CBD as an Alternative Pain Treatment According to Dr. Nikesh Seth

There are a variety of new treatments to help people who suffer from chronic pain. The goal is to provide safe treatment that helps people live a normal life without impairment and side effects. Many are touting that CBD, or cannabidiol, may be such a safe and effective treatment.

In order to find out what the medical community knows about the safety and effectiveness of CBD oil, we spoke to Dr. Nikesh Seth. Dr. Seth is a board-certified pain management physician and a board-certified anesthesiologist. Dr. Seth studied biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University. There he helped developed robotics for medical uses. He then graduated from the University of Arizona School of Medicine. He completed a residency in anesthesiology at the University of Texas, Houston and a fellowship in interventional pain management at Northwestern University. He has returned to the Scottsdale, Arizona area to help patients restore full body functionality through a multi-modal approach to the management of pain.

What is Cannabidiol?

CBD oil is a substance extracted from industrial hemp plants. According to the Arthritis Foundation, our own bodies produce a kind of cannabinoid to regulate pain called endocannabinoids. Researchers believe that CBD may help our bodies regulate the endocannabinoids more effectively. According to Dr. Seth, the oil is best applied topically because ingestion has been found to be less effective in terms of aiding in pain management and inflammation.

What Are Some Potential Uses of Cannabidiol?

There are several promising uses for CBD oil. Most of the studies that have shown success, though, were on animal, not human subjects.

According to Medical News Today, the following are promising avenues of treatment:

• Reducing inflammation and pain for patients with arthritis
• Reducing spasms in patients with multiple sclerosis
• Helping patients reduce chronic pain and sleep better
• Helping people who have epilepsy and seizures
• Potentially helping Alzheimer’s victims with their symptoms
• Assisting people who are quitting drugs or tobacco products
• Treating anxiety
• Reducing psychotic symptoms in schizophrenic patients
• Helping cancer patients in pain due to chemotherapy treatments

According to the National Library of Health, we still need clinical trials of CBD oil on human patients so that the medical field can establish definitively the safety and efficacy of the drug and also determine the safe dosages for different usages.

Does it Produce a High?

The problem with many pain management drugs and treatments is that they tend to produce a “high” or impairment. People in chronic pain need to go about their lives, working and driving, in a state of sobriety, but they need relief from their symptoms. According to the Arthritis Foundation, as long as you have CBD oil that is free of THC, you will not experience a marijuana high.

What Are the Findings About the Oil’s Effectiveness?

According to WebMD, the vast majority of the studies of CBD oil have all been conducted on animals, not humans. The results have mostly been very promising, especially in the reduction of pain and inflammation, including inflammation of the brain. There is also a benefit to patients’ sleep provided by CBD oil.

What Are the Scientific Findings About the Oil’s Safety? –

According to the Harvard Medical Blog, potential side effects of CBD oil include:

• Irritability
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Negative interactions with other medicines
• An unsafe increase in liver enzymes

According to Health Line, one important safety warning about CBD oil is that it is not endorsed or regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, so there is no national standard set for purity of the drug. Medically-reviewed Very Well Health warned that the lack of regulation of this product means that there is no regulation on the level of THC in the product. Since THC is a psycho-active drug, one must approach its use with caution and only under the care and supervision of a board-certified doctor who is licensed to treat patients for pain management.

The Arthritis Foundation also urges patients to only use the product under the care of a doctor. They advise patients to begin with THC-free CBD oil and only slowly increase the dosage if needed. They strongly urge caution for anyone who is 25 years of age or younger using CBD, especially with any THC in it, because younger people are at a higher risk of becoming addicted to the drug or even becoming psychotic from its use.

Since the use of cannabis products is not legal in all states, it is important to consult your state laws in order to find out if it is even legal to use CBD oil in your state. CBD oil is for sale online and in dispensaries. WebMD News urges patients to obtain their CBD oil from dispensaries because online sources of the oil have been found to have a wide variety of dosages of the active ingredient and some contain THC, while others appear to contain little of the beneficial ingredients at all.

Due to the dearth of human clinical trials of CBD oil as an alternative pain treatment, Dr. Nikesh Seth urges patients to consult with a board-certified pain management physician in order to see if this treatment is the best option for their particular situation.