How CBD can help reduce the symptoms of endometriosis?
From effective pain relief for headaches in treating severe cancer pain, CBD has come a long way to become the best remedial plant product of recent times. Moving forward, researchers all over the world have illuminated the effects of CBD on endometriosis. Yes, CBD from cannabis plants can help reduce the symptoms of endometriosis. But how?
What is endometriosis?
It’s a painful condition where bits of the tissue that lines the uterus, known as the endometrium begins to grow on other pelvic organs. It causes particular problems during menstruation.
Which areas are most affected by it?
Apart from the outside of the uterus, it also affects ovaries, fallopian tubes and tissues of the pelvic area, and in the worst cases, the spread can go beyond the pelvic organs and affect the fertility of the woman.
Why should I worry about endometriosis?
You should be worried. This misplaced tissue continues to be affected by your menstruation cycle, becoming inflamed and causing pain ranging from mild to crippling. This tissue eventually breaks down but often becomes trapped in the pelvic region. Cysts may form as the result of these trapped tissues which in turn can develop scar tissues and adhesionsTrapped tissue may also cause severe pain during periods, infertility, and bowel congestion.
But there is hope. We have CBD conditions and symptoms to improve on ingesting CBD oils for female wellness.
Symptoms to look for
The condition can cause sharp pain in the pelvic region during your periods. The pain’s intensity is far from ordinary and may or may not be unbearable. Pain is also accompanied by cramps that increase with time. Apart from these, some common signs are dysmenorrhea or throbbing menses, cramps begin well before periods and may last after them, pain in the pelvic region is coupled with back and abdominal aches, abnormal pain during intercourse, bowel movements and urination followed by pelvic pain, excessive bleeding during menses, spotting or bleeding between periods, infertility and weakness, constipation, and bloating while on periods.
CBD’s mechanism to combat endometriosis
The presence of a built-in endocannabinoid (ECS) system in the human body makes CBD effective in treating endometriosis. Without diving into complex science, an imbalanced ECS can severely affect female reproductive health. This can also start the growth of endometrial tissue outside the uterus. So when the ECS is not making enough endocannabinoids, CBD comes to the rescue. The intake of CBD restores the balance of the body’s ECS and puts the endometrial tissue on its right path.
How can CBD reduce the symptoms of endometriosis?
CBD is one of the most prevalent cannabinoids of the cannabis plant. It’s very different from THC, which is (in)famous for inducing psychoactive effects. CBD is non-psychoactive and is known for the various conditions it can treat, notably where other medicines have failed. One of these conditions is endometriosis. Let us assess the effectiveness of CBD for the disease.
Stops cell proliferation
Apoptosis is the body’s defense mechanism for damaged cells. When the body’s apoptosis is induced, cell-death starts in a programmed way. This way, the body itself gets rid of the damaged cells. And a study suggests that rapid apoptosis of endometrial tissues is non-functional in women troubled with endometriosis. This imparity allows the endometrium tissue to proliferate on the outside lining of the uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes.
Thanks to research, it is proven that CBD possesses a direct influence on damaged cells’ death and survival.
Controls cell migration
This one for women who have already gone through the conventional method of combating endometriosis (surgery). Women often face the issue where the endometrial tissue starts growing somewhere else after being removed from the primary location. This is due to the migration ability that these damaged cells possess.
Preventing cell migration is the best possible way to stop the rapid growth of these cells on different parts of the reproductive tract.
Research published by the British Pharmacological Society suggests some positives that could hinder cell migration. According to the study, the CB1 and CB2 receptors of the human ECS directly influence cell migration. And CBD can stop the movement of infected endometriotic cells. The ability to control migration makes CBD a credible option for treating endometriosis or even preventing its spread.
Relieves pain
Another prominent symptom of harmful cell growth is intense pain in the pelvic and abdominal region. Most women suffering from pain take conventional pain-killers like ibuprofen. Although there is no problem in taking pain-killer drugs in the short-term, they can in time damage your renal functions as well as cause other harmful effects. That’s when CBD comes to the rescue of those troubled by the endometriosis pain. Research by the University of Utah, USA, has already identified CBD as one of the leading therapeutic measures to relieve pain. CBD provides better and fast pain relief for patients, without causing any side-effects that are generally caused by taking standard OTC drugs such as ibuprofen and other pain-killers.
Reduce inflammation
The last way in which the CBD treats endometriosis is indeed the prominent one – inflammation.
By now, we know that endometriosis is an inflammatory condition. And leading research has proved that CBD is an adequate treatment for inflammation in the body. CBD has the potential to reduce swollen scar tissues and inflammation caused by damaged endometrial tissues, hence relieving the brutal pain during menses.
Any specific way to take CBD for endometriosis?
No, there is no specific way to take CBD for treating endometriosis. The most advisable method is sublingual. In this method, take a drop of CBD and place it under your tongue. The effects kick in after 40 to 60 minutes. But many people don’t enjoy the earthy and raw-ish taste of CBD oil, that’s why we have the following substitutes to the sublingual method:
- Vaping: there are several CBD vape oils available in the market.
- Edible CBD: you can always choose CBD-infused gummies, cookies, and other snacks. Out of these, lab-tested CBD gummies are one of the preferred ways to use Cannabidiol.
How to manage the dosage?
Just like the method of taking CBD, there is no official bar set up for dosage as well. Different people respond variably to varying doses of CBD. The only way to find your treatment is to start low and analyze your body’s response after every dose. Yes, this method may be time-consuming, but it’s better important to find the right balance. As always, it’s best to seek advice from your doctor before committing fully to this route.
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