In 2018, the Farm Bill (Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018) made the production, possession, and consumption of CBD legal in the United States.
Since then, CBD oil’s popularity has boomed. Its pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties have seemingly no side effects or risk of addiction.
Today, many arthritis sufferers now turn to CBD as a safer alternative to ease their joint pain.
There are now more CBD products available than ever before. This can make finding high-quality CBD difficult for people suffering from arthritis.
If you’ve considered using CBD for arthritis, continue reading to learn more about what arthritis is, how CBD can help, and how to choose the right CBD oil product.
The Two Most Common Types of Arthritis — Rheumatoid and Osteoarthritis
Arthritis isn’t a specific disease, but a term that encompasses many diseases that affect joints and joint mobility. There are over 100 different forms of arthritis, with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis being the most common.
The other most common forms include psoriatic arthritis, gout, and lupus.
Arthritis causes inflammation in the joints that causes pain, stiffness, and swelling. This makies it difficult for people affected to use their hands, walk, stand, or move around.
Even though rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis both affect the joints, their root causes are completely different.
For example, osteoarthritis is caused by wear and tear on the joints that are overused, usually caused by old age and extra weight. The most affected areas are the knees, hips, feet, and spine.
Over time, the cartilage in between joints gets damaged, and eventually wears down so they’re no longer cushioned, which creates bone spurs, pain, swelling, and a reduction in mobility.
Rheumatoid arthritis isn’t caused by wear and tear but instead is an autoimmune reaction. This means a person’s immune system gets confused and attacks the joints of the body. This leads to inflammation of the joints, which can cause severe joint damage.
People with rheumatoid arthritis typically develop lumps on the skin above their knuckles, heels, and elbows called rheumatoid nodules. It’s not currently understood what causes rheumatoid arthritis in people.
How CBD Can Reduce Arthritis Pain Caused by Inflammation
Cannabidiol, referred to as CBD, is one of the many active compounds found in the cannabis plant.
CBD is non-intoxicating. This means it won’t get users “high” because it doesn’t contain any tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. CBD does however have a slightly drowsing effect, which shows promise for improving sleep and anxiety.
Arthritis doesn’t have a known cure. Using CBD for arthritis treatment is currently a safer, non-habit forming alternative to opioid medications to deal with the pain and discomfort.
Current research suggests that CBD interacts with the body’s endocannabinoid receptors to reduce inflammation in the body.
Because CBD has only become legal in the past few years, there is still pending research to confirm these claims. However, anecdotal research has shown that many users who consume CBD see a reduction in pain and inflammation related to their arthritis. Animal studies have shown that CBD reduces inflammation in rats with osteoarthritis.
Studies are inconclusive that CBD for arthritis can be a stand-alone treatment, but it can help potentially as a form of holistic healthcare.
The Different Applications of CBD
CBD oil is derived from the cannabis plant.
To minimize the levels of THC present in CBD oil, it is extracted from the male cannabis plant, hemp, which does not produce THC.
When it comes to consuming CBD oil, there are four main methods:
- Inhalation, by vaping or smoking high-CBD strains of marijuana
- Topical application, by applying creams, balms, and salves to affected areas
- Ingesting, consuming edible treats that contain CBD
- Sublingual application, dropping CBD oil under the tongue for quick administration
Because most assisted living communities have a no smoking and vaping policy, many seniors will get the most benefit out of applying topical creams, ingestible edibles, or taking their CBD sublingually.
CBD Medication Interactions
CBD can react with some medications commonly taken by people with arthritis, so check with your doctor before taking CBD.
Interactions may happen with the following:
- Prednisone
- Naproxen (Aleve)
- Tramadol
- Paroxetine (Paxil)
- Sertraline (Zoloft)
- Gabapentin
- Pregabalin (Lyrica)
What to Look for in a CBD Supplement
In the past few years, CBD oil has flooded the market. You’ll likely see CBD sold in the grocery store, gas stations, the pharmacy, and health food stores.
There is a large variety to choose from so a few things to look for in selecting the best CBD includes the following:
- How many milligrams of CBD in each serving?
- Is a third-party purity test listed on the product?
- Is the CBD either full-spectrum or broad-spectrum, rather than isolated CBD?
- What do the company’s online reviews say?
Find Relief for Arthritis at The Kensington Sierra Madre
The Kensington Sierra Madre is an enhanced assisted living and memory care community located in Sierra Madre, California.
Our community is proud to partner with HealthPro Heritage, a regional leader in outstanding therapy services, to provide on-site comprehensive rehabilitation services to our residents.
At The Kensington, we offer all-inclusive lifestyle support to help our residents get stronger, heal faster, and make steady progress to improve their mobility, balance, and range of motion.
Our HealthPro team’s multidisciplinary team can provide physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupation therapy for all of our residents, and are specially qualified to help those with arthritis improve their mobility.
In addition to our on-site rehabilitation services, we also provide life enrichment classes, dining services, a full social calendar, and two separate memory care communities.
Our Enhanced Assisted Living Residence (EALR) license enables us to provide a higher continuum of care than most assisted living communities. This includes employing a staff of licensed nurses 24/7 who can administer medications and provide additional healthcare services not typically provided in other communities.
This means that we can accommodate all of our resident’s changing healthcare needs so they can age in place in the same community throughout their stay.
At The Kensington Sierra Madre, we extend Our Promise to you: to love and take care of your family as we would our own.
Are you the caregiver or a senior with arthritis who would like to get more information on our community? Contact us today to learn how we can help your loved one handle their arthritis.