CBD AND POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

Life can come wrapped with many unexpected turns and surprises that may leave a scar on us for as long as we live. Every person is built differently and so their ability to handle or deal with situations is different as well. Certain tragedies and traumatic events get embedded in their memory which makes their daily life a living hell and alters how they think, behaves or interact with people around them, this is known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and it is most common in veterans who have witnessed gruesome events or people who have been witnesses or survivors of some of the most disastrous occasions. Though there are many treatment methods that claim to help patients, are expensive and not to mention sometimes ineffective so as a hopeful last straw the CBD oil was used as an alternative.

Extraction of CBD oil

There are many useful ways in which the oil from the cannabis plant can be extracted and used but the only method that helps extract the purest form of CBD is with the carbon dioxide extraction where carbon dioxide is applied at a high pressure but low temperatures to extract the oil and it requires an immense level of precision and professional alertness.

Benefits of the CBD oil for PTSD

The oil targets stress levels and it reduces them quite instantly and lessens the symptoms of depression and anxiety along with PTSD. The cannabinoids block the receptors that trigger a PTSD episode and promote a more relaxing effect thereby influencing sleep hormones to regulate in the bloodstream to calm your body. Apart from making the body calmer it also blocks the parts of your brain that bring about reconsolidation memory or more commonly known as, flashbacks and improve the brains responses to those flashbacks thereby gradually making your PTSD episodes less severe. The oil has been used by many patients including veterans and doctors who treat patients in their facilities and CBD has gotten fairly positive feedback from everywhere. The effect of CBD on the body and how long it takes mainly depends on the person and can vary in many individuals but normally on average it takes from 20 to 40 minutes for the effects of CBD to properly kick in. As the oil does not contain any THC, there won’t be any euphoric experiences lead to hallucinations or a feeling of “getting high” so it is safe to use without causing any discomfort.

In order to get maximum results and to use this properly, shake the bottle of the oil properly. It is very important because sometimes the extracts settle on the bottom but as you shake, they blend into the formula pretty quickly. So shake well before you apply. Next, for oral use, read the instructions on the back of the bottle as some bottles come with droppers and some don’t. once you’ve poured in some of the oil under your tongue, let it sit there as absorption is fastest from under the tongue.

CLINICAL STUDIES: RESOURCES

• The endocannabinoid system provides an avenue for evidence-based treatment development for PTSD 
• CBD blocks long-lasting behavioral consequences of predator threat stress: Possible involvement of 5HT1A receptors
• Cannabinoid modulation of fear extinction brain circuits: A novel target to advance anxiety treatment
• The endocannabinoid system and extinction learning
• A current overview of cannabinoids and glucocorticoids in facilitating extinction of aversive memories: potential extinction enhancers 
• Cannabinoids and traumatic stress modulation of contextual fear extinction and GR expression in the amygdala-hippocampal-prefrontal circuit
• Non-antidepressant long-term treatment in post-traumatic stress disorder
• The Use of Medicinal Marijuana for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Review
• Bidirectional Effects of CBD on Contextual Fear Memory Extinction
• Effectiveness of Cannabidiol Oil for Pediatric Anxiety and Insomnia as Part of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Case Report