Today, CBD is all the rage. More and more people are turning to it for a long list of reasons. From anxiety relief and better focus to sleeping disorders and pain relief, the uses of CBD continue to grow.
What is Cannabidiol?
CBD stands for cannabidiol, which is the second most prevalent ingredient of the active ingredients found in cannabis (marijuana). It is derived directly from the hemp plant. By itself, CBD does not cause you to become “high”. It has been touted for a wide variety of health issues. One of the most successful examples is treating some of the cruelest childhood epilepsy syndromes.
What is Placebo?
However, recently, the benefits of CBD have been called into question. Specifically, how much pain relief is real? And how much is actually placebo? New research attempted to shed light on the issue, but came back with benefits that are even less clear. It would seem that expectations play a big role in whether CBD will help.
This is known as the “placebo effect”. This effect is defined as a phenomenon in which an individual experiences a benefit after being given an inactive substance or treatment. They experience effects that cannot be attributed to the properties of the substance itself. Therefore, the results are due to the patient’s belief.
How Much CBD Pain Relief is Real?
So, is CBD pain relief real? Or is it a placebo? According to the author of the recent study, Martin De Vita, “CBD-induced pain relief is not just driven by psychological placebo effects, but also pharmacological action. It’s a little bit of both.”
The study involved 15 healthy, pain-free volunteers. They all participated in experiments involving heat before and after receiving pure CBD oil. To test the placebo effect, researchers informed participants they had received CBD when they actually hadn’t and vice versa.
“CBD and expectancies reduced the emotional component of pain, or how ‘unpleasant’ it felt,” De Vita said. “Although the pain sensation was not completely eliminated, participants felt that it was less bothersome.”
Kevin Boehnke, a research investigator in the anesthesiology department and the Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center at the University of Michigan, commented: “This is an interesting small pilot study that does show that both placebo and drug effects are playing a role in how CBD affects pain.
The bottom line? It’s important to be aware of quality when choosing CBD products. Since the study was done on healthy volunteers only, there is still much to be researched about its effect on actual pain disorders. It’s a start, but more studies need to be done to really know all the true benefits of CBD.
Blair Thomas has been a music producer, bouncer, screenwriter and for over a decade has been the proud Co-Founder of eMerchantBroker, the highest rated high risk merchant account processor and cbd payment processor in the country. He has climbed in the Himalayas, survived a hurricane, and lived on a gold mine in the Yukon. He currently calls Thailand his home with a lifetime collection of his favorite books.