CBD is the second most abundant cannabinoid in marijuana sativa and medical research shows that CBD is a powerful ingredient with a potential to one day help in treating symptoms of Degenerative Disc Disease.every week new research is revealed proving the potentials of CBD for aiding the treatment of certain health conditions. CBD is finally being recognised as a cannabinoid with a lot of therapeutic power despite the slow-moving progress of gaining universal backing from the medical community. One of the health conditions in which CBD displayed a significant promise is degenerative disc disease.
What are DEGENERATIVE DISC DISEASE
A German exercise legend Joseph H. Pilates once said that a human being is only as young as his spine meaning that the spine plays an irreplaceable role in maintaining physical stability and mobility. Degenerative disc disease refers to a condition where intervertebral discs become compromised and damaged, pushing them to degenerate.
Disc degeneration can result naturally from the ageing process but physical trauma from injuries, labour, obesity and more can cause severe degeneration. This can trigger other conditions such as back and neck pain, numbness and even nerve damage and can also contribute to other long-term conditions like osteoarthritis.
HOW DOES CBD HELP?
Understanding how the application of CBD to degenerative disc disease requires one to first become acquainted with the potential of cannabidiol. CBD is the second most abundant cannabinoid in the Cannabis sativa plant and displays potential as a form of treatment for health conditions including Dravet Syndrome and Chronic Pain, among many others.
Additionally, CBD is widely accepted as an anti-inflammatory and has gained a lot attraction as an ingredient in mental health care. CBD has no known side effects and is non-psychoactive and research into CBD is still ongoing although the potential as one is being acknowledged.
Research on Cbd and Degenerative Disc Disease
Intervertebral discs differ from body tissue in that they are made up of fibrous cartilage and do not receive adequate blood flow, meaning that discs cannot heal themselves once the damage has been done. This makes it much more difficult to regain mobility, and nearly impossible to repair fully. Inflammation and swelling resulting from different triggers are the main instigators of disc degeneration are.
PLoS One conducted a study in 2014 which revealed the protective effects of cannabidiol on lesion-induced degenerative disc disorder. The study was conducted on 19 rat subjects and the researchers used needles to create injuries in their tail bones to mimic degenerative disc disease in humans. The researchers separated the rats into three groups and administered different concentrations of CBD: 30 nmol for first group, 60 nmol for the second and 120 nmol of CBD for the third. The researchers subsequently individually examined each group through MRI and under a microscope, to get as accurate a picture as possible of the effects of CBD.
The researchers observed that the rat subjects given 30 and 60 nmol of CBD did not show marked improvement, but the subjects given 120 nmol did display reduced damage from the lesions. It was also observed that the CBD’s effects remained after showing up originally within the first 48 hours or so throughout all fifteen days of examination.
Pain Management and Psychological Symptoms of Degenerative Disc Disease
CBD has shown great potential as a pain management ingredient for “DDD” and it also has the ability to mediate some of the negative side effects of coneventional medications. It should be noted Opioids, which are used for acute and chronic pain management are extremely addictive and pose many greater health risks than both THC and CBD.
Severe degenerative disc disease or chronic pain is often associated with psychological symptoms of anxiety and/or depression. Fortunately, CBD is useful to help calm anxiety and when it is consumed, the cannabinoid administers a pleasant physiological sedation and mental relaxation.
CBD also possesses anti-inflammatory properties and encourages natural suppression of inflammation and is a promising alternative and supplement to conventional drugs.