La neuropathy affects approximately 2 to 8% of the population, particularly people over the age of 65 and often those with diabetes. Although it can sometimes be treated, neuropathy causes pain, uncontrolled movements, and even local paralysis. Some encouraging research has already proven that cannabidiol is a powerful ally in relieving neuropathy-related pain.
The main advantage of this solution is that, unlike most current conventional treatments, the CBD does not have any undesirable side effects. What is neuropathic pain? What are its causes and symptoms? What is CBD and how can it relieve neuropathic pain? This article tells you everything you need to know about using CBD for neuropathic pain.
Neuropathic pain: what is it?
Neuropathic pain neuropathic pain is a type of pain that causes damage or dysfunction in the nerves and somatic sensors in the body. Damage or dysfunction in the nerves and sensory tissues can send pain signals to the brain. These pain signals warn the body of actual damage or dysfunction.
However, there are several types of neuropathic pain:
- Peripheral neuropathic pain : The peripheral nervous system is the entire part of the nervous system located outside the spinal cord and brain. It includes the various nerves in the upper limbs, legs, abdominal cavity, and face. When a nerve is damaged, the repair process does not proceed as expected, sending pain signals to the brain.
- Mixed neuropathic pain—peripheral and central : this is pain originating not only from the nerves of the central nervous system, but also from the nerves of the peripheral nervous system.
Thus, these types of neuropathic pain have very distinct origins. However, their causes are not so different.
What causes neuropathic pain?
Understanding the different causes of neuropathic pain can help you find better therapies and solutions to prevent the pain from getting worse. The most common factors are disease, injury, and loss of a limb.
Diseases
Diabetes is the cause of 30% of all cases of neuropathy. It can affect how the nerves function. Generally, diabetic patients experience loss of sensation, numbness, burning, pain, and tingling in the fingers and limbs. In addition, excessive alcohol consumption, cancer treatment, and trigeminal neuralgia can cause neuropathic pain.
Injuries
Damage to muscles, tissues, or joints can also cause neuropathic pain. Injuries to the back, legs, and hips can cause nerve damage. Although the injury may heal, the damage to the nervous system does not, which can lead to long-term chronic pain.
Amputation
When a part of the body (leg or arm) is amputated as a result of injury or disease, phantom limb syndrome may occur. In reality, the patient's brain continues to believe that it is receiving pain signals from the area of the removed limb.
Symptoms of neuropathic pain
Among the symptoms associated with neuropathic pain include tingling, burning pain, itching, and numbness. Patients may sometimes be reluctant to move the painful area of their body. This leads to joint stiffness, bone loss, muscle atrophy, and even restricted movement.
In most cases, neuropathic pain has several physical and psychological repercussions, and those affected may experience anxiety, fatigue, depression, and mood swings. Because the pain is imperceptible, it is difficult for sufferers to explain to others how they feel. It is also difficult for others to understand how this can affect their social lives.
What is CBD?
Although often controversial, hemp remains one of the oldest plants cultivated by humans. Its use throughout history, both for textile manufacturing and for medical purposes, remains engraved in history. Among the many cannabinoids present in hemp, CBD has attracted the most research.
The CBD is actually short for cannabidiol, a substance found in hemp that belongs to the cannabinoid family. It has many therapeutic properties for the human and animal body, allowing it to relieve many everyday ailments. It is very important not to confuse it with THC, another molecule found in cannabis that causes psychoactive effects.
CBD for relieving neuropathic pain: why choose it?
While chronic inflammatory pain respond well to anti-inflammatory treatments, neuropathic pain is particularly difficult to treat. Strong anesthetics, opioids, and antidepressants are very often used. However, they have well-known side effects such as coordination problems, drowsiness, dizziness, memory loss, addiction, and vision problems.
Contrary to these therapies and popular belief, premium CBD has no side effects and is not addictive. However, it is important to note that higher doses are not required to maintain its effectiveness and avoid potential adverse effects.
How does cannabidiol affect inflammation?
Here is detailed information on how CBD works to relieve neuropathic pain. This will help you determine whether CBD is a powerful ally in pain relief.
It reduces pain transmission.
High-quality high-quality CBD is known for its ability to act effectively on the endocannabinoid system , which is involved in regulating pain in the human body. This cannabinoid from hemp binds to receptors linked to inflammation and pain perception to block the pathways that transmit pain. Thus, when fewer pain signals reach the brain, the intensity of the pain felt is significantly reduced.
It protects nerve tissue from abrasions.
CBD can help reduce nerve damage by acting as a powerful nerve protector. Cannabidiol has natural anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce nerve damage and, therefore, neuropathic pain.
It supports microglia in the spinal cord.
Cannabidiol also appears to have an anti-inflammatory effect on the activity of cells in the spinal cord and brain. This cell population is known to gather when there is a painful neuropathic syndrome. By acting on the microglia, premium CBD can limit their proliferation and prevent the worsening of any pain.
Which CBD should be used for neuropathic pain?
In CBD stores, cannabidiol is available in various forms. This allows you to choose the one that best suits your needs. For example, to relieve neuropathic pain, you can use CBD oils as well as CBD infusions and creams.
CBD oils
Consuming CBD oil sublingually allows you to benefit from its rapid action. This cannabidiol product is known for its analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. As a result, the oil is recommended for body pain caused by neurological disorders such as cancer pain and fibromyalgia.
You can then place a few drops of CBD oil under your tongue to relieve your neuropathic pain. When you take cannabidiol using this method of consumption, it travels throughout your body until it reaches the endocannabinoid receptors. It can then travel to the neurons to act effectively on the brain.
CBD infusions
Another form of cannabidiol that can be used to relieve neuropathic pain is CBD tea. CBD tea is very simple. Just steep the leaves in 90°C water for 5 to 7 minutes and you're done. If you prefer a fat-soluble CBD herbal tea, you can add a fat to help your body absorb the substance.
The effects of CBD infusions can take up to 30 minutes to be noticed. However, this duration varies from one individual to another and also depends on the amount of tea consumed. In addition, note that infused CBD directly interferes with the consumer's endocannabinoid system. This strengthens the consumer's immune system and significantly reduces inflammation.
CBD creams
In CBD shops in the UK CBD shops in UK , for example, topical cannabidiol products such as lotions, ointments, and creams can also help relieve neuropathic pain. They are composed of several active ingredients, including CBD, which is known for its beneficial properties for the skin. Simply apply it to the swollen area and massage it in.
How to choose the right dosage?
For the most part, the dosage of CBD depends largely on the product consumed. Chewing gum or capsules, for example, indicate the amount of cannabidiol contained in each dose. When it comes to CBD in e-liquid form, it is even more difficult, because it is impossible to measure the amount of CBD accurately.
With CBD oil, dosing is simple with the use of a dropper counter. So, in a 10 ml bottle containing approximately 200 drops, for a concentration of 5% for example, this equates to 2.5 milligrams of CBD per drop. In the best CBD stores, this information is sometimes printed on the packaging or in the product manuals.
The dosage of cannabidiol is essential to achieve satisfactory results. But keep in mind that the dosage may differ from one individual to another. Therefore, do not hesitate to seek advice from an expert. In addition, always start with a low dose and increase gradually over a week-long trial period. This should be done according to your symptoms and needs.
Tips for choosing CBD to relieve neuropathic pain
To get the best results from CBD, you first need to choose the right products. To do this, it is essential to take the following selection criteria into account.
The origin of cannabis
For quality reasons, always choose CBD products made from organic hemp. This way, you will avoid synthetic fertilizers and other chemicals used in agriculture. When the soil is rich in nutrients, the plants are excellent. This is even better when the growing areas are located in a rural environment, as the fresh air encourages hemp plants to grow in their natural state. That's why it's best to choose locally grown products.
The extraction process used
Several techniques can be used to extract CBD from the hemp plant. CO2 extraction is the most effective, reliable, and highest-quality extraction method for obtaining high-quality CBD. It uses carbon dioxide to safely separate cannabinoids and terpenes from hemp plants. It should be noted that this extraction technique is quite expensive, which is reflected in the price of the products.
Accreditations for analytical laboratories
Many CBD sellers have their products tested by independent laboratories that test finished cannabidiol-based items. Nowadays, this is almost a necessity to ensure product quality, reassure consumers about the contents of the finished product, and comply with applicable laws.
So don't hesitate to ask your salesperson to provide you with the lab results for the CBD product you want to buy. These documents usually indicate the CBD content, the presence or absence of other cannabinoids, and other relevant scientific information.
