Arthritis is an inflammation of the joints, which causes pain and other symptoms. Although many people know that arthritis and joint pain are one thing, arthritis includes several diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), lupus, gout, fibromyalgia, among many others.
Arthritis condition is common among older citizens aged 65 and above, but it’s now affecting younger people too. The initial symptoms of arthritis are usually stiffness, pain, and swelling on the joints. Other signs manifest as the disease progresses, and they may include getting tired often, difficulty in sleeping, difficulty in moving joints, and hands.
There are various kinds of arthritis, and the causes include but are not limited to:
- Genetic factors usually cause osteoporosis.
- A dysfunctional immune system causes RA or lupus.
- Abnormal functioning metabolism causes gout.
- Unhealed injuries might lead to degenerative arthritis.
Although there is no single cure for arthritis, there are few more or less effective treatment options available depending on the type of arthritis. These medications include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics, immunosuppressants, and creams with menthol and capsaicin.
What is the best cannabis strain that helps in treating arthritis?
It is prudent to think about your lifestyle and what you want to achieve before you start thinking of what strains are beneficial for your arthritis condition. The key here is to choose the right strain, thus consider the time of the day you experience the symptoms.
Some strains are sedative; others are high in THC, while others are high in CBD. Therefore, you should do your research well to choose the best strain that helps with your arthritis condition.
As well, you may consult your doctor to help you choose either THC dominant or CBD strain that gives you more health benefits than causing unpleasant effects. Fortunately, we can buy weed on getkush that offers many cannabis strains, and you can visit their websites and check cannabis strains to choose the most suitable one.
How can cannabis help with arthritis?
The cannabis plant has 100+ chemicals that may affect your mind and body. CBD and THC are amongst the two cannabis compounds that many people know.
THC is the chemical that produces the high feeling when you consume marijuana, while CBD does not affect the brain to produce the high feeling. Taking that into consideration, here is how cannabis can help with arthritis:
1. Cannabis chemicals fight pain and inflammation
The main symptoms of arthritis are inflammation and pain. Therefore, THC and CBD are the cannabinoids ‘responsible’ for fighting pain and inflammation.
THC can change your molecules to suppress inflammation, while CBD is effective in treating arthritis symptoms like pain. THC and CBD work in unison and give you the best of both worlds-pain relief and clear headaches without strong psychoactive effects.
Cannabis compounds attach themselves to your nerve receptors and regulate the firing of pain-sensing nerves in your joints. As well, CBD prevents nerve damage in joints and fight inflammation by activating the pathways of your CB2 receptors. One can also consider buying indoor marijuana seeds and start growing Cannabis at home to heap in the therapeutic benefits.
2. Medical marijuana can help with the repair of arthritic joints
Medical marijuana may help repair your arthritic joints, and together with its ability to relieve pain, cannabis can combat arthritis. Through repairing the joint itself, you will be able to move freely without the pain to handle your assignments and take care of yourself.
Typically, the nerves of people with arthritis are like naked wires. They are bare, raw, and are responsible for the pain you feel. Thus, the use of cannabis molecules hypothesizes the nerves to reduce the pain.
3. Cannabis affects your endocannabinoid system
The endocannabinoid system is the intricate network of molecules and cell receptors that work to modulate every process in your body, such as appetite, sleep, mood, and immunity. It also controls pain and inflammation, the two most common symptoms of arthritis.
Two cannabis chemicals, CBD, and caryophyllene can affect your endocannabinoid to ease symptoms of arthritis. Caryophyllene is a terpene and dietary cannabinoid present in cannabis, cloves, and black pepper. These two compounds cause no psychoactive effects.
Caryophyllene and CBD work by activating your CB2 receptors. CB2 receptors are present in tissue throughout your body and help in controlling inflammation. Thus, by activating your CB2 receptors, these cannabis compounds help reduce inflammation as well as slow the advancement of specific inflammatory ailments. A study shows that the CB2 receptor can provide a powerful therapeutic target in rheumatoid arthritis.
Usually, ECS (endocannabinoid system) helps mediate homeostasis to ensure that your physiological systems, including pain, are in balance. ECS and other hormones in the body counteract different kinds of pain you experience. However, some pathology loses this significant ability of ECS and other hormones in your synovial fluids of the joints.
Therefore, CBD oil or THC might help relieve pain due to pathological issues like neuropathy or rheumatoid arthritis. Cannabis compounds might make up for a deficit when there is inefficiency in your ECS’s capability to reduce inflammation. In this way, cannabis helps people with arthritis lead a better life.
4. Cannabis helps with autoimmunity
Cannabis might be a useful option for autoimmune-inflammatory health issues like childhood arthritis variations and rheumatoid arthritis because of its immunosuppressant properties. Marijuana might be a gentler option to popular immunosuppressants like methotrexate.
5. Cannabis can help with bone and cartilage health
Cannabinoids are promising in building your cartilage to help people with damaged cartilage. Typically, cannabinoids can work by regulating your stem cell biology and boosting tissue engineering.
Also, they help by functioning as anti-inflammatory agents. All this helps repair your cartilage for improved movements. CBD can help heal your fractured bones as well as reversing bone density loss.
Conclusion
While scientists are still researching for the potential suitability of cannabis arthritis, the countless number is already using cannabis to treat joint and muscle pain. Baby boomers and older adults are already benefiting from cannabis.
Cannabis is a natural option with the ability to defeat the type of inflammation specific to RA. It is not new since many individuals have been using it to treat various ailments across the world for thousands of years.
The potential benefits of cannabis to patients often outweigh the risks associated with its use. The good thing is that various cannabis-infused products, including twisted extracts, are available. Thus, even people who do not want to vape will enjoy consuming cannabis in different forms.
