The amount of science coming out about COVID-19 has been fascinating to me. And troubling, too, of course—but truly, we are learning something new every day.
Every discovery arms us a little better against this virus. In fact, I believe it’s one reason why we aren’t yet seeing a second wave of deaths. (That’s not to say that an average of 1,000 deaths per day due to a virus that could have been stopped months ago is a win—quite the contrary, actually.)
But when doctors get better at fighting this crisis with the tools currently at our disposal, we all benefit. And as doctors continue to treat infected patients more effectively, perhaps we can resolve this pandemic more safely and quickly than we once believed.
That’s why I want to talk to you today about another tool that may benefit us in this fight… and that’s cannabidiol (CBD).
An antidote to ARDS
Believe it or not, CBD may help ease the excessive lung inflammation that has killed so many COVID-19 patients.
Researchers have discovered evidence that it could help keep critically ill patients off of mechanical ventilation, and ultimately prevent death from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
Their studies point to CBD as an effective way to assist lung recovery from the lethal cytokine storms associated with COVID-19—helping to curb overwhelming inflammation and restore healthy blood oxygen levels.
Here’s how it works: CBD significantly downregulated levels of inflammation-fueling cytokines in patients with the virus. It also boosted oxygen levels. And a later study showed that CBD partially or totally healed scarring, swelling, and tissue overgrowth in recovering patients’ lungs.
In other words, not only did CBD treatment reverse the clinical symptoms of ARDS, but it helped to repair the lung damage that the virus left behind.
Needless to say, that’s a pretty compelling case for something as simple as CBD. And given its effects on other inflammatory conditions—like arthritis and pain, for example—I can’t really say it surprises me.
Calming the “storm”
As one of the hemp plant’s main phytocannabinoids, CBD is able to act on receptors in your body’s own endocannabinoid system—which we now know plays a role in regulating everything from sleep and appetite to inflammation and immunity. And this is a particularly powerful benefit in the fight against COVID-19.
Now, I’ve touched on what makes this novel coronavirus so uniquely lethal here before. But here’s a quick review…
The most serious cases of this virus are marked by “cytokine storms.” Cytokines are inflammation-modulating substances—like interferon and interleukin—that cells in the immune system and blood vessel lining secrete. Severe cases of COVID-19 dramatically ramp up production of inflammatory cytokines.
Instead of simply killing the virus, these extreme inflammatory overreactions also destroy lung tissue. This not only makes it easier for the virus to replicate, but it also shuts down basic lung function altogether.
That’s where mechanical ventilation comes in. These machines can take over for the lungs, giving patients more energy to fight the infection. But the sad fact is, as many as half of the patients who end up on ventilators ultimately die.
So anything that might help to stop this deadly domino effect before it starts is a bona fide breakthrough, from my perspective.
In fact, the more I learn about CBD, the more impressed I am by its power and its potential. I personally take it every day—and have decided to add it to my top immune health recommendations. (You can learn all about those recommendations in my Complete Guide to Year-Round Immunity. Click here to obtain a copy today!)
In the meantime, I urge you to see what CBD can do for you. Not sure where to start? Well, I’ve devoted a number of articles to the subject in my monthly newsletter, Logical Health Alternatives—including how to pick the best product in a sea of competitors, in my most recent issue.
Subscribers have access to all of that and more in my archives. So if you haven’t yet, consider signing up today—you won’t be sorry.
Source:
“CBD may help avert lung destruction in COVID-19, research suggests.” Science Daily, 07/16/2020. (sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200716111623.htm)