Cannabis: The Anti-Inflammatory Key to an Epidemic
When you look at some of the health claims around cannabis, it can seem a little bit ridiculous. The laundry list of symptoms and conditions for which cannabis can be an effective treatment includes Alzheimer’s, IBS, arthritis, diabetes, chronic pain, Parkinson’s, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, and skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis—just to name a few of them.
But modern science is showing that there is an underlying cause behind many of these conditions: inflammation. And cannabis is perhaps the most effective anti-inflammatory we have. Specifically, research is showing more and more that we can turn to CBD for inflammation treatment.
How does it work? Well, let us back up a bit first.
Chronic Inflammation and Disease
Inflammation, as it turns out, is a completely normal cellular process. It’s how we defend ourselves from infections and parasites. Through inflammation, white blood cells effectively quarantine an area and flood it with toxic chemicals that destroy the invaders, and we live to breathe another day.
Under normal circumstances, inflammation is a good and necessary thing.
When inflammation is stimulated all the time, however—when it becomes chronic—it becomes a problem. A big problem.
Those toxic chemicals begin damaging your own cells and tissues, and depending on where exactly this happens in your body, different symptoms can begin to appear. If it happens in your joints, it manifests as arthritis. In your cardiovascular system, it manifests as heart disease. If it’s in your brain, it can lead to one of many forms of neurodegenerative disease. In fact, many top health experts now believe that inflammation may actually be the root cause of most diseases.
So what causes inflammation to become chronic? To put it bluntly, modern life.
A Modern Epidemic
We are constantly inundated with toxic chemicals that stimulate inflammation. Sugar and processed carbs stimulate inflammation. Stress causes inflammation.
And what do many people do when they’re feeling stressed? Eat sugary snacks with artificial preservatives, thereby compounding the problem and fanning the flames of disease.
Fortunately, there’s a clean, natural, green solution to the problem.
Cannabis: A Safe and Powerful Anti-Inflammatory
Remarkably, studies show that cannabis is over 20x stronger as an anti-inflammatory agent than aspirin, and 2x stronger than prescription hydrocortisone. It contains over 100 active compounds, and the two most investigated are THC and CBD.
Both of these cannabinoids have powerful anti-inflammatory effects, but they get there in different ways, mediated by how they interact with the body through different receptors.
THC proves more effective for managine neurodegenerative diseases, chronic pain, and cardiovascular inflammation, and swelling. CBD, on the other hand, seems to be somewhat better suited for digestive issues and muscle recovery, but it also has a positive effect on many of the same symptoms as THC. Because of its effects on a broad array of conditions, people are increasingly turning to CBD for inflammation treatment and management.
Using CBD for Inflammation
The potential of cannabis to treat the epidemic of chronic inflammatory disease is truly incredible. It may not be a miracle cure, but the number of people who find relief through it is miraculous enough. Better still, there’s no catch (well, except maybe federal regulations, depending on where you live).
If you wish to explore cannabis for your own health, we recommend taking a look at Leafly’s strain explorer as a resource to see what has worked for others with similar symptoms. You can also check out a few CBD products worth trying, and, of course, explore how you might minimize those other inflammation catalysts in your life.
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