Covid-19, Immune Function and Cannabis
By Susan Boskey
As a cannabis educator, one of the things I help people understand is why cannabis has so many health benefits. Ultimately, it’s all about the biological system, known as the endocannabinoid system (ECS), discovered in 1992. Very generally speaking, the ECS regulates the homeostasis of most of the body’s physiological systems for balance of health, and thereby is also involved in immune function.
Cannabis, discovered as a plant substance able to exactly mimic the body’s own ECS process, can also then effectively boost and restore a deficient ECS to full function. Deficiency is very common and can result from prolonged stress, trauma, aging, and environmental toxins. Using cannabis as ‘whole plant’ medicine (and not just isolated individual cannabinoids) has been found to offer the greatest health benefit, also known as the entourage effect.
Widget not in any sidebars
One of the overriding and significant benefits of a healthy ECS is its role in helping to maintain lower inflammation levels. Chronic Inflammation has become commonly understood as a source of many disease processes, especially as concerns the immune system.
Indeed, chronic inflammatory diseases have been recognized as the most significant cause of death in the world today, with more than 50% of all deaths being attributable to inflammation- related diseases such as ischemic heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and autoimmune and neurodegenerative conditions.[1]
This is where cannabis comes in. A scientific Cannabis and Covid-19 Commentary in the Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids Journal, a peer-reviewed publication, lays it out why cannabis could possibly assist with Covid-19 treatments and immunity. Cannabis has a beneficial modulating effect on the immune system but does not make it immunosuppressed like pharmaceutical drugs can. As always, more studies are indicated.
Perhaps this is why I seem to be immune to whatever Covid-19 is and does to those who are susceptible. So far so good. Of course, as the commentary suggests, don’t overdo it; yet the thoughtful use of cannabis might be worth considering, if for no other reason than to down-regulate inflammation.
_______
Susan Boskey is a Certified Cannabis Educator and Practitioner, and graduate of the Holistic Cannabis Academy, Longmont, Colorado. She is the former owner/operator of a private practice dedicated to detoxification and re-establishment of gut health with over 45 years of personal and professional experience in the health and wellness industry. Her mission today is to intervene in the noise of modern life to help people transform the pain of stress, anxiety and depression into a welcomed, felt-sense of well-being.
Visit her website: LifestyleWellnessRx.com and online course, The CannaWisdom Process™, a self-care program for how to safely use medicinal cannabis to recover from mood disorders and gain a new perspective on life without pharmaceuticals. Visit: https://cannawisdom.podia.com
Image source: Health Europa
FREE PDF: 10 Best Books To Survive Food Shortages & Famines
