New research has shown that cannabidiol (CBD) can be beneficial for relieving chronic pain.
American researchers analyzed survey responses from a group of 121 people (average age 37, mostly male) and found that 98.3 per cent of them reported significant relief. Even low doses below 100 milligrams proved to be beneficial. They published their intriguing findings in the Springer Nature journal “Cureus” last month.
“While our research is certainly not exhaustive, it is a clear indication that the possibility of great benefit of CBD treatment exists in treating chronic pain,” the authors concluded, adding that additional research was warranted.
Causes listed by participants included arthritis, lingering effects from car accidents and sports injuries, frequent headaches and migraines, disk herniation and fibromyalgia symptoms.
About 35 per cent reported that they had been using the cannabinoid for a year or less while 23 per cent said they had been taking it for two years and 14.9 per cent for three or more. Only a small percentage had been administering for a duration exceeding 10 years.
“These findings suggest that CBD may serve as a promising alternative to conventional pain management strategies,” the researchers described in their article‘s abstract section. However, more extensive research completed recently contradicts these findings.
Journal of Pain study examining 900 subjects found no benefit
Despite the optimistic outlook of the Cureus study for CBD’s usage in pain management, a more in-depth analysis last year found that the cannabis derivative should not be further evaluated for its chronic pain applications.
British and Canadian researchers examined the results of 16 randomized controlled trials involving 899 participants that were published in peer-reviewed journals. The conclusions drawn from their analyses were of a completely opposite nature.
“For people living with pain, the evidence for CBD or hemp extract shows it is expensive, does not work, and is possibly harmful,” they said. “Health care professionals should use this evaluation to help people living with pain to inform their decisions about unconventional unproven substances being sold as therapeutic.”
They also claimed that veterans using CBD to try and manage chronic pain were more likely to develop “cannabis use disorder” than they were to experience relief.
The body of research on this topic is a mixed bag, generally speaking, with varying results and a need for more rigorous clinical studies.
“There is no evidence that CBD products reduce chronic pain, and taking them is a waste of money and potentially harmful to health, new research finds.” https://t.co/2nSYaawPo9 pic.twitter.com/XFmnTtyqxY
— Steve Stewart-Williams (@SteveStuWill) March 26, 2024
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