Can CBD-Based Products Help Treat Peripheral Neuropathy?
Can CBD-based products help treat peripheral neuropathy?
You have tried everything. Pain meds and other prescription drugs do not help with the discomfort of peripheral neuropathy. We feel your pain. There is good news, though.
CBD-based products can help. In this article, we will define CBD and peripheral neuropathy and discuss why CBD and THC-based products can help manage pain and anxiety often associated with peripheral neuropathy.
Defining “peripheral neuropathy”
Your doctor most likely described what it means, but here is a simpler way to define it. “Peripheral” means located outside the brain, and “neuropathy” refers to the nerves in your brain. Peripheral neuropathy is a condition that refers to damage caused to nerves from the spinal cord and brain — often called the central nervous system — to other parts of the body.
The central nervous system is like an engine: when the engine works, it tells the rest of the car what to do and how to act. When it does not work, the whole car shuts down or often can stall and cause pain, wear and tear, and damage to the car. Peripheral neuropathy is your body’s central nervous system not telling the body what to do, which can result in pain or damage to the body.
Symptoms of peripheral neuropathy
This condition can lead to one’s senses, motor control, or autonomic system not functioning at their best. In other words, the central nervous system and the body often tend to have more limited control of the movement of muscles, which can result in your body being very aware — or not — to body sensations and senses. At its worst, peripheral neuropathy can affect the autonomic nervous system, the part of the body that controls daily functions that we are unaware of, like breath, digestion, and heart rate.
What results is a loss of feeling, increased pain, or feeling pain when touching objects that do not cause pain in the first place. Someone with peripheral neuropathy might touch a blanket and wince or be in 110-degree weather and not feel the heat despite sweating and in the sweltering heat. Symptoms may persist, but pain meds and CBD can help treat this condition.
What is CBD exactly?
CBD is an acronym for the active compound cannabinoid. It is a substance that comes from hemp plants and grows on the earth. Just as there are many types of fruits and veggies, there are many different strains of CBD. One of these CBD-based products is THC, the active ingredient found in marijuana that gives people the relaxed high and calm they often feel after smoking or ingesting a THC-based product.
Can CBD manage symptoms of peripheral neuropathy?
CBD can help manage the worst symptoms of peripheral neuropathy by providing the same high as THC without the intoxicating feeling that THC brings. This high helps people feel calm and manage their pain because they do not feel the constant threat of pain neuropathy often causes.
Our body tends to produce calming meds called endocannabinoids. When it cannot produce these helpful pain agents, CBD can add an extra boost to the body’s immune response to pain. Suppose a person is extra sensitive to touch or their pain response is muted. In that case, CBD cannabinoid products may help a person cope with the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy by helping them focus on their body’s response and cope with greater ease.
CBD-based products come in different forms.
While they may not always look like a leafy legume or plant, they still can produce a high in each of their forms. But CBD comes in different strengths. That is why it is important to consult a medical doctor before buying cannabinoids to help with peripheral neuropathy.
CBD comes in many forms: full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, and isolate CBD-based products. These products include parts of cannabis plants, so they tend to include a small dose of THC. Whether it is an edible oil, topical cream, soft gel capsule, cream, juice, or bath oil, CBD-based products produce the same calm feeling that can help manage the pain associated with peripheral neuropathy.
CBD helps regulate the body’s nervous system
Since peripheral neuropathy is related to sensitivity to the central nervous system, CBD helps partner with the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS) to help a person’s body regulate appetite, pain, mood, and even memory. Medical Cannabis Doctor cites studies where CBD can help reduce chronic pain by impacting endocannabinoid receptor activity and partnering with the body’s neurotransmitters to keep the body calm.
In a word, CBD acts like the body’s sidekick to help it strengthen the ECS response when peripheral neuropathy affects its normal functions. Depending on your preferred method of use, CBD will affect your body differently and may kick in at a different rate than other methods.
Consult a doctor before using CBD to treat peripheral neuropathy
Peripheral neuropathy can be managed or combined with CBD and a THC strain of indica or sativa. Before selecting your preferred cannabinoid of choice, we suggest consulting a doctor on which to use and in what form.
Medical Cannabis Doctors can help you decide which dose of CBD is right for you. Our doctors take telehealth or in-person appointments. Consult our medical conditions page to learn more about CBD-treated neuropathy and other debilitating conditions to learn ways to manage chronic pain associated with this condition.
Medical Cannabis Doctors is a one-stop resource for all CBD-based products. Our team of physicians and patient advocates is on-call and ready to meet your needs. Phone support is available 24/7, so contact us at (630) 551-8210 or at info@cannabisdoctors.com to receive your medical marijuana card and learn how CBD and THC-based products can help you today.
