Cannabis as the Green Shield…. From Viral to Neuroprotection... In what ways does cannabis prevent the human mind and body from disease and degeneration?

One simple and powerful way to look at the many roles of the endocannabinoid system is to envision it like a shield. Although it overlaps with our immune system, it is unique. It plays a role as the messenger that can prevent the overreaction of a body in stress and it can help pave the way for life-restoring molecules to arrive at the site of injury and disease. Clean grown and extracted cannabis, can act as a shield that prevents the panic that often makes the body decline much more rapidly when it's in a state of stress.

A key concept here is inflammation of the various reactions that the body uptakes when it perceives it is being attacked. Inflammation is the alarm bell system that gets the body (and mind) ready for war. That sounds positive in certain acute situations, but chronic inflammation becomes the body’s own worst enemy and ends up becoming one of the principal underlying symptoms of practically all disease and injuries. Dementia is accompanied by brain inflammation, cancer is body inflammation, the famous viral infection inflammation is manifested in people as “cytokine storms” where protein messengers signals “the body starts to attack its own cells and tissues rather than just fighting off the virus.” (webmd.com) The body becomes a quagmire of confusion and that which was meant to help now attacks.

According to the research, CBD medicines decrease the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and thereby reduces inflammation (Ahou, Yang, & Lehmann, 2018). This means quality-made CBD products can potentially inhibit the body from panicking and attacking itself when under stress. When the body attacks itself, it can result in the loss of whole organ function or neurotransmitter production. Constant inflammation, caused by toxins, bad diet, infections, and other issues is like the chronic worrier who spends so much time in a state of anxiety that when a real threat comes, it quickly succumbs to any challenge because it's in a weakened and vulnerable state. Staving off the cytokine storm or the onslaught of inflammation messengers has been part of treating these challenging conditions and stopping a mere challenge to becoming a death threat.

One other key way cannabinoids act as a green shield is their ability to help restore healing pathways. CBD and other cannabinoids have been shown to clear obstructions to allow oxygen to flow freely. This is a life and death difference for someone who has just gone through a heart-attack, stroke or traumatic brain injury. It sounds like a cliche, but is indeed true- breath is life. Without proper oxygenation the body cannot remove waste products from cells, nor can it deliver life affirming nutrients that restore function. This is why breath is absolutely essential in the foundation of health and anything that interferes with breathing and oxygenation ultimately accelerates degeneration. Exciting work with cannabinoids highlighted this phenomenon by watching the improved recovery times and conditions of those individuals taking cannabinoid full spectrum medicine post stroke, traumatic brain injury and heart attack. (Hayakawa, 2010)

A whole book could be written on the subject, but in a nutshell the Green Shield tells the body to calm, and it facilitates the life giving molecule oxygen to where it is needed so the rest of the healing elements on the internal pharmacy can do their work of restoration. We will continue on the topic of cannabis as a green shield in future blog postings.

References:

Therapeutic Potential of Non-Psychotropic Cannabidiol in Ischemic Stroke Kazuhide Hayakawa, Kenichi Mishima, Michihiro Fujiwara

Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2010 Jul; 3(7): 2197–2212. Published online 2010 Jul 8. doi: 10.3390/ph3072197

PMCID: PMC4036658

Ribeiro, A., Almeida, V. I., Costola-de-Souza, C., Ferraz-de-Paula, V., Pinheiro, M. L., Vitoretti, L. B., . . . Palermo-Neto, J. (2015). Cannabidiol improves lung function and inflammation in mice submitted to LPS-induced acute lung injury. 37(1), 35-41.