What are the benefits of CBD oil for diabetes? Roughly 9% of the American population has diabetes and 1.5 million new cases are diagnosed every year. Unfortunately, there is no cure for diabetes yet and treatments include insulin, medications, and even weight loss surgery. In the last years, CBD oil has gained popularity thanks to its multiple benefits and lack of side effects. But can CBD oil help you if you are suffering from diabetes? In this post, we will explore how CBD oil for diabetes work.
What Is CBD? Where Does CBD Come From?
You may be wondering what CBD oil is. CBD stands for cannabidiol, which is one of the active compounds (cannabinoids) of the cannabis plant. Cannabis contains more than 100 cannabinoids, but the most abundant ones are cannabidiol and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC is the cannabinoid that gives cannabis its psychoactive effects. However, cannabidiol does not have any psychoactive properties, therefore CBD oil, unlike THC, will not make you “high”. That is a great difference between CBD and THC.
The cannabidiol used to make CBD oil comes from hemp, which is an industrial variety of Cannabis sativa with very low concentrations of THC and high levels of CBD. Moreover, THC content in CBD oils cannot be higher than 0.3% in order to be legal. So, it is impossible to get “high” using cannabidiol oil.
Cannabinoids and the Endocannabinoid System
Cannabis’s cannabinoids act on the cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 of your body. All animals (mammals, fish, reptiles, birds) have these cannabinoid receptors; they are part of the endocannabinoid system and are located in the brain, the cerebellum, the reproductive system, and the peripheral nervous system.
The cannabinoid receptors and the endocannabinoid system manage anxiety, motor control, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal activity, pain, mood, memory, and risk of addictions. They also have anti-inflammatory effects and play an essential role in the good functioning of your immune system, and have an impact on neurodegenerative disorders (such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease) and even in the growth of tumor and cancer cells.
Some Uses of CBD Oil
There are many studies about the effects and uses of cannabidiol. But you can also find a lot of stories from people that use CBD oil to treat different conditions. You will also find that there are also many individuals who use CBD oil for diabetes.
According to these studies and this anecdotal evidence, CBD oil could be very helpful to treat or alleviate:
- Epilepsy and seizures
- Chronic and acute pain
- Insomnia
- Acne
- Psoriasis
- Symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
- Anxiety and depression
- Cancer and chemotherapy side effects
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and Chron’s disease
- Symptoms of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease
- Hepatitis C
- Diabetes
Furthermore, cannabidiol is also a great natural remedy to treat your pets. Keep reading this article to learn how CBD oil for diabetes works.
What Is Diabetes?
When you eat something, glucose (sugar) from that food is released into your blood. This glucose is the energy your body uses as a fuel and source of energy. Without glucose (or sugar), your body would not have the energy it needs to function normally. Glucose goes from your blood to your cells thanks to insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas. However, when you have diabetes, your body does not produce enough insulin or this insulin that your body makes does not work properly. As a result, glucose does not go to your cells. Instead, it starts building up in your blood, which can have serious consequences for your health.
There are two main types of diabetes:
- Type 1 diabetes: Your body cannot produce any insulin at all. Extreme thirst and quick weight loss are common symptoms of type 1 diabetes. People suffering from type 1 diabetes need to take insulin every day and check their blood glucose level regularly.
- Type 2 diabetes: In this case, the insulin your pancreas makes does not work as it should. Symptoms of type 2 diabetes include fatigue, thirst, and wounds that will not heal as quickly as they should. While most patients need medication for treating this type of diabetes, keeping a healthy diet, and exercising regularly will also help them manage this condition. In some cases, type 2 diabetes can be reversed.
Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are serious conditions that can have serious consequences for your health. If you are experiencing any symptoms of diabetes, go to your doctor immediately.
What Are the Benefits of Using CBD Oil for Diabetes?
If you are suffering from any type of diabetes, follow the instructions provided by your doctors and don’t quit your treatment or medications. CBD oil does not cure diabetes. However, it can help you cope with some of its symptoms. That is why you can use CBD as additional help for managing diabetes. Nonetheless, you must talk to your doctor before adding cannabidiol to your diabetes treatment.
But how can cannabidiol help you if you are suffering from diabetes? Well, cannabidiol’s strong anti-inflammatory properties could improve glucose imbalance and disorders as well as your overall metabolism.
CBD Oil for Diabetic Neuropathy
Also, CBD oil can help alleviate diabetes nerve damage (diabetic neuropathy) and its symptoms (numbness, pain, tingling). Nerve damage can be a common complication when you have diabetes and could have serious consequences, such as:
- Blindness
- Irregular heart rate
- Inability to control bowel or bladder movements
- Atrophy of the leg and thigh
- Numbness
- Loss of sensation in legs, feet, or hands
- Extreme pain
Diabetic neuropathy could even lead to lower-extremity amputation. Therefore, using cannabidiol to prevent nerve damage could be very helpful if you are suffering from diabetes. However, CBD is not a cure for diabetes, and you should use it as a supplement to your medical treatment, never as a sole treatment.
How to Use CBD Oil for Diabetes
The most common way of ingesting CBD oil is putting a few drops under the tongue, wait for 30-60 seconds, and then swallow it. Its taste is not very nice, but since you will only use a few drops, that is not a great issue. Yet, many vendors sell CBD oil in fancy flavors, so you will not notice cannabidiol’s taste. Additionally, you can also use CBD oil in some recipes.
How to find the right dosage of CBD can be a bit tricky, though. It will depend on your weight and the effect that you want to achieve. That is why we recommend you check a dosage calculator that will help you establish the right dose for you.
