The increasing popularity of CBD in the wellness department has propelled research efforts for the cannabinoid. More people want to try this safe alternative for their health conditions. The latest research suggests using CBD supplements has therapeutic effects that help counter the symptoms of several conditions. CBD also has anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties. Moreover, it massively helps with anxiety and depression.
In addition to that, CBD supplements help with non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. These include sleep disorders, psychotic symptoms. Research shows that using CBD oil for medication concerning Parkinson’s will be very likely in the future. Nevertheless, there are some minor side effects of CBD, and more research needs to be done to achieve better results and confirm these benefits.
Here we’ll be discussing all the benefits of using CBD oil for Parkinson’s. We will also inform you about the legal status of CBD, the best CBD products for Parkinson’s, and much more.
Let’s get started!
What is CBD Oil?
CBD, also known as Cannabidiol, is a natural compound among many cannabinoids found in Cannabis Sativa plants. Unlike THC(tetrahydrocannabinol), CBD has no psychoactive effects on the user. Meaning the person who consumes CBD does not experience the ‘high’ sensation.
CBD Oil has been gaining a lot of positive attention for its wide range of health benefits. These include relieving pain, reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, and neuroprotective properties. Moreover, CBD Oil is used as a treatment for Parkinson’s Disease as well.
What is Parkinson’s Disease?
Parkinson’s disease is a neurological disorder that disrupts a person’s nervous system. It does so as dopamine, a neurotransmitter that transmits messages from the brain related to body movement, becomes damaged. A person with Parkinson’s experiences tremors, difficulty in moving and balancing muscles, as well as lack of facial expressions.
The symptoms of Parkinson’s disease emerge slowly with time. Initially, the person experiences minor symptoms like loss of smell, trouble sleeping, and weight gain. These symptoms can appear for up to 20 years until the more severe symptoms like tremors, failure of body movement in the form of muscle rigidity, and falling start kicking in. Over time dementia, hallucinations, dementia as well as anxiety start appearing. Parkinson’s disease itself is not fatal. Anyhow, some symptoms can be stressful and life-changing.
Some common symptom of Parkinson’s disease include:
- Constipation
- Depression
- Excessive saliva
- Urinary retention
- Memory Loss
- Restlessness
How is Parkinson’s treated?
Treatments used to prevent Parkinson’s, focus on improving the quality of life for the patients. Parkinson’s disease is incurable, but there are medicines and supplements that most certainly reduce the intensity of symptoms. Dopamine levels in the brain increase through some medications as well. A few effective treatment methods include the following:
- Antidepressants
- Antioxidants
- Diets with high fiber
- Speech therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Meditation
- Cardio exercises
- Dopaminergic drugs
One of the most effective ways of treating Parkinson’s disease is by using medicine known as Levodopa. This medicine allows dopamine levels in the brain to increase again. Motor symptoms, such as stiffness, rigidity, and tremors, are treated by Levodopa.
However, non-motor symptoms like anxiety, depression, lack of proper sleep remain unaddressed by Levodopa. Moreover, long-term use of Levodopa causes side effects like irritation, nervousness, confusion as well as tremors caused by the medicine itself. That’s where CBD comes in. CBD might help in addressing these issues as not only does it alleviate pain and anxiety but also allow you to have a better quality of life. According to research, the use of cannabinoids immensely helped ease the non-motor symptoms of 200 Parkinson’s patients. Anyhow, this research involved THC as well rather than just CBD.
Using CBD Oil for Parkinson’s Disease
Sadly, Parkinson’s disease does not have a cure. Instead, treatments are focused on easing the symptoms and slowing down the spread of the disease. People who have Parkinson’s use CBD oil products to help reduce pain, anxiety, and several other symptoms.
Research and studies related to CBD Oil and its benefits have not been conducted on a long-term level and started only recently. Therefore, we do not have much evidence to confirm these benefits.
However, a few studies indicate that CBD Oil has positive effects on symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Without delaying it any further, let’s get started!
Some of the benefits of using CBD for Parkinson’s disease are:
Relieves Pain
As research suggests, CBD oil helps ease the pain for many people who have the disease. However, this was a small study conducted using medicinal marijuana that contains both cannabinoids. CBD and THC. Anyhow, studies conducted on animals using only CBD indicated that it reduces pain and inflammation, two common symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease.
Reduces Tremors
People with Parkinson’s disease often experience tremors as a result of using medicine as a treatment. These tremors cause involuntary muscle movements. CBD offers a solution to this problem as studies suggest that it can help with easing these body movements.
Decreases symptoms of Psychosis
Psychosis is one of the most severe symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Approximately 50 percent of the people that have Parkinson’s disease experience this. It’s more common during the later stages of the disease and causes the person to experience hallucinations as well as delusions. Although there is medication available for these symptoms, some studies suggest that CBD is also very effective in reducing the intensity of these symptoms. That too, without causing any side effects.
Better Sleep
Disturbance during sleep and lack of proper sleep is a common problem for people who have Parkinson’s disease. They might also experience nightmares and intense dreams. As research suggests, CBD helps with disruption during sleep and allows the sick person to sleep comfortably. Moreover, there are no side effects that may harm a person with Parkinson’s disease.
Another research suggests sleep disorders can potentially be treated using CBD oil. During this, four patients with Parkinson’s were given CBD for six weeks. As a result, there were no disturbances during sleep nor nightmares. Anyhow, once the treatment stopped, the symptoms reappeared with the same intensity.
Improved quality of life
An important concern for people that have Parkinson’s disease is that their quality of life is not up to the mark, as they experience constant pain, anxiety, and other severe symptoms. Using CBD for Parkinson’s disease improves the quality of life as it has therapeutic effects that ease anxiety and depression. Moreover, it relieves pain, promoting an overall sense of wellness.
Status with the FDA
As of now, there are no approved cannabis treatments for Parkinson’s disease by the FDA. However, there is one CBD drug used to treat epilepsy that has been approved by the FDA, known as Epidiolex. There has been on-going research on this drug’s potential to treat Parkinson’s disease, especially the tremors caused by this. The study is in its second phase and is close to results. However, this is another research conducted on a smaller scale. For more effective developments and treatments, there is a need for large-scale studies.
Can CBD prevent Parkinson’s Disease?
Due to a lack of research, there is very little evidence that suggests CBD helps to prevent Parkinson’s disease as studies related to this are done only on animals. In addition to that, research also shows that CBD oil can only be used as a precautionary measure and does not help in preventing Parkinson’s disease once it starts spreading.
Moreover, research related to CBD preventing Parkinson’s disease is done on humans as well. However, there were no significant results obtained from this study. Therefore, this means that to understand why CBD protects animal brains from Parkinson’s disease but not humans’, we need to do more thorough research.
Another thing that should be kept in mind is that a person who has Parkinson’s disease will show symptoms around the time when almost 60 percent of the neurons that recept dopamine have already been destroyed or damaged. Doctors and clinical trials use CBD after Parkinson’s disease is diagnosed.
It is nearly impossible to know who might or might not have Parkinson’s disease. Furthermore, very few precautionary measures involving CBD work. Therefore, it is difficult to say who might benefit from using CBD for Parkinson’s disease.
In what ways can CBD be used for Parkinson’s disease?
For beginners, it is common to wonder how CBD could be used and what is the right option for them. Worry not, here are different forms of CBD you can use to treat and ease many symptoms of Parkinson’s:
Blending CBD Oils with essential oils for Parkinson’s Disease
CBD oil blends very well with essential oils such as peppermint, lavender, and sweet marjoram. It can be easily swallowed and is an excellent alternative to taking pills or edibles. These essential oils have many beneficial properties such as stimulating brain functioning, improving gastrointestinal health as well as reducing pain and anxiety.
Edibles
If you prefer a more non-earthy taste, then taking CBD edibles is the best option for you. There are CBD gummies too that are easy to add to your daily routine. The dosage varies and can be up to 25mg that is plenty to relieve you of any pain, anxiety, or other symptoms.
CBD topicals and lotions
CBD topicals and lotions have become very feasible and practical choices as they ease joint pains and immobility in muscles. They are also viable for the treatment of skin diseases like psoriasis. However, the CBD effects take a lot of time to kick in.
Capsules and Pills
The most convenient way to use CBD is by swallowing a pill/capsule with a sip of water. Nevertheless, this way of consuming CBD causes loss of bioavailability during metabolism in the digestive system. This form of CBD is the perfect choice for people who experience tremors and are unable to consume liquids.
Vape Pens
If you want the effects of CBD oil to kick in quickly, then vape pens are the ideal way to do it. CBD oil is consumed by inhaling it and has a variety of flavors you could try. This form of CBD is quite potent. However, it is not a very appealing choice for everyone as vapes can cause damage to the lungs.
Side effects of using CBD
There are none to very few side effects of using CBD. Some of these are nausea, restlessness, extreme changes in diet, as well as diarrhea. Moreover, it can also cause mild irritation and a dry mouth.
However, it is imminent to make sure taking CBD won’t interfere with any medication or supplement you’re on. You must consult with your doctor before trying this, as it can upset the metabolism of the drugs during digestion.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that CBD oil has the potential to treat Parkinson’s. It does not mean that the disease is curable. However, many distressing motor and non-motor symptoms are reduced by the therapeutic effects of CBD supplements. Moreover, we learned that CBD could also potentially reduce the side effects of the effective treatment of Parkinson’s disease – the Levodopa.
However, the current level of research on this is not enough. It is significant to keep in mind that most of the studies and research are small. The results have been positive so far and can be improved by detailed, large-scale studies. In addition, your doctor’s opinion is important and should be consulted before trying CBD.
FAQs About CBD & Parkinson’s Disease
Question: What oil is good for Parkinson’s?
Answer: Rosemary, peppermint, and lavender are examples of essential oils that help alleviate pain and anxiety. Furthermore, CBD oil has also shown potential in treating some of the symptoms of Parkinson’s
Question: Is CBD legal?
Answer: As of now, the U.S law states that CBD cultivated from hemp plants that contain less than 0.3% THC and is legal for sale, transport, and use.
Question: Does Parkinson’s Disease have a cure?
Answer: It is not possible as of yet to cure Parkinson’s. However, symptoms can be reduced with preventive measures and lifestyle changes.
Question: Do any medications interact with CBD oil?
Answer: Yes, some medications can interact and have adverse effects which is why you must always consult your doctor and make sure it does not interfere with your supplements.
Question: Can CBD oil help ease the symptoms of Parkinson’s’ Disease?
Answer: People who have Parkinson’s can use CBD oil products to help reduce pain, anxiety, and several other symptoms.
