Our health systems, their challenges and the role of CBD
Today’s world is facing challenges on different fronts and has been facing covid-19 for almost 2 years. But this is not the only challenge we have. Millions of patients have suffered lifelong muscle and neurological pain conditions for years. Billions of doses of opioids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed each year and there are many proven side effects of these drugs. But now, researchers are hoping for alternative medications to ease the discomfort of these patients, and natural CBD-based products derived from cannabis are in the spotlight.
The psychoactive properties of cannabis are well known and there is a worldwide debate on the use of these compounds for therapeutic purposes. Its use in medicine and research is limited in many countries. However, their negative physiological activity should not detract from their usefulness as medications.
CBD, which is derived from cannabis, has the potential to prove its value as an alternative natural remedy for patients suffering from neurological and muscle pain.
Here in this blog, you will learn about recent research on CBD and the products that have helped millions of patients each year.
In recent research, researchers noted that with the growing challenges of treating chronic pain and the continuing effects of opioids, pain specialists are looking for more effective, innovative, and safer alternatives for pain relief. Cannabis-based drugs have been prescribed for hundreds of years. Recently, we have observed a scientific and evidence-based approach to its use, and ongoing research is still exploring its medicinal benefits. While historically there has been increased interest in the psychoactive component of Cannabis, 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), little research has been done on the medicinal use of CBD, which is a non-psychoactive ingredient in the cannabis plant (Boyaji et al. al., 2020)
INTERACTION OF CBD WITH CANCER PAIN
More recent research was conducted and the study compared the effectiveness of the CBD-based extract to a placebo in relieving pain in patients with advanced cancer. The primary analysis statistically favored the CBD-containing product over placebo. Twice as many patients taking CBD showed a baseline pain score of more than 30% compared to placebo. The results were significant and the study showed that CBD-based extracts are effective in relieving pain in patients with advanced cancer pain that is not completely relieved by strong opioids (Johnson et al., 2010).
ROLE OF CBD IN CANCER, MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS AND GLAUCOMA
Another review article focused on the therapeutic potential and uses of CBD-based products. They also shed light on their functions, their global impact, and the utility of these compounds in various diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Multiple sclerosis, pain, inflammation, glaucoma, and more. Therefore, this work was an attempt to convince readers to understand the beneficial effects of these compounds and to highlight important advances in the use of cannabis as therapeutic agents (Maurya & Velmurugan, 2018).
ROLE OF CBD IN THE PAIN OF PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY
Peripheral neuropathy pain (PNP) associated with myalgia is a serious clinical problem. The efficacy of CBD oral mucosa spray, a new cannabis drug, was investigated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. 303 patients with peripheral nerve pain associated with allogeneic pain were examined. The primary endpoint of overall efficacy was a 30% response to peripheral nerve pain. With an effect content of 30%, there were significant differences in treatment in the overall analysis in favor of the Oromucosal CBD spray. The results indicated that the use of CBD resulted in clinically significant improvements in pain, sleep quality, and disease severity in a significant proportion of treatment-resistant patients. The CBD-based oral mucosa spray was effective and no side effects were observed (Serpell et al., 2014).
Role of CBD in chronic muscle pain
Despite the documented side effects, opioids are widely used to relieve chronic pain. Cannabis, especially CBD, is touted as an alternative to opiates with the same potency and a high safety profile. This latest research aimed to compare the effects of CBD and opioids in patients suffering from chronic pain. The main inclusion criteria were patients aged 30 to 65 years with chronic pain who had been taking opioids for at least one year. Almost all CBD users (94%) reported a better quality of life. Evidence-based data showed that CBD was effective in improving patients’ quality of life and helping them reduce opioid use. The study highlights the potential role of cannabis as an alternative to opioids. Results showed that the use of a CBD-rich extract allowed patients to reduce or eliminate opioids, resulting in significant improvements in quality of life scores (Capano et al., 2020)
Nabiximols CBD-based Oral Mucosa Spray
In another study, researchers found that a 20% prevalence of chronic pain in the general population poses serious health risks due to frequent and severe disruption of patients’ daily activities, work status, and related quality of life. with health. While pain management based on the World Health Organization Pain Rating Scale is the primary treatment for chronic pain with chronic cancer pain or end-of-life care, long-term use of anti-inflammatory drugs Non-steroids or opioids for chronic pain is rare. Thanks to the endocannabinoid system known to control peripheral, spinal, and supraspinal pain levels, interest in the medical use of cannabis is growing. A proprietary blend of CBD cannabis extracts (CBD), such as hemp-based products made in the form of Nabiximols as an oral mucosa spray, is standardized to ensure quality, consistency, and durability. This review examined the evidence for the use of Nabiximols as an oral mucosal spray in the treatment of chronic pain (Überall, 2020).
Antioxidant properties of CBD
Another study found that cannabidiol (CBD) has several beneficial effects. It has been shown to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects. As the medicinal use of CBD continues to gain popularity in the treatment of various medical conditions, the recent boom in untreated and uncontrolled cannabis drugs could have the biggest impact on neuroscience treatments. With promising results, neurological conditions such as anxiety, chronic pain and pain in the fifth pair, epilepsy, idiopathic tremors, and mental disorders have been cured. Although newly FDA-approved prescription drugs have demonstrated safety, efficacy, and greater consistency in treating regulatory spasticity in multiple sclerosis (MS), Dravet and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), many therapeutic challenges remain. ( Fiani et al., 2020)
CBD and multiple sclerosis
Cannabis has a strong impact on health benefits, especially its compounds, THC and CBD. CBD has been studied in clinical trials to treat a variety of conditions, including nerve pain and acute or chronic inflammation. These researchers were more interested in studying the effects of cannabis plants as a whole. They were of the opinion that research on purified THC or CBD may not reveal the potential health benefits of full-spectrum cannabis extracts. In fact, they highlighted that the cannabis plant produces many cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, and other bioactive molecules that can contribute to a variety of biological effects. They concluded that these products, and especially CBD, have been shown to be effective in treating patients suffering from multiple sclerosis pain (Maayah et al., 2020).
Boyaji, S., Merkow, J., Elman, R. N. M., Kaye, A. D., Yong, R. J., & Urman, R. D. (2020). The Role of Cannabidiol (CBD) in Chronic Pain Management: An Assessment of Current Evidence. Current Pain and Headache Reports, 24(2), 4. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-020-0835-4
Capano, A., Weaver, R., & Burkman, E. (2020). Evaluation of the effects of CBD hemp extract on opioid use and quality of life indicators in chronic pain patients: a prospective cohort study. Postgraduate Medicine, 132(1), 56-61. https://doi.org/10.1080/00325481.2019.1685298
Fiani, B., Sarhadi, K. J., Soula, M., Zafar, A., & Quadri, S. A. (2020). Current application of cannabidiol (CBD) in the management and treatment of neurological disorders. Neurological Sciences, 41(11), 3085-3098. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-020-04514-2
Johnson, J. R., Burnell-Nugent, M., Lossignol, D., Ganae-Motan, E. D., Potts, R., & Fallon, M. T. (2010). Multicenter, Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel-Group Study of the Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of THC:CBD Extract and THC Extract in Patients with Intractable Cancer-Related Pain. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 39(2), 167-179. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2009.06.008
Maayah, Z. H., Takahara, S., Ferdaoussi, M., & Dyck, J. R. B. (2020). The anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of formulated full-spectrum cannabis extract in the treatment of neuropathic pain associated with multiple sclerosis. Inflammation Research, 69(6), 549-558. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00011-020-01341-1
Maurya, N., & Velmurugan, B. K. (2018). Therapeutic applications of cannabinoids. Chemico-Biological Interactions, 293, 77-88. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbi.2018.07.018
Serpell, M., Ratcliffe, S., Hovorka, J., Schofield, M., Taylor, L., Lauder, H., & Ehler, E. (2014). A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel group study of THC/CBD spray in peripheral neuropathic pain treatment [https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1532-2149.2013.00445.x]. European Journal of Pain, 18(7), 999-1012. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1532-2149.2013.00445.x
Überall, M. A. (2020). A Review of Scientific Evidence for THC:CBD Oromucosal Spray (Nabiximols) in the Management of Chronic Pain. Journal of pain research, 13, 399-410. https://doi.org/10.2147/JPR.S240011
