With millions of Americans living with pain every day, it’s not surprising that many are looking into every possible alternative to find relief – including CBD. But should you really take CBD for pain relief, and if so, what kind?
That depends on many factors, so let’s take a deep dive into whether and how to use CBD oil for pain.
Does CBD Help with Pain?
Pain has a lot of different possible causes, so what will help one person’s pain can be quite different from what will help another person’s. While there is some promising research on CBD for pain, it’s still in the early stages, so we can’t give you the same precise recommendations that you’d get for some familiar pain medicine like, say, ibuprofen.
With that said, there is reason to believe that CBD can be especially helpful for pain brought on by stress. While some might dismiss stress-induced pain as “all in your head,” stress does very real things to your body, inducing headaches, neckaches, teeth-grinding, intestinal upsets, and more. The disturbed sleep you get from stress can also increase pain, because deep sleep is when your body does its most intensive healing.
So the relaxing qualities of CBD can have benefits beyond just making you feel mellow. But CBD products can also include other formulas for pain relief.
What’s the Best CBD for Pain?
Again, people’s pain sources vary so exactly what CBD pain relief product you should take depends on your needs. Basically, there are three approaches you can take:
- Just take a regular daily dose of CBD, whether oil, capsule, or gummy, to keep your body comfortable and help you sleep better. Generally, high potency CBD products are preferable for this purpose.
- Use a topical CBD product, preferably one with added topical painkillers blended in, for targeted relief. For instance, cbdMD Recover is a CBD cream for pain made with histamine dihydrochloride, arnica, and other ingredients for temporary relief from joint and muscle pain.
- Use an oral CBD product that’s blended with other ingredients to help your pain systemically. If you’ve got persistent joint pain, cbdMD MAX is a great new product that includes an herbal blend called Univestin that’s clinically proven to help joint discomfort and improve mobility with daily use.
The great thing about all these options is that you don’t have to pick just one! For instance, you might take a cbdMD MAX tablet every morning and evening for daily maintenance, but if that old knee injury is bothering you after a long day on your feet, you can apply some Recover to bring some immediate relief. If sleep is a special issue for you, you can also try a CBD sleep aid in the evening to get you more of that deep, restorative slumber.
Another factor you’ll want to consider is whether THC will be part of your regimen. Many people find that it enhances the benefits of CBD for both relaxation and comfort, which is why cbdMD MAX and other full spectrum CBD products include a non-intoxicating but noticeable amount of it.
However, if you’re subject to drug testing or are just sensitive to THC, you can also choose broad spectrum CBD products and topicals (the latter doesn’t even get into your bloodstream, so it’s irrelevant to drug testing).
So feel free to try different CBD products for pain to find out what works for you. You just might find it will be just the thing to help you get back to those activities you love.
