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Cannabis
A Treatment for COVID-19 ?
The Cytokine Storm and Why It ’ s Dangerous .
by Peter Kershaw , contributing writer
Cannabis sales in the U . S . have shot up during the COVID-19 pandemic . Much of it may be due to the boredom — working people forced to stay home , often with little to do to keep occupied . Not surprisingly , liquor sales are also up , likely for similar reasons . Clearly , cannabis is the safer choice .
With the daily and constant barrage of negative and even scary government and media messaging about COVID-19 , not to mention new COVID-19 variants that are apparently immune to current vaccines , anxieties in many circles are running high . Gratefully , cannabis is a great relief for stress and anxiety ( turning off the news propaganda can help a lot too ).
Regular readers of this author are aware that cannabis possesses many remarkable therapeutic properties . But could those properties extend so far as to being therapeutic — potentially even preventative — where it concerns COVID-19 ? Research is giving strong affirmative indications of both .
Many COVID sufferers have found not just considerable emotional relief from cannabis but physiological , as well . For example , COVID-19 patients often suffer from body aches , sore throat , and headaches . Cannabis can provide a great deal of relief for those who suffer from these unpleasant symptoms .
But the benefits of cannabis in treating and potentially preventing COVID go much further . Some have gone so far as to claim that cannabis likely saved their lives . Published reports suggest that cannabis consumers are
34 February 2022 less susceptible to COVID-19 . Some of the reasons for this are now well understood , but there is still much to be discovered .
The Cytokine Storm and Why It ’ s Dangerous
Patients don ’ t die from the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 . They die from the body ’ s response to the virus known as “ severe acute respiratory distress .” It ’ s triggered by what is known as a “ cytokine storm .” This is where the body experiences a significant increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines . Cytokines are a category of proteins produced by the body to fight infections , such as viruses . However , in a cytokine storm , the body is triggered to overproduce these proteins , resulting in excessive inflammation . When the inflammation targets the lungs , as is the case with the SARS-CoV-2 virus , it makes it difficult for the patient to breathe , diminishing oxygen levels , potentially putting the patient ’ s life at risk . Other symptoms may include high fever , severe fatigue , nausea , and in some cases , organ failure .
Cannabis and the Cytokine Storm
A study published in January 2021 by the National Center for Biotechnology Information in the U . S . demonstrated that THC and CBD might help down-regulate the cytokine storm . In that study , three of seven Sativa extracts tested caused “ profound and concerted down-regulation of … other cytokines and pathways related to inflammation and fibrosis .”
In a study published in the medical journal HealthEuropa , “ Early findings currently being conducted by terpene manufacturer Eybna and cannabis research and development firm CannaSoul Analytics , both from Israel , appear to indicate that the combination of anti-inflammatory terpenes and cannabinoids used is up to two times more effective than the corticosteroid dexamethasone when used to reduce inflammation from COVID-19 .”
COVID-19 patients whose cases are severe enough to require hospitalization generally don ’ t die ( unless they have “ co-morbidities ”). However , they may be left to suffer from lung fibrosis , a serious and potentially permanent condition that leaves lung tissue scarred , making it difficult to breathe . COVID lung fibrosis is thought to be a significant contributing factor to “ long-haulers COVID .”
Preventing the cytokine storm with cannabis can literally save lives . Moreover , cannabis can prevent COVID lung inflammation that results in lung damage . For those who ’ ve suffered lung damage , it even has the potential of reversing it .
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