The strength of our immune system depends upon many factors that include nutrition and effects of various useful substances. Cannabinoids are among those substances that have recently attracted the attention of researchers.
What Is the Immune System?
The immune system of our body is responsible for keeping an unhealthy state at bay. It is an active defense mechanism that fights harmful bacteria and viruses regularly, which is composed of many organs and sub-systems. Let’s have a look at its essential components:
- The thymus and the tonsils. When our body comes across harmful invaders capable of harming our health, the thymus and tonsils produce antibodies to combat such invaders.
- Lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is composed of lymph nodes that are found throughout the body. It is responsible for carrying lymph nodes that help in the movement of lymph fluid while trapping and terminating harmful bacteria.
- Bone marrow. Bone marrow is a soft tissue found mainly in the long bones of our body. It is composed of red marrows that produce WBCs, RBCs, yellow marrow along with platelets.
- Spleen. Spleen is responsible for the removal of damaged cells and platelets. It also terminates harmful bacteria and supports the immune system.
- White blood cells. WBCs act as an active protective agent against organisms that cause infections.
How Cannabinoids Affect the Immune System
Endocannabinoid receptors in our body combine with cannabinoids like CBD and THC to assist the body in regulating and balancing different physiological functions that include our immunity. In recent studies, it has been found that cannabis has the ability to balance the immune system and reduce the inflammatory response.
At times, our immune system overreacts to certain internal threats. This happens in various autoimmune diseases like Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Type1 Diabetes, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, etc. Cannabis has shown to be effective in reducing the inflammatory response related to such conditions and assisting the system in returning to the equilibrium.
Moreover, diseases like HIV/AIDs, cancer, etc. also reduce the immune system’s effectiveness. And cannabis holds the potential to strengthen its response to such a critical condition. However, it is an early study, and more immune system research is needed to be done in this regard.
CBD and Autoimmune Diseases
When a person is diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, it means that his/her immune system attacks his own healthy cells instead of harmful foreign invaders. The attacks can happen at random places in the body and disrupt the proper functioning of organs.
There are more than 80 autoimmune disorders recognized, and they can be life-threatening. Some of them are HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, diabetes and lupus.
With its ability to act as an immunosuppressant, CBD can surely be a good choice for treating people with autoimmune diseases. Inflammation can, directly and indirectly, cause many such diseases and CBD, being anti-inflammatory can help suppress the inflammation. A hyperactive immune system can also attack itself and can lead to severe consequences. CBD can be highly beneficial in suppressing the immune system in case it is hyperactive.
The Future of CBD
The medical community has been studying the positive effect of CBD, and things do look promising. To find out how CBD can further help with immune-related diseases, more comprehensive research will be required.
The best thing about CBD is that it is entirely natural, and hence it can be a good option for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. We know that the preference of natural and organic treatment is always on the rise in public because of fewer concerns about the side effects. The demand for CBD as a treatment option will only surge if it can be proven as having positive effects on the treatment of autoimmune diseases. But there continuous to be a dearth of large-scale research in this field. It is believed that CBD is safe and does not have major side effects or overdose effects. While the research is going to take a long time, we can ascertain the results to be positive.
We hope that we provided you with an excellent overview of the relationship between CBD and the immune system and how CBD can be useful in future to control autoimmune diseases.