Auteur: Sydney Waldner
As a quick disclaimer, this article is not being written for the sake of convincing anyone that CBD will in any way prevent or cure the Corona Virus. There is no known cure for the virus at this point of time, unfortunately. It is clear to say the world is in full confusion and we are experiencing a great sense of panic on a global scale.
In this article, we will not be looking at ‘cures’ or ‘preventative steps’ for the Corona Virus. We will be looking at what we already know about CBD and discussing why it may be a good idea to supplement it during these current events. It can be very stressful when getting caught up in the negative hype the internet can project during such times. Sometimes, when things seem to be out of our control, all we can do is make the best out of the situation.
Without further ado, here are 6 reasons why supplementing CBDÂ may help you get through this in one way or another.
What is CBD and what on Earth does it have to do with covid19?
Essentiall, CBD is one of more than 100 cannabinoids   that can be found in Cannabis . You can also find (often higher) contents of CBD in Hemp. CBD is non-psychoactive, unlike the more commonly discussed cannabinoid THC, and does not provide a ‘high’ in those who ingest it. CBD is considered legal to consume in 40 countries around the world.Â
CBD is known for it’s long list of benefits from reliving stress, to treating epilepsy and cancer pain. But what benefits does supplementing CBD hold when considering the Corona Virus? Clearly, simply taking CBD will not cure the virus or prevent it in any way. However, it can definitely help boost you immune system, reduce inflammation and help balance out your bad mood that may be caused by the stress everyone seems to be experiencing. Lets explore a few benefits of CBD and the possible links to the Corona Virus, shall we?
1) CBD for your immune system:
Increasing your ‘immune health’ has become a popular practice around the world. There seems to be a massive hype to protect and boost your immune system. You could say it has even become a trend nowadays. If there is any trend to get behind-it is definitely this one!
Some individuals boost their immune system by taking a ginger shot each morning, exercising daily or consuming a diet high in fruits and vegetables. It seems as though individuals are even taking up a simple relaxation and/or meditation practice to help decrease their stress hormones, which is meant to help increase the health of the immune system.
All of these things are very beneficial, however, have you even considered how taking CBD can help boost your immune system? Although CBD is still a fairly new product, there has been a handful of studies done on CBD. In these studies we have found that CBD and other cannabinoids can influence the immune system to strengthen and therefore improve general overall health.
Whether or not you think it is worth supplementing CBD during the Corona Virus to strengthen your immune system, you should at least be doing something to help boost your immune system -CBD related, or not.
2) CBD for lung health
One thing that does not commonly come up when discussing CBD is how/if it can help your lungs out.
In one study on CBD, it enhanced markers of healthy lungs such as decreased lung resistance, myeloperoxidase
activity in the lung tissue, and protein concentration as well as maintenance of healthy cytokines levels.
That being said, it could potentially assist with respiratory function . It is common knowledge by now that one of the main symptoms of the Corona Virus is experiencing a shortness of breath, breathing complications and heaviness in the lungs. If CBD can proactively assist with respiratory function, maybe it is worth taking during this pandemic while consider a lot more research needs to be done on this subject. Although, supplementing CBD for this holds no harm in trying.
3) CBD for inflammation
Lets looks into using CBD for inflammation. Lots of the body’s inflammatory response is an aspect of the body’s immune response. A large source of human disease is based around inflammation. While short-term inflammation can be protective, chronic inflammation or long periods of imflammation on the other hand is linked to many diseases, some being: heart disease, cancer, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease (IBS), rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s and more.
Due to the fact that these major diseases are based around inflammation in the body, many individuals believe CBD has a positive affect when used as a treatment. A 2015 review) published in Bioorganic and Medicinal talks about the anti-inflammitory properties of CBD. They concluded that CBD does indeed reduce inflammation through several pathways in the body. They believe it represents an effective potential treatment for a range of conditions characterized by inflammation.
Thanks to CBD working as an anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant, it may not necessarily be an essential immune supplement choice. However, for those who have an autoimmune disease (such as a virus), CBD can be an exceptional choice for supplementation.Â
Of course, there is no actual research being conducted in regards to supplementing CBD and if it actually helps any inflammation that the Corona Virus may cause, although, it is food for thought to be worth a try.
We know that a regular fever often holds skin flushing and hot/red skin on it’s list of symptoms. Considering the Conora Virus is essentially yet another breed of a fever, perhaps supplementing CBD could help reduce any inflammation caused by Corona Virus or other fevers.
4) CBD for Anxiety
One thing most people can agree on is that CBD helps with stress and anxiety. Many will tell you that CBD is a natural tool used to assist daily stress/anxiety. Although stress and anxiety are completely different, they do go hand in hand when speaking about how CBD can decrease the symptoms when experiencing either one, or both.
One study preformed back in 2010 showed us that CBD helps to reduce anxiety. This study specifies on how it not only helps decrease symptoms from individuals with general anxiety, but it also concludes that it helps those who suffer from social anxiety disorder, specifically. This study found that CBD helped reduce current anxiety. Even more surprisingly, it found that CBD also changed the brain’s initial reaction to said anxiety! Brain scans showed the changes in blood flow patterns in regions of the brain that associated with both stress and anxiety.
It is no secret that the average anxiety level among most people has been amplified. If you already deal with anxiety, it is no surprise it has increased since the Corona Virus outbreak. It is easy and definitely important to get carried away with the physical damage done from something like the Corona Virus, although something that is easy to dismiss is the mental damage that can/does occur during a pandemic. Let us not forget to treat the negative impact that many people are suffering from as well.
5) CBD for helping insomnia and improving sleep
Everyone knows that smoking cannabis will often help one get a solid nights of sleep. This is due to the psychoactive cannabinoid in cannabis which is called THC. However, it seems as though CBD can help you get a restful sleep as well, without having the ‘high’ side-effects that lots of people are not willing to endure to get a restful night.Â
A study done in 2014  tells us that CBD affects our sleep cycle. The 2014 research looked at patients that were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The studies found that CBD drastically improved the symptoms of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) that the patients had suffered with due to their diagnosis. REM sleep behavior disorder is a disorder in which a person acts out their dreams. RBD is largely associated with poor sleep and frequent nightmares.
A more recent study looked at whether CBD can improve ones sleep or reduce general anxiety, which is often linked to sleeping disorders/complications. The small study was conducted on 72 subjects. 47 of the subjects experienced chronic anxiety and 25 experienced poor sleep. Each subject was given 25 milligram (mg) of CBD each day in the form of capsules. In the very first month, 79.2% of the patients reported back with decreased anxiety levels and 66.7% of the experiment’s participants reported better sleep.
These studies, combined with the rest done up to date, can largely promote the use of CBD for both sleeping and anxiety disorder. During times like this, it seems as though everyone is dealing with their own anxious thoughts when pondering on what our future holds. There are many cases of individuals who previously had issues with sleeping and anxiety that have had significantly increased symptoms since the Corona Virus pandemic began. It is easy to say some people are ‘overreacting’ when you yourself are not a person who already suffered from anxiety and sleeping complications.
CBD seems to be something worth a try for anxiety and the symptoms linked to it, such as sleeping disorders. In these times, it seems it is best to get any help available. Perhaps CBD is something that can be used as additional assistance.
6) CBD for boosting your mood
When looking at mood disorders and CBD alongside one another, it is worth taking into consideration that CBD is known to enhance general mood and even function as a mild anti-depressant. While the effects of supplementing CBD are not great enough to make it a viable treatment when suffering from severe depression, it may be considered as an adjunctive ‘therapy’.
Similarly to the anti-anxiety drug ‘Buspirone’, CBD surprisingly activates a type of serotonin receptor (5-HT1A. These serotonin receptors control a large variety of other neurotransmitters. ‘Buspirone’ has been shown to increase neurogenesis in the opossum hippocampus , which scientists have recently realized it is likely that CBD could have similar effects.
For some individuals, a bad mood is just a cluster of passing emotions. For other individuals, the feeling of sadness, stress or anxiety can have a consequential impact on their health and daily well-being. That is why this 6th point of the article is very important in regards to how CBD can help you during the Corona Virus outbreak.Â
Everyone knows the saying, ‘As above, so below’. However, this simple and possibly overused saying holds great importance. A healthy body often results in a happy mind. It works the other way around as well. When we are mentally stable/well, we will generally feel better in physical aspects.
In the midst of such trying times, we need to focus on thriving mentally more than ever. It is true when they say that a healthy diet, a good sleeping schedule, lots of water and sunshine can be the best doctors. Who is to say that after all the successful studies, CBD can’t be in that category as well?
The bottom line
Whether one uses CBD or one exercised daily to boost their mood, it is important to do something rather than nothing at all. Ideally, the more you do in regards to general mood boosting during the Corona Virus, the better. This also goes for looking after you physical well-being. To put it in blunt terms, you can either live in fear and worry whilst letting the mental and physical side of things in your life slip… Or you can have a positive perspective and do some research as to how you can make this situation as good as it can be. Whether CBD is part of that or not, search for yourself and look into how to come out of the Corona Virus pandemic a better person then before.
