Researchers have conducted thorough clinical trials into the net medicinal benefits of cannabinoid (CBD) oil. CBD is a natural remedy extracted from cannabis and hemp plants which, unlike marijuana’s high doses of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), does not cause the psychological high on the human brain.
CBD instead functions as medicinal support for the endocannabinoid system. Every human being has an endocannabinoid system, which promotes the flow of endocannabinoids through the body. Endocannabinoids are neurotransmitters that attach to cannabinoid receptors to mitigate the effects of pain, aches, or trauma.
CBD oil to treat seniors
CBD has become closely affiliated with the health and wellness industry due to its potential to lessen the effects of physical or mental pain. Given how CBD functions, clinical researchers have conducted numerous studies to test the remedy as a potential treatment for many debilitating health conditions, including arthritis, psoriasis, and ADHD.
Many studies have been age agnostic, allowing researchers to test CBD across all demographics. Yet, as more baby boomers enter their golden years, there’s a growing interest in understanding CBD’s potential to treat senior citizens.
According to The World Bank, nearly 10% of the global population is classified as senior citizens. In some countries, notably across North America and Europe, domestic census bureaus report senior citizen residents encompass over 20% of the national population. As more of the global population approaches their twilight years, it’s incumbent on medical researchers to identify new means of treating seniors with underlying medical conditions. The potential benefits of CBD for seniors are too prospective to ignore.
CBD for pain and anxiety in seniors
When people enter their golden years, it’s natural that both the body and the mind begin to succumb to the inevitabilities of advancing age. Naturally, senior citizens are more prone to physical pain or lapses in memory. Doctors prescribe what they can to help remedy these declines in overall health and wellbeing, but there are always new treatments on the horizon.
CBD has been tested to treat several underlying medical conditions. In addition to physical pain, researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse have tested the effects of CBD in treating social anxiety amongst rats. The preliminary trials showed a vast decline in the behavioural or symptomatic signs of anxiety in the test subjects, and they also reported significant reductions in heartbeat rates.
The early results allowed a team of researchers in Japan to conduct a human trial. The Primate Research Institute at Kyoto University acquired 37 people who suffered from social anxiety disorder to participate in the medicinal study. Over the course of 4 weeks, half of the participants received CBD oil and the other half took a placebo. At the end of the trial, the participants who took CBD reported significantly diminished signs of anxiety as measured by the Fear of Negative Evaluation Questionnaire and the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale.
Why is this important for seniors?
Social anxiety is an extreme mental and physical impairment amongst older citizens. Anywhere between 5 to 10 percent of the older population suffers from some form of anxiety, and the symptoms are nearly twice as common among women as they are in men.
Social anxiety can impact one’s ability to function in day to day life and, in some instances, is directly related to clinical depression, especially amongst seniors. As a natural remedy, CBD can be easily ingested with no prevalent side effects following the dosage, and the effects can be felt in as little as 20 minutes.
If there’s a chance to use CBD for pain and anxiety in seniors so that it can improve how they spend their golden years, that is medicinal research worth undertaking for the good of thousands of innocent people.
CBD and dementia in seniors
Similar to social anxiety, dementia is an extremely debilitating condition for older people. In fact, anxiety itself can be a diagnosable symptom of dementia, indicating more serious mental deficiencies.
Studies have tested CBD’s effect on treating symptoms of dementia and, like anxiety, the trials began by testing the effects on rodents. The results showed that mice who were given doses of CBD oil showed improved learning abilities and reductions in amyloid clumps near the brain cells. Amyloid clumps are toxic breakdowns of the amyloid protein that disrupt the brain’s ability to appropriately function.
Should the trials continue to show improvements in how the brain functions, scientists could suggest CBD as a viable treatment for dementia in humans. If the human trials show similar positive results, it stands to reason that there will be recommended use cases for CBD and dementia in seniors.
CBD dosage for seniors
Should the clinical trials point to greater potential in using CBD for seniors to treat medical conditions, the elder generation will have their pick of many CBD products to manage their doses. CBD is available in oil form, typically in capsules or tablets. But it’s also available in the form of skin lotions, bath bombs, and there are even recipes for DIY CBD edibles.
The biggest question that seniors should ask is, what is the appropriate CBD dosage?
This question was at the heart of a Forbes interview that contributor Abbie Rosner conducted with Dr. Danial Schecter, who is also the Director of Global Medical Services at Canopy Growth Corporate. When faced with this question, Dr. Schecter responded that there are no notable side effects to CBD treatments and that no human trial has resulted in a clinical overdose.
In most therapeutic studies, patients have been given doses that range from as low as 5mg of CBD oil per day to as high as 1500mg per day. Dr. Schecter said that any senior citizen should speak with their own doctor as to the recommended dosage for their unique medical condition, though he did assume that most doctors would recommend between 40mg to 100mg per day for their patients.