A growing number of people are using CBD products to address many health conditions including heart health. CBD, a natural plant-derived product, is gaining popularity as an addition or alternative to traditional pharmaceuticals and as a valuable part of daily care routines.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that approximately 647,000 Americans die of heart disease every year:
Fact: In the United States, someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds. About 1 in 5 heart attacks is silent—the damage is done, but the person is not aware of it.
Fact: One person dies every 37 seconds in the United States from cardiovascular disease.
Fact: Heart disease is America’s number one killer, causing 1 in 4 deaths.
CBD has a grand and respected position with historical relevance in medicine. It has been used medicinally throughout history. However, there are currently very few modern clinical studies since the cannabis plant was blacklisted and stigmatized as a dangerous drug about the time of prohibition and in the same manner. For this reason, many people don’t have clear information about CBD and the medical community has only recently integrated cannabis into medicine-related higher education programs.
An increasing amount of recent research shows that CBD may be beneficial for heart health by helping to lower blood pressure, producing vasorelaxation, which is the medical term for reducing vascular tension, improving the structural integrity of arterial walls, and by acting as a cardioprotective agent during ischemic episodes and restoring the flow of blood to an organ or tissue after a heart attack or other cardiac events.
CBD has also shown potential to limit the effects of complications of congestive heart failure (CHF), including heart arrhythmia, and may prevent damage due to organ damage from heart-related health events.
Atherosclerosis, another disease affecting the health of the heart, cannot be reversed. The endocannabinoid system plays a key role in the development of this disease. If there are deficiencies in the endocannabinoid system, the health of the arteries can be affected and lead to the hardening and narrowing of the arteries. CBD, in synergistic mode with the endocannabinoid system, is being tested in clinical trials and results have shown that CBD may have a positive impact and may help to slow (and if used early) or prevent the damaging of the arteries that leads to the progression of atherosclerosis.
CBD may improve heart health and prevent further damage caused by the ageing process. By reducing the impact of congestive heart failure and atherosclerosis, the likelihood of heart attack and other cardiovascular diseases is reduced and increases the chance of recovery.
Heart related health issues are increasing worldwide as diet, lifestyle, and incidents of stress continue to impact a growing number of people. It is important for people to take control of their health. CBD can be used as part of a daily health routine. Make lifestyle changes, break bad habits and make good ones, eat healthy, and introduce moderate exercise to effectively maintain and manage heart health.
The US health system is impacted by the cost of heart disease care as more than $220 billion are spent each year for heart related services, medicines, and lost productivity due to death. The grim statistics we shared throughout this article related to heart disease are presented to raise your awareness and to encourage you to act for your best heart health.
Recent studies show CBD may fight against the detrimental effects that lead to heart disease and may be beneficial to cardiovascular health.
Fact: CBD is an all-natural and affordable alternative.
Fact: CBD doesn’t get you high and it does not require a prescription.
Fact: CBD product quality varies. (Using only quality-tested, reliable CBD brands is recommended)
CBD is quickly being adopted as an alternative to expensive prescriptions that often have harmful side effects and can have negative impact with long-term use. You can make it a valuable part of the care you take to maintain heart health, to support recovery from heart disease, and as an aid to improve your heart health over the long-term.
- Bring your doctor into the conversation. Traditional medicine is catching up on the benefits of CBD.
- Check if CBD interacts with other medicines you take to determine how you can incorporate it into your daily routine.
- Take action to become a healthy statistic and add CBD to your personal care program for better heart health.
References: CDC.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm Fryar CD, Chen T-C, Li X. Prevalence of uncontrolled risk factors for cardiovascular disease: United States, 1999–2010 , NCHS data brief, no. 103. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics; 2012. Heron, M. Deaths: Leading causes for 2017. National Vital Statistics Reports; 68(6). Mach, F. and Steffens, S. (2008), The Role of the Endocannabinoid System in Atherosclerosis, available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18426500/