Having a healthy immune system is so important. The feeling of constantly being sick or feeling under the weather can just get so exhausting! Did you know that when you are stressed your immune system becomes suppressed, making you more susceptible to the flu? At a time where stress levels are high (thanks COVID), we are all striving to keep our immune systems boosted. So, how can CBD oil help boost your immune system?
CBD Oil and your Immune System Function
Studies have shown that endocannabinoids control your immune function and play an important role in maintaining balance. Your endocannabinoid system works to maintain balance in your body. It sends signals through your body when a part is not functioning optimally, allowing your body to respond to the potential danger signal and take the steps necessary to bring your body back in balance.
One of the two main receptors used by the endocannabinoid system are your CB2 receptors. These CB2 receptors are found in your immune system. They play a role in helping to moderate inflammation and are involved in how your body responds to unwanted germs. These receptors help regulate the effectiveness of your immune response. They assist in assessing the threat, they then communicate where your body needs to boost its defenses and indicates how strong the defenses must be.
How CBD boosts your immune system
Research shows that cannabis oil has immunomodulating effects. This means that cannabis oil can actively boost your immune system when you are feeling run down, as well as suppressing your immune system when it becomes overactive. When you are stressed your body produces the stress hormone, Cortisol. Cortisol plays a role in suppressing your immune system by reducing your lymphocyte count. Lymphocytes are our white blood cells that help fight off infection. In other words, the lower your lymphocyte level, the less effective your immune system is. CBD oil is known to assist with your body’s ability to cope with stress and has been shown to boost a weakened immune system, therefore helping to defend your body against infection and illness.
Cannabis oil can actively boost your immune system when you are feeling run down, as well as suppressing your immune system when it becomes overactive.
How does CBD help with an overactive immune system?
If you suffer from an autoimmune disease such as psoriasis or Crohn’s disease, your immune system is overactive and it mistakes your healthy cells for foreign cells. In this case you want your immune system to slow down so it stops attacking your healthy cells.
Your immune system cells use communication molecules called cytokines to regulate your immune system’s response. When your immune system picks up on a threat, your cytokines send a message to activate your body’s innate immunity for immediate protection from the threat. In the case of an auto-immune disease, your body mistakes your healthy cells as a threat.
What does CBD oil do in this case?
CBD binds to your body’s cytokines where it reduced the number of messages sent out to your immune system for help. This decreases the production of fighter cells your immune system produces in response to the threat. Slowing down your immune system’s mistaken attack on your healthy cells.
Many of the over the counter medications that assist with autoimmune conditions, are synthetic and function only to suppress your immune system, which could leave you more vulnerable to infections.
Studies show that CBD manages these autoimmune conditions by only suppressing specific parts of the immune system. These effects are also not permanent, which means that when it needs to, your body can overcome the suppression effect of CBD to ramp your immune system back up if a new threat is detected.
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Written by Nourish Move Heal www.nourishmoveheal.co.za -Instagram page – nourish.move.heal
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