CBD has been firmly accepted into the mainstream. More and more people are using it to treat health issues ranging from pain and inflammation to protecting against neurological disease, treating addiction, relieving anxiety and depression, and more. Even this recent Forbes article lays out nine science backed benefits of CBD that have been largely accepted by the scientific and medical community.
This isn’t just good news for the health conditions that CBD may help treat, it’s also extremely important for health in general. CBD offers people a chance to help themselves and take their health into their own hands.
How CBD Fits into Preventive Medicine
Preventive medicine and care are crucial to maintaining health and wellness. The ideology behind preventive medicine focuses on protecting, promoting, and maintaining health and well-being. It also aims to avert disease, disability, and death on an individual basis. Preventive care encompasses everything from certain vaccines and medications, to lifestyle choices and exercise.
Unfortunately, most people focus too much on treating diseases once they present themselves rather than trying to prevent them in the first place. Leading a healthy lifestyle and keeping the body and mind in balance will help you avoid more serious health issues down the line.
You might be asking yourself, okay, where does CBD fit into all this? The answer is that CBD may treat conditions that can lead to other conditions. Here are some examples:
- Controlling pain and inflammation – Pain and inflammation keep us from moving and being active, which can lead to weight gain, cardiovascular problems, and joint issues. By reducing them, CBD may help people get their bodies and minds in better shape.
- Neuroprotective properties – Although it’s not completely understood how, CBD’s apparent neuroprotective capabilities may help prevent stroke and deterioration resulting from MS, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s.
- Helping IBS symptoms – Irritable bowel syndrome or IBS is a common digestive disorder that affects the large intestine. Symptoms include cramping, abdominal pain, gas, and diarrhea. CBD has been shown to help IBS symptoms, which then allows people to eat a healthier diet and improve their mobility.
- Reducing chronic stress – Persistent stress can lead to a number of highly negative health conditions, from depression to hypertension (high blood pressure). If it can reduce stress, then CBD may help prevent some of these other serious conditions from forming.
- Weight management – CBD has been shown to potentially help with both gaining and losing weight, depending on what the underlying issue is. Being overweight or underweight can lead to other health issues. By helping to maintain balance in our bodies and digestive systems, CBD may allow people to manage our weight as well.
- Sleep better - There is a small but growing amount of evidence that CBD may help you sleep longer and better, but the research is still in its beginning stages. With that said, a study from 2019that included 103 adult patients suffering from both anxiety and sleep issues found that CBD might help people with short term sleep problems. Specifically, anxiety scores for the first month improved for 79.2% of the patients and sleep scores improved for 66.7% of the patients.
Change the Way You View Health
In the U.S. and many other western countries, many people don’t take the necessary steps to prevent health problems. We have become dependent on the idea that there is a drug for everything, and all we need to do is pop a pill or get a shot to instantly be better, even if we don’t change our lifestyle or actions. This type of thinking has led to a population that consumes a huge amount of prescription drugs, some of which have some pretty serious and harmful negative side effects.
Health has largely been removed from the sphere of our everyday actions, and we only think about it when we already have a problem. What’s extremely interesting about CBD is that it helps individuals take some of that power back.
Along with eating right for your body, sleeping enough, and being regularly active, CBD could help put your body on the right track and prevent the development of certain serious conditions. You can keep your body in balance day in, day out, instead of relying on potentially harmful powerful drugs.
CBD Does Not Have Serious Negative Side Effects
The most important thing to remember when you’re thinking about trying CBD is that it does not have any known serious side effects. It is not intoxicating, and no negative long term effects have been observed so far. CBD works subtly. Instead of numbing your body to the feelings of pain, inflammation, stress, or anxiety, it stimulates changes that bring your bodily systems back into balance. In other words, it works by solving the root of the problem, not covering it up, meaning it has less immediate effect on your body than opioids or stimulants.
Talk to Your Doctor about Using CBD Products
Taking some of your health into your own hands does not mean ignoring doctors or neglecting visits. We think it’s a great idea to include your doctor in any discussions concerning your general health or specific health issues. At the end of the day, their job is to help you make the best health decisions possible, not dictate courses of action that you have to take. You should feel comfortable bringing anything up to them.
Just keep in mind that it is ultimately your decision. If you can’t find a doctor that will work with you and take the journey with you, then that shouldn’t deter you from trying CBD if you have done your research and firmly believe it will help you.
Preventive care is critical for maintaining overall health and wellness, and CBD may be an effective piece of that care. If you have any questions about CBD or our products, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Urban Roots Hemp Co. team!