Australia witnessed at least 18,590 deaths due to heart disease in 2017. It is Australia’s leading single cause of death. Heart disease kills one Australian every 28 minutes. Cardiovascular disease is another term used for heart disease. It often refers to conditions that involve narrowed or blocked blood vessels which can lead to a heart attack, chest pain or a stroke. There are other heart conditions that affect valves or the heart’s muscle are other forms of heart disease. It is important to keep your heart healthy at all ages in order to prevent and manage heart disease. 

The following conditions involve the heart or the circulation of blood through the blood vessels. 

• Stroke
• Heart failure
• Heart attack
• Septal defect – an abnormal opening between the left and right sides of the heart. 
• Arrhythmias – abnormal heartbeats 

How to prevent and manage heart disease?

There are various ways one can prevent and manage heart disease. Even if people suffer from one or more risk factors it can be managed by them if they follow these:

• Improving your lifestyle
• maintaining a healthy diet
• exercising more often 

CBD and Heart disease

Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant. They do not contain any psychotic effects unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that is known to contain psychotic effect and gives a feeling of ‘high’. CBD affects the endocannabinoid system and helps to keep the body homeostasis. When the body is under attack due to a disease or inflammation, CBD gives the endocannabinoid system a boost to do its job as a body regulator. 

CBD is gaining a lot of popularity among people suffering from conditions. It helps in treatment such as anxiety, chronic pain, PTSD and even heart disease. There is little evidence that shows CBD can have health benefits. However, there is a need for more proof and studies to prove this. 

CBD has anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties which will be able to rescue the risk factors that can lead and cause heart disease such as high blood pressure. It may also be possible to reduce the risk of related conditions like stroke. 

• High blood pressure – high blood pressure can rise under stress but some research suggests that this can be bought into control by using CBD. a study conducted in 2009 on rats showed that stress caused their blood pressure and heart rate to increase. A dose of CBD helped in lowering their blood pressure and heart rate. Another study conducted in 2017 on humans were put under stress and then given a dose of CBD. this helped in lowering their blood pressure as compared to volunteers who were given a placebo. While more research is needed to make assumptions, there is some evidence to show that CBD can reduce blood pressure. 
• Stroke – suffering from heart disease can increase your chances of having a stroke. A stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks the blood flow to the brain. The vessel in the brain can also burst which can then cause a hemorrhagic stroke. A review from 2010 showed that CBD can help protect stroke patients from brain damage and even aid recovery by boosting brain function. 

Ways of using cannabis

CBD can be consumed in various forms like oils, sprays, ointments, edibles, gummies etc. putting a few drops under your tongue is an easy way to consume it. It is always necessary to consult your doctor before taking any cannabis-related medicine for treatment. An approval from the TGA is required for the same. 

External links:

https://www.heartresearch.com.au/heart-disease/what-is-heart-disease/#:~:text=Heart%20disease%20is%20an%20umbrella,heart%20defects)%2C%20among%20others.

https://www.healthline.com/health/cbd-for-heart-disease#how-to-use