Let’s explore the amazing benefits of CBD for seniors and discuss the massive impact CBD can have on this group of individuals.
CBD,short for Cannabidiol, is one of over 60 cannabinoids found in the Cannabis plant.
Like other cannabinoids, CBD can interact with receptors in our body’s Endocannabinoid System (ECS), which research has shown is the catalyst behind the many effects of the Cannabis plant. It is also the reason psychoactive cannabinoids like Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can induce euphoric or mind-altering effects on the user.
Now, unlike THC―CBD is non-psychoactive. This means it will not make the user high, while continuing to deliver the many health properties of the Cannabis plant.
Because these benefits are uniquely aligned with the conditions generally afflicted by seniors, CBD is positioned as the perfect solution to improving the health and lives of our senior citizens!
Keep reading to discover 7 Science-Supported Benefits of CBD for Seniors!
1. CBD can help manage pain
Studies have shown that CBD can reduce inflammation and alleviate pain from conditions such as Arthritis, Joint Pain and Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
By activating various receptors in the Endocannabinoid System, experts have found that patients treated with CBD experience a “clinically significant reduction” in pain related symptoms with little to no adverse side effects.
As a natural alternative to traditional pain medications, CBD creates a compelling case for health care professionals and senior caregivers.
2. CBD promotes bone health
During Osteoporosis, our bones experience a loss of vital minerals and become fragile and brittle, making them more prone to breaking. Because of this, seniors can experience severe pain and fractures if they have a fall.
With falls as the number one cause of death for men over the age of 60, and 33% of women and 25% of men older than 50 suffering from osteoporotic fractures, bone health is a serious issue for the older generation.
In addition to reducing inflammation and promoting cell repair, research has shown that the cannabinoids like CBD can actually help strengthen the bones and even promote the healing process if a fracture does occur.
While additional clinical trials will be needed to determine the viability of this application for the masses, the results thus far are very promising.
3. CBD can improve quality of sleep
To alleviate their sleeping disorders, most seniors will turn to sleeping medications. While these may temporarily solve one problem, they create an even bigger problem in the long run.
By combating the conditions that are causing sleeping disorders, such as stress, anxiety, restlessness, and general imbalance in the body, CBD can calm the user and naturally promote a healthier sleep pattern for seniors. More importantly, it can prevent the need to take harmful sleeping medications.
4. CBD can combat addiction
Studies have shown that CBD can not only alleviate conditions that often involve harmful medication, it can help combat the dependency that was developed from that medication.
Findings from a 2018 study revealed that CBD can actually help combat addiction by preventing relapses. In the study, researchers found that after administering CBD once a day for seven days, patients no longer displayed “addictive behaviors” and it deterred the patient from relapsing for five months.
As seniors decide to switch from harmful medications to natural cannabis relief, CBD can help combat and alleviate the withdrawal and relapsing behaviors that will arise during this process.
5. CBD can improve heart health
A 2017 study treated 10 men with one 600 mg dose of CBD and found that it reduced the resting blood pressure of the subjects. In this same study, researchers also administered stress tests to determine the effects CBD had on the subject’s stress response and found that the subject’s exhibited a lower blood pressure increase than normal.
In addition to reducing high blood pressure, studies found that the antioxidant properties of CBD may help reduce cardiac inflammation and can deter cell death caused from oxidative stress.
The researchers in charge of the study believed that the results “strongly suggest that it [CBD] may have great therapeutic potential in the treatment of diabetic complications, and perhaps other cardiovascular disorders, by attenuating oxidative/nitrosative stress, inflammation, cell death and fibrosis.”
By reducing blood pressure and deterring inflammation and cell death in the heart, CBD can significantly improve overall heart health and serve as a preventive measure against serious health conditions.
6. CBD can deter neurodegenerative diseases
While it’s still early to make a conclusive assessment, the studies below have shown some promising results
2007 study showing that CBD can reduce the neuro-inflammation associated with Alzheimer’s disease by attenuating Abeta evoked neuro-inflammatory responses
2015 study discussing how cannabinoids can reduce the agitation and aggression of Alzheimer’s disease
2014 study explaining how CBD can prevent the development of the social recognition
deficits associated with Alzheimer’s Disease
2012 study showing how CBD can slow the degenerative process and alleviate the pain and spasms of Multiple Sclerosis
2017 study examining the effectiveness of CBD in treating neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and ALS
And the list goes on…
As you can see from the findings reported in these studies, there is a substantial amount of evidence supporting the neuroprotective benefits of CBD.
As more clinical trials are conducted, the evidence will become more and more evident. In the future, CBD could become one of the primary treatment methods for seniors suffering from neurodegenerative diseases.
7. CBD can improve mood and alleviate mood-related disorders
While studies have shown that CBD can effectively alleviate mood-related disorders, the thing that seniors need more than anything is to know that they aren’t forgotten…
It’s probably not a comfortable situation to talk about, but we can often get so involved with our lives that we forget these special people. Overtime, this can take a serious toll on their mental, physical, and psychological health.
While we try to make the most of it, nobody enjoys getting old, especially if they have to do it alone.
Whether it be your grandparent or parent―if there’s an older person in your life who you know could use some company, make the effort to spend some time with them. These are going to be some of the most precious moments you can share with them, and It will make a big difference in their health and lives.
Credit - by: Aaron Cadena