At this moment, researchers all over the world are trying to find a way to treat the virus which has made the whole world change in only a few months. Many different theories and approaches are being tested to see if they have any impact on the consequences and longevity of COVID-19 and using cannabis is one of them. Research on this topic is still in its earliest stages, but the correlation has been found.
What Does COVID-19 Do to the Body?
First of all, we should look at the impact of COVID-19. When the virus enters its host, it causes an alarm to be raised within the body and the immune system gets ready to go into a fight. A protein called cytokine gets released and goes on to cause inflammation in affected areas to fight off the virus. COVID-19 causes the immune system to overreact, thus causing a phenomenon called a cytokine storm. This means that the body is starting to kill itself and shut down major organs. It has been the cause of death of many COVID-19 victims. It practically means that your body starts overreacting when met with it.
Cytokine protein causes major inflammations on the lungs, in this case on both of them, which is quite specific to this virus. Because of that and the fact that COVID-19 has the ability to go deeper within your respiratory system, it is way more dangerous than basic colds or influenza.
Where Could Cannabis Come into Play?
During the search for a treatment that would prevent the infection, lighten the symptoms, remove side effects, or even cure it completely, the talks about cannabis use as the potential approach have been raised. Cannabinoids like THC and CBD, if properly used, have the potential to cure the symptoms of COVID-19, that is cytokine storms. Due to its causing respiratory problems, simply smoking cannabis can cause more harm than good. Instead, the usage of THC vape pens like this and cannabis oils has been proven to have an effect of calming down the overreaction of the immune system. Cannabis oils have also been recommended as a means of prevention, as cleaning the mouth and the nose with it could stop the proteins of the virus from catching on to the nerve cells. Most of the benefits are still unknown, as it has been only a few months worth of research.
Suppression of Immune Response
As previously mentioned, when met with the virus your body goes into the overactive mode, so the body temperature raises at abnormal levels. This kills the healthy cells in all the major organs, and they start to fail. CBD, in particular, has been found to lower inflammation and calm down the immune system hyperactivity. Some studies have even shown that CBD has the potential to even reverse some of the damage done to the lungs. The cannabinoids regulate the exact proteins that cause inflammation. Some of them have been tested and shown on animals that they can lower blood coagulation levels, which is one more issue that COVID-19 patients could be dealing with during and after the illness. Because of that, they are usually at high risk of strokes and heart attacks.
Panic and Anxiety
The factor that is usually being overlooked when talking about the consequences and side effects of COVID-19 is the mental stress that a person goes through when tested positive. That stress is what usually worsens the illness and hurries its progression. For example, if there is blood clotting, and the stress causes the heart to pump faster, the consequences could very easily be fatal. The use of medical cannabis will reduce anxiousness and panic, which will make the whole experience a bit easier. COVID-19 is a very unpredictable virus and the complications which it causes are extremely dangerous and could progress fast. Putting the body through additional stress will weaken it and the chances of getting infected and having worse symptoms are bigger and bigger.
Research
Like previously mentioned, it is still too early to have the full picture, but the interest in this topic is extensive. Scientists all over the world are looking into the correlation between medical cannabis and its potential benefits in the pandemic. In particular, the USA, Canada, and Iran have developed programs that deal directly with this subject. Until now, two public testings have proven that benefits like reduced inflammation are valid. There are four more confirmed testings, and these will deal with the effects on humans instead of animal subjects. The testing is done so that the large medical bodies, like the World Health Organization, would add it to the regular treatments and will give more funding to further the research. One of the issues is the prejudice that comes with the use of cannabis, and that is what has somewhat slowed down the approval process.
Potential Dangers
Even though this is a somewhat undeveloped field, there are no side effects and dangers that were proven to happen in relation to COVID-19 progression. There was one study published in recent months that claimed that consuming cannabis could cause the same harm as smoking cigarettes, and it was shot down because of the lack of evidence. However, it is better to find another way to consume it besides smoking, as this virus causes respiratory issues, so exposing your lungs to smoke of any kind is probably a bad idea. Using it in the oil or vape form is more cost-effective and has no foreseeable dangers. The worst thing that could happen is that nothing happens, so there is no harm in trying.
In these hectic times, any form of potential cure or relief is worth looking into, and the researchers seem to think so too. There have been major donations made to the continuation of the study on this subject. This research could also be a big plus in removing the stigma around the use of cannabis, especially for medical purposes. One of the most important things that it has done is that it has given new hope to the people who suffer from COVID-19. It is still early to talk about the cure, but finding relief for symptoms and side effects of it is a big deal in itself.
