WHY ARE WOMEN PRESCRIBED PILLS FOR PAIN?
“Women are not believed when they come in with complaints of pain. If a woman appears stoic and she’s not showing her pain, she’s not believed and if she comes in and she shows her pain, then again, she’s overly emotional or exaggerating her pain.
Studies also show that when women complain of pain, they’re more likely to receive sedatives. So there’s emotional bias that women are overreacting to their pain and they just need to be quieted or sedated for their anxiety and not actually treat the pain that they’re complaining of.”
– Dr Keisha Ray, PhD
A 2018 CDC report found that 22 percent of U.S. women – about 28 million – suffer from chronic pain, which is defined by Cleveland Clinic as constant pain lasting more than six months.
Access to legal weed resulted in a nearly 20 percent drop in the number of written opioids prescriptions compared to states without legal access. In May 2020, a first-of-its-kind study out of Columbia University cross-examined opioid prescription rates by orthopedic surgeons with the availability of medical marijuana.
Opioid prescriptions show greater harm occurring among women and girls. Chief among these are overdose deaths from prescription painkillers. Between 1990 and 2010, these deaths increased among men by 265 percent, while the number grew by 400 percent among women, according to the CDC.
Opioids are prescribed most commonly to manage pain, and as cannabis is legalized in more places, research shows that pharmaceuticals are used less and less, commonly being swapped for cannabis.
“Researchers found that prescription opioid use by Canadian medical cannabis patients decreased over a 6-month period — dropping from 28% of participants at the start of the study to 11%. The majority of patients in the study had chronic pain, but some people had anxiety, arthritis, insomnia, headache, or other conditions. In addition to the drop in prescription opioid use, researchers saw a decrease in the percentage of patients using non-opioid pain medications, antidepressants, anti-seizure medications, and benzodiazepine. ‘This study adds to the ever-increasing body of research which suggests that when patients incorporate medical cannabis into their course of care, they tend to reduce their use of prescription drugs, and also alcohol, tobacco and other substances,’ study author and cannabis researcher Philippe Lucas, PhD, president of Calgary-based SABI Mind, told Healthline.”
The decrease in prescription drug use by medical cannabis users seen in the study by Lucas and his colleagues also occurred alongside an increase in their quality of life, with the biggest changes occurring in their physical health and psychological health.
BENEFITS OF CANNABIS: USING CANNABIS FOR MUSCLE AND JOINT PAIN
CBD works on chronic inflammation and THC works to relieve acute pain.
Harvard Medical School helps us understand the two types of inflammation: acute and chronic.
Acute inflammation: We all know this one: the swelling of a twisted ankle, a bruise from a bad bang or fighting a bad cold. Acute inflammation is related to infection, illness or injury.
Chronic inflammation: Our bodies react like the problem is acute, but it lasts…and lasts. And sometimes your body begins to attack the healthy tissue and organs.
Inflammation plays an important role in your immune system, and one of the benefits of cannabis is that it treats inflammation naturally without prescription-level side effects and brings your body back to balance. All our bodies have an endocannabinoid system, and its main function is to maintain biological harmony in response to changes in our environment. It’s the reason why CBD and other compounds in the cannabis plant can be so effective.
BENEFITS OF CANNABIS: USING CBD FOR INFLAMMATION
Cannabis has 20x the anti-inflammatory power of aspirin, with minimal side effects.
Extensive use of aspirin can lead to gastrointestinal side effects like ulcerations, upset stomach and cramping. Now imagine you are a mom with chronic pain. Seems worth a try, right?
BENEFITS OF CANNABIS: USING CBD FOR BACK PAIN
Back pain is one of the more painful and debilitating types of pain, and every day more people are turning to cannabis medicine for help. Musculoskeletal pain is pain that affects the muscles, ligaments & tendons, and bones. This includes back pain, fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis.
The most common type of back pain is caused by muscle or ligament strain. Most musculoskeletal pain is due to inflammation in the body, and as you’ve learned that one of the benefits of cannabis is that it fights pain in two ways: CBD fights inflammation and THC relieves pain by disrupting the pain signal to your brain. People often use cannabis topicals or CBD oil for back pain with great success because of its strong analgesic and antiinflammatory effects.
BENEFITS OF CANNABIS: USING CBD FOR SCIATICA
Often called topicals, using cannabis creams, lotions, ointments and balms can be used to treat pain caused by inflammation in the joints, particularly the hands and knees and lower back. Sufferers of arthritis and tendinitis turn to topicals cannabis for joint pain. Topical cannabis products are a trusted way to use CBD for sciatica.
Aging with pain:15 percent of the US population is 65+ and they are prescribed more than a third of all prescription drugs in America. The drugs are often used to treat pain, with 20 percent of seniors prescribed at least one pain med.
BENEFITS OF CANNABIS: HOW DOES CANNABIS WORK FOR PAIN?
THC oil vs. CBD oil for pain: who wins?
A 2019 Gallup poll shows one in seven Americans say they personally use cannabidiol or CBD based products. The updated cannabis policies in sports leagues like the NBA, MLB and NFL reflects what, until recently has been mostly anecdotal evidence, showing that some of the best cannabis medicine has both CBD and THC.
One major reason you’re seeing CBD products everywhere is that a federal law passed in 2018 legalize the hemp form of cannabis, making CBD legal. Cannabis with THC is legal for adult use in 11 states + Washington D.C. and legal for medical use in 33 states.
In the simplest possible terms, CBD reduces inflammation at its source in the body, then THC comes in to tell the brain, it’s okay, let’s not process that pain signal, with the same pulsing intensity. High THC is for that acute, short-term pain management whereas CBD addresses reducing long-term inflammation.
Hold the oil from the tincture vial under your tongue for 30 to 60 seconds. Allow it to be absorbed by the cells in your mouth versus swallowing it, which will delay the onset. If there is THC in the tincture, you can expect to feel something probably within 15-30 minutes.
HOW TO USE CBD OIL FOR PAIN RELIEF
Cannabis oil tinctures are sort of like Fisher-Price, “My first experience with cannabis” – very user friendly. Often the CBD extracted from cannabis is blended with MCT oil, which is coconut oil. Yes – it may smell or taste a little bit planty, but that’s how you know the ingredients are pure.
Most CBD oil products such as tinctures are THC free and not intoxicating so you won’t feel high…you may experience a sense of evenness, wellbeing and relaxation, not just from your mind’s perspective, but your body will be more chill as well.
When shopping for CBD oil, we strongly recommend full spectrum CBD oil from a reputable CBD company that is 3rd party lab tested. You can find tinctures, lotions, balms, creams and even dietary supplements.
Try topicals for arthritis with a 3:1 CBD:THC ratio. Because this formulation includes THC, it will address pain, but the main focus is inflammation.
If you have nice bathtub, I just can’t recommend a CBD or a cannabis bath enough. You can get everything from menstrual cramps to lower back pain to, if you’re at a computer all day, neck pain and wrist pain and just soak and get comfortable. – Sophie Saint Thomas, featured guest on The Pleasure Episode
What is the best way to use CBD oil for inflammatory pain?
When it comes to cbd oil for inflammation pain, starting off slowly and gradually increasing your dosage is key. CBD oil can be used as an analgesic – meaning that it will alleviate pain by reducing inflammation. It is also a powerful anti-inflammatory agent and has been shown to help in the treatment of a variety of chronic pain conditions including joint pain, menstrual cramps, and more.
Just like with any cannabis, it is important to start slow and gradually increase your dosage until you find a dose that works best for you. Remember that cbd oil effects and dosage are different for everyone, so it is important to experiment and find out what dosage provides relief for your specific pain condition.
ARE PRO ATHLETES TAKING CBD FOR PAIN?
Michelle Waterson, a guest on How to Do the Pot’s CBD & Pain Episode, is a professional fighter in the UFC. She holds a black belt in American freestyle karate and is also trained in Wushu, Muay Thai, Brazilian jiu jitsu, boxing and wrestling. She knows her body and when she trains, she definitely trains hard.
Can pot help with muscle pain? Studies suggest that cannabis can be useful for treating not only joints but also muscle pain, according to scientists. A medical cannabis treatment may help with severe joint pain and sprains, as well as minor muscle strains.
The UFC is conducting research on how CBD products help athletes recover. The same month Major League Baseball faced the overdose death of 27-year-old pitcher Tyler Skaggs, the result of opioids. MLB has since announced cannabis was removed from its banned substances list.
In 2020, the NFL followed suit. Both leagues cited the same underlying motivation: to reflect a treatment-based approach in place of punishment.
