CBD and Chiropractic Care for Pain Relief
These days CBD can be found as an option in just about anything. You’ll find it mixed with creams and lotions, in supplement and pill form, and even blended with lattes, candy, or breakfast cereals. It’s used by many people who find it helps with issues of anxiety, depression, pain, and inflammation or the ongoing symptoms of illness and injury. Recently, some have started using CBD in conjunction with chiropractic manipulation to find added relief. At Family & Sports Chiropractic Clinic in Vancouver, Dr. Chani Henderson works with a variety of patients, carefully tailoring a treatment plan to each individual patient’s need, lifestyle, and expectations. Ask her about CBD options at your next session.
Industry reports highlight trends showing that “CBD can reduce nociceptive transmission of pain throughout the nervous system to reduce pain, particularly in the spine and brain…CBD can also trigger various pathways to reduce inflammation. As a result, it works exceptionally well for people with rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions related to inflammation.”
They say that regarding chiropractic treatment, “the primary tool of a chiropractor is chiropractic adjustment. For many people, using a combination of therapies that include chiropractic adjustment, pain-relief medications and medical devices can bring the fastest and most complete recovery. For patients who are open to it, helping relax the muscle with CBD both during a chiropractic adjustment and in the time between adjustments can bring faster recovery.”
Thankfully, global research is ongoing, and emerging medical studies are slowly moving into the mainstream. This means practitioners like Dr. Henderson can learn about tested and verified ways products including CBD might be integrated into patient care. One recent study addressing spinal stenosis—a degenerative narrowing of the spinal canal by surrounding bone and soft tissue—found that “CBD may provide greater nonsurgical treatment options for the pain associated with spinal stenosis while minimizing the need for opioids…[Treatment] was associated with significant improvements in pain scores and several quality-of-life measures.”
Like any medicine or supplement, it’s best to discuss taking CBD with your general practitioner or medical team. Harvard Medical School reports that while most side effects are limited to fatigue, nausea, and irritability, “CBD can increase the level of blood thinning and other medicines in your blood by competing for the liver enzymes that break down these drugs.” It can also “show abnormalities in liver related blood tests. Many non-prescription drugs, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), have this same effect. So, you should let your doctor know if you are regularly using CBD.”
But their main concern is common across the spectrum of both physicians and potential CBD users. Harvard doctors remind us that “a significant safety concern with CBD is that it is primarily marketed and sold as a supplement, not a medication. Currently, the FDA does not regulate the safety and purity of dietary supplements. So, you cannot be sure that the product you buy has active ingredients at the dose listed on the label.”
Also watch for too-good-to-be-true advertising. Harvard reports that “Some CBD manufacturers have come under government scrutiny for wild, indefensible claims, such that CBD is a cure-all for cancer or COVID-19, which it is not. We need more research, but CBD may prove to be a helpful, relatively non-toxic option for managing anxiety, insomnia, and chronic pain. Without sufficient high-quality evidence in human studies, we can’t pinpoint effective doses, and because CBD currently is typically available as an unregulated supplement, it’s hard to know exactly what you are getting. If you decide to try CBD, make sure you are getting it from a reputable source. And talk with your doctor to make sure that it won’t affect any other medicines you take.”
The CDC estimates that in 2021 alone, nearly 21% of adults—over 51 million Americans—experienced chronic pain. That’s not to be confused with the 8 million who suffer from chronic severe back pain. Whatever the cause, both issues impact our productivity, relationships, and daily activity.
Through her in-depth chiropractic consultation, examination, and findings report, Dr. Henderson will work with you to develop a way forward, one step at a time, that doesn’t require invasive surgery or opioid painkillers.
Living with pain forces us to get creative. We seek established therapies like chiropractic care and newer options like CBD. Thankfully there are researchers, innovators, and specialists like Dr. Henderson who constantly work to learn more about discoveries on the horizon which may benefit patients and restore balance, mobility, pain-free living, and improve quality of life.
