How to Use CBD for Inflammation and Swelling
CBD can be used for many different ailments; one of those ailments is inflammation. CBD for inflammation has been studied and proven to have a positive effect. But we need to know how to use CBD for inflammation and swelling?
Learning how to use CBD for inflammation and swelling could make a big difference in how you treat pain. Inflammation is how the body repairs itself, but this process is not always easy. Inflammation is also the cause of pain in many patients suffering from chronic pain or illnesses.
For example, the pain associated with arthritis is caused by the inflammation in the joints where arthritis is present. Unfortunately, that pain can lead to other issues like depression brought on by a need to stay stationary as often as possible. Ibuprofen is the most common way to deal with inflammation at home, but it’s not perfect.
In fact, one study showed that antiinflammatory medications like ibuprofen are responsible for an estimated 107,000 hospitalizations and 15,600 deaths each year in the US alone. People are rightfully looking for other options, safer ones, to treat their inflammation and swelling.
CBD has been thrust into the spotlight for this issue, and for good reason. CBD is a safe, non-addictive, and natural oil that can be used for inflammation. The oil is used either as is or as an ingredient in ointments, gummies, and tinctures. But do we need to learn how to use CBD for inflammation and swelling?
Studies are still being done on CBD to determine the best ways to use it for inflammation. However, some studies have concluded, and they give us an idea of how to use CBD for pain caused by inflammation.
How Does CBD Help with Inflammation?
There have been studies on the effects of CBD and the human body; some concluded, and some are ongoing. These studies help us learn how CBD helps with inflammation. For example, one study showed that CBD reduces levels of pro-inflammatory effects.
That study showed CBD reduces pro-inflammatory cytokines, induces T cell apoptosis, reduces migration and adhesion of immune cells, and inhibits T cell proliferation. Essentially, this means that CBD slows inflammation down by slowing the steps the body takes to make inflammation occur.
It is important to note that while temporary inflammation can be suitable for the healing process, chronic inflammation is different. Chronic inflammation is usually associated with a disease that causes inflammation to occur when it is not necessary.
Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, IBS, and Alzheimer’s are all examples of diseases that cause chronic inflammation.
Inflammatory Diseases
We already know that some diseases cause inflammation, even when it is unnecessary or harmful to the body. Scientists and medical professionals use that information to study how CBD could reduce inflammation or prevent it altogether.
Most studies done are not on inflammation itself but on the diseases that cause inflammation or inflammatory diseases themselves. For example, a 2008 study showed that CBD prevented the onset of type 1 diabetes in mice. Type 1 diabetes is an inflammatory autoimmune disease, but it’s not the only inflammatory disease that has allowed for CBD studies.
A 2013 study showed that CBD protected against inflammation in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis. These studies give some insight into how to use CBD for inflammation. There was a 2013 review that concluded CBD could even be a candidate for inflammatory bowel syndrome.
However, a 2017 study showed that while CBD was safe to use, it did not affect inflammatory bowel syndrome. The authors of the 2017 study did admit that they may not have used enough CBD in the study or had too small of a study pool.
Ultimately, we still need more studies to understand how CBD works for inflammation, but we can rely on the information we do have.
How to Use CBD for Inflammation
There are different forms of CBD we can use for inflammation, like topical ointments, edible gummies, or tinctures. You can simply consume your dosage of CBD gummies or tinctures to get the results you want. But the most common way to use CBD for inflammation is to use topical ointments or creams.
People can rub some of the ointments or creams directly onto the part of the body that is in pain due to inflammation. But it is important not to discount any method of medicating with CBD. Instead, use the different forms of CBD to help fit your lifestyle as it changes.
For example, you could use a gummy when you know you will be traveling and won’t be able to rub ointment on the pain regularly throughout the day. You can also use tinctures to help with the pain faster than gummies. Ointments are great for when you have time to rub them on and access to a private space to do so.
Ultimately, there is no one way to use CBD for inflammation; there are numerous ways.
CBD Dosage for Inflammation
CBD dosage is still up for debate; however, there are a couple of things we know for sure. Firstly, CBD does make a difference but finding the proper dosage is all about trial and error. We do have some idea on how much to start trying with based on weight.
But we can’t give an exact answer on how much CBD will take care of this or how much will take care of that. Secondly, we do know that CBD has little to no side effects, even if too much is taken. There has been no evidence to show it is possible to overdose on CBD.
That makes CBD one of the safest supplements on earth to experiment with dosages. Ultimately, it will all be about trial and error when searching for the proper dosage for you and your ailments.
