HOW DOES CBD OIL HELP WITH DYSLEXIA?

HOW DOES CBD OIL HELP WITH DYSLEXIA?

Dyslexia is a learning condition affecting more than 42 million Americans and billion others worldwide. The symptoms of this condition may show in childhood as difficulty remembering words, letters, people, faces, and names of things. However, for some people, it might not show in childhood and may carry on to adulthood when it finally manifests when a person has problems remembering people, reading, writing, and learning new languages. Although dyslexia is not a disease, it is a condition that comes with many challenges. Many dyslexic people have low self-esteem, struggle to socialize, and generally have slow learning abilities. Since dyslexia has no medication, you may wonder if CBD oil may help with the symptoms of this condition. There is insufficient evidence to scientifically claim that CBD oil can help dyslexic people because CBD studies are limited. However, some early research claims that CBD oil may help dyslexic people relax and relieve the anxiety that worsens their condition. Nonetheless, we do not recommend CBD oil to treat dyslexia, and whoever chooses it for the condition should consult their doctor beforehand.

Understanding CBD Oil

CBD is a chemical compound from the hemp plant and is one of the many active compounds in the cannabis sativa plant. Until 2018, the USA considered CBD oil and hemp Schedule I drugs illegal. However, once the Farm Bill was passed in 2018, allowing legal use of CBD oil with less than 0.3% THC, CBD oil has become popular and is marketed to help with various conditions. You can have CBD oil as tinctures, edibles, topicals, softgels, or vapes, which you can readily source from health, food, and beauty stores. The cannabinoid exists as isolate-based, full or broad-spectrum formulations. Isolates are 99.9% pure CBD and have little or no other cannabinoids. At the same time, full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD formulated oils have multiple cannabinoids, so they promise the full entourage effect.

Background Information about Dyslexia

Dyslexia is not a disease but a learning condition that slows down a person’s reading and writing abilities. Dyslexic people have middle to high intelligence levels, but most struggle with reading, writing, and remembering things. Dyslexia is caused by less or delayed activity on the left side of the brain. The frontal brain system develops more than the rear systems, resulting in reading and writing challenges. When dyslexia is diagnosed in childhood, specially trained teachers are assigned the role of helping dyslexic students. However, the condition has no cure.

CBD Oil for Dyslexia: what Studies Say?

CBD studies are limited, partly because CBD oil remained illegal for a long time. Therefore, there is insufficient scientific evidence to scientifically claim that CBD oil may help people with dyslexia and other learning challenges. However, some research by Kuhathasan et al. (2019) suggests that CBD oil and its products may help people relax or sleep better, helping dyslexic individuals manage their anxiety. Still, there is a need for further studies before claiming the effectiveness of CBD oil for dyslexia. What’s more, much is yet to be understood about CBD oil, including how it works. It is unclear how CBD oil exerts the many purported benefits. However, a study by Battistaet al. (2012) suggests the human body has an endocannabinoid system (ECS). This is a network of cannabinoids, receptors, and enzymes linked to the central and nervous systems. The receptors and cannabinoids are found all over the body in almost every organ, including the heart, eye, stomach, and liver. The ECS system is believed to influence the body’s critical processes and functions, including sleep, temperature regulation, satiety, digestion, immunity, inflammation, mood, stress, and hormone secretion. Studies suggest that CBD oil may help with anxiety and sleep, helping dyslexic people relax. However, further research is needed to prove CBD oil’s effectiveness for dyslexia.

CBD Oil and Anxiety

CBD is believed to interact with the ECS system, yielding various benefits. For instance, one study conducted by García-Gutiérrez, et al. (2020) found that CBD oil could help with pain, anxiety, and depression. Based on this study, CBD oil helps people with dyslexia relax, preventing their condition from worsening.

CBD Oil As a Neuroprotectant

Since dyslexia is a learning condition related to the brain, anything that boosts or protects the brain would improve the condition. According to Fernández‐Ruiz, et al. (2013), CBD oil may have some neuroprotectant properties. Although these study findings are promising, it is not enough to claim full responsibility on CBD oil for protecting the brain from further issues.

CBD Oil for Sleep

Dyslexia is worsened by a lack of sleep. Research by Chagas et al. (2014) shows that CBD oil may help with REM, a condition linked to sleep problems. However, more research is needed before conclusively recommending CBD oil for better sleep quality and dyslexia.

Conclusion

Dyslexia is a condition affecting millions of people in the US and billions worldwide. Although CBD oil promises reduced anxiety, better sleep, and neurological protection to help with this condition, there is not enough evidence to claim CBD oil as a remedy for dyslexia. However, if you choose to take CBD oil for this condition, consult your doctor first.

References

Battista, N., Di Tommaso, M., Bari, M., & Maccarrone, M. (2012). The Endocannabinoid System: An Overview. Frontiers In Behavioral Neuroscience, 6, 9.

Chagas, M. H., Eckeli, A. L.,

Zuardi, A. W., Pena‐Pereira, M. A., Sobreira‐Neto, M. A., Sobreira, E. T., … & Crippa, J. A. S. (2014). Cannabidiol

Can Improve Complex Sleep‐Related Behaviours

Associated With Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behaviour Disorder In Parkinson’s Disease

Patients: A Case Series. Journal Of Clinical Pharmacy And Therapeutics, 39(5),

564-566.

Fernández‐Ruiz, J., Sagredo, O., Pazos, M. R., García,

C., Pertwee, R., Mechoulam, R., & Martínez‐Orgado, J. (2013). Cannabidiol

For Neurodegenerative Disorders: Important New Clinical Applications For This

Phytocannabinoid?. British Journal Of Clinical Pharmacology, 75(2),

323-333.

García-Gutiérrez, M. S., Navarrete,

F., Gasparyan, A., Austrich-Olivares, A., Sala, F., & Manzanares, J.

(2020). Cannabidiol: A Potential New Alternative For The Treatment Of Anxiety,

Depression, And Psychotic Disorders. Biomolecules, 10(11), 1575.

Kuhathasan, N., Dufort, A.,

Mackillop, J., Gottschalk, R., Minuzzi, L., & Frey, B. N. (2019). The Use

Of Cannabinoids For Sleep: A Critical Review On Clinical Trials. ExperimentalAnd Clinical Psychopharmacology, 27(4), 383.

Ieva Kubiliute
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Ieva Kubiliute is a psychologist and a sex and relationships advisor and a freelance writer. She's also a consultant to several health and wellness brands. While Ieva specialises in covering wellness topics ranging from fitness and nutrition, to mental wellbeing, sex and relationships and health conditions, she has written across a diverse range of lifestyle topics, including beauty and travel. Career highlights so far include: luxury spa-hopping in Spain and joining an £18k-a-year London gym. Someone’s got to do it! When she’s not typing away at her desk—or interviewing experts and case studies, Ieva winds down with yoga, a good movie and great skincare (affordable of course, there’s little she doesn’t know about budget beauty). Things that bring her endless joy: digital detoxes, oat milk lattes and long country walks (and sometimes jogs).

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