Medicinal hemp is often advertised as a product that might be able to help with various types of inflammations. Scientists believe that this substance has strong anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties, which is probably the reason why they see CBD oil for gout as a valid treatment.
Although there is a lot of enthusiasm surrounding cannabidiol products, we need additional medical data to be certain that it can truly assist with this ailment. At this point, it is all based on presumptions.
In this article, we will analyze CBD oil and gout, how it might work, and whether you should consider it. Check it out!
What is gout?
Gout is very painful joint inflammation. It causes severe pain and swelling, accompanied by redness and stiffness. As time goes by, these symptoms will become even more severe.
Keep in mind that these symptoms may be chronic, acute, or a person can even be asymptomatic. Gout is caused by the accumulation of uric acid in the blood.
This condition is often referred to as “King’s disease.” Throughout history, it was much more common among nobility. Although it was on a decline for a while, gout is now making a full comeback.
In the last 20 years, the number of Americans suffering from the ailment has steadily increased. This probably has to do with a bad diet and lack of physical activity.
Main factors leading to the appearance of gout
As already mentioned, gout is often accredited to poor life choices. It is common among people who don’t take care of themselves. However, it may also be caused by genetic factors and age.
When talking about lifestyle choices that lead to gout, here are some of the most common culprits:
- Alcohol consumption
- A lot of bacon, turkey, beer, liver, and some other foods in your diet
- Certain drugs can lead to the development of gout
- Too much fat around the waist
- Metabolic syndrome
A person who drinks moderately (or doesn’t drink at all) and has a diverse diet is much less susceptible to this condition.
The most common symptoms of gout
Like other inflammations, gout can easily be recognized by redness, burning, stiffness, and swelling. These issues will attack the joints, and they will likely become more and more severe, especially if left untreated. Gout usually appears on ankles, knees, elbows, wrists, fingers, and big toes.
The issue appears when uric acid starts accumulating in the blood. The acid will begin crystalizing, and you will feel as if you have sharp objects within your body. It will focus on areas around previously mentioned joints. In a lot of cases, the patient will feel sharp, unbearable pain in the area.
If a person is suffering from an acute version of gout, the pain will be especially strong during the first day, half of the day. Unfortunately, this symptom may last from 3 to 10 days.
If you don’t treat acute gout, it will lead to a chronic version of the ailment, which causes the appearance of hard lumps. These lumps will affect joints, skin, and surrounding tissue, slowly leading to permanent damage, lack of flexibility.
How can you benefit from CBD?
The main value of CBD for gout lies in its potential analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. There have been a lot of user reports claiming that the substance can provide such an impact on our bodies, but there is no conclusive medical evidence that would confirm these statements. So, caution is advised if you intend to use cannabidiol for gout.
But, besides treatment of symptoms, there is another potential way CBD can work for gout. The substance may work by treating the underlying issue. In other words, it might help your metabolic processes so that the accumulation of uric acid doesn’t occur.
CBD is often linked to various metabolic changes. In fact, one of the most common side effects of this substance is a change in appetite. Experts also believe that CBD oil can play a major part in stimulating weight loss.
In other words, it might help a patient who is struggling to eliminate fat accumulating around his waist. While it will not directly “remove” fat, it could turn it from white fat to brown fat. This second type of fat is important for thermogenesis, which is a process that helps burn calories.
Besides the impact on fat, it might harmonize other processes such as sleep, mood, stress, which might also be linked, in some way, to your struggles.
Using CBD oil for gout
So, how should you use CBD for gout?
The product can be used in various ways, but you have to find the right one. Depending on the method of administration, you might experience different effects.
For example, CBD oil for gout can be used orally, sublingually, by inhaling it or applying it to the skin. However, we presume that the best method of administration is topically, as an ointment.
When applied topically, CBD oil will not reach your bloodstream. Instead, it might affect skin and surface muscles. The presumption is that you can place it on an inflamed area and that it would treat issues such as swelling, redness, and most importantly, pain. You can use it only during the flair-ups, but if you want, you can also use it for a prolonged period of time.
Given the previously mentioned metabolic boosts, CBD might help with weight loss. However, if you were to use it for weight loss, you would probably need to use it as an edible or vape. So, you might even consider several application methods depending on what you wish to achieve.
How to find the right CBD oil for gout?
It is really hard to suggest a specific product for gout especially given that we don’t even know if it would work. However, here are a few things to pay attention to:
- Always focus on products that are tested by a third-party lab.
- Make sure that the hemp is organic and that it doesn’t have any toxins or irritants that would negatively affect gout.
- If a CBD has some other substances, make sure they can help with pain or inflammation.
Although we don’t know much about CBD oil and gout, these tips should at least provide a starting point.