
CBD Osteoarthritis: Can Cannabidiol Soothe Osteoarthritis?
What is osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is a joint disease. In France, it affects more than 10 million people! 65% of them are men and women over 65 years old. This disease causes the destruction of cartilage in the joints.
This causes joint pain in patients. For a long time, it was only possible to treat the symptoms of the disease.
How is osteoarthritis treated?
In recent years, research has led to the development of experimental treatments to try to address the causes of arthritis. This condition is linked to aging and metabolic abnormalities.
Heredity or certain diseases also accentuate the disease in some people.
The main curative treatments for the disease involve repairing or replacing damaged cartilage. This involves surgery, which is sometimes not recommended depending on the patient's age.
When we know that more than 80% of people aged 80 or over are affected by osteoarthritis, we can better understand why operations are not always offered to patients.
Since they are rarely recommended, most arthritis treatments are symptomatic. Doctors will seek to alleviate pain. Depending on the patient, treatments include:
- painkillers
- nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
- corticosteroid infiltration
- hyaluronic acid injection
Why take CBD to relieve joint pain?
Cannabidiol is a molecule extracted from hemp. This plant is well known for two of its molecules: CBD and THC. The latter is a narcotic found in cannabis. But rest assured, the hemp used to extract THC contains less than 0.3% THC.
Some CBD oils are also extracted in such a way that they do not contain any CBD at all. Unlike recreationally consumed THC, CBD is neither habit-forming nor addictive.
Cannabidiol therefore has the beneficial effects of cannabis without the negative effects of THC.
CBD, which is mainly consumed in liquid form, has anti-inflammatory properties.
This product is therefore quite capable of reducing pain. Joint pain caused by arthritis is inflammatory, linked to the destruction of cartilage caused by the disease.
Like painkillers or other medications prescribed by doctors to treat the symptoms of osteoarthritis, cannabidiol will reduce inflammation in the joints.
The objective is therefore the same as the drugs traditionally prescribed for osteoarthritis: to relieve pain and reduce inflammation.
A study published in 2017 shows that in addition to reducing arthritis pain, CBD can limit joint disease.
What form of CBD should you buy and use for osteoarthritis?
Hemp oil, composed solely of CBD (with a THC content of less than 0.3%), is ideal for reducing inflammation. CBD products are available in several forms, such as oils and creams.
This is the oil that is most effective for relieving joint pain because its effects are felt more quickly.
For inflammatory pain, the effects of the oil are generally felt within 30 minutes of taking it.
The ideal product for treating osteoarthritis is CBD 20% Full Spectrum . Arthritis causes intense pain that needs to be treated in depth. To quickly and lastingly relieve the inflammatory nature of the disease, it is essential to feel the effects of CBD quickly.
This is why the oil is perfect for relieving inflammation. You can adjust the dosage based on your weight for a more or less potent treatment for joint pain.
CBD products are not addictive, unlike cannabis, which contains a high THC content.
Additionally, CBD is not a narcotic, so you can treat arthritis with cannabidiol without worrying about the adverse effects of its close cousin, cannabis.
If this is your first time trying this type of product, you may want to opt for a bottle with a lower concentration, such as a 10% or 15% bottle.
What are the recommended doses for treating severe pain?
The amount of active ingredient depends on the dosage. For example, for a 20% product, one drop contains 10 mg of CBD.
For a person weighing 70 kilos, the recommended daily amount is 30 to 100 mg or 3 to 10 drops.
The drop is usually taken under the tongue. Place the drops and then keep them in your mouth for a few minutes before drinking a glass of water. The effect is felt on average within 30 minutes.
Ideally, you should start with lower doses than recommended to see when symptoms improve.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice
If you are currently taking medication or are unsure of the dosages to take, do not hesitate to speak to your doctor or pharmacist.
Health professionals are able to guide and advise you to relieve your ailments.
Alternative solutions to traditional medicines are increasingly popular, as they reduce dependence on active molecules.
Are creams effective?
There are indeed creams that allow for localized application. While they are indeed effective, their main drawback is the time it takes to work. In liquid form, cannabidiol takes an average of thirty minutes to work.
For its derivatives, such as creams to be applied locally, the benefits can take several hours to be felt.
It's also very difficult to dose a cream because of the application method. We therefore recommend using sublingual application instead. The product will work more quickly.
Our advice for taking CBD sublingually
It is recommended not to drink, eat, or smoke immediately before taking the drops to allow the product to work more quickly. Drinking or eating can cause saliva production, which can speed up the ingestion of the product and decrease its absorption by the body.
To count the drops, it is better to stand in front of a mirror rather than trying to count them by dropping them under the tongue.
Finally, you must wait one to two minutes for the product to penetrate the body before swallowing your saliva with or without a large glass of water.
Conclusion: What you need to know about osteoarthritis and CBD
To treat arthritis symptoms, CBD oil is an excellent alternative to traditional treatments. Among the various products available on the market, the oil remains the best solution for quickly treating inflammatory pain.