks of Taking CBD Oil for Arthritis Pain

Boggs et al. (2018) stated that the long-term effects of using CBD are still unknown; however, it has various mild side effects such as; dry mouth, fatigue, and drowsiness. Avoid taking any CBD products since it may increase the effects of the medications if you are under any other medication, such as blood thinners. Also, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid taking CBD since it may lead to the fetus's developmental issues, and its effects are transferred through breast milk too. When purchasing your CBD oil, ensure its THC levels do not exceed 0.3 percent, and it should also have proof of third-party lab test results to approve its quality. According to Yin &Haifei et al. (2020), you could ask for a Certificate of Analysis (COA) report since it shows the presence of heavy metals or any other toxic substance.

Should I Use CBD for Arthritis Pain?

Communicating with your physician before taking CBD oil for arthritis pain would be best. CBD helps relieve inflammation and pain related to arthritis. However, it would help if you did not use it as an alternative to arthritis pain medication unless recommended by a doctor since its long terms effects are still unknown.

Guidelines about Using CBD Oil for Chronic Arthritis Pain

Below are guidelines concerning CBD treatment for chronic arthritis pain.

• When choosing CBD oil for your pain, choose one with proof of third-party lab test results since you are assured of its purity and safety since it has been independently tested with no biasness.
• However, if you use CBD oil for pain management, you should not use it with other medications since it interacts with some medications and may lead to negative effects. You can use it with other non-medication options like exercise.
• Aim at taking CBD oil orally rather than vaping it, and start slow and low until you find your desired effects.
• Have treatment goals within a specific period. For example, if you take it for knee pain and start noticing some improvement, you may adjust your dosage goals.
• Always communicate with your doctor before incorporating CBD as your medication to know the ideal dosage and effects.
• Consider other treatments before making CBD oil s your first option for treating arthritis pain.
• It would be best if you did not take advice from non-health medical practitioners for managing arthritis pain.

Using CBD Oil for Arthritis Pain

There are various formulations of CBD products. You can check the product's label to know how often you should use the oil. CBD oil dosage varies due to various factors such as; body weight and metabolism. You should begin with the lowest dose if you are new to CB oil.

You can consume CBD oil orally by using a dropper or pipette by placing it beneath your tongue or adding it to your favorite drinks and foods. CBD oil can also be consumed through edibles like gummies and capsules to help treat arthritis pain. Topical use of CBD oil, such as lotions, also helps target the pain-affected areas of arthritis.

Bottom Line

CBD oil has shown potential results in treating arthritis pain since it affects various receptors in the brain (CB1 and CB2), and researchers believe that it affects the immune system in that it may reduce pain. However, human studies are limited concerning this theory since there are restrictions around its use since the FDA has not yet approved it. However, its popularity has been growing since it was federally legal, according to the 2018 Farm Bill. However, more studies must confirm whether CBD oil can help treat arthritis pain. Embrace CBD to help treat arthritis.

References

Boggs, D. L., Surti, T., Gupta, A., Gupta, S., Niu, M., Pittman, B., ... & Ranganathan, M. (2018). The Effects Of Cannabidiol (CBD) On Cognition And Symptoms In Outpatients With Chronic Schizophrenia A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial. Psychopharmacology, 235(7), 1923-1932.

Boyden, S. D., Hossain, I. N., Wohlfahrt, A., & Lee, Y. C. (2016). Non-Inflammatory Causes Of Pain In Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis. Current Rheumatology Reports, 18(6), 1-8.

Patil, A. S., Mahajan, U. B., Agrawal, Y. O., Patil, K. R., Patil, C. R., Ojha, S., ... & Goyal, S. N. (2020). Plant-Derived Natural Therapeutics Targeting Cannabinoid Receptors In Metabolic Syndrome And Its Complications: A Review. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, 132, 110889.

Scharf, E. L. (2017). Translating Endocannabinoid Biology Into Clinical Practice: Cannabidiol For Stroke Prevention. Cannabis And Cannabinoid Research, 2(1), 259-264.

Yin, H. (2020). Of Analysis. Signature, 10, 28.