If you suffer from joint stiffness, chronic pain, and dry skin in winter, you are not alone! These cold, dry months present a variety of challenges. Not only does winter weather give us extra chores to do every day, it is also extremely hard on our bodies. For some, this comes in the form of mild joint pain and/or inflammation. For others who have pre-existing conditions, the cold can cause extremely painful flare-ups of their symptoms. This is my first winter in Colorado, and I found myself unprepared for the physical toll that it took on my body. Luckily, at Discover CBD I found products that have helped me with all of the issues that I’ve run into.
The first thing I noticed was that the dry air caused the skin on my lips and hands to dry out, leaving painful cracks and cuts. I have tried a ton of different lip balms but all of them seemed to just offer temporary relief without actually healing my lips. Then I tried Active CBD lip balm, and I finally started to feel those cracks fade and heal. I started using it every day and now I can get away with applying it a couple of times per day as opposed to needing it every 10 minutes.
The more serious problems came from my lower back. I have had previous issues with inflammation and pain in this area but the cold weather seemed to exacerbate these issues beyond what I normally deal with. Unfortunately there is a lack of clinical research regarding the effects of cold weather on chronic pain conditions, but there is no shortage of anecdotal reporting on the subject, as well as an abundance of theories on what exactly causes the issues that so many people have in common this time of year. One such theory presented by Armin Tehrany, M.D., orthopedic surgeon and founder of Manhattan Orthopedic Care, suggests that cold weather causes our bodies to send more blood to vital internal organs, and less blood to nonessential areas. With less blood flow, our muscles get cold and stiff, making normal movements difficult and even painful. Because of this, we may limit our movements in that stiff area which in turn can cause even worse problems. As a result of this limited activity our muscles are more likely to spasm, causing intense pain. At the same time, chronic pain conditions are often accompanied by over-sensitive nerves which can be exacerbated by drops in temperature.
In my case, my lower back muscles stiffened from the cold, and simple things like bending down or just sitting in my car became somewhat difficult and painful. Because of this, I limited my movement, being careful not to bend too far or twist my back, in order to avoid that pain. Despite my careful movements, I took a tumble when I slipped on some ice and violently wrenched those shortened muscles. Every day since then I have dealt with spasms and flare-ups, almost always as a direct result of those muscles being exposed to a drop in temperature. I was desperate to find a solution that did not involve pharmaceutical painkillers, so I turned once more to CBD.
Research has shown that CBD can have significant anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties (among other benefits) which is why so many people find relief from muscle and joint pain when using this cannabinoid. I decided to try out the Active CBD Oil 300mg Tincture to alleviate some of these symptoms and I’ve been in awe at how much it has helped me. My job requires me to bend down quite frequently, which is not fun with a bad back, but with the help of CBD I am able to get through an entire work day with very few issues. The tightness is still present, but the pain is no longer debilitating and I am so happy that I’ve been able to avoid harsh painkillers.
