CBD is becoming more than a health supplement these days. People are using CBD products in almost everything, and they are also succeeding up to a certain extent. Data suggests there are millions of people using CBD capsules in UK; many of them started it last year during the Covid pandemic. Due to longer self-isolation and quarantine periods, many people suffer from binge eating or anorexia nervosa.
Mental illness is no myth, nor should it be taken lightly. Mental illness could be of any type ranging from panic attacks to food disorders. Compared to other mental disorders, anorexia has one of the highest mortality rates in the young population. According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) data, more than two hundred thousand people suffer from anorexia nervosa in the United Kingdom alone. Most of the time, disorders such as anorexia nervosa may become hard to treat from pharmaceutical drugs, and there is an antidepressant in the picture. The world knows the side effects of antidepressants better than any other drug. So, when it comes to mental health, the treatment plan should address both psychological and physical issues. So let’s see what Anorexia nervosa is, and could consuming CBD capsules help treat it?
What is Anorexia Nervosa?
Anorexia is an eating and mental disorder in which patients intentionally starve themselves due to the extreme fear of gaining weight. Anorexia is often seen in individuals suffering from body dysmorphia and issues such as:
- Obsession of losing weight.
- Disturbed body weight
- Depression and anxiety issues
- History of abuse
- Social isolation results in social anxiety disorder.
According to NICE data, women are 4-12 times more likely to suffer from anorexia than men. Moreover, it is more common in girls between the 15-19 age bracket. Due to these underlying issues, individuals suffering from anorexia see themselves as overweight, while in reality, they have severe malnutrition and are underweight.
The signs and symptoms of anorexia:
- Anemia
- Amenorrhea (lack of period)
- Brittle nails
- Constipation
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Severe weight loss
How CBD capsules may help in anorexia?
Anorexia is an entirely curable condition, and people can make a full recovery if they receive early treatment. There are several herbal treatments available for improving the condition of anorexia patients, CBD one of them. CBD helps anorexia patients by increasing the production of hormones responsible for ginger and satiety. As a well-known fact, CBD is predominantly extracted from the cannabis plant. One of the most common stereotypes of marijuana users is that they eat a lot. That has everything to do with the chemicals present in marijuana, such as CBD and THC. So, while marijuana and THC are both banned in most places, the only option users have is CBD. CBD has the same effect as THC, except it doesn’t produce any psychological high. So, let’s see how CBD can help treat anorexia nervosa.
● CBD may help in improving mood:
CBD capsules have exciting mood-enhancing capabilities, and it becomes beneficial in conditions like depression. The same NICE data that we talked about earlier says one out of five death in anorexia is caused by suicide.
Doctors use antidepressants such as SSRI and SNRI to treat these conditions, but antidepressants have side effects that CBD doesn’t have.
Moreover, full-spectrum CBD products contain terpenes like borneol and eucalyptol that have been reported to have antidepressant and mood uplifting properties. The full-spectrum CBD products also contain non-psychoactive cannabinoids like CBC or cannabichromene. CBC is the third most widespread cannabinoid in the cannabis plant, and it also has some antidepressant properties, as believed by many experts.
● CBD may also boost Appetite:
In anorexia, patients don’t want to eat food due to a massive shift in the appetite-controlling hormones. After a meal, the human fat cells release the hormone leptin in normal conditions, signaling the brain to curb hunger. Similarly, a hormone, ghrelin, stimulates appetite and tells the body when to eat. However, people with anorexia face a dysfunctional hunger hormone balance.
The endocannabinoid system is part of the nervous system and is mainly responsible for controlling appetite, sleep, libido, and cognitive ability. So, CBD flips the hunger switch present in the hypothalamus and simultaneously increases ghrelin production. Moreover, CBD also stimulates the endocannabinoid receptors such as CB1.
● CBD may help with Stress and Anxiety:
One of the most critical properties of CBD is its ability to lower stress and anxiety. The Nervosa part in anorexia nervosa has come from the nervous and anxious conditions of people suffering from this disorder.
Experts believe CBD may treat anxiety by altering the serotonin level in the brain. Serotonin plays a vital role in regulating happiness and mood.
Research showing effects of CBD:
While any government does not approve of CBD as an appetite booster, plenty of evidence supports it.
A phase 2 clinical trial of the American Psychological Association on cancer patients found significant improvement in their anorexic conditions and helped in increasing their appetite.
A Brazilian study found that a 300-mg dose of CBD can significantly reduce symptoms of social anxiety disorder.
CBD oil treats insomnia and anxiety due to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Similarly, a 2019 study also revealed the effectiveness of CBD in reducing the symptoms of PTSD in Adults.
Much research on CBD is in the initial or mid-stage, due to which there isn’t much data available so that authorities can approve drugs. Only two government-authorized pure CBD drugs are available, Epidiolex and Sativex.
Conclusion:
The human body can appear normal at the beginning of these eating disorders. Even the laboratory results could seem perfect unless observed otherwise. However, people with eating disorders have an irregular behavior pattern caused by perceiving a utopian thin body image. For more information, one can visit cbd news.
CBD can help with anorexia, and all the available resources and data share the same opinion. Moreover, CBD is a natural product, meaning there are fewer side effects than antidepressants drugs. It also doesn’t cause any addiction.
