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What is the Endocannibinoid System and what does Hemp have to do with it ?
Hemp is one of today’s hottest buzz words and for good reason. Biology has taught us there are 12 systems in the human body, including the circulatory, respiratory and nervous systems, just to name a few. These systems work together to keep our bodies functioning smoothly. But have you heard about the Endocannabinoid System (ECS)? If you’re like most of us, you’re still trying to pronounce it, much less know what it is. It may be a mouthful to say, but its function has been found to play a vital role in benefiting our mind and body balance. So, what does hemp have to do with it? First, let’s set the record straight on what hemp is.
WHAT IS HEMP?
Hemp is an ancient plant and a type of “cannabis sativa” that was used thousands of years ago to make things like paper and cloth. Today, hemp is used for its nutritional benefits in the form of hemp seeds and hemp oil and it is also used in beauty products such as soap, shampoo and lotions. So, you’re probably wondering if hemp is the same as marijuana? The answer is no. And here’s why: There are many varieties of cannabis sativa, and hemp is one type that contains little-to-no THC, the psychoactive substance found in marijuana – thus making hemp perfectly legal. What hemp does have are compounds known as phytocannabinoids or therapeutic compounds, which act just like your body’s natural form of THC, or endocannabinoids, which interact with your cells in much the same way. Sounds pretty cool, right? Read on to learn more about the Endocannabinoid System.
WHAT IS THE ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM?
Think of the ECS as a master molecular communication system that is responsible for helping your body maintain homeostasis, or a stable internal environment. It’s basically a collection of cell receptors found throughout the body that regulates our day-to-day bodily functions. When our system is low on or depleted of endocannabinoids, our body falls into endocannabinoid deficiency, which causes us to get sick. That is where the power of hemp comes into play.
HOW HEMP KEEPS OUR ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM HEALTHY:
Hemp’s benefits can help support our body’s ECS by boosting and healing the system It stabilizes the supply of endocannabinoids, which helps regulate important functions such as:
Appetite
Inflammation
Sleep
Mood
Pain perception
Bone growth
Eye pressure
Protection of brain and nerve tissue
PRODUCTS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE:
Natralieve is an all natural and safe full spectrum Hemp CBD oil that can aid in the balance of your ECS. It’s a complete approach to putting the power of hemp to work for you by helping counter the effects of everyday life and some of today’s most common health issues. Natralieve Hemp CBD oil can help bring your body and mind back to its natural state.
Benefits of Hemp CBD Oil
CBD oil is a great option for a lot of different ailments. Here are some of the amazing uses people (and medical research) report for CBD oil:
1. Relief for Chronic Pain -
Those suffering from chronic pain from diseases like fibromyalgia are finding relief with CBD. Taking CBD can reduce chronic pain and can even prevent nervous system degeneration. In fact, it has been approved in Canada for multiple sclerosis and cancer pain.
2. Calms Childhood Epilepsy -
CBD has anti-seizure properties that have been shown to successfully treat drug-resistant children who have epilepsy (with no side effects!). In one study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, CBD decreased frequency of seizures by 23 percentage points more than those taking a placebo.
3. Reduces Anxiety and Depression -
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, depression affects 6% and anxiety affects 18% of the U.S. population each year. Research shows that CBD oil can help with both.
CBD has been shown to reduce levels of stress and anxiety in those suffering from conditions such as PTSD, social anxiety disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder.
4.Reduces Inflammation -
Chronic inflammation is a huge problem in our society that contributes to many non-infectious diseases including heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, autoimmune disease, and more, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.
Research also shows that CBD oil can reduce chronic inflammation that leads to disease.
5. Reduces Oxidative Stress -
Oxidative stress is responsible for many ailments today. Oxidative stress is when the body has too many free radicals and can’t keep up with neutralizing them (with antioxidants). This is more of a problem now than in the past because our environment is so much more toxic than it once was. CBD can help reduce neurological damage caused by free radicals.
6. Promotes Healthy Weight -
Cannabidiol can help maintain healthy blood sugar, stimulates genes and proteins that helps break down fat, and increase mitochondria that helps burn calories.
7. Improves Heart Health -
A healthy diet and lifestyle is a top priority for heart health, but CBD oil can also help. According to research cannabidiol reduces artery blockage, reduces stress induced cardiovascular response, and can reduce blood pressure. It may also reduce cholesterol. Click here for scientific research: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3579247/
8. Improves Skin Conditions -
CBD oil can be used topically to treat skin conditions. Studies show CBD oil can help treat conditions like eczema by encouraging abnormal cell death. It can also help regulate the skin’s oil production, reducing acne. CBD also contains many nutrients like vitamin E that help improve and protect the skin.
9. Fights Cancer -
CBD oil’s role in cancer treatment still needs more research, but what is available is looking promising. According to the American Cancer Society, CBD oil can slow growth and spread of some kinds of cancer (in animals). Because it fights oxidative stress and inflammation (and both are linked to cancer) it makes sense that CBD oil could help fight cancer cells.
10. Neurodegenerative diseases -
Neurodegenerative disease is an umbrella term for a range of conditions which primarily affect the neurons in the human brain. Neurons are the building blocks of the nervous system which includes the brain and spinal cord. Neurons normally don’t reproduce or replace themselves, so when they become damaged or die they cannot be replaced by the body. Examples of neurodegenerative diseases include Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Huntington’s disease.
Click here for scientific research:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19228180
Does CBD Oil work for spine relief ?
https://northamericanspine.com/blog/does-cbd-oil-work-for-spine-pain-relief/
The Challenge of Pain Management -
As anyone who has experienced back problems like sciatica, slipped disc, or spinal stenosis can tell you, persistent pain is far and away the most difficult symptom. And a great deal of spine patients suffer chronically; according to the American Academy of Pain Medicine, “[m]ore than 26 million Americans between the ages of 20-64 experience frequent back pain.” [1] A big aspect of treatment and care for this population entails minimizing and managing it.
Lately, as an increasing number of states have allowed medical use of marijuana, there’s been increasing interest in assessing this substance as means to take on back pain. Research is growing—especially as this substance increasingly enters the mainstream market—but federal prohibition has certainly slowed progress.
Still, there is a body of work that indeed points to the potential for marijuana as a means to help with back pain. [2] Let’s take a closer look at how this works and the evidence for it.
Therapeutic Compounds -
The marijuana plant contains a number of different compounds, each with different effects on the body and mind. The compounds associated with the “high” experienced from the drug are in the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) family, but it’s another compound, cannabidiol (CBD) that’s been most prominently linked with therapeutic effects. [2]
CBD is not psychoactive, so when it’s isolated from the other compounds, you don’t get the psychological effects and intoxication associated with marijuana use. This makes it much less controversial. Not only are strains marijuana being cultivated that contain virtually no THC, but extracts of just CBD, usually in the form of oil, are available in states where medical marijuana is offered.
CBD & The Body
What is it about CBD that makes it potentially effective in taking on spine pain? This compound stimulates a part of the brain called the cannabinoid system. This stimulation helps reduce the intensity of pain and aids in the reduction of inflammation in the body. It also provides an alternate path for pain management. Where typical pain killing drugs tend to be opioids are effective but both habit-forming and associated with numerous side-effects, with CBD, researchers are finding reduced central nervous effects. [3]
It’s promising, then, that this compound has been observed to help mitigate acute and chronic pain problems. Here’s a quick breakdown of a some of the findings in the literature:
Chronic & Acute Pain Management:
A review of the literature published in the journal, Current Neuropharmocology, outlined the pathways by which the cannabinoid system aids in chronic and acute pain management. It noted that results are promising, and the use of CBD or cannabis-based treatments may offer pain relief and “suggest new therapeutic approaches to avoid central nervous system side effects.” [3] The researches also noted its anti-inflammatory action as beneficial.
Significant Effects:
In a more recent review of the existing literature, Dr. Kevin P. Hill and his team assessed the state of research surrounding CBD and cannabis. They hold that, though more research is needed, there is a distinct pain managing effect with this approach. In addition, as with the above study, much of the promise with this approach resides in its ability to reduce potentially harmful opioids to minimize pain conditions. [4]
Degenerative Disc Disease:
A recent study of mice with degenerative disc disease found outcomes much improved with high doses of CBD. Though the exact pathway is not yet known, researchers found reduced damage to spine areas in their experimental population. [5]
Certainly, as CBD and the other compounds are researched more, and as applications for pain management further tested, a consensus about healthy use, advantages, and disadvantages will emerge. Still, it does seem that evidence is mounting in favor this potential use.
Being Careful About Care
A challenge for proponents of cannabis and CBD use for spine pain will be to figure out how best to regulate dosages and ensure best possible outcomes. This substance does not currently have FDA approval (because of its prohibited status), so care should be taken. Before trying something like this, make sure to talk to your doctor or specialist. It’s also a good idea to check into your state’s laws surrounding CBD oil or extracts; these may not be available or legal everywhere.
There’s more work to be done, but in the states that have medical marijuana programs, an increasing number of patients swear by CBD. Though anecdotal in nature, their personal experiences seem largely positive. For instance, one back pain patient who had come to not like the side-effects of other drugs writes: “I found that all I needed to take was the CBD oil to feel fit and healthy and I have recently returned to my job feeling better than ever.” [5]
In the end, we need to learn more about CBD for back pain, but surely, as research continues along these lines, this could become another tool for taking on spine issues.
References
” American Academy Of Pain Medicine – Get The Facts On Pain “. 2018. Org. Accessed March 12 2018. http://www.painmed.org/patientcenter/facts_on_
“What Is Cannabidiol? | Project CBD”. 2018. Org. Accessed March 12 2018. https://www.projectcbd.org/about/what-cbd.
Manzanares J, et al. 2018. “Role Of The Cannabinoid System In Pain Control And Therapeutic Implications For The Management Of Acute And Chronic Pain Episodes. – Pubmed – NCBI “. Nlm.Nih.Gov. Accessed March 12 2018. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Role+of+the+cannabinoid+system+in+p
Hill, Kevin P., Matthew D. Palastro, Brian Johnson, and Joseph W. Ditre. 2017. “Cannabis And Pain: A Clinical Review”. Cannabis And Cannabinoid Research2 (1): 96-104. Mary Ann Liebert Inc. doi:10.1089/can.2017.0017.
“Cannabis For Back Pain And Degenerative Disc Disease”. 2018. Net. Accessed March 12 2018. https://cannabis.net/blog/medical/cannabis-for-back-pain-and-degenerative-disc-disease.
“How CBD Oil Helped My Back Pain – CBD School”. 2017. CBD School. Accessed March 12 2018. https://cbdschool.com/how-cbd-oil-helped-my-back-pain/.
Originally Posted on March 27, 2018
CBD has potential as a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of acne vulgaris
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25061872
CBD Oil for Acne: What exactly is Cannabidiol?
Cannabinoids are divided into two groups – endocannabinoids, which are produced naturally in the human body, and Phyto-cannabinoids, which are found in many plants, of which the Cannabis plant is but one.
Cannabidiol (CBD), is one of these Phyto-cannabinoids, it has been found that CBD does indeed have extremely strong effects on inflammation.
These anti-inflammatory effects of Cannabidiol can slow down the production of sebum, which is an oil produced by the human skin, and that it can therefore reduce the inflammation.