Cannabis for Pain Relief: Can This Ancient Medicine Really Tackle Chronic Symptoms?

As poll after poll shows, Americans are turning to cannabis in record numbers. Most tellingly, a whopping 93% approve of cannabis when recommended by a physician. According to many of the customers at Perris cannabis dispensaries, relief from pain is the #1 reason they seek medical cannabis in the first place.

Why? No great surprise there: As far back as 2900 BCE, Chinese physicians were using cannabis to treat pain and inflammation (along with many of the other conditions we use it for today). Today, a host of clinical studies only confirm what those ancient doctors knew: That when it’s used consciously and intentionally, cannabis can be a game-changer in the treatment of pain, providing relief by easing symptoms (and reducing dependence on objectively harmful pharmaceuticals such as opioids).

In this article, we’ll dive into a number of the most important questions about using cannabis for pain relief, including:

• Understanding Chronic Pain
• Cannabis for Pain: Understanding Cannabinoids
• Choosing Cannabis Strains to Help Manage Pain

Understanding Chronic Pain

Pain of one kind or another is a fact of life. For most of medical history, doctors understood it to be a symptom or side-effect of an injury or other medical problem. It’s only recently that researchers have begun to shift their thinking on chronic pain, recognizing that it’s a serious disorder in and of itself. How serious? In the United States, chronic pain afflicts more people than cancer, heart disease and diabetes combined. As such, pain is currently the most common cause of long-term disability in this country.

Even though our community is known for its youthful and active population, pain can strike any demographic. That’s one reason Perris cannabis dispensaries always stocks cannabis products designed to address chronic pain (we’ll share some specifics in a moment).

But even though pain is so common, that doesn’t mean that everyone experiences it in quite the same way. Researchers currently classify pain into three major types:

• Nociceptive Pain: Because it results from a physical injury, this type of pain is the easiest to diagnose and understand. Nociceptive pain is often treated with anti-inflammatory medications.

• Neuropathic Pain: This type of pain can also be caused by a physical injury, but it refers specifically to injury to a nerve (neuropathic pain is sometimes called “nerve pain”). This type of pain doesn’t typically respond to anti-inflammatories.

• Central Pain: Sometimes called“mystery pain,” central pain occurs in the absence of a physical injury. One of the one best-known examples is fibromyalgia, a difficult-to-diagnose condition.

While each of these types of pain is distinct from one another, cannabis has the potential to treat all three of them in different ways. Here’s how it works.

Cannabis for Pain: Understanding Cannabinoids

The cannabis plant contains an astonishing number of natural chemicals. But the most significant are a group of roughly 150 compounds called “cannabinoids.” You’re probably familiar with the two most abundant ones: THC and CBD. When we ingest cannabis, these cannabinoids interact with a regulatory network called the Endocannabinoid System to impart a wide variety of effects. These include THC’s distinctively euphoric “high” and CBD’s gentle anxiolytic—or anxiety-reducing—properties.

Both THC and CBD are anti-inflammatories, meaning that they work with the body to help reduce pain and swelling at sites of injuries. In addition, THC blocks pain signals as they pass through the spinal cord to the brain. Even that euphoric high serves a purpose: It’s believed to naturally increase the activity of our pain-killing opioid receptors without resorting to potentially harmful opioid drugs.

As we mentioned, CBD is a natural anti-inflammatory. But like THC, it’s doing double duty in reducing localized pain by activating signaling and repair cells. And also like THC, CBD initiates pain-reducing mechanisms in the brain, dampening pain signals as they’re received there.

So, we know that cannabis has the ability to fight pain in a number of different ways. But just like there are many types of pain, there are many types of cannabis—you can find many dozen at a Perris cannabis dispensary at any one time. Here, then, are some pointers to help you find the most effective medicine for specific types of pain.

Choosing Cannabis Strains to Help Manage Pain

Every cannabis product we sell is labeled with a cannabinoid ratio, which spells out the proportion of THC to CBD. This is crucial information when it comes to determining which cannabis strains will work best with each type of pain.

• When it comes to nociceptive pain—the kind that follows a physical injury—many researchers suggest using a cannabis product that contains a more or less balanced ratio between THC and CBD. Because each cannabinoid works in different ways, you’ll get the maximum benefit of each one’s anti-inflammatory and other pain-fighting properties. What’s more, the balanced ratio tends to lessen the potentially distracting euphoric and psychoactive effects of THC when compared with a high-THC strain.

• In the case of neuropathic (or “nerve” pain), products high in THC can stimulate our endocannabinoid receptors to provide relief through euphoria. But again, CBD may be useful in this case. While the results aren’t conclusive, a 2012 study indicated that CBD might be effective against some instances of neuropathic pain.

• Then there’s central (or “mystery”) pain. Because our understanding of this type of pain is still unfolding, there are many questions still to be answered. In one study conducted on 26 fibromyalgia patients, every test subject found that cannabis improved their condition. Another, more recent study again found that cannabis improved quality of life for many subjects. But when it comes to choosing the best cannabis strain or product for central pain, more research is needed. That’s why some clinicians suggest trying a product with an equal ratio of THC to CBD in order to take advantage of these two powerful pain-killing compounds.

Cannabis for Pain Relief: In Conclusion

As you can see, there are a number of different ways cannabis can help provide pain relief. But no matter what cannabis strain or product you try, it’s important to point out a key aspect of using cannabis medicine: It’s important to carefully regulate your dosage.

Why? Because cannabis is biphasic, meaning that its effects change depending on its dosage. And while it may sound counterintuitive, research indicates that the majority of us actually experience greater pain relief—and other medical benefits—from using smaller amounts of cannabis.
Do you need guidance in using cannabis for pain relief? The staff at a Perris cannabis dispensary are always happy to field your questions.