What is chronic pain management?

Are you experiencing chronic pain? Do you feel that your life is deprived due to chronic pain? Do you feel that despite the use of traditional medicine and use of prescription drugs, your pain remains or progresses?

Chronic pain is something that we encounter on a daily basis and remains even after the underlying cause of the injury or illness disappeared a long time ago, but the pain remains and continues. Sometimes the cause cannot be completely removed and it is simply necessary to learn to live with the pain. There are several different approaches to treating chronic pain, the most common of which is pharmacological drug treatment, followed by other, alternative methods of treatment.

The definition of pain in traditinal medicine: “Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or is described in such terms.” Determination of pain is a challenging task for professionals in this field. Usually, the first person who we face with with our chronic pain is our personal physician. Based on the condition, he tries to assess what could be the cause of the pain, followed by treatment. The pain can be acute and short-lived or chronic and long-lasting. Usually, the treatment of chronic pain is a long-term process, usually in addition to classical medicine, we also use other, alternative methods of treatment, including treatment with cannabinoids and terpenes, which are present in cannabis and its preparations.

Pain can be classified as nociceptive and neuropathic. Nociceptive pain has an important defensive function and is caused by injuries to the body. It can be superficial or deep, and deep nociceptive pain is further divided into somatic and visceral. Neuropathic pain, on the other hand, results from damage to the nervous system (central or peripheral). The consequences of peripheral neuropathic pain is often in the form of stinging or tingling sensation shake electricity, which is a very common occurrence in the elderly population. Pain can be treated in several different ways, and usually optimal results are achieved through a combination of different approaches and methods.

Traditional approaches and methods of treatment include painkillers, which do not treat the cause of the pain, but only the consequences. At the same time, it is necessary to be aware that long-term medication can also have long-term negative consequences, so it is not recommended to take medication in large quantities and for a longer period of time.

Common alternative treatments include physiotherapy, massage, TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation), acupuncture, stress management, behavioral therapy, etc. In recent years, cannabis therapy and its preparations have become very popular alternative treatments. well researched and supported by studies.

Chronic pain usually never goes away completely, but its impact can be significantly reduced, thus improving the quality of life.

Endocannabinoid system

Endocannabinoids are man's own cannabinoids and are produced by our body in nerve cells and serve as signaling molecules. Our cells contain cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2), which detect the amount or. the concentration of cannabinoids in the cells. Our brains also detect changes in the concentration of cannabinoids in our body and consequently respond accordingly.

Phytocannabinoids, as the name suggests, are of plant origin and are chemically similar to endocannabinoids and activate the same receptors (CB1 and CB2) in our body as endocannabinoids. more than 140 cannabinoids has been investigated, among phytocannabinoids CBD and THC are currently the most researched. The latest research include other cannabinoids (CBN, CBC, CBG, etc.). Most cannabinoids have no psychoactive effects, they have a positive effect on our body and immune system. Cannabinoids in combination with terpenes act synergistically, thus increasing their "entourage effect".