Uses of CBD oil for rheumatoid arthritis
CBD is showing potential to alleviate the discomfort caused by arthritis and osteoarthritis.
Here we are going to dig into arthritis and its most common expressions: rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. Just because this disease has no cure, doesn't mean that you can't master it as much as possible so that you can forget about it on most days. And in that goal cannabidiol is on your side.
Arthritis is an autoimmune disease. What does it mean? It means that your immune system becomes your enemy and mistakes its own tissue for viruses or bacteria to fight. So in its battle against itself, it sets in motion inflammatory processes that affect the joints. Depending on the type of arthritis you suffer from, some areas will be more inflamed than others. But, in general, it mainly affects the fingers and toes, knees and hips.
WHAT TYPES ARE THERE?
Types of arthritis: rheumatoid, psoriatic and osteoarthritis.
Arthritis has several surnames but there are no major differences between its symptoms: chronic pain, stiffness and swelling in the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common with 70 million people affected worldwide. In this case, women are notably more affected, so there are ongoing studies that analyze whether hormonal changes, typical of pregnancy, the period, or menopause, have to do with the development of the disease.
The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis occur in parallel in both parts of the body, so it is common to have the same problems in both knees or in the right and left hand.
Psoriatic arthritis affects 10-30% of people with psoriasis. We emphasize this type of arthritis since the benefits of for psoriasis and the satisfaction of many Upani users who use cannabidiol oil to mitigate eczema are well known. Unfortunately, psoriasis can be the first symptom of psoriatic arthritis. In this type of arthritis, men and women suffer it in equal percentage and its symptoms do not go in parallel. That is to say, only the left knee or the right foot may be affected.
Osteoarthritis is often used as a synonym for osteoarthritis. In this case, we are going to leave it more aside since, although the symptoms are very similar, the cause of the disease is not autoimmune, but degenerative: it has to do with age and wear and tear of the joints.
Uses of CBD oil for rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis
CBD treatments for rheumatic diseases are on the rise, especially in the USA, where the use of cannabinoids is growing a lot due to the positive degree of satisfaction reported by their users. The recommendation is to always consult your doctor to contrast the benefits of this addition to your arthritis treatment and to gauge whether, in the medium term, it is possible to replace or reduce the dose of some drugs with cannabinoids.
The use of CBD oil for rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis allows a combination of topical and sublingual application. It is important to massage the affected areas with CBD once or twice a day. Similarly, to complete its analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect, you can apply a few drops under your tongue both before and after sleeping. If you don't know which is your ideal oil and how many drops you would need, you can use our recommender.
Clinical trials on arthritis and CBD
In recent years there have been several studies to investigate the effectiveness of cannabidiol and other cannabinoids in reducing the symptoms of arthritis. It is also true that most of the clinical trials carried out have been conducted on animals. What are these studies and what evidence do they highlight?
1. 2006, a study was conducted with Sativex to measure its efficacy against pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis. The results reported a significant analgesic effect and a reduction in disease activity. What is Sativex? In recent years, a number of medicines containing cannabinoids have been approved for marketing. Sativex is one such drug and contains equal amounts of CBD and THC. It is used by spraying it on the cheek or under the tongue.
2. In 2008 the journal Biochemical Pharmacology suggested that CBD is the only active ingredient that can treat the of rheumatoid arthritis.
3. In 2014, following one of the most importantby Witkamp and Meijerlink, they argued that if CBD can reduce localized pain, rheumatoid arthritis patients should go about replacing their usual medications.
4. In 2017, study with rats, concluded that cannabidiol prevents osteoarthritis pain.
Benefits of cannabinoids for rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis
There are several reasons why CBD oil can alleviate the symptoms of arthritis. Specifically we can talk about 3: , T-cells and constancy.
It is said that conventional treatments are not entirely effective against the consequences of rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis. The reason may lie in the fact that joints and bones have few receptors for most compounds or active ingredients. However, it has been shown that the endocannabinoid system of the human body does have receptors in joints and bones. Therefore cannabidiol, together with other cannabinoids, can act as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory in these affected areas more effectively.
In addition, preliminary studies show that CBDare able to lower the immune response against the body itself. It seems that this compound can lower the activity of the so-called T cells (immune cells) by blocking the protein that activates these cells. According to the studies it seems that there is a link between the T cells in the body and the molecular trigger of rheumatoid arthritis.
Finally, consistency is important. We are talking about mitigating symptoms of chronic pathologies for which no cure has been found. The fact that a natural active ingredient, preventive of the hemp plant, has therapeutic applications, must be accompanied by an important dose of perseverance. Once you have found the routine that makes you feel better, do not use it only intermittently for its effectiveness to persist.
Certainly the findings and evidence to date are very encouraging, but more rigorous studies in people are awaited. In fact, from the , the Arthritis urges the US Food and Drug Administration to study and regulate CBD products, something, moreover, that is progressively happening in the different states of North America.
Bibliography
1. Tododisca.com: media about diseases and health.
2. Mediwiet Foundation: Dutch association around activist Wernard Bruing, who introduced diluted cbd oil in the Netherlands in 2013.
4. MedicalNewsToday.com: Evidence-based health information and the latest news from the world of medical research.
5. Studies linked in the 'arthritis and CBD clinical trials' section of this article.
Links to these sources of information are found throughout this article, dedicated to the uses of CBD oil for rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis.
