Pain management is such a struggle for millions of Americans that deal with debilitating chronic conditions on a daily basis. For some of those people, traditional pain medications aren’t an option for a variety of reasons. You may not be able to take them because of an allergy, an addiction, or a bad reaction. Or maybe you just don’t like how you feel when you are on strong pain medication. These medications are meant to help you but sometimes it feels like they are doing more harm than good – so what are you supposed to do? The good news is that there are other things that you can try for pain management – like CBD. Here’s everything you need to know about what your options are regarding CBD for pain management:
What Is CBD?
You have probably heard about medical marijuana before, but maybe you haven’t heard about CBD. The first thing that you should know about CBD is that it isn’t the same thing as medical marijuana, it isn’t illegal at the federal level, and it doesn’t get you high. Even though CBD and medical marijuana both come from the same plant, they are made up of different cannabidiols. Medical marijuana contains the cannabidiol “THC” or tetrahydrocannabinol which has psychoactive properties and produces the “high.” CBD does not contain high enough levels of THC (if any at all) to produce a high and therefore it is legal at the federal level and in most states.
What Pain Conditions Does CBD Help Treat?
CBD can help to treat many pain conditions because of its interactions with the endocannabinoid system within the body. It is connected to the immune system, inflammation response, and physiological processes. It is able to inhibit neuronal transmission to dull many different types of pain. Some of the different types of pain that CBD can help treat include:
- Arthritis pain
- Multiple sclerosis pain
- Cancer treatment pain and other symptoms
- Chronic pain from injury or other disease
And while it’s important to note that CBD does not claim to cure any of these issues, it does have the potential to relieve pain and improve quality of life.
What Are the Different Forms of CBD?
Now that you know that CBD could potentially help relieve your pain, let’s talk about some of the different options when it comes to CBD products so that you can find the best one for you:
- CBD oil: CBD oil is the purest form of CBD available and therefore contains the highest concentration of CBD.
- CBD tincture: CBD tincture is an oil that contains other additives in addition to the CBD like alcohol, glycerin, and other oils in order to decrease its potency.
- CBD topicals: CBD topicals include things like creams and lotions that contain CBD. These products are great if you are dealing with joint or muscle pain in specific areas. Some have even been manufactured to help treat acne!
- CBD edibles: CBD edibles include things like supplements and gummies that you can just pop into your mouth and go without worrying about measuring out oil or tincture for dosing. These easy-to-take options can also include other useful ingredients like caffeine for the morning or melatonin for the evening.
When it comes to finding the right CBD product for your pain management, you need to consider your needs and abilities. Do you need a high level of CBD in order to effectively manage your pain? Are you able to accurately measure out an oil and take it effectively or do you prefer an edible form? All of these are questions that you need to ask yourself as you are researching possible CBD products. At the end of the day, always make sure that you are buying a high-quality product from a reputable company that really knows what they are doing when it comes to CBD.