A brief summary of the condition, it’s causes,
common symptoms and treatment pathways
and how Medical Cannabis could help.
A brief summary of the condition, it’s causes,
common symptoms, treatment plans
and how Medical Cannabis can help.
Pain is the normal sensation, that alerts our bodies to danger. It is generally divided into two categories; acute and chronic.
Acute pain (for example following an injury) usually reduces as the body heals.
Chronic pain is pain that continues for longer than 12 weeks. It is generally pain that continues to be felt long after the body has healed, and can be disproportionate, even with high strength pain killers.
Chronic pain affects over one-third of adults in the UK. This can be part of another health condition, for example fibromyalgia, or complex regional pain syndrome.
Chronic pain also describes pain that persists despite no cause having been found.
Nerves carry pain signals from all around the body, to and from the brain. The brain decides which signals to act on, and the severity of the pain. Sometimes the brain does not interpret these signals correctly and you might feel disproportionate pain.
In other cases, you might feel pain, even when there has been no damage to your body.
Chronic pain is treated in different ways for different people.
This includes treatments such as:
Some people feel significant benefit from different pain killers, whereas others might only develop side effects with no real impact on their pain.
Medical Cannabis can help in several different ways along the Chronic pain pathway.
It can change the way pain signals are sent along the nerves, and how these signals are processed by the brain.
Cannabinoids interact with the endocannabinoid system, helping to normalise the brain’s response to pain, and reducing the sensation of pain, particularly when there is no ongoing injury to the body.
Medical cannabis can also help reduce sensitivity. Cannabis may also help decrease the increased pain sensitivity (hyperalgesia) by altering the release of neurotransmitters and reducing inflammation. Both of these will make the nervous system less reactive.
In many chronic pain conditions, inflammation can be the main contributor of pain, for example arthritis or fibromyalgia. In these conditions, certain cannabinoids can help reduced inflammation.
As with other pain conditions mentioned, Chronic pain often leads to poor sleep, anxiety and depression. These, in turn, will amplify the sensation of pain, creating a vicious circle. Some strains of medical cannabis promote better overall sleep quality, and may help improve mode and reduce anxiety. All of which help your body heal and potentially make pain easier to manage.
Suffering from a medical condition can be awful, the last thing you want to do is wait months for treatment.
Making sure you are seen and treated as soon as possible is one of our top priorities.
Start your journey to a better quality of life with CB1 Medical today.
Check if you're eligibleWe are proud of our care and the impact it has on the lives of our patients, it is so rewarding to hear your stories and learn about your experiences with medical cannabis.
May 2024
Where do I start?! I have to admit I was very nervous, considering I have tried numerous treatments for my fibromyalgia and EDS and had a medical prescription 3 pages long and really complex medical issues. I was in an awfully high level of pain, even with all that.
Every single staff member from reception, nurses, pharmacy and my lovely Dr Vanessa Hutchinson have been consistently friendly, professional, helpful and incredibly fast in progressing me from initial online enquiry to receiving my prescription (just under 2 weeks and we had the Easter 4 day break in-between!).
In this very short time, my pain levels have reduced significantly (as have my other medications!). I cannot recommend this clinic enough. Thanks CB1 MEDICAL 🙂
March 2024
Staff really nice, and keep in touch to monitor my progress and any questions I may have. I feel very comfortable talking about my situation as no judgement or negative feedback. I feel like my life, health and symptoms are being taken seriously but with care.
Follow up appointment over the telephone was relaxed, no rushing, he answered all the questions about my medication and progress without prejudice, sarcasm and was so easy and a breath of fresh air. I can say that if you are thinking of treatment and support like nowhere else then you will be in very caring and professional hands that really do make you feel that you are important and heard with respect and understanding. 5 stars are not enough.
October 2024
My life has been transformed since starting medical cannabis with CB1 Medical.
Dr Richard Pertwee was friendly and so knowledgeable. The relief I’ve experienced has been nothing short of miraculous. The quality of life I now have is something I never thought possible, started to smell the roses eg I’m incredibly grateful to you all.
Highly recommend it to anyone who is struggling or has ineffective medication.
April 2024
I know when you pay for an appointment, you expect a different service, but honestly, this is beyond what I expected. The appointments were scheduled quickly, and happened within days, mostly late evenings to fit around my work. The doctors listen and I didn’t feel like I was being judged as just a junkie after pain meds. That’s how I feel in an NHS appointment.
The meds were delivered quickly and I got to using them right away. In the last 11 days, I’ve used painkillers once, and only paracetamol. This is down from multiple painkillers multiple times every single day. And I sleep so much better as well.
