Can CBD help with PTSD?
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a disorder that develops in people who have experienced a shocking, dangerous, or frightening event. When this occurs, the actual chemistry of the brain is changed, leaving the victim’s stress and adrenaline hormones extremely sensitive. This leads to a myriad of symptoms in sufferers, including but not limited to insomnia, agoraphobia, flashbacks, and extreme anxiety. For years PTSD has been one of the biggest mysteries in the medical field in terms of how to effectively treat the disease, but researchers have recently made an interesting discovery that could help to finally change that forever. Currently there are no medications specifically geared towards treating PTSD, but new research focusing on the endocannabinoid system – the system in our bodies that produces and accepts cannabinoids – have found an interesting correlation between the active level of cannabinoids in the body and those who have been diagnosed with PTSD.
Martin Lee, a director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and Project CBD, has studied PTSD and its relationship to cannabinoids in depth, stating:
“Researchers found that people with PTSD had lower levels of anandamide, an endogenous cannabinoid compound, compared to those who did not show signs of PTSD,” and continues to say that, “Innate to all mammals, anandamide (our inner cannabis, so to speak) triggers the same receptors that are activated by THC and other components of the marijuana plant.”
“Scientists have determined that normal CB-1 receptor (the receptor in our body responsible for accepting the cannabinoid anandamide) signaling deactivates traumatic memories and endows it with the gift of forgetting, but skewed CB-1 signaling, due to endocannabinoid deficits (low serum levels of anandamide), results in impaired fear extinction, aversive memory consolidation, and chronic anxiety, the hallmarks of PTSD.”
Simply put, a deficiency in the endocannabinoid anandamide seems to be the linchpin to PTSD. Although some patients have access to marijuana, one of the main issues in treating PTSD with marijuana (outside of the obvious legality issues) is that THC has been known to induce anxiety in many people, and because PTSD at its’ core is an anxiety disorder, this can be a serious deal breaker. CBD, on the other hand, is completely legal in all 50 states and affects the endocannabinoid system just as the THC found in marijuana would and simultaneously acts to counter the paranoia and anxiety associated with it. In other words, it has the potential to effectively treat the symptoms of PTSD just as marijuana does without any of the negative issues that come with it. Unfortunately, there is currently no medication available that can fully counter the damage done by PTSD, but for many patients who suffer from this crippling disease, CBD has been able provide ease for many patients when nothing else can. To try CBD for yourself, visit JohnnyAppleCBD today.
