Nowadays, when people are affected by serious or lifelong illnesses, they look for treatments with fewer side effects. This is because many pharmaceutical drugs treat the symptoms, but they do not cure the underlying cause. Also, they have undesirable side effects, especially when used in the long term. Research studies and anecdotal evidence from patients suggest that complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) can improve overall health. Cannabidiol (CBD) derived from the hemp plant is a complementary medicine that is gaining popularity among users. Read on to know more about the pros and cons of using CBD for treating medical conditions.
What Are Complementary And Alternative Medicine?
It is believed that CAM treatments can help patients to better cope with the side effects of many conventional treatments.
Listed below are some of the popular CAM treatments:
- Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Reiki
- Naturopathy, Dietary supplements, and Tai Chi
- Chiropractic, Homeopathy, and Osteopathy
- Hypnosis
- Magnetic therapy and Yoga
The potential health benefits and therapeutic effects of cannabidiol (CBD) make it a good CAM treatment option. Not only that, but it can also improve the outcome of acupuncture because of its positive effect on the endocannabinoid system (ECS).
However, there are some risks associated with CAM treatments. For example, when you use CBD, there is the risk of it interacting with medications, especially those with grapefruit warning. So, before using it, you must consult with your physician, to know about the potential outcomes.
What Are Natural Hemp Extracts?
Natural hemp extracts, especially those made from the flowers, buds, and leaves of the Cannabis Sativa plant are cannabidiol-rich. Legally available ones are made using the parts of hemp plant strains that contain less than 0.3% THC. This minuscule amount of THC will ensure that you will not get high when you consume health and wellness products made with them.
What Types Of Conditions Can Be Treated With CBD?
The potential therapeutic effects of cannabidiol (CBD) are due to its stimulation of the ECS. This system regulates homeostatic functions like pain perception, immune response, body temperature, etc. Due to this reason, people are using CBD-infused products for relieving pain and reducing inflammation. Furthermore, research has shown that it can be useful for managing childhood epileptic conditions like Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.
Some preliminary evidence suggests that CBD can be useful for reducing the severity of symptoms of neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. However, due to the lack of substantial evidence from clinical trials about its effectiveness, it is not used as part of conventional treatment.
On a final note, the main advantage of using CBD as a CAM treatment is that it has minimal or no side effects at normal doses. On the contrary, that it cannot cure ailments, and it is not a replacement for conventional treatment.
