At some point in history, the cannabis plant was used to treat a series of ailments or conditions of the body; at that time, the mechanisms by which this plant achieved such good effects were not exactly known, after a period of inactivity Health issues, because it is considered a drug, this concern has arisen again.
Thanks to scientific advances, it has been possible to separate the components of the plant to be investigated individually, and thanks to this, today, we can say that many of the plant compounds are beneficial in pain, inflammation, and much more, among they are the CBD or cannabidiol.
It is in this way that we propose the use of this wonderful compound to treat conditions such as endometriosis, which has pain as its main characteristic, then we investigate the power of cannabinoids on this disease, the contributions of science to verify this interaction, and some real-life cases that demonstrate the effectiveness of the plant.
Endometriosis: what you need to know.
Endometriosis is defined as an abnormal increase in endometrial tissue, where it grows outside the uterus, normally affecting the pelvic organs, such as ovaries, fallopian tubes, and the tissue that lines the pelvis; this condition can cause irritation and later take the form of tissue scarring, which in turn would result in adhesion of the pelvic organs, causing serious complications.
The most common symptom of this disease is pain, which is sometimes quite intense, especially during menstruation periods known as dysmenorrhea, pain when urinating or evacuating, as well as pain when practicing sexual acts, infertility in some cases, and bleeding abundantly excessive, it can also present more general symptoms such as fatigue, bloating, constipation and diarrhea.
Any of the considerations which can cause this condition can be retrograde menstruation, it consists of a regression of the blood during menstruation, which contains endometrial cells, adhering these to the pelvic walls and adjacent organs; We also have disorders of the immune system, where an inability of the immune system is observed to identify and destroy endometrial cells that grow outside the uterus.
Another cause could be surgical scars after hysterectomies or cesarean sections where endometrial cells adhere to them, causing the same process of affection; In short, the causes can be numerous, all affecting the walls of the endometrium and its adjacent organs.
Finally, we can limit the risk factors of this disease, such as menopause in advanced ages, low body mass index, abnormalities of the reproductive system, family history of endometriosis, menarche at an early age, high levels of estrogens, never give birth, and more.
How Does CBD Help Endometriosis According to Science?
A 2010 study consisted of investigating endometriosis in rats treated with endocannabinoids, showing that these could regulate the abnormal growth of endometrial cells and that exogenous cannabinoids such as CBD could treat symptoms such as severe pain, also expressed like menstrual cramps.
On the other hand, in 2016, the presence of an imbalance in the endocannabinoid system in women with endometriosis was associated, as well as a parallel between severe pain and menstrual cramps, having as a conclusion that CBD being a stabilizer of the endocannabinoid system and mitigating painful processes, it becomes an excellent option as a treatment for this condition.
In 2017, Jerome Bouazi, obstetrician-gynecologist and Alexandra Baron urologist, investigated the relationship of the endocannabinoid system with the body in the face of pain, and explained that there should be great importance of addressing SEC to treat pain in endometriosis; they studied several mechanisms by which pain occurs, resulting in a connection of all of them with the SEC.
A recent study published, carried out by various researchers, showed the benefits of a CB1 antagonist to relieve pain in endometriosis in mice, which allows concluding that not only CBD can help in the treatment of this condition, but that also an interaction between endocannabinoid receptors CB1 and THC, can help alleviate the most serious symptoms of this disease.
Patients gave their point of view.
- An interesting story is that of a woman who tells us how she lives under an outbreak of endometriosis, taking powerful painkillers for years, risking the lining of her stomach with high doses of these drugs; however, she knew it, but the pain was so strong that it made her do it anyway, it was the only way to work and pay her bills, trying to lead a normal life.
After years he had to change his diet and also stop painkillers, so that meant day after day of severe pain., but at that precise moment, the CBD arrived to help with his problem, directly to alleviate his pain from endometriosis, in addition, with the characteristic of being able to appease those psychotropic effects of THC, this was no longer a problem. “Although CBD does not completely eradicate pain when they are very intense, it does cause great relief without side effects.”
- On the other hand, we have Ana María, 35 years old, who has lived for ten years with the diagnosis of deep endometriosis and severe anemia; after long years of process, where severe pain appeared and abundant bleeding, Ana saw herself in need to put himself under treatment, administering hormones, pills, and others, which only worsened the situation, in addition to causing the side effects of these medications.
A completely horrible year passed, he could not even work; at that time, he had an analgesic treatment with tramadol, which made him very sleepy and did not allow him to enjoy enough energy to carry out daily activities; in addition to that, his appetite decreased considerably. The following years were pretty bad, full of painful operations, and the same constant pain. Ana decided to smoke marijuana when she experienced intense pain, which has helped her a lot to cope with the disease; Ana María says that, if it is to have surgery again, it would be a hysterectomy; unfortunately, she had already made the decision not to have children, as long as the pain will be eradicated.
We remember that marijuana also comes from the cannabis plant; however, use oils rich in CBD is the best option, since the THC content in marijuana is higher than that of the oil, so the choice would be much safer and more effective, being able to carry a medical treatment with this.
- Diana, a woman who was also a victim of the diagnosis of endometriosis when she was just 23 years old, is a faithful user of CBD since the appearance of this compound of cannabis in her life was quite beneficial to treat the symptoms of her disease Because after many years with different conventional medications, he did not see optimal results, and he experienced side effects from them.
Diana uses ointments and topicals that help with pelvic and abdominal pain; she also includes sprays and moisturizers, which help her when it comes to having any sexual activity or the same menstruation. Diana notes that when you use CBD or any product that contains cannabis compounds, you notice a big difference in you fall asleep, as well as concentration, mood, and other associated symptoms.
We can conclude that. . .
Both CBD and THC are beneficial compounds for the treatment of symptoms in endometriosis, mainly helping the pain that affects patients so much, as well as other symptoms that, however defenseless they may seem, over time could cause great damage in the organism.
Though there are not many studies that involve the use of cannabinoids in the treatment of endometriosis, there is the necessary information to place cannabis compounds as natural pain relievers that do not produce relevant side effects, however, since the main symptom and For which the quality of life of many women is reduced, it is an intense pain, we can evaluate the response of CBD to the presence of chronic pain in our article dedicated to this interaction.
If you are thinking of starting the use of CBD to treat the symptoms of endometriosis, we recommend that you consult it before with a specialist doctor; this will allow evaluating the reaction of the components in your body, as well as an appropriate dosage and a possible substitution of conventional treatment or in this case, a reduction in it, this would avoid the organic damage they usually produce.
Finally, CBD, a natural compound, without relevant side effects, non-psychoactive, and that inhibits the psychoactivity of other compounds such as THC, easy to administer, without the risk of overdose, is the ideal compound to treat severe pain in endometriosis.
