Nowadays theanxiety it affects more and more people. And although in many cases it is a natural physiological reaction of our body to stressful and threatening situations, when it becomes excessive it can turn into a pathological disorder, which can degrade our quality of life.
In this article we will understand what anxiety is, how it is treated and why the CBD it would be a valid natural alternative, free of side effects, to the anxiolytic drugs traditionally used.
Anxiety: what it is and why it occurs
Fear, tension, worry, dizziness, nausea, sweating, tachycardia and others. These are the symptoms more common than anxiety, which, as anticipated, can be caused by daily situations that stress us more than usual, or even by trauma or genetic predisposition.
The problem, however, arises when anxiety, from the body's adaptive response that prepares us to face challenges and problems, changes pathological anxiety, which interferes with normal daily activities.
Understand it the origin and the difference it is essential to better understand how to treat it, develop the best way to manage it and whether to evaluate a therapeutic intervention.
Are traditional medications for anxiety safe? The side effects
To treat anxiety, the most used drugs to reduce its symptoms are benzodiazepines. However, prolonged use of these drugs can be quite dangerous.
In fact, unlike CBD which has no side effects, traditional anxiolytics can cause addiction, drowsiness, mental confusion, weakness, dizziness, difficulty breathing and more.
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And developing an addiction to these drugs is as easy as it is dangerous. In fact, there are numerous cases of deaths from overdose from benzodiazepines. In 2013, for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention they are beyond 22 thousand people who died from drug overdoses. About 31% of the total deaths were associated with benzodiazepines prescribed for various conditions, including anxiety.
CBD: A Natural Solution for Anxiety
CBD, or cannabidiol, is a molecule extracted from cannabis that it has no psychoactive effects and it does not generate any addiction. Which acts naturally on our body and, given its numerous therapeutic properties, is used to treat various pathologies, including anxiety.
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There are numerous scientific studies that confirm the anxiolytic effects of CBD, to reduce stress levels and improve the quality of sleep, without incurring the side effects dictated by traditional drugs.
And, although it is important to consult a doctor competent to develop a treatment plan tailor-made for us, CBD is a valid option for those looking for a substitute for conventional drugs.
CBD for anxiety: safe, effective and tolerated
Published on Nature at the end of 2022, it study conducted by researchers from the Cognitive and Clinical Neuroimaging Core of the McLean Hospital Imaging Center in Belmont (Massachusetts), evaluated the anxiolytic properties of CBD, examining its impact on cognitive abilities and indicating new strategies to address anxiety-related disorders.
To do this, the researchers provided a four-week plan of full spectrum CBD (9.97 mg/mL CBD, 0.23 mg/mL THC) to be administered sublingually: 1 ml 3 times a day to 14 patients, who had been diagnosed with moderate or severe anxiety.
At the end of the study, the 100% of the people involved responded positively to the treatment. In fact, the patients' conditions improved both in terms of anxiety, the levels of which were in the fourth week dropped by more than 15%, and for related disorders such as mood changes, cognitive abilities with faster response times, the balance of the sleep-wake cycle and quality of life.
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“Initial results from this phase of this clinical trial have demonstrated significant improvement in primary anxiety outcome ratings, providing preliminary evidence that a full-spectrum, high-CBD product can be effective for treating anxiety and with few side effects,” explained the researchers.
In fact, scholars have highlighted that it was well tolerated by all and that no particular side effects were reported during treatment, but only mild levels of drowsiness and fatigue, dry mouth and, in some cases, an increase in energy.
* Photo 1 by Usman Yousaf on Unsplash
* Photo 2 by Elsa Olofsson on Unsplash
