BALMS AND SUPPLEMENTS FOR DISCOMFORT

Throughout history, creams, balms and gels have been used by people to alleviate pain related to conditions we now know are caused by inflammation, arthritis, migraines, nerve damage, and muscle aches.

People living with arthritis are very familiar with pain, the condition’s primary symptom. A 2019 report from the Arthritis Foundation found that 79% of the 2,600 arthritis patients surveyed had considered using CBD or had already used it. 87% of those who used it regularly said CBD managed their arthritis symptoms, with 94% of those reporting that their primary reason for using CBD was to relieve pain. They also reported that CBD products for pain seemed less addictive than opioids, and they also reported unexpected benefits like better sleep (71%,) and 67% reported improvement in their physical function. Of those surveyed, 62% use a liquid form of CBD, and 55% use a topical product they apply to their joints 55% used a topical product applied to the joints.(1)

Topical products help support pain or inflammation of a specific area of your body, such as joints. Some topical products don’t enter the bloodstream to work widely and systemically, but rather are targeted to help directly through the skin. The best of such products don’t just mask pain or inflammation as some over-the-counter topical pain relief creams do, they actually make the pain go away for a certain time period. If it is later proven true that topical CBD works like this, then it may be because of the high concentration of cannabinoid receptors on the skin.

What are the downsides of using CBD?

CBD is not addictive like opioids, so while some consumers may experience some unexpected side effects, addiction is not one of them. Some users report sleepiness, and some say it works best for only about 4-6 hours after taking it. For these reasons we suggest splitting your dose between morning and evening. This keeps the level of active cannabinoids in your bloodstream at a lower but more constant level while potentially keeping you more alert during the day and assisting with relaxation to build sleepiness at night.

The Arthritis Foundation reports that some of its members reported no change at all when they tried CBD.(2) At Pure Hemp Botanicals we celebrate that every body is different! But CBD is not like ibuprofen; don’t expect it to work within half an hour. If you’re trying CBD externally and internally, like with Pure Hemp Botanicals Pure Balance 1,500 mg full spectrum tincture, or the 750 mg Pure Balance Gummies, take the recommended dosage level for one week. If no difference is felt, try doubling the dosage for another week. If still no change, or if the effect is minor, you could try doubling the dosage again for another week. If it doesn’t work for you, you can still feel good that at least you tried!

Lastly, many people with chronic pain take multiple medications. Talk to your doctor about adding any supplement like CBD because they might interfere with drug uptake. CBD is thought to be neutral, to enhance, or to reduce the efficacy of certain drugs.

Conclusion

So, anecdotally, we at Pure Hemp Botanicals know that a lot of our customers report use CBD to manage discomfort, yet we remind everyone that clinical application of topically applied CBD for pain management has not yet been validated by robust scientific and clinical studies. Furthermore, more rigorous studies of CBD taken orally are also urgently needed. If you choose to try CBD for pain management, start slowly but do keep taking the product for several weeks to give it enough time to reduce the inflammation or attack the nerve damage that has caused the pain. Judge the product only at the end of a solid test period.