High blood pressure as it is called, is one of the significant risk factors for hypertensive heart disease. Your blood pressure may increase with stress, but some research suggests that a dose of CBD may reduce this peak.
In a 2009 study, rats were subjected to a stressful situation that resulted in an increase in their blood pressure and heart rate. A single dose of CBD also lowered blood pressure and heart rate.
In a 2017 study, healthy human volunteers were stressed and dosed with CBD. CBD lowered your blood pressure compared to placebo volunteers.
So, although more research is needed to ensure this, CBD can be useful in reducing blood pressure and heart rate under stress.
However, a review of 25 studies in 2017 found that there was no evidence that CBD produced similar results under stressful conditions. Talk to your doctor before using CBD for high blood pressure.
Heart disease increases the risk of stroke. Ischemic stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks blood flow to the brain. A blood vessel in the brain can also explode, causing a hemorrhagic stroke.
A 2010 study found that CBD can help protect patients with stroke from brain damage and even help recovery by improving brain function.
The 2017 review also concluded that CBD increases brain blood flow during a stroke. However, it is essential to keep in mind that these reviews have focused on animal studies. Additional research is needed to determine whether these results apply to humans.
Let's continue by understanding what heart disease means, causes, and treatment options for the disease.
What is Heart Disease?
Heart disease describes various conditions that affect your heart. Diseases within this category include blood vessel disorders, such as coronary heart disease, heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias), and congenital cardiac malformations, among others.
Heart disease, also known as cardiovascular disease, generally refers to conditions that involve narrowed or blocked blood vessels. This constriction may result in heart attack, chest pain (angina), or stroke. Other cardiac conditions, such as those affecting muscles, valves, and heart rhythm, are also considered forms of heart disease.
Many forms of heart disease can be prevented or treated with a healthy lifestyle.
What Causes Heart Disease?
Several factors can be at the root of these health problems, including:
- Age: Aging can damage the arteries and thicken the heart muscle
- Gender: Men are generally more prone to this disorder.
- Family history: A family history can increase the risk of causing this disorder, especially if one of your parents had this condition.
- Smoking: The habit of smoking can damage the inner lining of the heart. This disease attacks smokers more easily than non-smokers.
- Poor nutrition: A daily diet high in salt, fat, and sugar can contribute to this disease.
- Diabetes: You can increase the risk of causing this health problem.
- Stress: Constant stress can damage arteries and exacerbate other risk factors.
Current Treatment Options
Heart disease is more comfortable to treat when detected early, so talk to your doctor about concerns about your heart health. If you are concerned about the development of heart disease, talk to your doctor about what you can do to reduce your risk of heart disease.
If you think you have heart disease due to new signs or symptoms, make an appointment with your doctor on the best treatment option
Medical Treatment
A wide range of medications is available for most heart disease cases. Many treatments are prescribed to prevent blood clots, but some are used for other purposes.
The main drugs used are:
- statins, for lowering cholesterol
- anticoagulants, such as warfarin, to prevent blood clots from forming
- beta-blockers, for the treatment of heart attacks, heart failure, and high blood pressure
- angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, for heart failure and high blood pressure
Your doctor will work with you to find a safe and effective cure. They will also use medicines to treat underlying conditions that can affect the heart, such as diabetes before they become problematic.
Alternative Treatment
Some necessary lifestyle changes can help you deal with the signs and symptoms of this heart problem. You need to make crucial changes to your lifestyle.
There are few changes to the quality of life that a heart patient needs to make, such as:
- Stop Smoking: Smoking can damage blood vessels, increase blood pressure, lower blood oxygen levels, and increase volume.
- Talk about weight control with your doctor: keep an eye on your weight. Weight gain can hold fluid.
- Swelling of the arms and legs: Check with your doctor for swelling of the legs and ankles.
- Stay active: It's essential to practice regular activities that will help you stay active. Consult a physician before beginning physical activity.
- Sleep easy: If you have trouble breathing, especially at night, consult your doctor, and seek advice.
- Eat Healthily: You need to include fruits and vegetables in your daily diet. It should consist of low fat and fat-free dairy products.
CBD Treatment
CBD protects the heart from cardiomyopathy, which is a condition that causes thickening and hardening, as well as a possible restriction of blood flow to the blood vessels. Studies have shown how CBD stops the production of endotoxins. These are anti-inflammatory cytokines that cause specific heart disease to progress. As such, by inhibiting its production, CBD contributes to the therapeutic assistance of severe heart disease.
How CBD Can Treat Heart Disease Symptoms
The symptoms of this disease depend on the type of disorder you have. Here are some general symptoms associated with this disease.
Some of the mental symptoms are:
- nightmares
- Fearful thoughts
- To struggle to sleep well
- stress
- anxiety
- irritability
- Fail to remember some aspects of an event.
- Feeling guilty for no reason.
- Unable to focus
Also, the disease has physical symptoms which include:
- sweating
- headaches
- Chest pain
- shaking
- dizziness
- etc.
However, if this happens in children under the age of six, symptoms include difficulty speaking, bedwetting, etc.
The endocannabinoid system ECS is a homeostatic control center tasked with regulating all aspects of our body's function. Among other things, it supports "simple" processes, such as ensuring that you do not bleed when you scrape your knees or that your body does not overheat when you develop a fever. The ECS has three main parts that we will see in more detail below:
- Metabolic enzymes: They produce endocannabinoids in your body and break down when they are no longer needed. Without these enzymes, our brain would be saturated with endocannabinoids, which would block communication between neurons.
- Cannabinoid Receptors: Our bodies are filled with cannabinoid receptors, most notably the CB1 and CB2 receptors. CB1 receptors function in the neurological system (mainly the brain and spinal cord), while CB2 receptors control the immune system and other systems of body regulation. When endocannabinoids bind to these receptors, they help reduce their function and make your brain and body function more efficiently.
- Endocannabinoids: Cannabinoids come from cannabis plants, and are external from the body, while endocannabinoids are naturally synthesized within the human body. Two endocannabinoids have been studied: anandamide (which binds to CB1 receptors) and 2-AG, which binds to CB2 receptors. These endocannabinoids promote or inhibit the production of neurotransmitters, which control the "conversations" that take place between neurons in the brain.
CBD does not communicate directly with the cardiovascular system, but the way it interacts with the endocannabinoid system may be beneficial for your heart health. CBD can help in three significant ways of heart disease. These are:
- Reduce inflammation
- Lower blood pressure
- Reduce arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats)
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you are planning to try CBD, talk to your doctor first. Ask them what is the appropriate dose for your specific symptoms and conditions. Be sure to analyze all your medicines, including supplements or over-the-counter medications. Although research on CBD and heart disease is promising, there is a need for scientists to conduct more studies to understand the benefits of CBD under different conditions.