CBD Research - How CBD Works for Arthritis
CBD FOR ARTHRITIS – UNDERSTANDING HOW IT WORKS
Excruciating pain.
It's all you really think of during the day.
And at night!
Restless sleep just starts the cycle right back off during the day.
Hands. Knees. Feet.
Back!
Arthritis is a thorn in the side for millions of Americans.
40 Million People in the US.
That's 10% of the population and growing as the population generally gets older.
It can even get more destructive with rheumatoid arthritis and other more severe forms of arthritis.
Looking for one disease that has single-handedly brought us the opioid crisis...
Look no further than down at your throbbing hip!
CBD is probably the most exciting thing to happen in the arthritis space since...well, we don't have a comparison.
The great thing about it that you'll be able to tell right away.
There's no faking relief from arthritis.
If you need immediate help, check out the CBD product page here:
Otherwise, let's jump into everything so we can get out of pain!
- Current thoughts on arthritis
- Does CBD help with arthritis
- Research on CBD and arthritis
- Is CBD safe for arthritis treatment
- CBD versus painkillers like opioids for arthritis
- CBD versus THC for arthritis
- Best CBD for arthritis
- CBD Cream, Balm, or Oil for arthritis
- Full-spectrum or isolate for arthritis
- How long does it take for CBD to help with arthritis
- CBD and rheumatoid arthritis
- CBD dosage for arthritis
- How to buy CBD for arthritis
Okay...let's see if we can make our heads hurt worse than our joints!
Here we go!
Current Thoughts On Arthritis
To get to the root of how CBD helps with arthritis, we need a quick refresher on what's going on in the body.
It may hurt in your thumbs, but the issue is actually further away.
Somewhere in your gut!
Arthritis is just one example (out of many) of your immune system attacking the wrong thing.
You!
- When it happens in your pancreas, it's diabetes
- When it happens in your skin, it's psoriasis and acne.
- Your gut...GERD and IBS and more.
- Brain?? Evidence is pointing to Alzheimer's and Dementia
And your joints? You guessed it.
Arthritis!
What's going on here?
One of the most powerful systems in the body is the immune system.
It has to be...it's in a constant war for survival against every nasty thing in and out of our bodies that want to colonize us at breakneck speed.
- Bacteria
- Viruses
- Fungi
- Toxins
- Poisons
Nasty stuff.
The immune system's job is to quickly recognize bad actors and get rid of them!
The immune system primarily resides in the gut.
It's a first responder and most bad hitchhikers are coming in through the gut.
There are three main ways to get at us...
- Gut
- Skin
- Lungs
We'll lump the nose and mouth in with the gut or lungs...all one system.
The gut is really a bad neighborhood.
No matter how much you clean your hands, bacteria is everywhere.
In fact, the bacteria living in us outnumber our cells by 10,000 to 1. We have a trillion cells so you do the math.
And those are the good bacteria (for the most part)!
Now...introduce our modern world.
Not to panic you but it's pretty ridiculous.
Check out quick stats on just chemicals we're exposed to here:
- 84,000 chemicals used in food and products legally
- 13,000 in cosmetics alone
Heck...it starts at birth now with umbilical cord blood:
Of the 287 chemicals we detected in umbilical cord blood, we know that 180 cause cancer in humans or animals, 217 are toxic to the brain and nervous system, and 208 cause birth defects or abnormal development in animal tests.
The gut is the first responder to deal with anything foreign or harmful.
It's overworked, outnumbered, and essentially exhausted.
As a result, it tends to make errors.
They just discovered an entirely new system (glycans) of simple sugars that coat almost every living cell surface.
The immune system reads this like a bar code to say "us" or "them".
For example, there's a protein that cows have in their barcode which we no longer have.
We read it as "them" and that may be why red meat has an inflammatory response from the immune system.
Very interesting but we digress!
So, the over-worked immune system is on Defcon 4, ready for hair-triggered response.
A constant lifetime of antibiotics in meds, food, and meat have weakened its normal allies in the gut... probiotics.
The local cop on the beat starts to flip out.
Rather than protecting the local population (joints, neurons, islet cells), it rages at them.
The initial response our immune system has to a potential threat is inflammation.
Inside that rush of inflammation is a slew of backup weapons the immune system can use to attack foes.
Unfortunately, it's doing this to our own tissue.
In terms of arthritis, it's our joints that suffer.
This can be initiated by an original injury (where the inflammation is important to start the healing process).
Or it can just be the immune system losing it's cool and attacking the local population sporadically.
Either way, it hurts!
If it goes after certain parts of the body, it kills!
So...what does CBD have to do with this whole run-away process?
We thought you would never ask.
Does CBD Help With Arthritis
That's the common question.
For millions (and soon to be 100's of millions), the answer has been a resounding "Yes".
But why?
What is CBD doing in the middle of the mess we described up above?
Let's throw up the cursory CBD diagram with weird molecule shapes on it:
First, CBD has been shown to be massively anti-inflammatory.
We'll get into all the research below but our favorite recent discovery is indicative of its effect.
CBD was shown to:
- Switch immune response from the more aggressive T1 to T2
- Help move toxins across the gut lining to be removed from the body
Okay, those seem pretty important.
Calm down the immune response and get rid of bad actors.
Since arthritis is primarily a disease of chronic inflammation, CBD's effect on the endocannabinoid system seems to be the linchpin.
The endocannabinoid system is thought to balance other systems such as...wait for it...
The immune system!
Enough theorizing...let's look at what research shows.
Research On CBD And Arthritis
First, there are dozens of studies on CBD going on now.
It's the hotspot of research!
What does the research have to show?
Let's start with results from topical CBD:
Transdermal CBD gel significantly reduced joint swelling, limb posture scores as a rating of spontaneous pain, immune cell infiltration and thickening of the synovial membrane in a dose-dependent manner.
The study noted no side effects or changes in brain function!
Take those opioids!!
What about osteoarthritis pain and prevention...
The data presented here indicate that local administration of CBD blocked OA pain. Prophylactic CBD treatment prevented the later development of pain and nerve damage in these OA joints. These findings suggest that CBD may be a safe, useful therapeutic for treating OA joint neuropathic pain.
Again, that "safe" word. Take that NSAIDs! We want to keep our liver.
Remember that "Arthritis of the Brain" comment above about Alzheimer's...
In the case of Alzheimer's disease (AD), studies in mice and rats showed reduced amyloid beta neuroinflammation (linked to reduced interleukin [IL]-6 and microglial activation) after CBD treatment.
Sorry...back to joints. We just couldn't resist.
If you want to dive into the weeds (sorry, bad pun) of CBD and the immune system, try here:
Rheumatoid arthritis is just a different flavor of the immune response gone haywire but good news there:
In this study, the authors showed that daily oral (5 mg/kg) or intra-peritoneal (25 mg/kg) administration of CBD inhibited disease progression.
To our theory of autoimmune being one dysfunctional family of which arthritis is a member:
Cannabinoids have been tested in several experimental models of autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, colitis and hepatitis and have been shown to protect the host from the pathogenesis through the induction of multiple anti-inflammatory pathways.
What about dealing long term pain:
Numerous randomized clinical trials have demonstrated safety and efficacy for Sativex in central and peripheral neuropathic pain, rheumatoid arthritis and cancer pain.
Get a great deal of CBD studies here:
CBD and inflammation
CBD and autoimmune
CBD and the gut
Again, there is research in the works but in the end, arthritic pain is really easy to test with CBD.
You'll know right away.
But is it safe?
Is CBD Safe For Using With Arthritis – Are There Side Effects?
The safety profile of CBD is well established and strong.
Since arthritis is a chronic condition, it's important to answer a few key questions.
Here they are:
- CBD does not show evidence of being habit forming
- People do not "normalize" to CBD (loses effects over time)
- No overdose has been documented on CBD
- Side effects are moderate including dry mouth, lower blood pressure, dizziness
Check out the Is CBD Safe article for more detail on why CBD is really a different approach than many medications.
People are seeing remarkable results with very few side effects.
Our favorite article compares CBD to common pain medications including Tylenol (Acetominophen) here.
It's a fascinating read including the safety profile of both.
Let's compare that to the alternative treatments for arthritis and other immune diseases.
CBD Versus Painkillers Like Opioids For Arthritis
It's a shame we even have to entertain this question.
Look at the safety profile of CBD at the safety page.
Now...look at the alternatives:
- NSAID's like Ibuprofen and Celebrex
- Opioids like Oxycontin and Vicoden
These medications were not intended for long term pain management.
They also do NOTHING for the root cause of arthritis or any of the autoimmune diseases.
In fact, they may alter the gut biome and pose just one more assault on the immune system which as to deal with foreign entities (be it bacteria or chemical).
Let's throw in the liver issues with NSAID's.
Now, if you're not angry yet, let's look at the total disintegration of millions of American families from opioids.
We're talking heartbreak.
Most of those people "found" opioids as a result of an injury.
They weren't junkies looking for a high.
They had a broken leg or a torn shoulder from baseball!
Maybe most importantly, their track record for keeping pain at bay LONG TERM is not great.
The opioids are some of the most addictive substances to man.
They are part of the family of heroin after all.
Would you take heroine for your back pain?
Just because it comes from a pharmacy doesn't make it any different.
Don't be in pain. But definitely consider CBD for arthritic pain.
You can tell we're a little upset. Our apologies for the rant!
CBD Versus THC For Arthritis
We focus on CBD here. Obviously.
The question of CBD or THC for pain comes up invariably.
THC is part of the cannabinoid family (cousin to CBD).
There can be some drawbacks with THC versus CBD for arthritis.
Here's a quick look:
The main thing is the legality.
THC is not legal in most states and it's not legal Federally.
That being said, many people (where legal) swear by a combination of CBD and THC for pain and sleep.
There may be a synergistic effect with the two.
If you're considering this (and it's legal where you are), consider a ratio of CBD to THC with more CBD.
CBD can offset the psychoactive qualify of the THC.
- 1:1 will not make you impaired but it's still pretty high in THC.
- 3:1 is common for topicals
- 10:1 might be a good place to start
Again, this is in States where it's legal.
Check out our THC versus CBD article or our Full Spectrum versus Isolate CBD for more info.
Best Delivery Type Of CBD For Arthritis
Are balms or oils better for arthritis?
It depends.
- If your arthritic pain is spot specific (just my thumbs), the topical works well.
- If you have rheumatoid or osteoarthritis pain, the oils will be better.
- If you need quick relief from pain (say you have to fly), the vape will be faster.
Here's a quick comparison:
You can shop all the options here by major brands:
Best CBD For Arthritis
What CBD is best for arthritis?
We'll give some benchmarks based on other people's results and reviews.
For specific areas, look at balms.
Not every company has a CBD balm so we would focus on:
The Endoca balm is based on beeswax and coconut oil with limited scent. This is popular with people who do not want a strong scent. This is typically chosen by women, seniors, and people who want to avoid the scent of tiger balm (say at work or school).
The PharmaExtract balm is more similar to a tiger balm type of product with menthol and camphor added alongside. The base is beeswax which is awesome. Some people like the scent while others do not. This is typically chosen by athletes, men, and and for more serious skin issues.
PharmaXtracts Balm 500 mg CBD 30ml BUY HERE
You can see them and more here:
.
For more systemic arthritis including osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, the CBD oils are most popular.
We screened major brands for safety, lab results, strength, and cost.
Cost becomes a factor since we're looking at CBD for an extended period of time.
Endoca's product is more than double based on one bottle (there may be discounts for bulk purchases).
Really, any of the top brands we screened are solid products and brands.
Look at the cost. Check out the CBD comparison grid.
Full Spectrum Or Isolate For Arthritis
Arthritic pain is a situation where the full spectrum versus isolate might be important.
Full-spectrum just means more of the plant makes it into the bottle.
This can include:
- Other cannabinoids such as CBG, CBN, and more
- Terpenes
- Flavanoids
- Minerals and fatty acids
These can be very good things depending on your histamine pathways (sensitivity to herbs and botanicals).
For sensitive people (allergic to many things, strong reaction), the isolate will be cleaner.
The reason we bring up full-spectrum is that some of the other cannabinoids are showing promise for pain and sleep specifically.
Similar to our discussion above on THC.
You may want to start with CBD isolate first then try the full spectrum.
Learn all about full-spectrum CBD versus isolate here.
How Long Does It Take For CBD To Help With Arthritis
It can be pretty fast.
For topical options like the balms and CBD creams, it can be 5-10 minutes.
The drops are slower but longer lasting since they have to go through the digestive process.
That's typically 20-30 minutes to kick in.
The CBD vapes can be almost instantaneously.
For chronic arthritic pain such as back pain, the drops are a good long term strategy.
The balms can add spot help when and where needed.
CBD And Rheumatoid Arthritis
We made note in the CBD research section on data about CBD and rheumatoid arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis still begins with the same issue...an overworked and overactive immune system targeting the body.
Its effect can just be much more devastating and the current treatments can have terrible side effects.
Since CBD targets the immune system and inflammation, it's equally suited for the rheumatoid version of arthritis.
This might demand a stronger dose.
Let's look at dosages.
What Dosage Of CBD For Arthritis
Here's the general guideline:
For general therapeutic arthritic support, try 15mg to test on your body and work up to 30mg.
We've seen reports of 300mg to 600mg for higher doses.
CBD has been tested up to 1500 mg per day with little to moderate side effects.
Start lower and work your way up.
The great news with arthritis of any kind is that you'll know pretty quickly if it's helping.
How To Buy CBD For Arthritis
Check out our CBD product comparison page.
For arthritis, you can search by:
- Brand
- Balm or oil
- Arthritis
- Best value (important for cost)
You can access it here:
We wish you a speedy reduction in pain and suffering.
We've seen the ravishes of arthritis and we've also captured videos of CBD's effect on it.
Be gone, arthritis!