Living with chronic pain, regardless of the cause, means living with limits. Perhaps pain limits your ability to exercise, enjoy hobbies, or even spend time with your loved ones. If you’re searching for a way to alleviate the pain that limits your life, CBD hemp oil may need to be part of your plan.
If you’re confused about what CBD oil is, exactly, you’re not alone. Confusion between medical marijuana, hemp, and CBD oil abounds.
Both hemp and marijuana are members of a family of plants called Cannabis sativa. Hemp contains very low concentrations of a compound called THC, but plenty of a different one called CBD. On the other hand, marijuana has both compounds in abundance.
CBD stands for cannabidiol, which is one of many compounds found in hemp. CBD is an oil derived from cannabidiol. CBD hemp oil comes from hemp plants rather than marijuana plants.
CBD is sometimes confused with THC, which is tetrahydrocannabinol, a different, more well-known, compound that is plentiful in marijuana. The two different compounds interact with your body’s cannabinoid receptors, which are located in your brain and in your immune system.
The cannabinoid receptors known as CB1 are mostly in your brain and are affected by THC. CBD affects your CB2 receptors, which are mostly in your immune system -- where your body’s inflammatory response originates.
Formal research into how CBD oil works is somewhat limited, because marijuana has a complicated legal history, and for a long time it was difficult to conduct studies on the possible benefits of hemp.
Several studies have been conducted to investigate whether or not CBD oil can ease chronic pain in specific conditions. For instance, one that appeared in the journal Pain examined the use of CBD oil for pain caused by neuropathy in osteoarthritis. That study concluded that “CBD may be a safe, useful therapeutic for treating OA joint neuropathic pain.”
Other studies have found that CBD oil may be useful for treating pain in multiple sclerosis, cancer, and fibromyalgia as well. In each of those conditions chronic pain is often debilitating and complicated by other symptoms.
In large part, the answer to the question “Is CBD oil legal?” depends on where you are, because different states have different laws regarding CBD oil. Some states make a distinction between CBD hemp oil and CBD oil derived from marijuana.
In the state of New York, CBD oil is legal for medicinal use with a prescription.
With the rise of opioid use and addiction, you may be concerned about about the safety of CBD hemp oil. Most experts agree that CBD oil is safe, and there’s not a single case of CBD oil overdose in current medical literature.
One thing to be aware of is that CBD hemp oil production is not regulated. This is one reason you should only use CBD hemp oil under the supervision of a trusted doctor, such as Dr. Jovanovic. The medical community expects that the FDA will be regulating CBD products in the near future.
As with any supplement or medication, you should discuss any other medications you’re taking with Dr. Jovanovic, because there are some drugs that CBD oil may interfere with.
If you’d like to learn more about how CBD hemp oil can help with chronic pain, book your appointment with Dr. Jovanovic online or by phone today.
