For the past fifteen years, osteoarthritis pain has invaded my knees. Both knees are afflicted, with the left knee pain being the more severe. Cartilage has worn away and a “bone-on-bone” situation is in place. The orthopedic physician who first examined me back in 2005 said I would definitely be requiring knee replacement within five years. That puts me ten years now past his definitive prediction. My current orthopedic physician has said for the past five years that I should get both knees replaced after looking at the xrays and stating, “you’ve got one ugly set of knees there.” However, my rule of thumb with this situation is to keep my original knees for as long as possible. So with this in mind I have tried many things to reduce the pain over the years. These remediation efforts include: walking (to maintain muscle strength), over the counter topical ointments and creams, ibuprofin, acetaminophen, aspirin, cortisone injections, hyaluronic acid injections, aspiration injections, knee sleeves, orthotic braces, glucosamine tonics and at home exercises. Within the past year I have experimented and found good results with the use of a topical balm containing CBD oil.
What Is CBD Oil ?
CBD (Cannabidiol) is a natural compound found in the resinous flower of cannabis, a plant that has been used for centuries for medicinal uses. CBD is related to another compound found in the cannabis plant, namely THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). THC is the compound that causes the “high” that cannabis is well known for. Both CBD and THC have therapeutic benefits but unlike THC, the compound CBD does not get people “high” (intoxicated). THC and CBD act in totally different ways on the receptors of the brain. The fact that CBD can be used for a variety of ailments without any psychoactive effects makes its emergence in the field of therapeutics an exciting event.
CBD Uses And Products
Much scientific research – a great deal of it sponsored by U.S. government agencies – as well as ever increasing anecdotal accounts from both patients and physicians highlight CBD’s potential for a wide range of ailments: (1) inflammation from osteo and rhematoid arthritis, (2) neurological conditions (alzheimers, dementia, epilepsy, stroke, traumatic brain injury), (3) stress and anxiety, (4) skin problems (acne, dermatitis, psoriasis), (5) metabolic syndrome (diabetes, obesity), (6) cardiovascular dysfunction (atherosclerosis, arrhythmia, (7) neuropsychiatric disorders (autism, ADHD, PTSD), (8) better sleep, (9) therapeutic pain relief.
Depending on what you are using it for, CBD can be used through several different types of products: (1) sublingual spray, (2) drops, (3) capsules, (4) topical salves, creams and ointments, (5) bath salts, (6) tea, (7) even treats for your pets.
It is very important for bioavailability and absorption effectiveness to purchase from a vendor that provides first run, full spectrum, premium grade, CBD oil, lab verfied with small batch labelling. Many companies cut costs by using second run or even third run oil. This oil is just not as effective because all of the other cannabinoids are lost during multiple extraction runs. While many companies use MCT oil carrier fluids, try to find a company that uses hempseed oil carrier fluids. Hempseed oil helps to better metabolize the CBD into your blood stream. Before you purchase a CBD product for yourself, be sure to do your homework. Buying a low quality product may simply be throwing away your money as well as giving you less than optimum results which in turn would give you an inaccurate conclusion about the effectiveness of CBD.
CBD: A Pleasant Surprise
After doing research on CBD, I decided to give it a whirl to see if it would help tamp down the pain of the arthritis in my knees. Short answer — CBD works. It really works. It doesn’t make my knees feel like they did when I was young. There is still a residual of pain but it is reduced. I probably should apply the balm three times a day but sometimes I will only apply it once or twice. Some days I will skip it entirely. Nothing scientific, but it seems to work better when I apply it consistently. Ahhh — lack of consistency — one of my many flaws. In any case, I am happy that I tried it as it as been a pleasant surprise. I will keep experimenting and at some point I will see what happens by combining external use CBD (topical balm) with internal use CBD (drops).