CBD has been around the corners of alternative medicine for some years now.
This plant that was once considered as illegal is now accepted by several states as an alternative that can do wonders in the line of medicine. Chronic pain is greatly relieved by this amazing plant. There are also proofs that it can help with the chemotherapy of cancer patients. While for some incurable diseases, CBD helps a lot in reducing its symptoms and progression.
Apart from the illnesses mentioned above, CBD may also help with motor disorders or mobility issues. Mobility issues are often described as a health issue that most commonly occurs among adults. However, mobility issues are not only inevitable cause of aging itself. Rather, they usually reflect the effects of other common conditions among adults. However, there are also mobility issues that occur in younger people. These mobility impairments can be brought about by accidents or illnesses.
However, because of the miraculous effects of CBD to one’s health, the plant is now gaining popularity as medicine for loss of mobility.
Is CBD Safe For Older Patients
As people age, there are inevitable health issues that lead to difficulty in moving. They include a number of various problems that older adults may have with walking. For instance, weakness in the legs, knees or ankles, difficulty with balance or coordination, as well as pain in the joints make moving difficult among the older adults.
According to aging.com (National Council For Aging Care), medical cannabis can be safe and effective in treating a wide range of chronic symptoms that are related to various neurologic illnesses among older adults. This drug can help with not only mobility issues but other health problems that occur mostly on older adults. CBD also helps in strengthening the bones, which becomes fragile as people age. It helps in healing fractures and support healthier bones. When used in a correct manner, CBD can restore damaged joints among older adults. Bone density is one of the very common aging symptoms. CBD can be used as a preventive measure in dealing with bone-related issues. It is also capable of halting bone degeneration and even reverses bone damage. Lastly, it triggers the regeneration of new and healthy bone tissues.
For older people, CBD also helps in promoting better sleep and pain relief. As we get old, it is inevitable that we get muscle pains. CBD is proven to reduce the occurrence of muscular pain among older people without them having to tolerate the side effects of medicine intake.
As a person grows old, his or her bones will inevitably grow fragile, as well. When things like such happen, medical marijuana may come to the picture. The plant may bring relief to older people who experience symptoms like pain, or anxiety due to chronic conditions like Parkinson’s disease, neuropathy, spinal cord damage, and multiple sclerosis. A study revealed that CBD is not only safe for older people; it also found that one-third of older participants reduced the use of opioids. Opioids can be prescription medications, often referred to as painkillers. However, this drug is made by adding legal painkillers and illegal heroin. Although it is useful in blocking pain, opioids can be addictive. It can cause some side effects like slowed breathing, nausea, constipation, confusion, and drowsiness. Regular use of this drug among older adults can cause dependence. There is also a risk of respiratory depression when misused, which can lead a person to death.
Using Cannabis supplements as an alternative for opioids will help older adults to dodge its fatal side effects. Another downside of using opioids is that it can cause addiction. CBD supplements are a better alternative as a painkiller as it does not have THC compounds in it. THC is known as the chemical compound of marijuana that causes the euphoric effect on people who use it. Therefore, it is safe to say that older adults can use CBD.
However, one must educate himself regarding the effects of CBD when used for health purposes. There are sites that offer reviews as to which marijuana strains and products must be used for certain conditions. Browsing through these sites may help in determining which strain and marijuana product must be used for your health condition.
CBD in Improving Mobility Issues
The use of CBD for medical disorders has been prevalent around the globe. For many years, CBD has proven its efficacy in the line of alternative medicine. CBD is the non-psychoactive compound of marijuana. This compound presents anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects. Anecdotal proofs revealed that CBD is effective in lessening the symptoms of mobility issues. Mobility issues are the illnesses that result in degeneration of motor movements. Unfortunately, these illnesses do not have a cure. However, CBD can help in alleviating its symptoms and slow down its progression. Cannabidiol has shown to have significant muscle relaxant effects and to reduce muscle spasms and pain in humans. CBD also has anti-seizure properties as well as low levels of side effects to patients. Additionally, it was discovered that CBD could prevent illnesses that affect the central nervous system by rebuilding fatty acids any myelin.
Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. The symptoms of multiple sclerosis include pain, muscle spasticity, fatigue, inflammation, and even depression. These symptoms can lead to loss of mobility and have a detrimental impact on a patient’s quality of life. To make it short, multiple sclerosis is a disease that attacks the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. Marijuana has numerous chemicals that can lead to the alleviation of multiple sclerosis’s symptoms. In MS, the myelin becomes damaged by the immune system. This damage sends wrong signals to the brain, which will then result in various effects like uncontrolled movement and pain. The symptoms may also include partial or complete paralysis CBD has shown properties that can repair damaged myelin. So, through continuous studies, CBD will be more beneficial in helping people who are suffering from multiple sclerosis.
Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease is an illness of the nervous system characterized by tremor, muscular rigidity, imprecise movement, which often affects older adults. This illness is associated with the degeneration of basal ganglia and deficiency of neurotransmitters called dopamine. Using CBD for Parkinson’s disease can reduce its symptoms. CBD targets the endocannabinoid system of the brain. This endocannabinoid system is closely linked to neurons that regulate thinking and some body functions. Therefore, cannabinoid-based medicines have a neuroprotective potential for numerous neurological conditions, including movement disorders. CBD alleviates the symptoms of PD in such a way that it reduces pain and tremors and improves anxiety caused by the disease.
Huntington’s Disease
Huntington’s disease is a fatal genetic disorder that causes a progressive breakdown of the brain’s nerve cells. Over time, HD affects an individual’s walking, reasoning, and speaking abilities. The disease also causes gradual development of involuntary muscle movement. Unfortunately, this disease does not have any cure. However, cannabis is known to slow down the progression of the disease. CBD is known to have neuroprotective properties. Such a thing means that CBD can resist the deterioration of neurons in the brain and spinal cord.
Epilepsy
Another movement disorder, epilepsy is a disease that does not only occur in older adults but also younger people. It is a chronic seizure disorder characterized by sudden recurrent attacks of altered consciousness, convulsion, and uncontrolled movements caused by simultaneous stimulation of numerous nerve cells. The disease attacks the cerebral cortex, which governs movement, consciousness, and sensations of a person. Early pieces of evidence from laboratory studies, reports, and small clinical studies proved that CBD could help in reducing seizures of people who have epilepsy.
Dystonic Movement Disorders
Dystonic muscle disorder or dystonia is a motor condition where a person’s muscle contracts uncontrollably. This contraction causes the affected body part to twist, which then results in repetitive movements and loss of posture. This motor disorder can affect not only older adults but also young people. Endocannabinoid receptors are plentiful in the basal ganglia, the part of the brain, which plays a significant role in normal motor function. CBD targets endocannabinoid receptors, which means that it can help in alleviating the symptoms of dystonic movement disorders.
Most mobility issues do not have a cure. The only way that CBD can help these ailments is to alleviate the symptoms and reduce uncontrolled movements. There is still a long way to go regarding the use of CBD supplements to people who have mobility issues. However, what is essential is that it helps in one way or another to reduce the sufferings of people with motor disorders. CBD’s anti-seizure properties help in reducing tremors and uncontrolled movements among people who suffer from mobility ailments. Though there is a lack of studies regarding the health benefits of CBD, there is still evidence that CBD helps with various health issues. With continuous studies, it will not be surprising if CBD will one day become the leading treatment for mobility ailments.