Can Cannabis Help Peripheral Artery Disease?

Can Cannabis Help Peripheral Artery Disease?

cannabis artery periphery

More than 8,000,000 people in the US alone are suffering from Peripheral Artery Disease. There are even more, but they are not even aware of it. But what is Peripheral Artery Disease? Most commonly, the lower parts of the body, hips, thighs, and calves, experience muscle cramps while walking or exercising. The pain often goes away when the movement stops. Working muscles need more oxygen and blood flow, where resting muscles can get away with using less oxygen.

When there is a plaque (fatty deposit) build-up on the artery walls, it is called arteriosclerosis. Also, things like smoking, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and aging bring change to the arteries. All of these factors could cause Peripheral Artery Disease.

Restless Leg Syndrome should not be confused with Peripheral Artery Disease. The causes and how cannabis can help get addresses at length in the linked article published in Cannabis.net in 2017. In short, it is caused by a disorder in the nervous system that causes an urge to move the legs and is also seen as a sleep disorder.

How CBD Oil Helps Peripheral Artery Disease.

The Cannabidiol found in the cannabis plant helps to regulate the immune system. It is also very helpful to relieve pain and discomfort. Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) is not actually an autoimmune disease, but rather a common circulatory problem. Because blood flow is restricted, it causes pain in mostly the legs to such an extent that it is hard to walk easily. Eventually, the blood flow to the heart and brain also gets affected.

It is not easy to identify the symptoms relating to PAD and some people don´t realize they have PAD until the pain becomes severe. Common symptoms include:

Cramping in both hips, calves, and thigh muscles
Numbness or weakness in the legs
The skin on the legs turn shiny or turn pale or light purple
Very low or weak pulse in legs or feet
Feeling of coldness in feet and legs
Brittle toenails or slow-growing toenails
Sores on toes of feet that heal very slowly
Erectile dysfunction

In a case study, a person shared how after 40 years of smoking, he suffered a heart attack and was taken up in the hospital for quite a while. After he was released, he really had a hard time walking without experiencing excruciating pain. He was diagnosed with PAD and told that there is no cure for it. He started his own investigation and found encouraging feedback on CBD Oil.

He got himself some CBD oil and started out with finding CBD oil from different vendors. He started out low with increasing the dosage over time. He would take two serving per day at breakfast and then at dinner. He decided to use one full dropper of oil sublingually. He kept the oil under his tongue for a full minute before he swallowed it.

Here is what happened

Before he started with his treatment, the doctor encouraged him to walk for exercise after he was released from the hospital. For 5 months he tried to walk, but it became so painful that he had to stop every 75 yards. Everything felt that it was on fire. When he started with his CBD oil treatment, after as little as 2 weeks, he could walk the distance of 1 ½ mile with almost no pain. He did that 4 to 5 times daily without having to stop frequently. The pain did not disappear completely, but it was totally bearable. In fact, not did it just relieve the pain in his muscles, but the CBD oil also brought an overall change in his physique.

What More Can Cannabis Do to Help with Peripheral Artery Disease?

Cannabis has anti-inflammatory properties that help with inflammation in people suffering from PAD. CBD gets activated by the CB2 receptors and helps to reduce inflammation.

Diabetes and PAD – People diagnosed with Diabetes 1 and 2 have significant problems with blood circulation. As a result, they also suffer from PAD then. Those who use marijuana to treat their diabetes were found to metabolize carbohydrates better. Cannabis users have a lower fasting insulin level and are less resistant to their own natural insulin. It enables them to maintain their regular blood-sugar levels to a point where insulin injections in type 1 diabetes are greatly reduced. The progression in Type 2 diabetes is also potentially slowed down as CBD helps the body to naturally regulate blood sugar.

CBD also acts as a Neuroprotectant

Cannabis helps to prevent nerve inflammation and decrease neuropathic pain. It further aids in improving circulation by keeping the blood vessels open. It also acts as an anti-spasmodic agent that is especially helpful in reducing muscle pain.

Closing Thoughts

In the medical world today, there is no known cure for PAD. But by experimenting with CBD oil, it is found that a disorder like Peripheral Artery Disease can be helped. It might take a bit of self- searching to find the best dosage for yourself, but ultimately it would be to your advantage.