What causes hand tremors?
A tremor is an involuntary, rhythmic movement of a part of the body. Tremors can potentially affect any part of the body, including the hands, arms, legs, head, and even the voicebox.There are many different potential causes of tremors, including:
- Essential tremor (caused by a degenerative process, which is usually age-related)
- Parkinson’s disease
- Stroke
- Brain tumor
- Long-term alcohol use
- Withdrawal from alcohol
- Certain medications
- Exposure to certain toxins, including some pesticides, solvents, and heavy metals
- Hyperthyroidism (high thyroid hormone levels)
- Liver disease
- Kidney disease
- High or low blood sugar levels
- Caffeine
What are essential tremors?
Essential tremor is the most common type of action tremor, affecting up to 5% of the population [1]. An action tremor is a tremor that occurs only when performing activities. When at rest, the tremor does not occur.
Essential tremor most commonly affects the hands and arms. As it progresses, the head and the muscles that control the voice can also be affected. This condition becomes more common as people age, although it can also affect younger people.
About half of all people with essential tremor have a family history of the condition, meaning that their close relatives also had essential tremor. However, researchers are still working to discover all of the risk factors that can lead to essential tremor. It appears that the process involves degeneration of certain brain regions, although more research is needed to understand this condition better.
Are There Any Supplements That Help Essential Tremors?
Although there is no cure for essential tremor, there are medications that can be helpful for some patients. Many patients prefer natural alternatives to pharmaceuticals, and would like to use supplements instead.
Some research has shown that injections of high-dose thiamine, or vitamin B1, may be helpful for some patients with essential tremor [2]. Deficiency of vitamin B12 can cause tremors, so taking this (orally or by injection) may be helpful for some people [3].
Some patients have reported positive effects from using herbs that calm the nervous system, such as valerian, skullcap, or passionflower. It’s important to use caution with these medications, because they can cause significant side effects and can interact with prescription drugs in potentially dangerous ways [4]. It has also not yet been proven that any of these herbs are effective for essential tremor.
In addition, some people have reported success with using cannabinoids, such as CBD, for essential tremor. Many patients have reported dramatic improvements in their condition from the use of these products.
The use of cannabinoids for treating essential tremor is still considered experimental. Although there have been some promising studies, there’s still not enough evidence to definitively conclude that cannabinoids have beneficial effects on essential tremors. However, the research that we have so far is encouraging.
How Do Cannabinoids Help in Treating Hand Tremors?
The endocannabinoid system is involved in a variety of functions, including the control of movements in the nervous system [5]. Cannabinoids, which are substances found in cannabis, act on the endocannabinoid system. This raises the possibility that cannabis – or certain chemicals derived from cannabis – could be useful in helping to control tremors.
Through the endocannabinoid system, cannabinoids tend to produce relaxation of muscles. Relaxation is known to help reduce the symptoms of essential tremor, and therapies focused on relaxation are often a major part of the treatment of the condition [6]. Cannabinoids could help facilitate muscle relaxation, which would likely be beneficial for people with essential tremor.
Cannabinoids also help to protect cells in the brain and spinal cord from damage, which can help to preserve their function. Because essential tremor is believed to result from degeneration of certain brain regions [7], it’s certainly plausible that cannabinoids could help to slow the progress of the condition.
Does CBD Help with Tremors?
Cannabidiol, or CBD, is one of the major cannabinoids found in cannabis. It’s attracted a significant amount of research attention for its antiinflammatory properties, and appears to have a number of potential health benefits.
Unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, CBD does not cause an alteration of mental state. This makes it much more useful as a potential treatment, because it will not interfere with patients’ ability to function in their daily lives.
Research has shown that a synthetic cannabinoid injected into the spinal cord reduces the symptoms of essential tremor [8]. Somewhat surprisingly, the researchers discovered that the cannabinoid acts not on neurons (the cells that produce electrical signals), but on astrocytes, which are support cells that help to maintain the proper environment within the spinal cord. These supporting cells contain receptors for cannabinoids, and respond to the presence of substances similar to CBD.
One study gave a single dose of CBD to patients with essential tremor, and observed no effects on their symptoms [9]. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that CBD is not effective. Instead, it could indicate that CBD needs to be taken consistently over a longer period of time in order to have an effect. If a patient tries CBD and doesn’t notice an immediate effect, they may need to take CBD for a longer period before concluding that it doesn’t work for them.
Another study found that patients using a combination of CBD and THC showed a trend towards slightly lower tremor severity and improvement of their symptoms, when compared with those taking a placebo. However, they also reported frequent side effects, including trouble concentrating and sleepiness, which were likely related to the THC contained in the treatment [10]. The effects found in the study were not huge, but there was an effect of the cannabinoids. More research will be needed to clarify the effect of CBD on essential tremor.
Can Hemp Oil Help with Hand Tremors?
Although hemp oil is also derived from the cannabis plant, it doesn’t always contain CBD. Whether or not there is CBD in hemp oil depends on the specific type. Hemp oil that’s labeled “full spectrum” or “broad spectrum” contains all of the chemicals naturally present in the plant, including CBD [11]. However, if a hemp oil is not full or broad spectrum, then it may not contain any CBD. It may have been filtered or processed in a way that removes the CBD from the oil.
In addition to CBD, full or broad spectrum hemp oil also contains a variety of other cannabinoids, as well as other potentially beneficial compounds like flavonoids, terpenes, and terpenoids.
It’s important to note the difference between hemp and marijuana. Both are derived from cannabis plants, but they’re different types of cannabis plants. The plants used for marijuana contain relatively high levels of THC, the chemical that causes the psychoactive effects of marijuana.
By contrast, the plants used for hemp contain very little, if any, THC. This means that you don’t have to worry much about hemp interfering with your ability to concentrate or remember things in your daily life. You absolutely cannot get high from taking hemp oil. However, broad spectrum hemp oil has THC specifically removed, ensuring that there won’t be any cognitive effects from taking the product. With full spectrum hemp oil, there might be a little THC.
CBD Oil vs. Hemp Oil for Essential Tremors
If both CBD oil and hemp oil could potentially help with essential tremors, how can you decide between them?
CBD oil is purified to contain mainly CBD. In this process, many other potentially beneficial chemicals are removed. By contrast, full or broad spectrum hemp oil contains CBD, along with a variety of other compounds.
CBD oil can also be made from either type of cannabis plants – hemp or marijuana. As a result, CBD oil that’s produced from marijuana plants may also contain THC. If you’re trying to avoid the psychoactive effects of THC, such as interference with memory and concentration, then it’s important to check that your CBD oil doesn’t contain THC.
Hemp plants don’t contain much THC, so if you choose hemp oil, you don’t really need to worry about THC. A broad spectrum hemp oil has the THC specifically removed, to ensure that you won’t experience any unwanted cognitive effects from using the product.
Dosage for Hand Tremors
There is currently no officially accepted dosage of CBD for essential tremor. More studies will be needed to determine the optimal dose.
In one study on CBD in Parkinson’s disease (another condition that causes tremors), the dose was gradually increased, from 5 up to 25mg of CBD per kilogram of body weight each day. At 25mg, there were early signs of liver damage in some people, but there were very few side effects up to 20mg per kg per day [12].
Based on the results of this study, it may be beneficial to try a lower dose first, such as 5mg of CBD per kilogram of body weight per day. (If using this method, multiply your weight in kilograms by 5 to find your personalized dose.) You can gradually increase this until you get the desired effect.
Another study found that a dose of 300mg of CBD was effective at reducing tremor in people with Parkinson’s disease [13]. This is similar to what many people would take if using 5mg per kg.
Since we don’t yet know the optimal dose for CBD, the best advice may be to start with a lower dose, and increase it if this is not effective. If you take any pharmaceuticals or have any chronic medical conditions, it’s a good idea to check with your doctor before starting any new supplement, as it’s possible for supplements to interact with medications or cause side effects.
Best Type of CBD to Use for Hand Tremors
When choosing a CBD product to try for hand tremors, there are a few things you may want to keep in mind:
- Hemp is grown industrially, and this process may involve chemicals like pesticides. To help protect yourself from the potential toxicity of these chemicals, you may want to choose one that’s grown organically.
- A full or broad spectrum hemp oil contains not just CBD, but also a variety of other cannabinoids, as well as other potentially beneficial chemicals. If you want to get the benefits of all of these substances, make sure to choose a hemp oil that’s either full spectrum or broad spectrum.
- If you want to avoid the effects of THC (such as trouble with memory and concentration), choose a product made from hemp rather than marijuana. A broad spectrum hemp oil has THC specifically removed, so that you don’t need to worry about any THC-related side effects.
- The best dosing of CBD for essential tremor has not yet been researched. Many people start with a relatively small amount of CBD and gradually increase this until they feel an effect.
- Make sure to talk with your doctor before starting any new supplement, particularly if you take any medications or have any chronic medical conditions.
