Fibromyalgia is a hard-to-treat condition defined by chronic, widespread pain and debilitation. In a 2020 study published in Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology, researchers in Italy demonstrated that cannabis can be used effectively to remedy fibromyalgia symptoms for some patients. The study focused on people who are taking and tolerating medications but haven’t found relief. The participants were given two formulations: one was THC-rich and given in the morning, and the other was balanced with a little more CBD than THC and given in the evening. Nearly half of the participants got relief from these cannabis formulations to reduce or stop the prescription painkillers they had been prescribed and had been taking before the study. Over a third of the participants experienced improvements in anxiety, depression, sleep, and pain!
In Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), the immune system, spurred by an unknown cause, goes into full fight mode, activating a hyperinflammatory response and setting off numerous symptoms. A recent article in Science Advances reported increased immune activity in people with CFS during the early phase of the disease that was “consistent with a viral trigger or disrupted immune regulatory networks.” In later stages, the levels of immune disturbance were much lower. Whatever immunological threat initially triggered the disease could have been resolved, but the body continued its inflammatory, fighting stance. Given that a runaway immune response and inflammation are major players in CFS, it makes sense that both CBD and THC, two potent anti-inflammatory compounds, could be therapeutic. Inflammation and pain could be described as conjoined demons that CBD and THC go a long way toward taming.
