Wellness Wednesday: How Does CBD Affect The Immune System by Rachel Hudson

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In the past months, due to coronavirus pandemic, we are focused a lot on finding ways to boost our immune systems.  Among good products on the market, there is one that is lately often mentioned as highly beneficial – CBD oil for the immune system.

The topic of immune health isn’t new. We often hear doctors and other experts tell us to exercise regularly and eat nutritious and balanced meals to ensure that our immune system is in good condition.

However, most of us don’t give much thought to the immune system when it functions adequately. But when the invader enters and makes us sick, we get the signal that there is a problem, and we start looking for ways to improve our defense system. Most of us learned vitamin C, ginger, shark liver oil, etc. are excellent immune boosters. This is all true, but lately, a relatively new product draws a lot of attention – CBD oil for the immune system.

How Does CBD Affect The Immune System by Rachel Hudson

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What is the Immune System

Before understanding what CBD oil is doing for the immune system, it is important to understand what it is. The immune or defense system is made of different organs, tissues, and cells that work together to protect our bodies from intruders that make you sick, like viruses and bacteria. Additionally, the role of this system is to prevent the body from confusing our cells with the outside invader. Sometimes, when there is a problem with the immune system, it attacks our body, which leads to the development of autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis.

What is CBD

The popularity of CBD is exploding all over the Western world, so it’s unlikely that you never heard about it. Cannabidiol or CBD is a compound commonly found in cannabis. Marijuana the most known strain of this plant, contains THC that makes the high effect. CBD is extracted from another strain called hemp.

The main reason behind this popularity is various CBD health benefits. Research is still in progress, and we are continually learning new things about it. Nevertheless, there is already a significant number of studies indicating that it is exceptionally effective in alleviating symptoms of mental health issues, relieving chronic pain, and improving immune health. The most common product is CBD that you can use orally or topically, but there are many other products, like gummies, the best CBD dаbs, etc.

How Does CBD Oil for Immune System Work

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Many people are wondering does CBD oil boost immunity and in what ways, so let’s look into it. There are different ways of how the immune system responds to the outside attack,  and one of the most common is inflammation.  The problem is that although inflammation is a natural and beneficial response of the immune system if it lasts too long or is too aggressive or reoccurring, it can be harmful.  For example, this situation happens with autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, and this is something that doctors call systemic inflammation.

Systemic inflammation also appears in some people who get sick from COVID-19. In such cases, it becomes vital to reduce the inflammation. This is where CBD oil for the immune system comes at play because it produces potent anti-inflammatory effects.  Due to this feature, CBD is a kind of immune modulator. What does that mean? Well, CBD can figure out if the immune system is overactive or underactive. In the first case, CBD can help take part in the work of the immune system. It helps by reducing the inflammation. If the immune system is underactive, then CBD helps by boosting it.

Endocannabinoid System

It was recently discovered that humans and all other vertebrates, have something called the endocannabinoid system, throughout our bodies. Research is still young, but what is discovered is that it plays an important role in regulating different physiological and cognitive processes.  Among other things, it is responsible for regulating our immune system by bringing the body in the perfect balance called homeostasis. As this system has receptors in our brain and other organs, it is only natural that both THC and CBD interact with them. This is the main reason why CBD can help our immune system.

Taking CBD Oil

As previously mentioned, people prefer to use CBD for different health issues as it’s a highly beneficial all-natural product.  Of course, before you start using it, experts recommend that you consult with your health care provider to understand whether and how to take CBD oil and what strength CBD oil you need to take.  Additionally, you should make sure to search for official and licensed suppliers. When it comes to the question of CBD dosage, the general recommendation is to start with little. For example, 20 mg per day, and gradually increase if necessary.

Conclusion

Although we are daily learning new things about CBD, some people are still doubtful and think it isn’t possible that something so simple can be so good for us. However, as you could see, that are many ways in which CBD oil for the immune system can be truly useful. Have you already tried CBD products (ex. Somnio CBD) ? Did you find them helpful?

About the Author:

Rae Hudson is a blogger and an infectious disease doctor living in New York. She spent the past several months working with patients sick with COVID-19. This made her think more about the use of CBD for treating this kind of illness. She’s actively participating in a study on the effects of cannabidiol oil on human health.

Do you use CBD Products to Affect your Immune System?

Hello, I’m Thuy of honeybunnytwee. I write a Wellness Wednesday guest bloggers series. Send an article or link to a blog post about health and wellness, self-care, fitness, or mental health at honeybunnytwee@gmail.com. I’m always looking for more Wellness Wednesday submissions.

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