CBD contains compounds that help people manage various health problems. And senior citizens are one of the demographics where CBD is popular.
If you are a senior citizen, you have probably heard about CBD oil, specifically how it can improve your health.
In a study, it was found that up to 9% of seniors have tried CBD, and more than 50% had a positive experience.
The most preferred method of ingesting CBD among seniors is oil drops, followed by infused beverages, edibles, and capsules.
Ya know, the human body is like a gadget, and the more years you spend inside that gadget, the more vulnerable you become to health issues.
In this post, we’ll find out precisely how CBD oil mitigates these health problems.
Does CBD Oil Work?
Osteoarthritis is one of the common health problems among seniors. It is caused by the wearing down of bone cartilage and the major symptom is joint pain.
For most of us, our kneejerk reaction is to get drugs, and we may get prescription or OTC drugs, except that there’s no guarantee the symptoms will go away.
Sometimes, the doctor may recommend a combination of creams and medicine that subdue the pain, except that there’ll be nasty side effects.
When you are on medication for this kind of ailment, you normalize ingesting a large quantity of medicine daily, but the medical bills pile up thus becoming expensive.
And so, when a scientific report came out that CBD oil was effective at managing osteoarthritis, many senior citizens were curious to ascertain the truth.
It turned out that CBD oil is great for minimizing joint inflammation, preserving the protective cartilage around the bone, and guarding nerves.
Unlike conventional drugs that have side effects like dizziness, appetite loss, and insomnia, using CBD oil has no side effects whatsoever.
This is not to discredit OTC or prescription drugs, but CBD oil is proven to be more effective in managing certain conditions.
CBD Won’t Get You High
One of the reasons why CBD has become popular among senior citizens is that it cannot possibly get you high.
I don’t know any senior citizen who wishes to get high, you know, like a marijuana smoker, and start talking with no filters.
CBD contains compounds and phytochemicals that interact with the endocannabinoid system to cause a homeostatic balance.
Certain CBD products contain minuscule amounts of THC (less than 0.3%) but the THC promotes an entourage effect; i.e., it causes the compounds to work synergistically.
Apart from not making you high, CBD also doesn’t cause no side effects, meaning that CBD is a health benefit galore.
For the sake of being unbiased, we must mention that research into all potential CBD side effects is not conclusive, but who knows what may come up?
CBD is Legal in America
I mean, show me someone who says that the thought of going to prison wouldn’t terrify them, and I’ll show you a liar. Nobody ever wants to go there.
And so, it’s understandable for someone to avoid CBD products if they are under the false impression that CBD is outlawed.
*BREAKING NEWS* CBD was decriminalized in 2018.
Congress passed the Farm Bill, which recognized the extraction and sale of hemp-derived CBD as a legal activity.
However, for CBD to be legal, it must contain no more than 0.3% of THC. And so, always check to see that any CBD product you buy meets this standard and that it has undergone a third-party lab test to verify the claim on the label.
But we are talking about Americans here. I mean, if you are reading this in Asia or the Middle East, I’m not so sure whether CBD is legal in your country. Countries like Singapore and the Philippines are unnecessarily cruel to cannabis users.
How Do I Use CBD Oil?
The CBD market allows for disruptive technology, and that’s why we have so many methods of ingesting CBD.
You can do it orally, sublingually, topically, or even via inhalations and each of these methods have their pros and cons.
For instance, if you are experiencing pain in one part of your body, it would be best to apply CBD topical on that body part than swallow capsules.
If your mental health is getting off the tracks, and you have a tremendous need for calm and relaxation, it’s best to ingest a CBD tincture sublingually i.e. by placing it underneath your tongue and holding so that it gets absorbed in your bloodstream.
Sublingual CBD ingestion makes for a high bioavailability, which promotes rapid effects onset.
However, if you are looking to avoid negative feelings, and have sufficient concentration throughout the day, you may go for CBD gummies.
If you ingest CBD orally, the effects are usually long in coming, because CBD has to first get in the stomach, and undergo metabolism, before getting discharged into your bloodstream.
It’s ultimately a personal decision on how you want to consume CBD.
Factors to Consider when Buying and Consuming CBD Oil
- Only buy CBD extracted from domestically-grown, non-GMO hemp.
- Ensure that the product doesn’t have any harmful chemicals.
- Ensure that the product underwent 3rd party lab-testing.
- Only buy from reputable companies.
- Get sufficient doses and don’t overdose.
Health Benefits of CBD Oil
Senior citizens don’t use CBD oil to fight osteoarthritis alone; it is effective against many other health problems like:
Glaucoma: this condition is characterized by a damaged optic nerve, and in worse cases, it can lead to blindness. CBD has been proven to minimize the pressure that causes glaucoma.
Nausea: this condition is rife among those on medication. If you constantly feel the urge of throwing up, it can discourage you from eating, thus reducing your energy. But CBD stimulates your hunger cells so that you will want to eat again and not feel nauseated.
Bone loss: the more bone you lose, the frailer you become. CBD preserves your bone mass and helps you become a strong person.
Insomnia: it’s one of the most troubling conditions one may have. In the dead of the night when everyone is asleep, you’d be struggling to fall (or stay) asleep, and the next day you are likely to be irritable and low-energy. CBD is proven to induce deep and restful sleep.
Dementia: one of the main symptoms of this illness is forgetfulness. CBD can help strengthen your memory capacity.
Some of the other problems that CBD helps senior citizens to overcome include addiction, cardiovascular disease, mood disorders, anxiety, and Alzheimer’s disease.