When it comes to maintaining a healthy body, keeping the immune system functioning properly is key. This crucial bodily system determines the state of our well-being, and yet it’s widely misunderstood, despite the fact that we depend on it daily to survive.
When it comes to keeping the immune system functioning efficiently, it’s all about support. We hear time and time again that there are things that we must do to support the immune system, and one of those things is taking CBD. So, what does CBD have to do with the immune system, and how should we take it in order to best benefit this crucial system within the body?
First, lets better understand the role that the immune system plays in our overall health, to understand why it’s so important to support it in the first place.
What is the Immune System?
The immune system is a series of cells and tissue that primarily are in charge of keeping infections and other foreign invaders out of the body. When we catch a cold, it’s the immune system that is responsible for ensuring a safe and fast recovery, which it does by inflaming the body to kill the virus. When we consume an allergen, the immune system operates in a similar manner, believing that we have been infected, when we actually have not.
The immune system’s infection-fighting cells are cytokines, which are sent through the bloodstream to perform a number of actions that directly combat infections of all kinds. Similarly, when we are injured, the immune system sends these cytokines to the affected area, which is why the area then becomes red, swollen and tender. It’s the cytokines within the affected tissue that cause this reaction.
How and Why Do We Support the Immune System?
In order for the immune system to do its job, we must maintain good overall health. Otherwise, the immune system will spend all of its resources trying to keep us healthy, which means that it will be unable to properly identify and attack diseases when they occur.
Many things can tax the immune system’s resources. Stress is a common immune system drainer, as the cortisol that is secreted into the bloodstream as a result of the stress response causes widespread inflammation if present in excessively high amounts. Further, the immune system depends on many nutrients to maintain its function, including vitamins B, C and D as well as an abundance of minerals. And, many people have compromised immune systems due to chronic ailments, and so their immune systems need more support than the average person.
So, how do we support the immune system? Well, for one thing, we must make an effort to take good general care of our health. This means eating a healthy and balanced diet, getting enough sleep and keeping our stress levels as low as possible. It also means taking supplements as needed that provide us with nutrients that directly benefit the immune system.
Could CBD Help Support the Immune System?
Now, let’s talk about the relationship between CBD and the immune system.
The Endocannabinoid System, CBD and Your Immune System
CBD feeds the body’s endocannabinoid system, which plays a role in maintaining homeostasis through regulatory actions that involve cannabinoid receptors found throughout the body. When these cannabinoid receptors are fed cannabinoids like CBD, they can force regulations of bodily processes to occur. Because there are cannabinoid receptors found in the immune system, giving the body CBD directly feeds the immune system by allowing the endocannabinoid system to regulate its function.
5 Ways the Immune System Could Be Potentially Boosted by CBD
Now, let’s get into five specific ways in which the immune system may be boosted by CBD intake.
#1: Pain Caused by Inflammation
We said earlier that when the body is injured, the immune system produces the inflammatory response, which causes the pain and swelling that we experience. This requires that the immune system puts effort into healing the injury, which can take attention away from other parts of the body in which the immune system’s function is needed. Studies have found that CBD can reduce inflammation caused by injury or some other type of pain event. This means that taking CBD may help take the pressure off of the immune system to tend to the affected area, so it can put more effort into fulfilling its important role of preventing disease.
#2: Inflammation within the Digestive Tract
Inflammatory digestive disorders are common, and they can drain the immune system’s resources if left unchecked. Conditions like IBS and Crohn’s involve inflammation along the digestive tract, and can be caused by dietary problems, stress and other common issues. The problem is that when these conditions flare up, the immune system puts all of its effort into healing the area, which can leave it drained and unable to fend off infections.
CBD seems to play a role in maintaining the inflammation levels within the digestive tract by preserving beneficial defense strategies along the intestines. This again can help the immune system redirect its attention toward fighting potential infections.
#3: Stress
We tend to underestimate how much stress can interfere with a well-functioning immune system, but the reality is that chronic stress has been proven to lead to more frequent infections due to the way in which it directly depletes the immune system. The good news is that CBD has been shown in studies to regulate cortisol secretion, which can help keep stress in check so that the immune system is not taxed by a constant stress response.
#4: Seasonal Allergies
Seasonal allergies are the result of the immune system mistakenly perceiving an innocent entity, such as pollen, as a threatening infection. The way in which the immune system attacks these harmless allergens can be extremely tiring, and so managing seasonal allergies is key. One piece of research has found that CBD may help regulate the way in which the immune system responds to allergens and can also reduce inflammation along the airways which occurs as a result of exposure to allergens.
#5: Autoimmune Conditions
Some groundbreaking studies are underway that demonstrate the potential that CBD has to manage autoimmune conditions that cause the immune system to attack the body.
Using CBD for the Immune System
Now, let’s apply all of the information above to your CBD routine. If you are physically in good health, and simply want to use CBD to support the immune system along with other good practices, then you can simply take a regular dose of CBD daily. But, it’s important that you only go with high-quality CBD from trusted companies, to make sure that what you are taking is legitimate, and therefore capable of providing the desired results.
If you are dealing with a more severe ailment, we recommend going with a higher milligram strength. This will ensure you’re getting a potent dose of CBD with each application.
Regardless of your reason for taking CBD for this purpose, it’s important that you take it daily, as this will allow the endocannabinoid system to fully do its work within the immune system.
Final Immunity Boosting Thoughts
In order to fight infections, the immune system must be properly supported, which requires that we take certain measures that keep our bodies as healthy as possible. The good news is that research shows CBD may be able to help contribute to supporting immune function thanks to the way in which the body utilizes cannabinoids that come from the hemp plant.
