Immune health is one of the common topics associated with CBD. People use this term to refer to health products and habits that boost the immune system. CBD oil is among the new products on the market with the capacity to enhance your immune system. Studies show that CBD has positive health benefits for your immune system.
What is CBD? And How Does it Work?
CBD is one of the compounds extracted from the cannabis plant. It does not have enough THC – a chemical compound that works upon your brain’s central nervous system to give you a high effect. These days you can easily find CBD products in online stores like cbdoil.co.uk.
The human body produces its own cannabinoids. It also has two CBD receptors – CB2 and CB1. These receptors exist in the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS).
The cannabis plant has more than 80 unique chemical compounds in its trichomes.
Each of these compounds causes a specific response in the human body. This happens when they bind to particular receptors.
The CB1 receptor is present in the human brain. It is also present in other parts of the body. The CB1 in your brain affects movement, coordination, and mood. It also affects emotions, pain, memories, appetite, and thinking. THC attaches itself to this receptor.
The location of the CB2 receptor is in the body’s immune system. It affects swelling and pain in your body.
Earlier studies showed that CBD binds to your body’s CB2 receptor. But, recent research indicates different results. It shows that CBD encourages the body to use most of its natural cannabinoids. It also affects CB2 and CB1 receptors indirectly. This means that CBD does not bind to any receptor directly.
How CBD Affects Your Immune System
According to studies, CBD reduces swelling in the body. It plays the role of modifying your immune system. It also lowers your body’s immune response.
- CBD encourages the death of cells in the body.
- Through its ability to reduce swelling, CBD reduces swelling as an immune response. Your immunity uses inflammation to separate infected areas from the rest of the body. In turn, it prevents the spread of toxins in the body. Inflammation causes adverse effects in the body of individuals whose immune system fights healthy cells.
- CBD suppresses the secretion and function of cytokines.
- It inhibits the fast growth of cells in the body.
- It represses the creation of chemokines that attract motile cells. Chemokine attracts immune cells to the infection area in your body. In turn, white blood cells destroy foreign microbes.
- It can repress the production and functions of T-cells. This reduces your body’s ability to recall foreign invaders or microbes.
At face value, these effects seem to work against the body of a healthy person. Nonetheless, they are perfect for individuals suffering from diseases where their immune system fights healthy cells.
Autoimmune Diseases and CBD
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Autoimmune diseases cause your immune system to work against the body. The immune system of a healthy person fights antigens and foreign microbes. This is not the same for a person with an autoimmune disease. The person’s immune system fights and destroys healthy tissues, cells, and organs. These attacks happen all over the body. It leads to a weak body. In extreme cases, this disease becomes life-threatening.
CBD prevents your body’s immune system from attacking healthy cells by lowering your immune response.
CBD can change your body’s immune function and reduce the strength of your body’s immune system. In turn, it can reduce swelling. This means that you can use CBD to manage an immune system that fights healthy cells in the body.
Effects of CBD on Healthy Individuals
Studies describe the effects of CBD on a healthy individual better. It does this by interrogating the effects of CBD on the immune system of healthy people. It also inspects the vulnerability of an individual’s immunity to infections.
Results show a little statistical effect of CBD on the human immune system. The study tested the effects of cannabis on the cytokines’ concentration circulating in the body.
Studies show little evidence to prove the effects of marijuana on healthy people.
CBD and Susceptibility to Infectious Diseases
Your body’s immune system protects you against infections. The system does this by recognizing foreign organisms and destroying them. It uses different mechanisms and cell types to protect the body. When your body’s immune system fails to respond correctly to foreign organisms, you may experience adverse health issues. For instance, the suppression of your body’s immune system may result in an increased period of infection. It can lower the chances of your body to notice and obliterate cancer cells. You may also become vulnerable to disease-causing microbes.
An unusual immune response resulting from CBD treatment or smoking weed is likely to happen. It may affect cancer patients using marijuana to counter nausea from chemotherapeutic drugs. HIV patients using cannabis to increase appetite can also respond inappropriately to disease-causing organisms.
CBD might appear to be of little use to healthy individuals. But it delivers an immune boost to individuals suffering from autoimmune diseases. When using CBD, you need to be careful to avoid compromising your body’s immune competence.
