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Just a few years ago, CBD was a little-known product, but now it’s changing the pain management industry in a significant way. Possibly forever. It seems that wherever you turn, CBD is right there. Corner stores, online retailers, and even some doctors’ offices have Cannabidiol for sale, in all, it’s many forms. Tinctures, candy treats, and CBD water (yes, CBD water).
There’s almost nothing you can’t purchase with a variation of CBD. It can be baked into recipes, infused in coffee, and given to pets. Cannabidiol has been touted as a cure-all for everything from anxiety to insomnia, arthritis to epilepsy. Is it the miracle worker that we’ve come to believe, or is it a passing trend?
The bigger question is, does it even matter? Whether or not Cannabidiol is here to stay, it’s changing the way patients and doctors approach pain management, and that’s something that’s bound to stick around.
CBD Versus Prescription Medication
Around the same time that CBD popped up, a significant event began happening in America. The opioid crisis ravaged the nation, and insurance companies, the DEA, and doctors all began to crack down on the prescription of synthetic pain killers. Studies showed that these potentially dangerous medications were vastly overprescribed, and more so, that many individuals didn’t need them for successful pain management.
Patients began to look for other options, and not just for prescription pain killers. Chronic conditions, such as arthritis and Irritable Bowel Syndrome, also cause patients extreme discomfort and interfere with their daily lives. The question of “How can these diseases be addressed and effectively treated?” began to arise.
It seems that CBD has become a common solution. But why?
The Search for Natural Alternatives
There has been a growing trend in recent years of individuals seeking more “green” options for everything. Green doesn’t just mean eco-friendly, but it also relates to all things that come from the earth. People are now using natural deodorants, natural toothpaste, eating raw food diets, using aromatherapy, and more. Name a product or problem, and someone has a natural remedy to match it.
And most of them are proven to work.
Studies show an ever-growing movement of patients seeking natural medicinal alternatives, too. Holistic remedies, such as CBD, are still typically used in conjunction with traditional medical practice. However, it’s estimated that the market for these types of products will grow at “a compound annual growth rate of 18.2% until 2024.”
People are starting to change the way they think about what goes into their bodies, and this is big news for the pain management industry.
CBD Causes a Major Shift in the Pain Management Industry
As more and more people have begun using Cannabidiol to treat ailments that were once addressed with prescription medication, there has been a conscious shift in the way doctors treat pain. As physicians and patients, both searches for lower-risk alternatives to prescription medication, the use of CBD has continued to rise.
It’s estimated that 64 million Americans have used CBD in the past two years alone, and 1 in 4 people report having tried it at least once in their lifetimes. Consumers have reported that it’s helped them to stop taking prescription opioids and over-the-counter drugs alike and that it has improved their daily lives.
The reports are so significant that the CBD market is expected to grow to $22 billion annually by 2022.
Does This Mean That CBD is Here to Stay?
Not necessarily. We’ve seen natural “alternative” trends like this before; they stick around for a while only to die off. Think about those magnetic bracelets that were all the rage for a while, with claims that they eliminated pain. Or when açaí had its big moment, deemed to be a superfood that was bound to improve the lives of everyone.
What Does CBD Mean for the Pain Management Industry?
Since the widespread use of CBD is still so new, we have no idea what the longevity of the trend will be. Maybe it will stick around forever. Maybe it won’t. Whether it does or doesn’t isn’t particularly relevant. What matters the most is that it has changed the pain management industry. That change is likely to be permanent.
As individuals continue to search for natural alternatives to everyday problems, the pain management industry will have to adapt to meet consumer demand. Cannabidiol has proven this, and that effect is here to stay.
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