In sports, as the saying goes, there’s no gain without pain. However, not all pain is the same, at least according to researchers at the John Hopkins School of Medicine. They note that there is good pain and bad pain.
Stress in the muscles as they develop strength causes the former, but excessive training can overload and damage muscles, resulting in bad pain. Regardless of taxonomy, pain is an athlete’s constant companion, and, in the search for more effective escapes from it, many are ditching traditional anodynes and turning to cannabidiol (CBD) products like those provided by Cannabis Strategic Ventures, Inc. (OTC: NUGS). The company is offering athletes a way to ease their pain with its Fitamins CBD line. It recently signed Art ‘One Glove’ Jimmerson to be brand ambassador for the label.
Jimmerson knows a thing or two about pain. He is a former professional boxer and mixed martial arts fighter, as well as a pioneer of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) franchise. His appointment as brand ambassador was announced on November 10 at the UFC 25th Anniversary Fight Night in Denver, Colorado, an event that was viewed by millions of fans. Jimmerson’s journey in contact sports took flight in 1983, while still an amateur, after he became the National Golden Gloves Middleweight champion. He went on to achieve an admirable record of 51-18 over a 20-year career that lasted from 1983 to 2002.
Cannabinoids are gaining increasing prominence as acceptable alternatives to traditional analgesics, such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen, with THC and CBD garnering the most attention. Depending on jurisdiction, a variety of restrictions on the use of THC, some of which also limit the availability of CBD, exist, although, since CBD has no psychotropic effect, regulation of CBD tends to be less restrictive than for THC. The advantages of CBD are that it offers some of the same medical benefits (anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety, analgesic effects) as THC, but without the legal and psychological complications.
CBD has an effect on the brain’s serotonin and vanilloid receptors, and it thus lightens mood and the perception of pain. It also acts as an antioxidant, neutralizing free radicals in the body that damage tissues and cells by “stealing” their electrons. As such, its therapeutic value is increasingly being recognized, and, in January 2018, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) removed CBD from its list of banned substances. This clears the way for the Fitamins line to be marketed to the sports industry.
The market for CBD therapies is buoyant. Hemp-derived CBD sales are ballooning at a CAGR of 55 percent. They are set to hit $1 billion by 2020. As word spreads on the field about CBD’s effectiveness in treating pain, expect the Fitamins brand to get a place on the team.
