Cannabidiol, or CBD, is making frequent news. It is one of hundreds of molecules found in cannabis plants, and it belongs to the group of cannabinoids. A small scientific body recently found evidence that CBD oil products could really help patients suffering fibromyalgia and its terrible symptoms. With current medicine not understanding this condition much, this finding may prove revolutionary.
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, a 2013 review showed CBD an effective painkiller against fibromyalgia and other disorders, including multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. It is strong enough to relieve most types of pain. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved CBD for treating epilepsy in June 2018, but have to approve its use for other medicinal purposes still.
Currently, research is constant. However, the legal status of CBD and other cannabinoids differ between states and countries. Despite some restrictive local laws, CBD remains an incredibly popular alternative for treating an array of medical issues, fibromyalgia among them. Evidence proves CBD capable of numbing the associated pain effectively and without harmful or addictive side effects.
CBD and marijuana are completely different. Cannabidiol is but one cannabinoid found in cannabis plants, of which well over 100 exist. However, it is the most medicinally valuable of them all and responsible for many of the health properties associated with medical marijuana. CBD oil products and other concentrated forms of CBD are even more beneficial and low-risk than smoking marijuana.
Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is the cannabinoid famous for the psychoactive effects typical of marijuana. In contrast, CBD is non-psychoactive and cannot make users “high.” This is particularly appealing to those who abstain from marijuana use, typically react badly to using it, find mind-altering compounds uncomfortable, or are administering it to children.
Thus far, only a handful of studies have investigated the effects of CBD in the treatment of fibromyalgia specifically. Scientists cannot conclude exactly why CBD works so well in reducing the symptoms of this disease, but research teams are still studying several strong theories. There is also some debate as to why CBD appears to work more effectively in some and less in others.
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, the painkilling properties of CBD might lie in the way it affects the brain. Strong evidence suggests that CBD interrupts the neural pathways responsible for signaling pain between the brain and the rest of the body. Furthermore, the anti-inflammatory action of CBD also plays a role in relieving pain, as well as lowering heat and swelling in affected areas.
Discord also exists over whether CBD is more effective on its own or when used in conjunction with other cannabinoids. According to Science Direct, one particularly study in 2006 concluded that cannabinoids affect each other, enhancing therapeutic benefit when used together. This “entourage effect” promises additional health benefits to using CBD alone, but no other studies have confirmed.
Then a 2016 study, published on Liebert, Inc., showed that a lack of endocannabinoids, naturally occurring neurotransmitters that bind to receptors in the body, might be the root cause of chronic pain issues, such as fibromyalgia and severe migraines. Consuming CBD oil products actually appears to fix this deficiency, which explains how CBD works so well in alleviating even the worst types of pain.
Anecdotal evidence proves that consuming CBD oil products can relieve fibromyalgia and its symptoms in many sufferers. People are swearing by it. Now science is showing how it changes the way you process pain at the molecular level, and with immense medicinal benefits. Extensive research is now underway to understand these mechanisms of action more thoroughly.
Before this new focus on cannabis and its healing potential, past research always focused on medical marijuana as opposed to studying CBD specifically. Now that researchers are prioritizing CBD itself, new studies are emerging almost daily discovering new benefits associated with consuming it. CBD relieves pain, improves sleep, and effectively treats refractory pain in patients suffering a range of diseases.
Those using medical marijuana certainly consume some CBD. However, nobody knows exactly how much. Past studies had several limitations that hindered findings into CBD. Most were too small, often producing conflicting results. Many did not compare placebos or record all symptoms participants were experiencing. Some lacked objective measurement and prohibition made research nearly impossible.
Other issues researchers faced included extreme difficulty in sourcing high-quality CBD or medical marijuana to study. There were issues with dosage and potency control. For this reason, past data is somewhat inconclusive, but recent studies over the last few years are uncovering groundbreaking results. In fact, so promising is CBD medicinally, experts envision an entire industry for it.
The Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology published a review in 2015 that analyzed the use of cannabinoids in treating chronic pain, albeit not linked specifically to fibromyalgia. They found that of the 11 studies comprising the review, seven provided conclusive demonstrations of CBD effectively relieving pain in more participants than not.
Then, another 2015 review, this one in the Journal of the American Medical Association, investigated the findings of 28 different clinically controlled, randomized trials of medical cannabis in the treatment of chronic Pain. Many focused on multiple sclerosis-associated pain, but the review itself found unquestionable evidence supporting the use of medical marijuana in treating the worst pain.
Much evidence exists suggesting enormous potential in using CBD oil products to treat pain caused by all types of trauma and disease. Some data even shows CBD counteracting the hypersensitivity of nerve cells in chronic pain sufferers, including fibromyalgia patients. However, despite all this abundance of information, there is a strong need for more quality research into fibromyalgia specifically.
