If you live with a chronic disease, you must have come across numerous publications recommending CBD. CBD, which is short for cannabidiol, is a chemical found in marijuana, which medical experts claim can treat several diseases. 

CBD is mostly recommended for treating pain and anxiety. However, the compound has shown promising results in relieving various other conditions, such as nausea, seizures, inflammation, and insomnia, to mention but a few. 

Arthritis is one of the most common diseases that marijuana doctors claim CBD might treat. But does CBD help with arthritis? Here’s everything you need to know.

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Understanding Arthritis

Arthritis is a chronic disease marked by gruelling pain and tenderness of a joint or several joints in the body. The disease occurs due to sustained attacks by the immune system on various body tissues, resulting in the depletion of the synovial tissue. 

Synovium is the tissue found around the joints, which secrets the fluid that lubricates and nourishes joints and cartilage. Depletion of the synovium tissue results in the wasting away of cartilage. As a result, the adjacent bones rub against each other, causing excruciating pain. 

Besides pain, arthritis also manifests in inflammation and tenderness of the affected bones. Without prompt intervention, the disease can spread to various parts of the body. When this happens, it can reduce your mobility and overall quality of life.

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CBD to the Rescue

Like most chronic conditions, arthritis currently has no cure. Generally, treatments target the most unbearable symptoms of the disease. 

Many conventional arthritis medications somewhat succeed in relieving the pain and inflammation associated with the disease. However, most of these drugs also tend to leave users nursing various unpleasant side effects. 

Thankfully, cannabidiol has emerged as one of the safest and most potent natural remedies against arthritis. Marijuana doctors claim that high-quality CBDistillery or other CBD products can treat arthritis’s core symptoms, thereby making the condition bearable. 

But how does CBD act against arthritis pain? 

To understand how cannabidiol exerts its therapeutic effects, it’s important to acquaint yourself with the endocannabinoid system. 

Basically, the endocannabinoid system is a sophisticated cell-signalling system in the body of all mammals, whose primary function is regulating homeostasis. The system comprises three basic components: endogenous cannabinoids (also known as endocannabinoids), endocannabinoid receptors, and a series of neurotransmitters that influence the reuptake degradation of endocannabinoids. 

When you’re in pain, your endocannabinoid receptors pick up the pain signals and transmits them to your brain, which registers the signals as a homeostatic imbalance. Your endocannabinoid system then embarks on a raft of processes to restore your normal homeostasis. This complex mechanism should result in pain relief. 

But depending on the severity of pain and your overall immunity, your endocannabinoid system may need a boost. And that’s where CBD comes in. 

CBD boosts your endocannabinoid system by changing the chemical structure of specific receptors. These receptors can then interact more effectively with your endocannabinoids, a mechanism that produces pain relief. CBD can also relieve arthritis pain by activating receptors associated with pain regulation, such as the Vanilloid receptor. 

CBD has also been linked to increased anandamide signalling. Anandamide is an endocannabinoid that plays an instrumental role in the pain mediation process. 

Besides pain, cannabidiol can also attenuate arthritis-induced inflammation. CBD primarily eases inflammation by interfering with the body’s inflammatory messenger activity. The substance is also an effective vasodilator. As such, it can increase the flow of nutrients and oxygenated blood to inflamed tissues while speeding up the clearing of toxins from such places. 

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What Does Research Say

Numerous studies have been conducted on the potential anti-arthritis properties of CBD, and the results have been largely positive. 

According to one study, CBD can reduce inflammation by blocking specific inflammatory markers. That makes the substance an excellent remedy against arthritis-induced inflammation. 

Another study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine shows that cannabidiol could attenuate chronic pain and inflammation in rats. Since all mammals have a near-similar endocannabinoid system, researchers argue that CBD’s anti-arthritis effects on mice can also apply to humans. 

But cannabidiol doesn’t just relieve arthritis-induced pain and inflammation. The compound can also help to manage other side effects of the disease, such as insomnia. 

CBD is a potent sedative and can relieve insomnia by shortening sleep onset time. CBD has also been shown to increase sleep duration, thanks to its ability to shorten rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. REM sleep is the sleep stage where a person tends to be most mentally awake. Most dreams occur during this phase. 

Still, on cannabidiol’s sleep-aiding benefits, certain studies claim that CBD can address some of the common triggers of insomnia, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and REM sleep behaviour disorder.

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There’s no shortage of studies indicating that cannabidiol might treat arthritis. Although CBD may not permanently cure the disease, it can alleviate some of its most worrying symptoms. 

As a parting shot, remember to go slow on CBD, especially if you’re a new user. Start with the lowest doses possible and observe how your body reacts to the drug before upping your dose. Remember that while CBD is non-psychoactive, the compound might still induce some side effects if overdosed. 

Also, be sure to consult your doctor before using CBD for arthritis. That’s especially true if you’re presently on other arthritis drugs.