View the original article about Cannabidiol Health Benefits- Hope Or Hype? at Hemp Products Heal.
CBD or cannabidiol is an essential component of medical marijuana and is derived from the hemp plant. It has been credited with numerous health benefits and has been touted as an effective treatment option for many difficult medical conditions like childhood epilepsy.
Childhood epilepsy syndromes like Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) don’t respond to medical therapy using conventional antiseizure medications. This makes the treatment of the disease and management of symptoms difficult or sometimes impossible with conventional treatment methods. In numerous studies involving epilepsy patients, CBD was found to help reduce the symptoms.
The use of cannabis derived medicines in the treatment of childhood epilepsy brought a dramatic reduction in the occurrence of seizures. In some cases, such drugs worked wonders and stopped the seizures altogether. Drugs containing a controlled amount of pure CBD can thus help improve the overall quality of the lives of children suffering from the crippling attacks of epilepsy. Epidiolex is one such medicine – approved by the FDA – used in the treatment of such conditions.
Conditions Treatable With CBD
Many studies and first-hand user experiences show that CBD can help reduce stress and anxiety attacks and induce sleep. This can be a boon to people suffering from insomnia and mental disorders like anxiety. Chronic pain can be alleviated with the use of CBD either by ingestion or by topical application. Pain and inflammation caused by arthritis can be reduced by applying CBD-infused balms and oils topically.CBD has also been found helpful in treating unmanageable inflammatory and neuropathic pain.
A less explored area is the beneficial effects of CBD in treating addiction to substances like cannabis, tobacco, heroin, opiates and alcohol. In some cases, controlled consumption of CBD has been effective in substantially reducing cravings for such substances, thereby making the de-addiction process easier.
Concerns About Safety
Fatigue, irritability and nausea are some of the common side effects of CBD use. It can also increase the blood-thinning effect and may interact with other medicines and reduce their effectiveness. The lack of thorough research and long-term studies have raised speculations about the safety and effectiveness of CBD as a treatment option for many medical conditions.
Since the application of CBD spreads across a wide array of health conditions, clinical trials and definitive results may take decades to complete. Meanwhile, CBD can be assumed as a safe option to treat many such conditions, mainly due to no reported ill effects on the general population.
Learn more about the CBD Health Benefits at Hemp Products Heal.
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