Survival medicine 101: CBD for when SHTF

When SHTF, the last place you’d want to go to is a medical facility. Hospitals and clinics will be swarming with patients despite these places being severely understaffed. This is why it’s important to have a well-stocked emergency kit. It’s always a good idea to add one more item to a prepper’s emergency kit, a natural remedy that has become increasingly popular in recent years – CBD.

CBD, which is short for cannabidiol, has well-documented medical uses for conditions like epileptic seizures and diabetes. Recent studies, however, point to CBD’s potential in helping with health concerns that may be common when SHTF.

CBD for wound care and pain

Items for wound care are essential to any prepper’s emergency kit. Flesh wounds require treatment to avoid potentially serious infections. While there are many commercially available options, CBD helps not only with quicker wound healing but in pain management as well.

A case study published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management looked at a patient with oral cancer whose use of CBD oil helped reduce the size of the wound on his cheek. According to Dr. Vincent Maida, an associate professor at the University of Toronto, the patient has been taking opioid drugs but was still experiencing severe pain in his cheek. The cancer eventually eroded through his cheek and created a hole. After using CBD oil that was applied directly to the wound, it noticeably shrank over the next month. The patient also noted that his pain lessened 10 to 15 minutes after applying the oil to the wound; pain relief lasted about two hours after application.

According to Maida, ancient cultures used cannabis extracts on wounds; the case of his cancer patient merely validated what has long been known about the usefulness of cannabis in many different areas. While more research is required to pinpoint exactly how CBD promotes wound healing, history and recent studies have already shown that it can help. (Related: Clinical study proves that medical cannabis is better than opioids at easing pain.)

CBD for fractures

CBD was also found to be effective in healing bones and fractures. In a study in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, researchers from Tel Aviv University and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem found that when given CBD, rats with mid-femoral fractures healed significantly more quickly. While healing, CBD also makes the bones stronger. This means that the healed bone will be harder to break in the future. Dr. Yankel Gabet of TAU indicated that further studies could unlock CBD benefits for osteoporosis and other bone-related diseases.

CBD for anxiety

In 2015, researchers from the NYU School of Medicine released a study indicating evidence that CBD has considerable potential for treating multiple anxiety disorders. Since then, more and more people suffering from anxiety have since turned to CBD. Preliminary research indicates that CBD assists the body in processing serotonin, a hormone and neurotransmitter that helps in regulating emotions. A study by researchers from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center showed that repeated treatment with low-dose CBD reduced anxiety-like behavior in their test subjects. CBD relieves anxiety symptoms without causing a “high,” making it an important natural medicine when you need to keep a clear head and remain calm since a SHTF scenario is going to be one of the most stressful periods anyone can experience.

Buying an emergency kit is not enough. The contents of your emergency kit have to be carefully chosen to ensure that you are prepared for the likeliest health-related concerns you will face. CBD is a versatile health remedy that will come in handy when, inevitably, SHTF.

Sources include:

TheOrganicPrepper.com

LiveScience.com

MedicalDaily.com

NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov

WomensHealthMag.com

TodaysPractitioner.com