If you’re one of the millions of women who suffer from endometriosis, then you know just how excruciating the pain can be. Over-the-counter painkillers just don’t cut it when it comes to pain management, and hormonal treatment plans often come with debilitating side effects. Intrusive surgical options are available, but they’re typically the last resort used only after all other choices have been exhausted.
With so little in the way of effective remedies, many women with endometriosis have begun looking outside the sphere of traditional medicine for relief from their pain. Some have found that cannabis helps alleviate their symptoms with limited side effects.
What Is Endometriosis?
Roughly around 10% of women across the globe deal with endometriosis—a condition in which tissue grows around the outside of the uterine cavity. Unlike the uterine lining, this excess tissue isn’t shed during menstruation, and instead gets trapped in the pelvis. During the hormonal shifts in a woman’s cycle, this tissue can become inflamed, radiating pain throughout the pelvic region and beyond.
Some symptoms of endometriosis include:
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infertility
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inflammation
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severe pain
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organ adhesion
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increased pain from period cramps
Physicians and researchers currently don’t know exactly what causes endometriosis, though there are a few possible theories. Some doctors believe endometriosis is caused by retrograde menstruation—when a woman’s menstrual flow goes in the opposite direction through the fallopian tube instead of leaving the body during menstruation. Other theories trace the root cause of endometriosis back to the immune system, or to embryonic cell development.
Can You Use CBD To Treat Endometriosis?
If you’re wondering if CBD oil cures endometriosis, the unfortunate answer is no. Currently, despite our vast advancements in the medical sciences, we’ve yet to discover any way to completely cure endometriosis. Instead, doctors, healers, and patients can only attempt to manage symptoms and reduce pain.
As CBD has become a more widely known and accessible compound, more and more people have been self-medicating with the cannabinoid—especially for historically difficult-to-treat conditions such as fibromyalgia, migraines, arthritis, and our topic today, endometriosis.
Despite incredibly promising preliminary research and mountains of anecdotal evidence, the Food and Drug Administration has yet to approve most forms of CBD for medicinal use. However, thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill, CBD is federally legal in the United States, and millions of people find compound therapeutic; regardless of an official FDA endorsement.
Early studies suggest that CBD may be an effective anti-inflammatory and interact with the endocannabinoid system to alter pain perception, which may help to explain why sufferers from endometriosis are finding relief in CBD.
How To Take CBD For Endometriosis
If you’re dealing with endometriosis pain, and are looking for a new way to try and manage your pain symptoms, CBD may be worth considering. Before beginning a regimen of CBD, consult with your doctor to make sure there are no possible interactions with other medications you may be taking.
The exact dosage of CBD for endometriosis will vary between patient and patient. Things like body weight, metabolism, and tolerance will all play a role in determining your specific dose. The best way to determine your appropriate dose is to start low, monitor the effects for a few days, and then titrate up as needed.
The CBD delivery method used will also have a significant impact on dosage. Using an edible like a gummy or capsule as a CBD treatment for endometriosis will require a higher dosage than inhalation methods due to CBD’s low oral bioavailability.
Because CBD has a much higher bioavailability when inhaled, vaporizers and CBD delivery devices like the Odin have faster-acting and more potent effects than found with other administration methods. When you’re dealing with intense pelvic pain, you want powerful, fast-acting relief, which is why these kinds of inhalation devices are some of the best CBD products for endometriosis pain currently available.
Endometriosis is a chronic condition with no cure, but that doesn’t mean you have to suffer without any relief.
