Last updated on 23 September 2021
Cannabidiol (CBD) can be used to alleviate different types of pain. The compound has been known to effectively reduce inflammation, and overall discomfort associated with many health conditions.
Studies on CBD oil and pain management have shown positive results, explaining the benefits of the compound when used as a pain relief1 Using cannabidiol for chronic pain could offer a natural alternative for people who do not wish to use opioid-like, habit-forming medications. While more research on the subject of chronic pain is always welcomed, there is a sufficient amount of evidence pointing that CBD may be a suitable treatment.2
How Does CBD Work for Treating Pain?
CBD is a compound of cannabis which doesn’t have psychotropic properties. As described above, it may be able to fight pain and inflammation.
The human body also produces its own cannabinoids and has its own CB1 and CB2 receptors in the brain and body, respectively. The CB1 receptors in the brain control emotions, thinking, appetite, movements, pain and memories. The CB2 receptors, on the other hand, influence the body’s immune system. The use of CBD oil can stimulate the human organism to produce more cannabinoids.
What Types of Pain Can CBD Treat?
Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is intense pain in a particular part of the body that is troubling a person for over a long period of time. To be exact, chronic pain is any pain that lasts in the body for over a period of 12 weeks.
There are no particular reasons as to what is the cause of this pain, there are various possibilities. For instance, an injury, sprain in the back, sleep disorder, etc. could all be factors contributing to chronic pain. Such pains are severe and they limit one’s movement thus causing discomfort. Chronic pain should not be neglected as if left untreated for a long time, it could even lead to disability in the future.
There is no technology as such to measure the chronic pain and diagnose the location or reason of the pain. So the person suffering from pain has to guide the doctors. Recent developments show that the CBD has been very helpful in curing these types of pains.
Menstrual Pain
Women know how bad and painful the menstrual cramps can be, and it would be a relief to have a cure for them. For some women, the pain is so severe that they have to resort to injections to ease out the pain.
CBD oil is proven to be a very good option to ease out the menstrual pain. This oil acts as a muscle-relaxer and has anti-inflammatory properties in it, so it relaxes the areas that cause pain to the body3.
CBD oil helps alleviate back pain caused during that time of the month. It also has properties that help fight anxiety and relaxes the body, thus minimizing mood swings. CBD oil sure does fight the menstrual pain and helps ease out the side effects of PMS4.
Migraines
Migraines are a severe headache that a person experiences and the pain goes way beyond a normal headache caused due to stress or a cold. A migraine headache is very critical as it varies in intensity and people have to resort to painkillers to lessen the pain. Migraines are usually located on one side of the head and can make the person feel irritated by sound and light, as well as nauseated.
Chronic migraine can cause permanent damage to the brain. Application or use of CBD oil can help ease out the side-effects of a migraine. CBD oil doesn’t have any psychotropic substances and proves to be a very effective cure for the issue. Migraines are also caused due to lower levels of serotonin and CBD helps to increase the level of serotonin. Application of CBD oil can also help in calming the body so it turns out to be a good option for migraine.
Related article: CBD for migraines
Arthritis Pain
Arthritis is a condition in the joints, and it causes severe pain in the body. This condition causes inflammation and aggravates with age. Amongst the many symptoms of arthritis, some of the prominent symptoms include pain and swelling. Apart from inflammation, it also causes stiffness and reduces movement of the body. People resort to physiotherapy, medication and in severe cases undergo surgeries to ease the pain caused due to this.
Two most common types of arthritis are Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid causes stiffness in the joints, as well as swollen hands and feet. Osteoarthritis affects joint cartilage and bones. It usually affects knees, hips, and joints of the thumb.
CBD comes as a blessing to help reduce the inflammation and pain caused due to the symptoms of Arthritis5. Pain caused due to arthritis is terrible so instead of relying on pills one can switch to CBD oil to help lower the pain. CBD is made from naturally occurring substances and doesn’t cause any adverse effect on the brain.
Related article: CBD for Arthritis
Cancer-Related Symptoms
Cancer is something that everyone fears. Different types of cancer come with different symptomss, however an excessive and uncomfortable pain is almost always present. CBD oil helps reduce thel evels of pain, making them more managable. It can also help alleviate nausea, as a result of chemotherapy.
Use of CBD oil in the initial stages can help reduce the frightening amount of cancer-related symptoms. The properties of the CBD oil reduce back pain6, depression7 and fatigue8 and can give the person a relaxing experience as it also helps to calm down the stress of the body and mind.
Inflammation
Inflammation is the body’s immune system trying to protect its parts from a harmful or damaged cell, by attempting to remove it from itself. The signs and symptoms of inflammation can be unpleasant but it is your body’s way of protecting you against harmful stimuli.
CBD oil, due to its anti-inflammatory properties, can be a suitable way to battle inflammation9
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia causes a disorder in musculoskeletal parts along with mood swings, fatigue, and memory loss. It causes a lot of discomfort to the person suffering from this issue. There are no known reasons or researches to line out the benefits of CBD oil for this issue but we can say that it reduces the level of pain in the body and relaxes the body thus successfully easing out the pain.
For example, athletes and sports professionals might be at an increased risk of developing BP due to the high volume of training and its effect on the musculoskeletal system.
What are some Side Effects of Using CBD?
As confirmed by the WHO (World’s Health Organization)10 there seem to be no side effects of this oil, when used in isolation. People have responded very well to the usage of this product and it has not caused any harm to the nervous system of the people using it.
There have been instances of people complaining about slight diarrhoea and a feeling of tiredness. No effect on a person’s mood or health has been recorded. Sudden loss of appetite and weight loss have been also noticed in a few of the cases. Find out more about the side-effects of CBD in our guide.
CBD Dosage for Pain
The recommended dosage can vary greatly from product to product, leading to confusion. The dosage depends on the percentage of CBD oil used. We recommend the Step-Up method by Leinow & Birnbaum. In their book: “CBD: A patient’s guide to Medical Cannabis”, they recommend to start with a microdose for pain. To find out more about the microdose and how to correctly dose your CBD products, read our article on CBD dosing.
How Can I Use CBD to Treat Pain?
If you choose to take CBD oil orally, simply put the drops underneath your tongue and hold them until they get fully absorbed in your mouth. Don’t swallow them right away, rather wait for them to be absorbed. This makes digestion and absorption much easier. You can also take CBD as capsules or mix it with a drink.
How to take CBD oil for pain
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Stand in front of a mirror to see where to place the drops
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Follow the image to place your personal dose under the tongue
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Let the oil absorb for at least 1-2 minutes
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Swallow what is left of the oil
Other methods of taking CBD oil is by vaping it. It can be taken using vaporizers or different inhalers. This method is one of the fastest and has an instant effect. It is recommended mainly if you have severe migraines so their pain will be relieved right away. However, do not vape if you have asthma or any other lung disease or if you are a beginner as it can be too much for your body at first due to its instant function.
CBD oil can also be directly applied to the skin since it comes as a lotion or balms, or creams. You can always try different ones and figure out which one works better and is easier to be used by you. It highly depends on your lifestyle and body.
Studies Supporting the Use of CBD Oil
Scientific Research Labs in Israel first started the study on pain phenomena. Later on, Spain and the US followed the research. With all the clinical research there was one thing that was clear – CBD was a successful painkiller for the chronic pain.
As per the Huffington Post, a trial led by Dr. Wai Liu11 oncologists, St. George’s University of London, concluded that the use of CBD oil would help reduce the effect of cancer cells and has more impact as compared to other drugs.
Researchers at the Institut de Recerca Hospital del Mar in Barcelona, Spain performed a clinical trial in the year 2011 in which it was concluded that medicinal use of cannabis is helpful to cure fibromyalgia symptoms.
Conclusion
We conclude that CBD oil has many medicinal properties for the people to benefit from. It helps reduce pain, inflammation, anxiety, migraine, nausea, cancer-related symptoms, sore muscles, etc. Many people have adopted the oil and have felt the difference, there are no risky side-effects of this oil. It is a natural painkiller with many additional benefits. CBD Oil also doesn’t cause any psychotropic reacting to the brain and there have been researches in labs to prove the fact that CBD helps people get over pain and anxiety. Recent studies show that CBD oil helps in curing epilepsy as well.
CBD for Chronic Pain – Customer Reviews
Suffering from chronic pain and…
“I suffer from chronic pain and the oil helps me to get through the day better.”
Trustpilot review by Glomb
Pain-free thanks to CBD
“With the right dosage, my pain is gone. I don’t like to skip taking it anymore.”
Trustpilot review by S. Geiger
Very soothing
“Highly beneficial brings enormous quality of life, very good and dedicated customer service. I am a chronic endometriosis pain patient and thanks to the CBD drops I can spare myself a lot of chemical painkillers. The CBD products are worth every cent!”
References
- Fine, P. and Rosenfeld, M. (2013). The Endocannabinoid System, Cannabinoids, and Pain. Rambam Maimonides Medical Journal, 4(4). [↩]
- Lynch, M. and Campbell, F. (2011). Cannabinoids for treatment of chronic non-cancer pain; a systematic review of randomized trials. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 72(5), pp.735-744. [↩]
- Costa, Barbara, et al. „The non-psychoactive cannabis constituent cannabidiol is an orally effective therapeutic agent in rat chronic inflammatory and neuropathic pain.“ European journal of pharmacology556.1-3 (2007): 75-83. [↩]
- Gold, E., Wells, C. and Rasor, M. (2016). The Association of Inflammation with Premenstrual Symptoms. Journal of Women’s Health, 25(9), pp.865-874. [↩]
- Costa, Barbara, et al. „The non-psychoactive cannabis constituent cannabidiol is an orally effective therapeutic agent in rat chronic inflammatory and neuropathic pain.“ European journal of pharmacology 556.1-3 (2007): 75-83 [↩]
- Xiong, Wei, et al. „Cannabinoids suppress inflammatory and neuropathic pain by targeting α3 glycine receptors.“ Journal of Experimental Medicine 209.6 (2012): 1121-1134 [↩]
Linge, R., Jiménez-Sánchez, L., Campa, L., Pilar-Cuéllar, F., Vidal, R., Pazos, A., … Díaz, Á. (2016). Cannabidiol induces rapid-acting antidepressant-like effects and enhances cortical 5-HT/glutamate neurotransmission: role of 5-HT1A receptors. Neuropharmacology, 103, 16–26 [↩]- Murillo-Rodríguez, Eric, et al. „Cannabidiol, a constituent of Cannabis sativa, modulates sleep in rats.“ FEBS letters 580.18 (2006): 4337-4345. [↩]
- Nagarkatti, Prakash, et al. „Cannabinoids as novel anti-inflammatory drugs.“ Future medicinal chemistry 1.7 (2009): 1333-1349. [↩]
- (Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (2018). CANNABIDIOL (CBD). [online] World Health Organization [↩]
- Scott, K., Dalgleish, A. and Liu, W. (2014). The Combination of Cannabidiol and Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Enhances the Anticancer Effects of Radiation in an Orthotopic Murine Glioma Model. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, 13(12), pp.2955-2967. [↩]
Author
With close to two decades of successful stint in the Media industry, I felt I was surely missing a piece in my life puzzle. I took a break and set out to seek the purpose of my life. I travelled, lived out of a suitcase, let things flow into life without resisting, and after five challenging years, I found my rhythm. I love to write about Cannabis and Health and try my best to simplify esoteric concepts into simple ideas for life.
