Major Diseases CBD may help or cure in the future

Did you know that cannabis was used by the Chinese for anesthesia before surgical procedures? It was about 2900 B.C

 Despite several studies about the beneficial effects of some phytocannabinoids, using them as medicine is controversial and debatable nowadays by skeptics and those against marijuana legalization.   I suppose that this is caused somewhat by the idea that cannabis is only a recreational drug with no real-world use as most only think of THC when cannabis is mentioned while CBD is a lesser-known component to the general public. Cannabinol (CBD) is currently being studied to be used in the treatment of several diseases such as epilepsy, inflammatory diseases, and pain.

Painkilling

Let’s start with one of the most promising features of CBD which is its ability to subdue or even completely kill many different kinds of pain. Everybody has felt intense and or nagging pain at some point of your life and depending on the intensity and duration it can be unbearable and this greatly diminishes the quality of life for so many around the world.  Treatment of pain was one of the first use of phytocannabinoids in the medical field. A lot of studies have shown that the endocannabinoid system is involved in pain regulation. Inflammatory pain is caused by several processes. One of them is realizing several mediators from immunology cells (histamine, prostanoids, NGF, etc.) Several studies supported the involvement of CBD in the modulation of chronic pain. Why does it work so well? CB2 receptors are located on a lot of immune system’s cells. If we could affect this receptor we would, in theory, be able to modulate the level of NGF.   Therefore we could modulate the intensity of perception of the feeling of pain, or at least that’s the idea. Unfortunately, phytocannabinoids which have an effect on CB2 and CB1 receptors in the brain can also cause side effects such as problems with learning and memory so theres going to need to allot more studies done in the field before we can rely on CBD for certain treatments but it looks very promising.   Some studies from the beginning of 2000 have even shown selective agonist for CB2 receptors, which do not have side effects connected with memory. These substances are AM1241 and JWH133[1][2]. We should talk about the first of these substances. Studies have shown that AM1241 activates an opioid receptor (the same, which is used for analgesia using naloxone or naltrexone). The last issue which can indicate CBR2 role in analgesia is located in the nervous system. Some studies have shown that there are CB2 receptors in microglia (an immune component of the brain) and dorsal root ganglion (part of the pain pathway).  Using CBD as a painkiller can reduce the number of opioids used in pain treatment and given the current opioid epidemic that could be a godsend. 

Diabetes

This is one of the most common chronic diseases in modern society. There are two types of this disease: type 1(T1) and type 2(T2). We should talk about one interesting effect of CBD on type 1. This approach of diabetes is caused by the destruction of pancreatic cells by the human inflammatory system. This cascade leads to decrease of inulin secretion, which causes hyperglycemia. One of the mechanisms of destruction is inflammation.  As we know, the stimulation of CB2 receptors decreases this reaction. So, some researchers have made interesting studies where they compare two groups of mice with T1. One of them was treated with CBD, the another was not. After some period of time, scientists noticed that mice in the first group have milder inflammatory than mice in group 2. Also, mice in group 1 have pancreases in better shape than mice in group 2.

Diabetes causes a lot of complications, such as nephropathy (DN). DN is characterized by increased glomerular permeability for proteins. Sometimes it leads to renal glomerulosclerosis and impairment. Some studies, based on mice model of DN, have shown that the expression of  CB1 increases on podocytes during DN. It is claimed that blockage of this receptor can lead to dropping of the albuminuria. Ok, some of the known cannabinoids can make a difference in renal impairment, but maybe there is a cannabinol-like substance, which can block this kind of receptor?  Also, there are CB2 receptors in the kidneys. Research has shown on animal models that stimulating CB2 receptors will reduce inflammation, which can improve the function of kidneys. Of course, we need a lot more studies to medically prove the benefits of cannabinoids in nephropathy but again in so many fields, CBD is looking extremely promising. We have to consider and study the roles of CB1 in the human model of nephropathy. Undoubtedly, there is big hope and many are optimistic that Cbd will lead to many breakthroughs for new medicines for diabetics and others suffering from nephropathy. [3][4][5]

Epilepsy

Its claimed that people have used cannabis in epilepsy treatment for over a thousand years. Where they conscious of its effect on the mind? We do not know for sure but you have to think they noticed the connection.  Nowadays, there are a lot of studies which show the benefits of cannabis in epilepsy, especially in the type that’s rather traditional treatment-resistant and to many young children who seem not to respond to various other intense and or invasive treatments. Scientists have shown, that using CBD as a medicament for these patients can reduce seizures to 40%.  It cannot be overstated how much of an improvement this can be to the quality of life for many.  It is claimed that cannabinoids are the most beneficial for patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome and in recent years CBD has become considered a trusted and safe treatment method for these patients.[6][7]

 As we are seeing more and more every day cannabinoids are proving to be a bright beacon of light and hope for so many patients dealing with so many chronic diseases around the globe.  Of course there may be some that don’t react as expected or even those that have adverse reactions as with any life-saving drugs there will need to be many more in-depth studies, resources , education and funding put toward CBD before it can reach even near its full potential in the medical field but for so many this miracle compound is proving to be a glimmer of hope at regaining lost quality of life and for they’re sake we can only hope CBD turns out to be the medical miracle it’s shaping up to be.