Those suffering from neurological disorders often buy CBD oil in huge quantities. Some of these conditions are truly horrific, with symptoms that can kill you, such as seizures, and that frequently require a complete change in lifestyle. Neurological issues can be truly debilitating, greatly reducing quality of life and affecting not just victims, but also their circle of family and friends.
From Alzheimer’s disease to Tourette’s syndrome, Huntington disease, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and more, cannabidiol, or CBD, is showing much potential as a therapeutic alternative to harmful prescription drugs commonly used to treat them. CBD works within the brain to affect relief, and the sheer abundance of anecdotal evidence suggests it does so very effectively.
CBD is one cannabinoid of many found in cannabis plants. Its effects on the body vary widely and could potentially treat a myriad of diseases, not only neurological disorders. However, it is not tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, which is psychoactive. Unlike THC, CBD cannot make you “high,” but it still offers an abundance of health benefits, as do all cannabinoids in their own way.
Scientists are discovering the many medicinal properties of cannabis, and they are many indeed. In fact, so powerful are cannabinoids at treating disease that more and more people are ditching dangerous drugs, such as painkillers, in favor of cannabinoid therapy. Cannabinoids work together synergistically, called the “entourage effect,” but for those who do not want to get “high,” CBD is the preferred option.
CBD works by interacting with the body’s own endocannabinoid system, which produces its own version of cannabinoids, called endocannabinoids, to affect healing from within. CBD activates or suppresses endocannabinoid receptors, namely CB1 in the brain and CB2 in the immune system. In this way, it supports the endocannabinoid system to rebalance the body and maintain homeostasis.
CBD is effective because it works in the exact same way that your body’s natural endocannabinoids do. Phytocannabinoids, or those from plants, are compatible with endocannabinoid receptors, able to do the same job as some endocannabinoids. If we supplement our bodies with more of what they already produce, we can restore our health in many ways.
The endocannabinoid system is responsible for almost all function. It regulates, maintains, and controls memory, sleeping patterns, pain perception, emotions, neurotransmission, and most else. If depleted or otherwise not working as well as it should, the endocannabinoid system malfunctions and we get sick. Improving its functioning in many ways makes one better, or at least able to manage the issue better.
Before you can understand the effects of CBD on neurological issues, you need to have some knowledge of what these conditions entail. Neurological disorders are diseases of the peripheral or central nervous system, which comprises the spinal cord, brain, nerve roots, peripheral nerves, cranial nerves, neuromuscular junctions, muscles, and the autonomic nervous system.
They include Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia, cerebrovascular diseases like stroke, epilepsy, migraines and other types of headaches, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, brain tumors, and neuro infections. That is not all, however. They can include issues stemmed from malnutrition, even traumatic nervous system disorders, such as those that result from head trauma.
Furthermore, some infections can be a direct cause of neurological conditions. For example, parasitic, viral, bacterial, and fungal infections can all impact the nervous system to cause diseases, such as the Zika virus, West Nile virus, tuberculosis, and even HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus. They cause neurological symptoms, either from the infection directly or the body’s own immune response to it.
Currently, the nervous system is vulnerable to over 600 different diseases, which makes the effects of CBD on neurological symptoms difficult to study so broadly. However, studies are underway and evidence of its effects on the nervous system is fast becoming widely understood. Millions of folks worldwide suffer daily, but if you buy CBD oil, it can help, especially for these proven conditions:
Stories of CBD treating epilepsy are widespread and persistent. It is clear that CBD has very promising effects on those suffering an array of specific seizure disorders, especially for children. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, studies prove conclusively that CBD reduces both frequency and intensity of seizures in patients with Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet syndromes.
However, more study is essential to understand the exact mechanisms of action at play. More research is underway, and excitement is mounting. Results are incredibly promising in almost all studies so far, with potential benefits for most epileptic disorders. In fact, so effective is it that breeders are now cultivating high-CBD strains specifically for treating epilepsy and other seizure-causing conditions.
Spasticity is a major issue for multiple sclerosis sufferers. According to the American Academy of Neurology, one recent study found medical cannabis highly effective at reducing spasticity, most notably if it contains high concentrations of CBD. Study participants received oral cannabis extract and reports were incredibly promising.
Results also showed that CBD “can help lesson central pain, including feelings of painful burning, “pins and needles,” and numbness.” Furthermore, the research team found that it also “helps lessen frequent urination,” and that “moderate evidence shows CBD-enriched extract probably helps lesson patients’ reported symptoms of spasticity short-term and helps lesson cramp-like pain or painful spasms.”
That same study also analyzed the effects of CBD on other neurological disorders, including Tourette’s syndrome and Huntington’s disease. Results showed it relieving the severity of tics in Tourette’s patients and reducing motor impairment for those with Huntington’s, both of which can be incredibly debilitating for sufferers and their loved ones.
More study is necessary. Scientists are fervently busy trying to discover the mechanisms of action involved in relieving patients of their suffering. CBD has clear benefits for victims of both Huntington’s and Tourette’s, but there is still a need for peer-reviewed studies to support these results. Until then, patients can try it out to see if CBD is effective for their particular circumstances.
Unfortunately, there are many unscrupulous suppliers out there. For CBD to work, it must be highly concentrated and of exceptional quality. Not all CBD oil is the same. Some products do not contain levels they claim on their labels, others almost nothing at all. Fortunately, if you only buy lab-tested CBD oil products, you know you are getting the best. Insist on a Certificate of Analysis to make doubly sure.
