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CBD and Pain

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Introduction

Pain is the most common reason for a doctor's appointment — not surprisingly, given that an estimated third to a half of people live with some kind of daily pain. What is pain? How does it affect us? Pain is an individual thing, and people experience it in various ways and have different reactions to it. There are many pain related questions, but the most important is: CBD and Pain – would it work? In this article, we will answer most of the common pain related questions.


What is pain ?

What is pain? It might seem like an obvious question. The answer, however, depends on who you ask.

Some would say pain is a warning signal that something is damaged, but what about emotional major trauma? Some say pain is the body's way of telling us that something is seriously wrong, but what about phantom limb pain, where the painful body part is not even there?

Pain scientists agree that pain is an unpleasant feeling in our body, that should make us want to stop whatever we are doing and change our behavior. We no longer think of pain as a measure of tissue damage – it doesn't work that way even in highly controlled experiments. We now think of pain as a complex and highly sophisticated protective mechanism.


Different kinds of pain!

There are different types of pain and most of us have experienced many of them:

  • Acute pain starts suddenly and is short-term (ex. shutting a door on your finger)
  •  lasts for a longer period of time (arthritis, tendinitis etc.) Read our blog on Arthritis and CBD
  • Soft tissue pain happens when organs, muscles or tissues are damaged or inflamed (sports injury or a fall)
  • Nerve pain happens when a nerve is damaged
  • Total pain includes the emotional, social and spiritual factors that affect a person's pain experience.
  • Bone pain happens when cancer is affecting a bone
  • Breakthrough pain often happens in between regular, scheduled painkillers
  • Referred pain is when pain from one part of your body is felt in another
  • Phantom pain is when there is pain in a part of the body that has been removed

How does pain work?

brain work

Pain is not actually coming from the finger you hurt in the door, or the ankle you twisted. Pain is the result of the brain evaluating information. The cognitive data such as expectations, previous exposure, social norms and beliefs, and other sensory data such as what you see, hear and otherwise sense.

The brain produces the pain. Where in the body the brain produces the pain is a “let's guess scenario”, based on all the incoming data and stored information. Usually the brain gets it right, but sometimes it doesn't. An example is referred pain in your leg when it is your back that is damaged

It is pain that tells us not to do something – for example, not to lift with an injured shoulder, or not to walk with an injured foot. It is a consequence of pain, that tells us to take action – see a physio, visit a doctor or sit still and rest.

We know that pain can be “turned on” or “turned up” by anything that gives the brain evidence that the body is in danger and needs protecting.


Is pain really all in your head?

the-rela-cbd-blog-mental-health

Pain is not all in your head (brain) but part of it is. With advances in science we are beginning to understand that the experience of pain is a complex process.  Unfortunately many people think of “all in my head” as a reflection of being a wimp. While there are psychological factors involved, it is not the only aspect.

Brain imaging shows differences between the effects of acute and chronic pain on the brain. Chronic pain stimulates changes in the central nervous system. Your brain and spinal cord serve as the main “processing center” for the entire nervous system and control how your body works, including experiencing pain. Chronic pain also makes changes in areas of the brain that are involved in feelings and emotions. This increases the potential for changes in feelings of anxiety, anger and/or depression.

So what does this all mean? It means pain has the ability to change how the brain processes it and change the brain's emotional response, increasing the intensity of our experience of pain.

Pain, whether new or chronic, can make life difficult and unbearable. Pain is an invisible and subjective experience. There are no objective tests to measure pain and not all pain is the same. This makes it difficult for doctors, family and friends to understand what we are experiencing. But, that does not mean our pain is not real.


CBD and Pain – Does it really work?

People have used CBD or cannabis for thousands of years to treat various types of pain, but the medical community have only recently begun to study it again. Everyone has a cell-signaling system known as the endocannabinoid system (ECS).

Researchers think that CBD interacts with a core component of the ECS — endocannabinoid receptors in your brain and .

Receptors are tiny proteins attached to your cells. They receive signals, mostly chemical ones, from different stimuli and help your cells respond.

This response creates and pain-relieving effects that help with pain management. This means that CBD oil and other CBD products may benefit people with chronic pain.

What does science say?

CBD research

One 2018 research looked how well CBD works to help chronic pain. The review looked at studies conducted between 1975 and March 2018. These studies monitored various types of pain, including:

Based on these studies, the researchers concluded that CBD was effective in overall pain management and didn't cause negative side effects.

At this point, there aren't too many studies to back the anecdotal evidence. A few test tube and animal studies have found that CBD may have anti-inflammatory properties, and pain is often related to . And according to some small, preliminary human trials, there is a chance CBD may also help alleviate pain caused by nerve damage. It may also help manage cancer pain when combined with THC.

Why do so many people then claim that CBD is helping them with their pain? It's hard to say for sure, but studies suggest CBD may have an effect on mood, which can can improve perceived pain. There are no harm in trying it. CBB is safe and well-tolerated and unlike normal painkillers and opioids, there are no risk risk of dependence or toxidity.

However, if you take blood thinners always talk to your doctor before trying CBD.


Emotional Pain!

Emotional pain, which is also called mental or psychological pain, is a very upsetting feeling that affects our emotional well-being. mental pain is different from physical pain because it has to do with our feelings, thoughts, and inner mental state. It can be caused by a lot of different things, like loss, rejection, stress, relationship problems, or personal problems.

Emotional pain can look like strong sadness, grief, loneliness, anger, fear, or a mix of these. It is a personal and internalised experience that can have big effects on our mental health and quality of life as a whole. Emotional pain is like bodily pain in that it lets you know that something is wrong and needs your attention. To heal and improve mental health, it needs to be recognised, understood, and dealt with in the right way.

Furthermore

If you are overwhelmed with feelings like sadness, depression, guilt, shame or fear, for a prolonged period of time, these emotions become so constant that you feel like it's a part of life.

When you are exposed to continued emotional pain, there are physical changes in the brain that produces a dependency on those feelings You could say that your brain is “re-wired”. And while this emotional pain can be significant and debilitating, when it continues on for a long period of time, it also can end up affecting your physical health as well. In some cases, emotional pain can cause physical pain.

While emotional pain is often dismissed as being less serious than physical pain, it is important that continual emotional pain is taken seriously. In some cases, you may need to seek help to avoid lasting consequences.


CBG/CBD and Emotional Pain

Like other cannabinoids such as CBD and THC, CBG interacts with the human body's own endocannabinoid system.

Researchers are still working to understand exactly how cannabinoids in general affect the body's natural endocannabinoid system. It seems that CBG mostly binds with the body's CB1 and CB2 receptors. The science here can get really complicated, but the main takeaway is that the way CBG interacts with the body's helps explain why it may have several therapeutic effects for humans.

CBG is non-psychoactive—meaning it doesn't produce a “high”. This mean CBG has therapeutic benefits without any mind-altering effects.

CBG can have antidepressant and anti- benefits.  CBG/CBD Oil may offer relief from depressive symptoms and anxiety. There's also some evidence that CBG may increase natural levels of anandamide (also known as the “bliss molecule”) in the brain, thereby offering anxiety relief.

CBG/CBD can rewire the brain back to “normal” after prolonged periods with emotional pain.


A little bit more about CBG and pain

CBG, which stands for “cannabigerol,” is an amazing chemical that has a lot of promise to help relieve pain. CBG affects the endocannabinoid system in our bodies, especially the CB1 and CB2 receptors. Just like CBD. By doing this, it turns on these receptors and starts a chain reaction of healing benefits.

When it comes to dealing with pain, it has been found that CBG has strong analgesic qualities that reduce pain and ease aching muscles. It helps relieve pain by reducing inflammation, which is a typical cause of pain. CBG could be the natural answer you've been looking for, whether you're dealing with chronic pain or just want to feel better sometimes.

If you want to know more specifics about oil strength recommended for which ailments, click here


The Real CBD for Pain


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