By Luke Sumpter


Back pain plagues the world as one of the leading causes of disability and chronic pain. Back pain stems from a multitude of different musculoskeletal and nervous system conditions, including degenerative disc disease (DDD). According to the World Health Organisation, all of these conditions impact a person’s well-being, quality of life, and even their ability to work.

Addressing a World Plagued by Back Pain — Where Does CBD Fit In?

Many different modalities are available to treat back pain, yet very few are scientifically validated or provide consistent results. With the search still very much ongoing for a panacea for back pain, how does cannabis fare as a viable option?

Humans have used cannabis for thousands of years in an attempt to remedy a whole host of mental and physical ailments. The resinous flowers of this fascinating herb are loaded with a rich cocktail of phytochemicals, not limited to over 100 cannabinoids and 200 terpenes. Among these, CBD—or cannabidiol—stands out as one of the most prominent.

CBD already shows promise in various clinical settings, yet the research remains early. As cannabis science continues to advance, what do we know so far about CBD's impact on DDD?

What Is Degenerative Disc Disease?

As opposed to being a specific diagnosis, DDD encompasses a group of spinal conditions that involve the degradation of intervertebral discs. These vital structures are situated in all major areas of the human spine: cervical (upper), thoracic (middle), and lumbar (lower). Overall, a total of 23 discs sit between movable vertebrae in the spine. Before we delve into the details of this spinal pathology, we need to know exactly what spinal discs are.

What Is Degenerative Disc Disease?

Spinal Discs: An Anatomical Overview

Intervertebral discs fulfil several critical functions within the human spine. They allow for flexible movement between each vertebra, without sacrificing strength and stability, and help to absorb shock from the ground when walking, running, jumping, and doing other activities.

When looking at spinal discs from an anatomical perspective, they’re actually quite simple. They’re made up of three distinct parts:

  • Nucleus pulposus: This structure sits in the middle of the disc. Made primarily of water, the gel-like material also contains several types of collagen and allows for movement in different directions. The nucleus pulposus forms the compression-resisting unit of the spinal disc.
  • Annulus fibrosus: This tough outer layer comprises several layers of collagen fibres. It's a ring of connective tissue that houses the nucleus pulposus and helps to resist excessive movement in particular directions. As opposed to resisting compression, the annulus fibrosus primarily resists tension.
  • Vertebral endplate: Spinal discs sit between single vertebrae, which are stacked vertically one after the other up the spinal column. Vertebral endplates are specialised tissues positioned between each disc, connecting the two structures. They also diffuse nutrients into the discs, keeping them healthy and strong.
Spinal Discs: An Anatomical Overview

Conditions Associated With Degenerative Disc Disease

Numerous conditions fall under the umbrella term of DDD. Although they all feature distinct pathological traits, they share at least one thing in common: gradual damage to and breakdown of the spinal discs. These conditions include:

  • Lumbar radiculopathy
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Spondylosis
  • Myelopathy
  • Lumbar stenosis
  • Facet joint degeneration

Symptoms of Degenerative Disc Disease

DDD produces varying symptoms in patients experiencing the condition. These symptoms largely depend on the underpinning condition causing DDD, but some of them also overlap. Common symptoms include:

  • Pain when bending or twisting the spine
  • A “giving out” sensation that indicates spinal instability
  • Muscular tension and spasms
  • Shooting or stabbing pain that radiates down the arms or legs
  • Loss of sensation, numbness, and tingling

Why Degenerative Disc Disease Occurs

DDD occurs through several mechanisms, ranging from genetic factors to environmental and lifestyle influences. Learn about the causative factors involved in the conditions below.

  • Genetics

Researchers have identified certain genes that predispose individuals to DDD. The 5A allele polymorphism increases the risk of accelerated degradation of spinal discs, particularly those located in the lower back.

  • Ageing

As we age, our body’s ability to heal and regenerate tissue declines. Although cell senescence and the accumulation of degraded collagen are thought to contribute to disc degeneration through ageing, a specific cause has yet to take the blame. However, we do know that the concentration of cells declines throughout the annulus fibrosus as we get older. Additionally, the cells that remain begin to lose their ability to divide and proliferate.

Why Degenerative Disc Disease Occurs

  • Mechanical Loading

Although exercise helps maintain the integrity of our muscles, bones, and other tissues, too much repetitive strain can contribute towards degradation. Occupations, sports, and other daily activities that expose the spinal discs to excessive force may increase the risk of developing DDD.

  • DDD: A Complex Condition With Biopsychosocial Factors

The complexity of the human body means that DDD isn’t a simple condition. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) investigations show that some individuals with high levels of disc degeneration experience almost no pain. Conversely, those with minimal degradation may experience severe pain.

Pain science adopts a biopsychosocial approach to treating back pain. Psychological factors such as catastrophising and fear of certain movements may enhance the perception of pain and decrease the outcomes of some interventions.

How Does CBD Help Degenerative Disc Disease?

Although exposing the body to progressive loads and fostering a healthy approach to movement are staples when it comes to rehabilitating back pain, novel interventions such as CBD also appear to have a place in future solutions.

  • Potential to Reduce Damage to Intervertebral Discs

Prior to 2014, there was very little research regarding CBD and DDD. This changed when a team of researchers from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, set out to investigate the effects of CBD on disc degeneration[1]. After creating a model of DDD in mice, they administered varying doses of CBD to an experimental group shortly after.

The researchers used MRI to observe the effects of CBD both two and fifteen days after administration. After obtaining images, they also looked at the injury sites on a cellular level using histological analysis. They found that CBD managed to significantly reduce the damage caused to the intervertebral discs. The cannabinoid displayed particularly impressive effects within the annulus fibrosus. However, the changes in the nucleus pulposus were less significant.

  • CBD Interfaces With the ECS and Raises Anandamide Levels

But, how exactly does CBD exert these positive changes? Well, the molecule works on numerous systems throughout the body to create physiological shifts. For example, CBD interfaces with the endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS features two types of receptors—CB1 and CB2—found all throughout the body, with particularly high concentrations in the nervous system and immune system, respectively.

CBD may help to reduce disc damage by interacting with these receptors, although research has yet to find them located within the intervertebral discs. CBD also prevents the degradation of the endocannabinoid anandamide, which allows it to linger in the body for longer. This endocannabinoid—also known as the “bliss molecule”—displays pain-killing and anti-inflammatory effects that might play a role in disc healing.

How Does CBD Help Degenerative Disc Disease?
  • Potential to Reduce Inflammation

Because degenerative disc disease involves the release of a flurry of inflammatory molecules, cannabis scientists are looking to see if CBD offers any anti-inflammatory action. A 2014 study in PLOS One set out to see if the cannabinoid offered any protective effects[2] against intervertebral disc degeneration in rats.

Despite their rigorous efforts, the research team called for further investigations into the mechanism by which CBD interacts with cell signals. Clinical trials are also required to see how the cannabinoid works in people living with the condition.

  • CBD for Psychological Symptoms of Degenerative Disc Disease

The treatment of back pain requires a multi-pronged approach. Although manual therapy, strength training, and specialised exercises play a key role, the psychological state of patients heavily influences their perception of pain and their ability to deal with the condition.

The psychological impact of DDD and chronic pain may lead to negative mental states such as depression, anxiety, and catastrophisation. As well as potentially helping to address the physical aspects of DDD, cannabidiol might help to reduce psychological symptoms.

Early research shows promise when it comes to CBD and our mental state. The cannabinoid interacts with the serotonin system, which may change the way our brain reacts to this key neurotransmitter. This, in turn, could have a profound impact on our mental state. And, as alluded to earlier, CBD keeps anandamide—a molecule associated with increased mood—in the synaptic space for a longer period[3].

Research also suggests that CBD may help to reduce symptoms of stress[4]. Interestingly, excess stress may change the way we perceive and deal with pain[5]. The psychological state appears to fuel and stem from chronic pain conditions, possibly giving rise to a cycle of suffering. CBD may help to alleviate some symptoms of stress and thereby shift the perception of pain and its impact.

How to Use CBD for Degenerative Disc Disease?

To put it simply, no clear-cut answer exists to this question. The research surrounding the impact of CBD on DDD remains extremely early and underdeveloped. With no clinical trials to use as a foundation, nobody knows the optimal dose or method surrounding the use of CBD for the condition.

Using CBD to tackle symptoms of DDD remains an experimental approach. However, some users find that cannabidiol helps them in one way or another. Of course, always consult your doctor before doing so.

  • Which CBD Products to Choose?

If you choose to use CBD, we highly suggest sourcing the best products possible. With a saturated market, the quality of CBD oil fluctuates wildly. Although many good products exist, there are many others that are untested and unreliable.

When it comes to buying CBD oil, we recommend looking for three distinct characteristics. First of all, seek full-spectrum oils. These products incorporate all of the beneficial phytochemicals within cannabis—not just CBD. They utilise other cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids to create a synergistic blend of chemicals[6] that produce more pronounced effects.

Second, look for products that use supercritical CO₂ extraction. This state-of-the-art method captures all of the desired phytochemicals while leaving everything else behind. CO₂ extraction also removes the risk of harmful solvent residue.

Third, we recommend only buying third-party lab-tested products. This way, you’ll know exactly what your bottle contains. This type of testing guarantees a clean product free of contaminants, and one that stays within the regulated limits of THC quantity.

The Future for CBD and Degenerative Disc Disease

Degenerative disc disease remains a controversial and complex condition. We know that pain doesn’t equate to tissue damage. A person with no physical disc damage may feel pain, while a person with no pain may have significantly degenerated discs. Plus, those that feel pain are likely to experience negative mental states such as fear of certain movements and catastrophisation.

Although the research remains far too early to make solid conclusions, the cannabinoid shows great promise as part of a holistic approach involving exercise and psychological intervention. Hopefully, further studies will start to unveil CBD’s physiological effects on the condition, as well as the dose and administration method required.

External Resources:
  1. Protective Effects of Cannabidiol on Lesion-Induced Intervertebral Disc Degeneration https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  2. Protective Effects of Cannabidiol on Lesion-Induced Intervertebral Disc Degeneration https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  3. Cannabidiol enhances anandamide signaling and alleviates psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  4. Translational Investigation of the Therapeutic Potential of Cannabidiol (CBD): Toward a New Age https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  5. Chronic Pain, Chronic Stress and Depression: Coincidence or Consequence? https://www.m-r-i.net
  6. Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Disclaimer:
This content is for educational purposes only. The information provided is derived from research gathered from external sources.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: