How Effective Is CBD For Inflammation?

CBD For Muscle Spasms
CBD For Muscle Spasms
CBD For Inflammation
CBD For Inflammation

The inflammatory response is a part of our body’s defense mechanism that assists the healing process. Inflammation is the biological response generated by our body on detecting a foreign body such as a pathogen or irritant.

According to experts, some chronic conditions like heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and obesity are caused by inflammation. It is also reported as a symptom of many health conditions and could lead to further symptoms like pain.

CBD has quite a name among herbal medications that are used to treat inflammation. The therapeutic compound can be effectively used to control inflammatory responses associated with various medical conditions and improve the quality of life of people.

What Are The Different Types Of Inflammation?

Two main types of inflammation are:

Acute Inflammation

Acute inflammation that goes away after a short time is usually caused by an injury or illness.

The key signs of acute inflammation are:

  • Redness: This is a result of the increased blood supply to the capillaries in that area.
  • Pain: This could occur when you touch the affected area or the pain could be continuous.
  • Swelling: Due to the fluid buildup in the area, a condition called edema may develop there.
  • Heat: Due to the increased blood flow to the affected region, the area may become warm to touch.
  • Loss of function: You may have difficulties in moving a joint, sensing a smell, or breathing.

The signs may not be necessarily present all the time. Sometimes, the inflammation can occur without any symptoms. It is also possible that a person with the problem may feel fatigued and have a fever.

Usually, it takes a few days for the symptoms of acute inflammation to subside and the person to become normal. Sub-acute inflammation may last for about 2-6 weeks.

Chronic Inflammation

Chronic inflammation is much different from acute inflammation. It may last for months and years and is usually linked to various diseases including:

  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Diabetes
  • Allergies
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Psoriasis

What Are The Causes Of Inflammation?

Inflammation is caused when some physical factor triggers our immune system. An infection can lead to inflammation but it may not be the case all the time.

Acute inflammation can be caused by factors like:

  • An injury
  • Exposure to foreign substances like dust or bee sting
  • An infection

On detecting damage or presence of some pathogen, the immune system initiates various reactions:

  • Neutrophils, a type of white blood cells are released into the affected area. They contain molecules that contribute to fighting pathogens.
  • Tissues accumulate plasma proteins that result in fluid buildup causing swelling
  • Small blood vessels enlarge to help the plasma proteins and leukocytes reach the affected site with improved ease.

The time is taken for the signs of inflammation to appear and their severity depends on the underlying cause of inflammation.

Here are some of the reasons for chronic inflammation.

Exposure:  In the case of some people, even low levels of exposure to an irritant like for prolonged periods can lead to chronic inflammation.

Sensitivity: Inflammatory response is normally generated when the body senses something that should not be there.  It is found in various studies that hypersensitivity is the most common cause of many of the allergies found in people.

Autoimmune diseases: The immune system may launch an attack on healthy body cells by mistake.

Persistent acute inflammation: In some cases, individuals may not fully recover from inflammation. The inflammation can happen again and this may lead to acute inflammation.

Obesity, older age, stress, smoking, sleep issues, and an unhealthy diet are some of the risk factors of chronic inflammation.

CBD And Inflammation

CBD is well known for its natural anti-inflammatory properties. The body’s inflammatory response is usually initiated by means of signaling molecules that are referred to as eicosanoids.

One of the ways in which CBD reduces inflammation is by exerting an inhibitory influence on an eicosanoid enzyme, COX-2. The same enzyme is targeted by some common NSAIDs.

CBD also has an effect on a class of molecules, cytokines significant in the inflammation process. Cytokines are pro-inflammatory molecules. CBD has the ability to reduce the effects of cytokines and handle inflammation.

Many research conducted to determine the association between CBD and inflammation have come up with some promising results.

A 2015 review of the studies about the anti-inflammatory properties of CBD suggests that CBD has the ability to reduce inflammation through various pathways in our body and hence is a potential treatment for various conditions characterized by inflammation.

A 2016 study published in Clinical Hemorheology and circulation suggested that CBD could be used to treat early pancreatic inflammation associated with diabetes.

When it comes to CBD products for treating inflammation, you can choose from various forms characterized by distinctive intake methods. You may choose a form depending on the site of inflammation and its severity.