Can You Replace Vitamin Gummies with CBD Gummies for Joint Health?

Bending, twisting, and stretching: you name it, our bodies do it. Your body was designed to be flexible. But, to keep on running, dancing, and free-moving, it’s paramount that you keep your joints in good shape. Ever considered trying cbd pain relief?

Plenty of people take a daily multi-vitamin or joint supplements to ensure they are getting enough of the essential vitamins and minerals they need to support healthy joints. But, with all of the hype surrounding CBD lately, should you be making the switch from traditional gummy vitamins to cbd pain relief gummies for joint health? Let’s take a look at some of the facts.

Why You Should Be Supporting Your Joints

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) predicts that by 2040, an estimated 78 million of U.S. adults aged 18 years or older are projected to have doctor-diagnosed arthritis. In other words, more than a quarter of all adults in the United States will suffer from joint pain and inflammation. The best and most effective way to care for our joints, and hopefully to keep that number down, is to keep our muscles, ligaments, tendons, and bones strong and healthy.

Joints are the joining of two bones with a network of cartilage, muscle, and ligaments in between. You have them in your knees, elbows, hips, fingers – pretty much everywhere that moves. Unfortunately, just like our bones, it’s common for our joints to start to wear down, or degenerate, as we age.

Protecting your joints is more important than you may think. While nagging joint pain after a long workout or nasty fall can be bothersome, joint degeneration and pain can actually lead to severe damage if not addressed. Failing to keep the joints properly lubricated and strong can lead to problems like dislocations, bursitis, or most commonly, arthritis.

What’s the Deal with Vitamin Gummies?

Just like with other health conditions, diet plays a major role in joint health. Joints can begin to wear down when not provided with the right kinds of nutrients. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to guarantee that we’re incorporating just the right amount of nutrients into our diets daily. So, many people turn to multi-vitamins or vitamin gummies.

Ever since we were kids, we’ve been told that calcium and vitamin D are important for healthy bones. However, joints also benefit from fish oil, glucosamine, and chondroitin – while not fun to say (or smell, we’re looking at you, fish oil), these are naturally occurring compounds. Most vitamin supplements will include a blend of all of the above, often incorporating additional soothing elements such as turmeric. Typically taken once per day, supplementing these nutrients into our body is believed to help keep joints healthy and strong.

Switching Up the Game with CBD

With the CBD market booming, CBD gummies, oils, and capsules are popping up left and right. Studies are crediting CBD with reducing pain, soothing anxiety, and even helping treat epileptic seizures. But, before we get into what CBD could mean for the joints, let’s go over some basics.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a cannabinoid derived from the cannabis plant, or for medical purposes, from hemp. It’s important to note that unlike THC, the other popular cannabinoid found in cannabis, CBD has no psychoactive properties – meaning it won’t make you feel high.

While CBD is a plant-based cannabinoid, similar cannabinoids are naturally produced by our bodies. We call these endocannabinoids, with “endo” meaning “within.” The body’s endocannabinoids act as part of the larger endocannabinoid system (ECS), which regulates pain, immune function, sleep, stress-response, and more.

The body has cannabinoid receptors throughout, from the brain and the immune system to the body’s largest organ – the skin. Recent research has led doctors to believe that when we introduce CBD to the body, it encourages our own receptors to create more of our own endocannabinoids, creating a chain reaction throughout the body. Now, here’s what that might be able to do for the joints.

CBD Can Help Alleviate Inflammation

When we introduce cannabinoids into the body through CBD products, we could be stimulating our own endocannabinoid production. With endocannabinoids responsible for keeping the body in balance, a higher level of endocannabinoids can help regulate the body’s more unpleasant functions, like inflammation and pain.

The exact mechanism is still unknown, but a 2009 study found that when CBD causes the body to produce more of its own endocannabinoids, receptors suppressed inflammatory responses. For joint health, this can work to eliminate the swelling, stiffness, and pain associated with worn joints.

Reduce Pain with CBD

Across the board, CBD products claim to help with pain. Of course, the jury is still out on whether or not CBD can conclusively alleviate pain. Not to mention, further research is still needed to attest whether CBD is suitable for long-term use.

However, findings such as this 2018 study believe that CBD products could enrich the drug treatment arsenal for chronic pain and inflammation conditions. For those looking to keep their joints in fighting shape, this might be important for you.

A Word from GR8NESS

While CBD gummies may be all the rage, is it all that your joints need? The simple answer is, we don’t know yet. Research is suggesting that CBD can help existing issues, but it won’t be a miracle cure to strengthen joints. Additional vitamins and supplements need to be present in a formula in order to take proper care of the joints. CBD can act as a complimentary ingredient in a supplement, however, look for formulas that specifically mention tried-and-true ingredients such as, calcium, vitamin D, or glucosamine on the label.

Most importantly, speak to your doctor before you make any decisions. Your joints are nothing to play with, and you want an expert opinion. While CBD has little-to-no side effects, it can negatively interact with certain medications you may currently be taking.

So, can you replace your vitamin gummies with cbd pain relief gummies? That will all depend on the product you choose. For now, we’ll let you decide.