If you haven’t heard by now, CBD is an amazing product that you may want to consider and learn more about. Knowledge is power! CBD could change your entire self-care routine and just might improve your quality of life. With the help of HealthHangry.com and its abundance of information about CBD, you are accessing the power to possibly live a healthier life. So let's jump right in!
So how does CBD work inside of our bodies?
Anything we ingest releases a chemical response, even when we eat foods. Certain foods make us feel euphoric because of certain ingredients; others make us feel angry. Either way, our body releases responses that roam throughout our whole body, and the same goes for ingesting CBD.
First, you need to understand that our bodies consist of an endocannabinoid system, a sophisticated molecular system responsible for regulating and balancing many processes in the body, including communication between cells, pain-sensation, immune response, appetite and metabolism, memory, mood and more.
The ECS is crucial for homeostasis, which is, basically, your body's efforts to keep your internal environment stable and optimal no matter what's going on in the environment around you. Your body is continuously monitoring important levels so when something is operating outside of the correct range or not acting cooperatively within this zone, your body activates the ECS to help correct it.
Think about all your important internal levels. Is your temperature too high, too low, or just right? Is your heart beating too fast? Do you feel hungry or need rest? Are your hormone levels what they should be?
When you find yourself beginning to sweat while working in the hot sun, you can thank your ECS for helping your body cool down. When your stomach growls and feels like it is pulling at your backbone because you skipped breakfast, your ECS is reminding you that your body needs fuel.
How does the ECS do this? It works through cannabinoid receptors found in select tissues of the body, and they work with CBD to produce a range of effects. However, our endocannabinoid system functions with or without CBD to push it along.
We have (at least) two types of cannabinoid receptors called CB1 and CB2:
· CB1 receptors influence and help control our coordination, movements, pain responses, memory, appetite, and mood.
· CB2 receptors are in charge of inflammation, our nervous system, and pain.
Enzymes work in our body to break down the cannabinoids that enter our system. Then, the endocannabinoids search for receptors.
CBD does not directly bind with receptors but influences them to do certain things and adds a layer of protection. It helps activate certain receptors more than the body naturally can, which then leads to all of CBD's health benefits.
CBD For Health: What The Science Shows
Now that we know how CBD works in our bodies, you may be wondering what the actual health benefits are. There have been studies done on CBD, but more human research studies are needed for any conclusive results. If you are looking to manage something specific, your best bet is asking your doctor for their opinion and if it will interact badly with any other medications you may be taking.
CBD has been shown to be possibly beneficial for various conditions. While thousands of people love and use it, conclusive science is still out. THC (medicinal marijuana) also has its own benefits, but unlike CBD, THC does cause intoxication. So you need to look at the whole plant and find out the benefits of both CBD and THC.
Migraines
CBD has been known to reduce migraines or chronic headaches in individuals. There is still little evidence it works for migraines. However, users have declared that it does reduce the symptoms of bad migraines. If you’re looking for other natural treatments, managing stress levels is a really good way to manage migraines. You can do this through meditation and exercise.
Dravet Syndrome And Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome
One of the more prominent and proven uses of CBD is for seizures. According to Harvard Health Publishing, the strongest scientific support for CBD is in the treatment of one of the most awful childhood epilepsy syndromes, Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.
One of the worst aspects of these conditions is they do not respond to anti-seizure medications. But multiple studies have shown that CBD is able to not only reduce seizures but even eliminate them completely. This is the reason that the FDA has approved the first cannabis-based medication, known as Epidiolex which contains CBD and treats these conditions.
Anxiety and Insomnia
Many people worry about prescription anxiety medication which can cause dependence and other unwanted side effects. CBD seems to help many with anxiety, and it is not psychoactive (mood altering) or addictive.
Healthline cites a Brazilian study that included 57 male subjects who were given either oral CBD or a placebo about an hour and a half before giving a public speaking test. The results were fascinating in that those who received a 300 mg dose of CBD had a significant reduction in anxiety (symptoms including shaking, increased heart rate, trouble focusing, and irritability) while performing the public speaking test.
Depression
Healthline reports that CBD oil has shown a lot of promise in treating depression, “using CBD has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression in both human and animal studies.”
Cancer And Its Symptoms
CBD may help reduce symptoms related to cancer treatment, like nausea, vomiting and pain.
One study that included 177 patients (Multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study of the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of THC:CBD extract and THC extract in patients with intractable cancer-related pain; Johnson, et al) found a combination of CBD and THC yielded significant pain relief when administered in unison versus giving the study subjects THC alone.
Another study (Delayed nausea and vomiting continue to reduce patients' quality of life after highly and moderately emetogenic chemotherapy despite antiemetic treatment; Bloechl-Daum, et al) found CBD to reduce chemotherapy related vomiting and nausea, two of the worst side effects of cancer treatment.
Another exciting discovery occurred with animal studies (Preliminary efficacy and safety of an oromucosal standardized cannabis extract in chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting; Duran, et al) finding CBD to possibly have anticancer properties. The test-tube study discovered that concentrated CBD caused cell death in human breast cancer cells.
Another study found CBD to inhibit the spread of aggressive breast cancer cells in mice, The study states, “In conclusion, CBD represents the first nontoxic exogenous agent that can significantly decrease Id-1 expression in metastatic breast cancer cells leading to the down-regulation of tumor aggressiveness.” (Cannabidiol as a novel inhibitor of Id-1 gene expression in aggressive breast cancer cells; McAllister, et al).
Acne Relief
Test tube studies are promising in CBD being effective against acne, mainly because CBD contains anti-inflammatory properties and is also able to reduce sebum production (Cannabidiol exerts sebostatic and anti-inflammatory effects on human sebocytes; Balázs, et al) (Differential effectiveness of selected non-psychotropic phytocannabinoids on human sebocyte functions implicates their introduction in dry/seborrhoeic skin and acne treatment; Oláh, et al).
Neuroprotective Properties – Brain Health
Researchers believe that CBD may have the ability to benefit patients with neurological disorders, especially those suffering from multiple sclerosis and epilepsy. More research is needed, but scientists believe the initial results are promising.
A spray that combines THC and CBD called Sativex was found to reduce muscle spasms in those suffering from multiple sclerosis (Nabiximols (THC/CBD oromucosal spray, Sativex®) in clinical practice--results of a multicenter, non-interventional study (MOVE 2) in patients with multiple sclerosis spasticity; Flachenecker, et al)
Other studies report improvements in sleep quality in those suffering from Parkinson’s disease (Cannabidiol can improve complex sleep-related behaviors associated with rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder in Parkinson's disease patients: a case series; Chagas, et al) (Effects of cannabidiol in the treatment of patients with Parkinson's disease: an exploratory double-blind trial; Chagas, et al).
An exciting long-term study administered CBD to mice with genetic predispositions to Alzheimer’s disease and reported that CBD indeed helped to prevent cognitive decline in these mice (Long-term cannabidiol treatment prevents the development of social recognition memory deficits in Alzheimer's disease transgenic mice; Cheng, et al).
CBD oil from hemp was found to help the following conditions in a study published in Pharmaceuticals (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4033945/):
● Less severe anxiety and agitation in patients with Alzheimer’s Disease
● Reduced brain inflammation in those with Alzheimer’s Disease
● Lower risk of involuntary movements (dyskinesia) in patients with Parkinson’s Disease
● Reduced impulsiveness and hyperactivity in people with Huntington’s Disease
It’s important to note that this research is still within its preliminary stages and future research must be done on humans to truly understand the full effects.
High Blood Pressure
The Mayo Clinic describes numerous studies that have found CBD to possibly help lower blood pressure. More research is needed to confirm these results.
Pain Relief
Studies have found CBD to be useful for chronic pain and reducing inflammation (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5922297/).
Harvard Health describes a study that was published in the European Journal of Pain that reported reduced pain and inflammation from arthritis in animals.
They further cite another study that demonstrated just how CBD inhibited both neuropathic and inflammatory pain, both of which are chronic and some of the most difficult to treat and alleviate.
(https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/cannabidiol-cbd-what-we-know-and-what-we-dont-2018082414476).
Other Health Benefits
CBD studies continue to be conducted and while more research is needed, a few possible promising benefits have arisen as a result.
Healthline reports these to be:
● The reduction of psychotic symptoms related to schizophrenia and other mental disorders.
● Substance abuse treatment.
● Animal and test-tube studies show promise in CBD having anti-tumor effects.
● Diabetic mice who were given CBD as a treatment yielded a 56% reduction in diabetes as well as greatly reduced inflammation.
