Inflammation is the #1 concern for the medical industry and how CBD may help
Inflammation is one of the biggest concerns in the medical community, but CBD may provide some much needed relief.
Inflammation may sound scary, but it’s actually natural and everyone experiences it from time to time. When inflammation doesn’t stop though, it can lead to chronic pain and cause other health complications. That’s why studies indicating CBD (cannabidiol) may decrease inflammation are so exciting.
Whether someone is dealing with acute or chronic inflammation, it’s no walk in the park. When it gets severe enough it can even become debilitating. If you, or someone you know, is suffering from inflammation, keep reading to find out whether or not CBD is a good option for you.
What is Inflammation?
If you’re already an inflammation expert, then feel free to skip to the next section. However, if you’re just now starting to feel those tell-tale aches and pains then pay attention.
First, inflammation is completely natural, necessary, and a normal part of everyone’s health journey.
Picture this — You regularly run several miles on the treadmill, but it’s a gorgeous day outside so you decide to hit the pavement. While you enjoyed the sunshine, those concrete sidewalks took a toll on your knees and the next day they’re tender and sore. That’s normal inflammation!
According to LifeScience, “Inflammation is a vital part of the immune system’s response to injury and infection. It is the body’s way of signaling the immune system to heal and repair damaged tissue, as well as defend itself against foreign invaders, such as viruses and bacteria.” Essentially we need inflammation to properly heal and recover.
However, too much inflammation can be uncomfortable, painful, and cause a variety of other health problems. There are two distinct types of inflammation to be aware of.
Acute Inflammation
The scenario above was an example of acute inflammation. Everyone deals with this from time to time and it’s generally not too severe. Any time you get a sore throat from a cold, strain a muscle, get a minor cut, etc., your body will cause short-term, localized inflammation. This can be identified by heat, swelling, redness, and sometimes pain or even brief loss of function.
If that description reminds you of the last time you sprained your ankle, that’s exactly it. It probably became swollen, red, and maybe you wrapped it and took a pain pill.
After the body has adequately healed, the inflammation should recede. However, for some people their inflammation doesn’t recede as quickly as it should. Sometimes they experience inflammation even when they haven’t sustained an injury or illness at all. That’s the second type of inflammation…
Chronic Inflammation
Sometimes chronic inflammation develops when acute inflammation just went on too long. This is very common with sports injuries when athletes don’t give themselves enough recovery time, or when they injure the same area again and again.
Other times, the immune system is overactive and triggers inflammatory responses even when no injury has occurred. For people with autoimmune disorders this is a regular occurrence and can have a very negative impact on their quality of life because this type of inflammation is usually associated with chronic pain too.
Unlike acute inflammation, chronic inflammation isn’t necessarily short-lived and it’s not always localized. For some, this means their entire body is in pain.
A short list of other conditions that can cause chronic inflammation include arthritis, asthma, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, certain cancers, lupus, and the list goes on. Honestly, the medical community is still studying what causes inflammation and what sorts of effects long term inflammation can have on the body. Sometimes prolonged inflammation can cause people to develop certain disorders instead of the other way around.
If you’re panicking, take a deep breath. This is where we talk about the many ways CBD can provide relief for those suffering from both acute and chronic inflammation.
What is CBD?
First, CBD (cannabidiol) is legal in all fifty states as long as it’s manufactured from industrial hemp. While hemp is related to marijuana–they’re both technically considered “cannabis”–hemp has a much lower level of THC so it doesn’t have psychoactive effects.
This makes CBD a fantastic option for those who either don’t have access to medical marijuana, or who just aren’t interested in it. For those who live in states where medical marijuana is an option however, they can purchase CBD manufactured from the marijuana plant. However, you can rest easy knowing that Singy’s products will always be manufactured from industrial hemp.
In the most basic sense, the hemp plant naturally produces lots of different cannabinoid compounds. CBD is just one of them. One of the really interesting things about these cannabinoids is that they’re very similar to some of the natural compounds our bodies are already producing. As more research becomes available, we’re also discovering lots of potential therapeutic benefits of CBD. Specifically, that CBD Oil is really great at decreasing inflammation.
How does CBD provide relief for inflammation?
The reason that CBD is effective for the treatment of inflammation is because of how it interacts with our bodies. Our ECS (endocannabinoid system) works to promote balance. We’re still in the early stages of discovering it’s many mechanisms, but it’s main purpose seems to be to act as a series of checks and balances on the various other systems throughout your body.
The ECS potentially helps us have a balanced appetite, hormones, mood, sleep cycle, adrenal response, a balanced immune system, and more. It accomplishes that through the use of naturally occurring endocannabinoid compounds. These compounds are the same ones that the cannabinoids from the hemp plant are so similar to (this is where the different pieces of the puzzle should start fitting together!)
When an imbalance is detected, endocannabinoids bind with ECS receptors to create a chemical response that brings balance back to your body. You’re not even aware of it, but your body is constantly at work trying to keep you happy and healthy (even when it doesn’t feel like it). So, what role does CBD have in this?
The idea is that by supplementing with CBD, you’re giving your ECS more cannabinoids to help it accomplish its many tasks. CBD mostly effects the immune system, so it boosts the power of your ECS so that it can more effectively balance the immune system. Don’t believe us? Let’s look at some research studies.
In one experiment studying acute lung injury in rats, it showed that CBD does have anti-inflammatory properties most likely due to its ability to promote adenosine (one of those naturally occurring endocannabinoids). In another experiment with both humans and mice, CBD was studied for it’s potential to reduce intestinal inflammation in those suffering from Ulcerative Colitis. Not only did CBD reduce intestinal damage due to inflammation, the researchers even said, “Our results…indicate that CBD indeed unravels a new therapeutic strategy to treat inflammatory bowel diseases.”
Which CBD products work best for inflammation?
When it comes to inflammation, the best options are CBD Oil, CBD Gummies, and lastly CBD Topicals.For severe, chronic inflammation CBD oil is recommended because of how long it lasts, the ability to determine your dose, and its overall bioavailability.
The effects of CBD oil may last for several hours, so you can go longer without having to take more. If this is your first time using CBD, then oil allows you to tinker with your dosage until you find out what dose of cbd is right for you. Everyone is different and requires their own unique dose of cbd, so oil gives you the opportunity to find out what amount is right for you.
The other important factor is bioavailability–the amount of a substance that actually enters circulation that’s able to have an active effect. While you can just squirt your CBD oil into a drink or just swallow it whole, it’s recommended to take it sublingually. This just means that you hold it under your tongue for 30-60 seconds before swallowing. This allows the CBD to absorb straight into your bloodstream via the mucous glands in your mouth.
Gummies are a great option for people who need something convenient. If you’re juggling a million tasks it’s not always convenient to whip out your CBD oil and hold it in your mouth for a full minute. Gummies are easy to take on the go, each one has a predetermined dose, and once the effects kick in they may last for several hours. Because gummies have to pass through the digestive track though, they take longer to kick in and they’re less bioavailable than oil.
CBD topicals are really great for localized, acute inflammation. You literally just put the product where you need it and try to take it easy. This is good for athletes with sore muscles or even menstrual back pain. This product has a very low bioavailability though because it has to pass through the skin. To get around that it’s recommended to apply topicals liberally and to massage the area (if possible) to help with absorption.
How long does it take for CBD to relieve inflammation?
This is one of the harder questions to answer because everyone is different. There are several different factors that can affect how long it takes for the effects to be felt:
- Dose of CBD
- Whether you’re treating chronic or acute inflammation
- Metabolism
- Weight
- Quality of CBD
- Type of CBD product
There are so many variables and there are still studies being done on the effects of CBD, how CBD works, and how it effects our health. Until we have more concrete data, caution and patience are always best.
In general, it’s always recommended to start with CBD oil and to test it out for a month. That may seem like a long time, but, like any other supplement, it may take a while to really feel and understand the effects. You may just notice that you feel “better” but it may take you a while to understand that it’s because you have less chronic pain and anxiety. Maybe you just get better sleep which was exactly what your immune system needed to give itself a boost.
Especially when it comes to the immune system, it’s not going to change overnight. You may also find that as time goes on, and as CBD builds up in your system, you need a lower dose.
There is no one-size-fits-all answer here, so here’s our recommendation. Take CBD oil for a month and keep a journal of your experience. Note the dose, the time of day you took that dose, how long it took to feel the effects, and then take note of those effects. Once that month has gone by, review your notes and determine what dose worked the best for you. THEN you may branch out and try other cbd products to see what else may help.
Final Thoughts
We want to remind everyone, especially people already taking medications for inflammation, to consult with a doctor before adding any new substances to their system. The Food and Drug Administration has only approved one CBD prescription to treat two rare forms of epilepsy, and until more studies are available caution should be used. Prescriptions are a necessity for some conditions, and there’s nothing wrong with that. We would never recommend ditching prescriptions without having a serious discussion with a medical professional.
We firmly believe in the healing potential of CBD, but people deserve to make their own decisions regarding their health. The cannabis plant has so much untapped potential for health and wellness, and cannabidiol may help people with a number of different conditions including both acute and chronic inflammation.
No matter what though, we want to provide people with the knowledge and products to live pain and inflammation free. Take control of your health and contact us when you’re ready to Feel Better and Live More.