The Health Benefits of CBD Use
Using cannabidiol (CBD) as a supplement can provide a number of physical and mental health benefits. CBD products are a great way to get many of the health benefits associated with medical marijuana without the psychoactive high of THC. CBD also has no harmful or addictive properties making it a safe, natural way to improve your existing treatments.
Pain Relief
CBD’s effect on the endocannabinoid system helps to regulate aches and pains from arthritis, joint pain and other chronic pain conditions. Marijuana has long been used for its pain-relieving properties all over the world, and was even widely used in 19th century America, as this 1862 volume of Vanity Fair displays.
Anxiety, Depression, OCD and PTSD
The calming effects of CBD offer those who suffer from anxiety disorders like social anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder a natural pre-treatment option for mood regulation and stress reduction. Because CBD can also help promote sleep, it’s a great way to reduce insomnia as well, a common side effect of anxiety.
Epilepsy
Even the FDA knows that CBD has measurable positive effects on helping reduce the number and severity of seizures due to epilepsy, which is why they approved the first cannabinoid-derived drug for epilepsy in June, 2018.
Nicotine Withdrawal
One reason cigarettes are so hard to stop smoking is because the smell, sight or memory of a cigarette can actually cause your brain to release dopamine. In other words, your brain is chemically rewarding you for thinking about nicotine even before you reach for another cigarette. Using CBD to quit smoking and disrupt the memory-based reward can make the task easier in combination with other habit-breaking treatments.
Alzheimer’s Symptoms
CBD can’t help you reduce your risk for Alzheimer’s, but CBD’s anti-inflammatory effects may be able to help you slow its progress. By helping remove amyloid plaque from neuroreceptors as well as treating side-effects like aggression and agitation, CBD use can greatly reduce the negative experiences of those with Alzheimer’s.