As it’s grown in popularity, research and use cases have continued to grow for CBD. One thing that is now being looked at with some promising signs is the use of CBD oil for Parkinson’s disease.
Although the research is still very much in it’s infancy, some studies have shown promise for those with Parkinson’s disease. In this article we’ll delve into the research, and why CBD oil can help to treat Parkinson’s.
What is Parkinson’s disease?
Parkinson’s disease is a nervous system disorder that affects movement. Symptoms start gradually, mostly starting with a very light tremor in just one hand. Tremors are common, but the disorder also commonly causes stiffness or slowing of movement. Parkinson’s disease symptoms worsen as the condition progresses over time.
Parkinson’s is caused by nerve cells in the brain gradually breaking down or dying. Many of the symptoms are due to a loss of neurons that produce a chemical messenger in your brain called dopamine. When dopamine levels decrease, it causes abnormal brain activity, leading to impaired movement and other symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. The root cause of Parkinson’s is still unknown, however your genes and environmental triggers are thought to be major factors.
Although Parkinson’s disease can’t be cured, medications might significantly improve your symptoms. Occasionally, your doctor may suggest surgery to regulate certain regions of your brain and improve your symptoms.
CBD as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease
CBD has been discovered as an effective way to help treat Parkinson’s disease symptoms because it interacts with two cannabinoid receptors in the body found on certain cells called CB1 and CB2. By interacting with one or both of these receptors, CBD may delay tremor development as well as have protective neurological benefits.
Research into using CBD as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease is still very much in it’s early stages, however researches have found that CBD may be able to help prevent Parkinson’s disease. The research was only been carried out on animals.
In one study on humans, patients were given a dose of CBD along side their current treatment plans over a four week period. The use of CBD showed no adverse effects, no impact on worsening motor function, and a decrease in their reported psychosis symptoms, meaning that not only can it help with the physical setbacks of Parkinson’s disease, it can also play a part in the cognitive challenges as well.
One thing to keep in mind is that by the time an individual begins showing signs of Parkinson’s disease, about 60 percent of the dopamine-receptive neurons in the brain are already destroyed, which means using CBD to help cure parkinson’s is unlikely. However it has shown signs that it can help to deal with the symptoms of Parkinson’s and make life easier for people why are suffering from this disease.
Could CBD help prevent Parkinson’s disease?
The body of research on using CBD oil for Parkinson’s disease symptoms is rapidly growing. As Parkinson’s disease affects 1% of the population over 60 years old. In connection with Parkinson’s disease as well as other movement-related disorders, CBD may help improve motor skills. In one study published in Frontiers in Pharmacology CBD was shown to have a more preventative role in delaying abnormal movement symptoms in animal models of Parkinson’s.
At the moment, Parkinson’s disease has no cure. But with prescription medication, therapy, and now perhaps the use of nontraditional options like CBD, patients may be able to experience less frequency and severity of symptoms that affect their motor skills.
How to use CBD
The most common way to consume CBD is by placing CBD oil directly under your tongue. This is due to the fact that CBD can easily be absorbed underneath the tongue through the thin mucous membranes there.
When taking CBD oil your tongue, you should hold the drops under your tongue for at least 60 seconds before swallowing it. This allows it to bypass the digestion and become rapidly absorbed directly into the bloodstream.
The recommended dosage of CBD depends on a number of different factors. These are size, weight, your tolerance to CBD and individual body chemistry. If your completely new to taking CBD, then you’ll want to start out with a smaller dosage. If your someone that has been taking CBD for some time, then you’ll want to try a higher dosage.
Studies find that it is possible that weight may play a major role in terms of CBD dosage. CBD encounters other bodily tissue prior to reaching the endocannabinoid system. The process, speed, and turnaround with which it travels and accumulates varies based on body weight and mass.
Use this CBD dosage calculator to help you find the recommended dosage of CBD.
Conclusion
CBD oil can be of great use to people with Parkinson’s disease. Not only might the cannabinoid help ease the symptoms of the disease itself, but it may also help to ease the side effects of most of it’s common treatments.
The main thing to remember with CBD and it being used as a potential treatment for anything is that research is still very limited, and more research still needs to take place.
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