CBD Benefits: What Doctors Really Think About It
With the ever-increasing popularity of CBD, and more people looking into it daily, does it really work? What have doctors said about it? In this article, we briefly break down what CBD is, what science says about it, and if doctors approve of their patients using it.
What is CBD?
Cannabidiol, or CBD for short, is a cannabinoid that occurs naturally in the cannabis plant. There are over 100 cannabinoids in the plant, with CBD and THC being the best-known. THC has psychoactive effects while CBD does not. Since the passing of the 2018 farm bill, hemp effectively became legal in the United States as long as it contains less than 0.03% THC. This is one of the reasons why the popularity of hemp-derived CBD oil has been rising since.
What Does Science Say About CBD?
Scientific studies have indicated that CBD can be an effective treatment for conditions like epilepsy and as a potential pain reliever for patients with terminal cancer. However, due to the federal illegality and the classification of cannabis medicine as a schedule 1 drug, much-needed research is difficult to get approval for. For this reason, there is no definitive conclusive evidence that CBD is an effective treatment.
Do Doctors Approve of Their Patients Using CBD?
Peter Grinspoon, M.D., of Harvard Health Publishing at Harvard Medical School, has said that he thinks there is a chance that CBD has promise. Dr. Grinspoon stated that CBD could possibly help patients deal with conditions like chronic pain, anxiety, and insomnia, as well as act as an anti-inflammatory. Brent A. Bauer, M.D., who is the Director of the Integrative Medicine Program at the Mayo Clinic, has said that the CBD product Epidiolex is an effective treatment for patients suffering from epilepsy.
Is CBD Safe?
While CBD does have some promise for helping patients, it could cause some side effects, such as nausea, diarrhea, and irritability. Currently, Epidiolex is the only CBD product that has been approved by the FDA. While CBD products are legal at the federal level, some states have placed restrictions on it.
CBD products are largely unregulated, so it is difficult to know what kind of quality and purity a customer will get. CBD might have some potentially promising benefits, but it could have a negative interaction with medications such as blood thinners. These interactions with CBD could decrease the effectiveness of your medications – or worse, cause you to experience unforeseen side effects.
Bottom Line
Before you start ingesting any supplement or drug such as CBD, be sure to talk it over with your doctor first. Always ensure that you purchase CBD from reputable manufacturers that publish their lab testing online, as listed in here. Transparency is imperative so you can avoid purchasing potentially harmful products with additives like heavy metals.
FDA Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. The above-mentioned products are not intended to treat, cure, or prevent any disease or medical conditions.
Warning: Must be 21 and over to purchase or use CBD products. These products should not be used by nursing mothers or during pregnancy.
