By now, you’ve probably seen CBD in just about any type of product imaginable. From oils to gummies to beauty products, CBD is everywhere. The products are not hard to find, but what most people are asking themselves is; how can this help me? One product, in particular, that is gaining popularity with athletes and people with Rheumatoid Arthritis or Osteoarthritis, is CBD Pain Relief Cream. There’s a growing number of these types of products on the market, some claiming amazing results from users, so we ask the question ourselves, does CBD Pain Relief Cream really work?
What is CBD?
First, let’s briefly talk about what CBD is and why a CBD pain cream would be brought to the market in the first place. CBD is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid, which is a chemical that occurs naturally in the cannabis plant. Unlike THC, another cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant, CBD will not change a person’s mental state or get you “high.”
There are many CBD products on the market that contain varying amounts of CBD, usually measured in milligrams (mg).
Most people are leaning on CBD products, like tinctures/oils or pain relief creams to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. There have been several recent research studies that suggest CBD oil may be useful for pain relief and other conditions.
With the passing of the Farm Bill in 2018, hemp, including CBD products that contained no more than .3 percent of THC became legal in the United States.
CBD and arthritis pain relief
Arthritis is the most common and leading cause of disability in the U.S., affecting over 50 million Americans. The two most common types that impact most Americans are:
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA): This is an autoimmune disease in which a person’s immune system attacks their joints, causing inflammation. RA mostly takes aim on the hands and feet of a person that leads to painful, swollen, and stiff joints.
Osteoarthritis (OA): This is a degenerative disease that affects joint cartilage as well as bones. This causes pain and stiffness. It is most commonly found in the hip, knee, and thumb joints.
There are several studies that have shown that CBD can help treat arthritis as well as relieve the inflammatory pain associated with them.
- This 2011 study found that CBD helped to reduce inflammation and pain in rats by affecting the way the pain receptors responded to stimuli.
- This 2014 review of existing research on animals suggested that CBD m be the only effective treatment out there for OA.
- This 2016 study showed that a topical application of CBD had the ability to relieve pain and inflammation often associated with arthritis.
- This 2017 study showed that CBD might be a safe and effective treatment for OA joint pain.
These findings are extremely promising and have led to millions of Americans giving CBD products a try. Still, it will be important moving forward that we fund more research on humans to confirm that CBD oil and CBD pain relief cream is an effective treatment for arthritis pain.
CBD and pain relief
One of the most common reasons people tend to give CBD a shot is to manage their chronic pain. As a natural alternative to addictive pain killers, more and more people are relying on CBD to relieve their pain. But does it actually work?
Most of what we hear from our friends and family is anecdotal evidence that CBD products are helping them with their pain, especially in the form of a CBD pain cream that’s applied directly to the affected area. This is known as a topical CBD product.
A good topical CBD product is designed to not just mask the pain or inflammation, but actually make the pain go away for a certain amount of time, says Matthew Halpert, an instructor of immunological studies at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. This is in part because of the high concentration of cannabinoid receptors in the skin. As we now know, thanks to discoveries in the 1990s, cannabinoid receptors are part of the body’s endocannabinoid system.
These receptors are found throughout the entire body and are directly associated with pain, sensation, appetite, immune function, mood, and more. The body produces chemicals that interact within the endocannabinoid system called cannabinoids. These cannabinoids, like THC and CBD, interact with cannabinoid receptors.
A study published in the journal Pain in 2017 found that prophylactic treatment with CBD stopped the pain and hindered the development of more pain in rats with osteoarthritis.
There are several studies in the works for humans, and the results are looking promising. For now, we recommend doing what’s best for you and your pain, consult with your doctor and see if there’s a CBD cream that can help you.
We recommend trying our 2 oz CBD Pain Relief Cream that contains 600mg of nano CBD and leaves you with a non-greasy feeling. This can be applied throughout the day to help with your aches and pains.
As we at Timberline CBD continue to research and provide you with the most up-to-date information we can find on the ingredients we offer in our products, we encourage you to check with your own doctor before adding any medication or supplement to your regimen.