Since the Farm Bill was passed in 2018, there has been a spark created by CBD products, creating a huge shift throughout health and wellness communities. The common result has been people discovering a natural source of relief for conditions and issues regarding their health.
According to what has been found through several studies and a ton of research, there are over 50 conditions, including multiple sclerosis, arthritis, several disorders related to stress, epilepsy, and many others.
While CBD products are able to provide benefits for consumers of any age, in this article, we are going to go over a few of the most popular benefits CBD oil provides to our friends in their golden years, or close to them. The senior crowd experiences more of these health-related issues than any other age group.
We will explore a few of the incredible benefits CBD oil provides for senior citizens. We will discuss the impact these products create on people of this specific age group.
A serious health problem for America, especially with seniors
In the United States in the year 2020, there are over 45 million people who are over 65 years young. Many of these people are happily able to make the transition into the golden years of their life. Each of us gets older. It just happens. Many of these people enjoy the older years of life more than any other time period.
As true as this is, our bodies will age naturally as the years go by. From time to time, this will create serious threats as far as the condition of our health. The majority of us are going to experience these effects. It doesn’t necessarily mean we have done something wrong or have not lived a healthy life. Again, getting old just happens if you want to live a long life. Here are just a few facts some major institutions have found through study and research.
- There are over five million senior citizens who suffer from Alzheimer’s.
- Over one million seniors are suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
- There are well over 300,000 seniors in the United States who have MS.
- Arthritis is a part of life for over 49 percent of people over the age of 65.
- Anxiety issues are a serious issue for over 27 percent of America’s seniors.
These and many other studies show us that living in our 60s can be painful and exhausting. On top of this, more people are reaching this age than at any time before. Something has to be done if we want to be able to enjoy living to be an older age. We will use the rest of this article to discuss how CBD could be the answer many people are searching for.
How seniors benefit from CBD
Cannabidiol, better known as CBD, is one of the many cannabinoids we are given from a Cannabis plant. Similar to the other cannabinoids, CBD is able to interact with our body’s receptors. These receptors are located in our endocannabinoid system. There is a ton of completed research showing us the ECS is the catalyst behind the positive effects we experience from a Cannabis plant. This is also why a psychoactive cannabinoid such as THC is able to produce effects that alter the mind of the user.
Speaking of THC, we need to clear up a common misconception of CBD, specifically among people who aren’t using a CBD product. Because CBD does not contain any of these psychoactive components such as THC, you will not get high from using CBD oil. It doesn’t matter the type of product you use or the amount you are using. You will not get high from using CBD oil. Still, CBD delivers many of the properties associated with health and wellness we get from the Cannabis plant.
Now that we have touched base on what CBD is and what it definitely will not do, let’s look at how CBD is able to benefit users, specifically in their older age.
Managing pain with CBD
The area we will discuss first is CBD’s benefit of relieving an issue almost everyone experiences after reaching a certain age. Inflammation and pain. With almost half of America’s seniors dealing with Arthritis and over 75 percent of them having to suffer from chronic pain in one form or another, having to live with pain is something many seniors are forced to struggle within their day-to-day lives. With the use of a CBD product, it doesn’t have to be.
Plenty of studies and research completed providing results that show CBD can both lower inflammation and be a great source of pain relief. Regardless if the pain is experienced as joint or muscle pain, MS, or Arthritis, CBD can make the pain disappear. With CBD oil, different receptors are activated throughout the ECS. Experts have been able to discover when a patient uses CBD for pain treatment, there is a significant reduction in the pain with no additional negative side effects.
When you compare this with a more traditional pain reliever either bought over the counter or with a prescription, you rarely find something effective on pain without causing additional issues, making it a give and take scenario with the medication. This is why many doctors and physicians are beginning to recommend using CBD oil for pain more often, especially with their older patients.
Improving bone health with CBD
Osteoporosis is a common condition the majority of us are forced to endure as our bodies naturally start aging. During the process of Osteoporosis, the bones inside our bodies begin losing minerals which are vital, causing them to become brittle and fragile. This results in our body’s bones becoming more prone to a break or fracture. This can result in seniors experiencing pain with bone injuries that are much worse than they would normally be in a younger person.
With men over the age of 60, a fall is the leading cause of death. Also, 25 percent of men over 50 and 33 percent of women will suffer from an osteoporotic fracture. With these numbers being so high, the health of our bones is becoming more of a serious issue for older generations.
Along with decreasing inflammation and repairing cell damage, research and study have shown us CBD can play a role in strengthening our bones. It can even increase the healing process if someone does have a bone fracture or bone break.
There is still plenty of study and research needing to be completed to determine the exact viability and what method of using CBD is most effective with these cases. Still, the testimonies of both seniors getting positive results, along with what their doctors are saying lead us to believe it is simply a matter of completing the research.
Getting better sleep with CBD
Insomnia and other sleeping disorders are conditions people suffer from at any age. That being said, with someone over the age of 60, these disorders are becoming more and more common. Maybe, it’s not so much that they are happening more as people are becoming more and more comfortable talking about the issues with a doctor.
It has been suggested by many experts that shifting in one’s sleeping patterns as a person increases in age, along with changes in the body’s chemical makeup resulting from medical conditions and medications the person is taking plays a huge role in these sleeping disorders with older people. These conditions can be even more harmful to seniors because the time we are sleeping is the time used by the body to flush harmful toxins, allowing the body to restore itself.
When this begins happening, it is very common for seniors to simply add another medication to what they are already taking, one that helps them get a better night’s sleep. Sure, this may provide relief for the person short term, in the long run, they often will create an even bigger issue as far as damage to vital organs and other negative side effects.
When CBD is used, the person is able to remain calm, fighting stress, anxiety, and worry which may come with sleeping problems. Also, it gets rid of the need to take prescriptions and medications that can be harmful, resulting in other health-related issues. If you need another reason, many of the medications and sleeping aids someone will use leave you waking up feeling tired or drowsy. With using a CBD product, you will wake up energized and refreshed, ready to face your day head-on.
Improving heart health with CBD
The American College of Cardiology says heart disease is a condition more older adults have, more than any other, and the result is death in an alarming rate of instances. With high blood pressure being a serious issue in over half of Americans this isn’t a very big surprise.
According to the data from recent studies and research, CBD could be a natural and effective treatment for those with high blood pressure. In 2017, 10 men were treated with a 600 mg CBD dose. It was discovered that the resting blood pressure was lowered in these men.
The study also concluded CBD was great in terms of relieving stress and how it is responded to, creating a blood pressure that was lower than normal. Also, it was found the CBD’s antioxidant properties can lower cardiac inflammation and prevent the death of cells, another effect of high stress, and responding to it negatively.
This is by no means a complete list of all the ways in which using a CBD product can be beneficial for seniors. This is simply a small look into how it can help with a few of the more common serious issues people face concerning their health after the age of 60.
Regardless of how old someone is, there should always be a serious discussion with a doctor before using CBD for relief for these issues. This is especially true if you are taking any medications regularly, despite whether they are bought over the counter or something that is being prescribed. Be sure the conversation with your doctor includes the reason why you are wanting to use CBD oil, as well as which methods of use and dose that will be in your best interests.