A lot of people suffer from chronic and acute neuropathic pain. These folks have been searching for a powerful treatment that may help them get rid of the pain even for some time only. The pain associated with neuropathy can be serious and unbearable.
The recent studies suggest hemp oil for neuropathy as a natural treatment. This post will give you more ideas and facts about hemp oil and its use in dealing with the mentioned health condition.
What is Neuropathy?
Neuropathy pertains to chronic excruciating pain due to the injury that leads to neuropathic pain as a result of nerve damage. Nerve pain is the other term for neuropathy. Neuropathy can significantly affect just about any portion of your body, though this condition often affects the hands and feet.
The associated pain with neuropathy can be mild or severe. It may also suddenly disappear and come again anytime. Various things can lead to neuropathic pain. However, the symptoms will be the same, including:
- Numbness
- Loss of balance
- Muscle cramps
- Burning pain
The only difference will be the pain and symptoms may affect patients differently. In many cases, patients don’t similarly feel the pain and symptoms. The pain tends to be severe and awful in the evening.
In the US alone, around 20 million people deal with peripheral neuropathy. It is the health condition characterized by damaged nerves of the peripheral nervous system. It’s the “communication network” located between the CNS (central nervous system) and the rest of your system.
The NINDS or National Institute of Neurological Disorders & Stroke indicated that there could be more than 20 million Americans affected with neuropathy because not all cases are reported. In some cases, the patients are misdiagnosed. According to the said concerned agency, neuropathy can be due to a range of probable causes that include the following:
- Trauma or physical injury like the one incurred from a car accident
- Some cancers & chemotherapy medicines
- Diabetes
- Blood and vascular problems
- Autoimmune infections and diseases
- Nutritional and hormonal imbalances
- Liver and kidney disorders
All these conditions could be bothersome alone, but the situation changes with peripheral neuropathy. Experiencing any of those mentioned health problems coupled with peripheral neuropathy can drastically impact the quality of life.
If neuropathy encompasses damage to motor nerves, the quality of life is even decreased. Some patients are experiencing muscle weakness, painful cramps, and uncontrolled twitching. Damage to the peripheral nervous system’s sensory nerves, however, can lead to life-changing symptoms like:
- Decreased sense of touch that can affect balance
- Augmented pain sensations to provocations that will not usually trigger pain
- Struggle to control pain that further compound the pain management in general
- Finally, when the condition affects the autonomic nerves, the symptoms might encompass excessive sweating, gastrointestinal distress, and blood pressure problems.
What is Hemp Oil?
Hemp oil, also known as hemp seed oil, is a famous treatment for neuropathy. The advocates are claiming anecdotal proof for the curative elements that range from enhancing acne breakouts to curing cancers to slowing down the development of Alzheimer’s disease and heart disease. The clinical researches are still not able to prove some of the claims.
On the other hand, data recommend that hemp oil might help alleviate some health problems like skin conditions and inflammation. It is mainly due to essential PUFAs polyunsaturated fatty acids such as omega-3s & omega-6s.
The fatty acids that a person obtains from food are important are necessary to ensure the healthy functioning of the different systems within your body. Hemp oil is likewise a good source of GLA or gamma-linolenic acid, which is a kind of the omega 6 fatty acid.
How Does the Hemp Oil Work?
As said before, hemp oil contains CBD or cannabidiol. This compound works with your endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid is highly responsible for regulating the mental processes like appetite, pain sensation, and inflammation. CBD goes throughout your body through your bloodstream.
By working with the CB1 and CB2 receptors, you will experience pain relief. That’s how the hemp oil works to help you get rid of the excruciating neuropathic pain. Cannabidiol also brings more health benefits like reduced pain and anxiety. If you’re dealing with Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, diabetes, or epilepsy, you can use hemp oil to control the symptoms of those health conditions. Hemp oil is also useful in strengthening the immune system.
You can administer and consume hemp oil orally. Just place one drop underneath your tongue and allow your body to absorb it. Your body will absorb hemp oil better if you take it this way. Alternatively, you can add a drop of hemp oil to a body lotion or cream and apply it topically. Apply the mixture directly to the inflamed region and watch out for the effect.
Feel free to mix hemp oil with a branded cream. You can also diffuse this oil to get rid of the pain. Nevertheless, when you start using hemp oil, you may begin with a lower dose to see how it can affect you and the possible effect or side effect. As time passes, you can upgrade the dose to help yourself adjust and get more soothing relief for the pain.
Hemp oil decreases the collapse of endocannabinoids – something that normally happens within the human body. Endocannabinoids curb the pain, meaning it reduces the intensity of the sensation. You just need to follow carefully the suggested instructions or procedures from your physician before you use hemp oil.
Using Hemp Oil for Neuropathy
The scientists examine the healing potential of hemp oil from the marijuana plant by using an animal model portraying chronic neuropathic pain. The researchers at the University of New Mexico presented that legal marijuana hemp oil minimized the pain sensitivity at ten-fold for several hours in rats that are dealing with the postoperative neuropathic pain.
Hemp is different from cannabis. It pertains to marijuana plants that have below 0.3% THC/mass. Hemp has been approved and used in many regions all over the US in connection with the implemented Hemp Farming Act.
This huge breakthrough now allows not just thousands but millions of people to buy and use the new natural, safe, and effective alternative remedy for chronic pain. Traditional drugs sold by different pharmaceutical companies, such as opioids, drive the leading type of avoidable deaths and traditional medical errors are 3rd major cause of mortality in the United States.
The University of New Mexico conducted a collection of recent research and tests to measure the safety and effectiveness of the cannabis plant. However, this one is the initial study to gauge the healing potential of hemp oil that contains lower THC levels.
By using the chronic neuropathic pain model as rats that are left exposed to post-operative neuropathic pain that is equal to years of chronic pain among human patients, the scientists managed to test how the hemp oil can affect the temporary pain sensitivity in the inflamed region.
Several hours after the rats ate cannabis, they started to show feeling good and pain-free. The scientists said their laboratory uses a special nerve injury imitation that mimics the neuropathic pain experienced by humans that helped to show how hemp can reverse the behavior associated with pain.
The studies in rats could be superior to the clinical tests as they evade the human biases & the expectancy effects, including the cognitive and perceptual responses to enrollment in weed-themed experiments.
Different studies that measure the impact of weed in human patients reported psychoactive experiences even if they did not receive the active ingredient. It is the so-called placebo effect. Keep in mind that hemp contains numerous healing elements that may contribute to the analgesic reactions it can induce. These constituents include flavonoids and terpenes that are expected to work together. This process is termed the “entourage effect”.
Multiple clinical assessments and investigations revealed that medicines based on artificial marijuana analogs and & secluded compounds may provide decreased testified symptom relief.
The authors of this study warned that some studies appear on the extended application of hemp oil because of the historical national prohibition laws of the United States.
How to Choose High-Quality Hemp Oil for Neuropathy
In choosing what hemp oil to use in dealing with the signs and symptoms of neuropathy, the following guidelines should be considered and followed. All of these things will help you choose a product that will work for your case and give the best value for your money:
Hemp oil comes from a hemp plant. The shrub must be purely organically cultivated to reduce the exposure to the pesticides. Find the European Union Certified Organic that follows better standards to ensure quality. These standards are far better and stricter than the standards set by the USDA.
The hemp oil must be collected through a careful process that involves the use of ethanol, olive oil, or CO2. Do not buy any hemp oil extracted by using hexane or butane because those things can potentially leave risky residues on the finished products. When choosing olive oil, be sure you keep it in a cool, dark place to avoid rancidity.
Request for a 3rd party analysis certification. This document will present to you the hemp oil’s chemical composition. Likewise, it will show you whether the product contains unwanted contaminants like harmful heavy metals.
Hemp Oil Recommended Dosage
You will not find any standard dosing guidelines to follow in taking hemp oil. Also, the internet will not give you any confirmed maximum limit. Although, in studies, extended use and high doses reaching 1,500 mg/day can be tolerable.
However, every person comes with a different biochemical and genetic makeup. Meaning, individuals will react differently to a similar dosage of high-quality hemp oil. Thus, you need to do some experiments to find out the right dose for you.
Possible Side Effects and Your Safety in Using Hemp Oil
Hemp oil is often considered safe to use. In many cases, it is safe to use considering that it rarely causes some side effects. Though it rarely happens, a user may experience potential side effects in taking hemp oil. Studies were conducted to determine the possible side effects of hemp oil and researchers detected and identified the following:
- Reduced appetite
- Sleepiness
- Fatigue
- Diarrhea
Just in case you experienced any of the possible side effects, feel free to discontinue use. Always consult your doctor before using hemp oil and while you’re using it in case you encountered any of the probable adverse reactions stated above.
As one needs more stalks of hemp to extract and collect hemp oil, there’s a high chance for contamination to take place. Take note that hemp has been a powerful bio-accumulator. This means the plant pulls in harmful toxins coming from the soil used in its cultivation. So, look for commercial hemp oil that comes from a reliable brand that continuously conducts tests to prove the purity and quality of their product.
A lot of hemp oil extracts do not have a complete array of cannabinoids and terpenes that work in cooperation with the cannabidiol. With that, some brands or companies conduct rigorous testing to be sure their products contain the ideal amount of CBD, other cannabinoids, and terpenes. So, if the company presents an analysis certification, that will allow you to know the exact levels or amounts of the necessary compounds that should exist in hemp oil.
Conclusion
Hemp oil has been scientifically proven effective in reducing and eliminating acute and chronic pain. No doubt, hemp oil for neuropathy is good to use in eliminating the unbearable pain it can cause. Nonetheless, you should consult your doctor to be sure. Likewise, you must choose wisely the hemp oil you will be using for your condition.
