Cannabis vs Covid 19 study, and more

Although smoking ANYTHING can hurt your lungs, we are not limited to smoking our cannabis. And having your body "primed" with THC and CBD may lessen any symptoms and inflammation-caused damage done by Covid 19. This study is a review, which means the authors are taking bits and pieces from other studies to give you the "big picture". These guys have the usual "fear of the high" prejudice (they may want future government funding and so, are "toeing the line" ), but otherwise it's a good little review. I've just posted up the first paragraph, but the link takes you to the full study, and then I added more info. - Granny

SARS-CoV2 induced respiratory distress: Can cannabinoids be added to anti-viral therapies to reduce lung inflammation? (USA) (full – 2020) SARS-CoV2 induced respiratory distress: Can cannabinoids be added to anti-viral therapies to reduce lung inflammation? - ScienceDirect

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronoavirus-2 (SARS-CoV2) has emerged as a global pandemic, which was first reported in Wuhan, China. Recent reports have suggested that acute infection is associated with a cytokine superstorm, which contributes to the symptoms of fever, cough, muscle pain and in severe cases bilateral interstitial pneumonia characterized by ground glass opacity and focal chest infiltrates that can be visualized on computerized tomography scans (Rothan and Byrareddy, 2020). Currently, there are no effective antiviral drugs or vaccines against SARS-CoV2. In the recent issue of BBI, Zhang et al. (Zhang et al., 2020) thoroughly summarized the current status of potential therapeutic strategies for COVID-19. One of them, anti-IL6 receptor (Tocilizumab) antibody, resulted in clearance of lung consolidation and recovery in 90% of the 21 treated patients (Fu et al., 2020). Although promising, it has also produced adverse effects like pancreatitis and hypertriglyceridemia (Morrison et al., 2020), which make it imperative to explore effective alternative anti-inflammatory strategies. Here, we intend to highlight the potential effects of cannabinoids, in particular, the non-psychotropic cannabidiol (CBD), that has shown beneficial anti-inflammatory effects in pre-clinical models of various chronic inflammatory diseases and is FDA approved for seizure reduction in children with intractable epilepsy (Nichols and Kaplan, 2020).



Another thing to know- Covid messes with your blood and makes it clot easier, causing everything from "Covid toes" to fatal strokes. Omega 3 has long been known to be a blood thinner. And it also is needed to properly hook up the CB1 receptors that cannabis activates to heal, and to get you high!

Nutritional omega-3 deficiency abolishes endocannabinoid-mediated neuronal functions. Nutritional omega-3 deficiency abolishes endocannabinoid-mediated neuronal functions. - PubMed - NCBI

Here’s the key sentence- “In n-3-deficient mice, presynaptic cannabinoid CB(1) receptors (CB(1)Rs) normally responding to endocannabinoids were uncoupled from their effector G(i/o) proteins.” (n-3 = Omega 3).

The average "western diet" is VERY deficient in Omega 3, and that weakens our endocannabinoid system, lessening our general health.

“Excessive amounts of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and a very high omega-6/omega-3 ratio, as is found in today's Western diets, promote the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, whereas increased levels of omega-3 PUFA (a low omega-6/omega-3 ratio) exert suppressive effects.” From “The importance of the ratio of omega-6/omega-3 essential fatty acids” The importance of the ratio of omega-6/omega-3 essential fatty acids. - PubMed - NCBI


So next time you venture out to the store, grab a BIG bottle of fish oil or flax seed oil from the vitamin section, some D3 (helps your immune system), and niacin, too!(Just 1 niacin pill a day, kids- too much niacin can cause unpleasant "hot flashes"! ) FYI- Bleomycin causes similar damage to the lungs as Covid, and taking niacin reduces the damage!

“It is important to mention that various studies have shown that in animal models with bleomycin-induced lung injury, vitamin B3 (niacin or nicotinamide) is highly effective in preventing lung tissue damage [7]. It might be a wise approach to supply this food supplement to the COVID-19 patients.” COVID-19 infection: the perspectives on immune responses. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41418-020-0530-3
(this is a good study for those of you who want to learn exactly how Covid kills)

Covid is a sneaky bastard of a virus, even younger people who have a mild case can suddenly find themselves having a stroke, DVT blood clot, or experiencing kidney damage! During the next year or so, I expect we will have a rise in all three among younger people who were "asymptomatic", but test positive.

So take care of your health, use edibles, wash your hands and wear your mask when you go out! Mine looks like this one. I am going to open it up before I use it (not going out for weeks yet!) and add 2 layers of real silk as a liner (a beautiful, old 100% silk blouse that got damaged ) like was recommended- Study: High Thread Count Cotton, Silk Among Best Materials for Face Masks


Granny

 

I also take a daily capsule of, basically, a curry powder- about 1/2 turmeric with freshly ground black pepper (to help activate the turmeric), cinnamon (diabetes), ginger (digestion and more), and garlic (just good for whatever ails you). Also 2 to 4 grams of Omega 3 (a mix of fish and flax oils) and a good multivitamin (no sugar, starch, colors, etc).

I drink a lot of tea (black, green, and herbal, favoring those with healing herbs like tulsi, chamomile, or ginseng). FYI- Ordinary tea weakly activates the cannabinoid receptors, which is why it is calming in times of stress! A bit of my "stimulus money" went for some mail-order Organic India's Tulsi Rose tea that I really enjoy - one of the few "frivolous" things I got. Besides tulsi being an adaptogen and good for you, the tea satisfies my "girly" side!


Granny