Because research shows CBD has many medicinal properties, a recent study suggests that it also has a potential to ease the symptoms of COPD. Many suffer from COPD, a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a condition that effects your airways. With this condition, not only is it difficult to breathe but the lungs become highly imflammed. The inflammation doesnt go away and leads to irreverrsible blockages in your airways. While CBD can certainly help with inflammation, lab studies have offered signs that CBD could alter certain biological changes that cause COPD.
A study from over 40 years ago strongly suggested that smoking marijuana dialted the lungs, helping to make breathing easier for some with asthma. While a more recent study of 18 participants with advanced COPD didn’t indicate that using mainly vaporized THC made any meaningful difference. But with CBD/THC combines, less were likely to have “air hunger’ or complain of not being able to breathe.
Although there is no compelling evidence that CBD helps with COPD, there are other benefits of CBD that have been firmly established such as inflammation, depression, anxiety, lower blood pressure and some relief for epilepsy.
What about THC & COPD?
THC has those pesky psychoactive properties while CBD does not. CBD is used as a therapeutic and is considered safe. As mentioned above, THC has been used in at least one study of how CBD affects lung function with COPD but THC has side effects that CBD does not. Because THC is harder to control, the THC/CBD combo isnt recommened until futher research considers it safe and effective.
While CBD may not relieve all COPD symptoms, it may still may be a good idea to introduce CBD into your lifestyle for other reasons.
Here are some different ways you can use CBD for your COPD symptoms:
CBD Oil
This is used in a diffuser in your home. There are many different CBD Oil diffusers and finding the right one for your home may take some research. While it has therapeutic properties, you should also know it has minimal side effects but controlling the dosage may prove challenging. You can also apply the oil topically to the chest area as a way of soothing symptoms or choose to use a vape pen. Even though “vaping” can produce a feeling of relaxation, the side effects are lung irritation, making this choice less than ideal for someone struggling with COPD and/or breathlessness.
Edibles
The more popular version of CBD seem to be gummies. It may take some time for the effects of CBD to kick in. It may also take a while to figure out how much CBD you need to consume in order to feel the effects and manage COPD symptoms. Gummies come in a wide variety or flavors and milligrams.
Smoking
Smoking is another way of accessing the benefits and is possible it may relieve the symptoms for some people in some cases. But a 2015 study showed cannabis caused an icrease in lung symptoms which worsen COPD. Smoking irritates your lungs period. Not ideal.
How Do You Buy CBD for COPD?
Contact your local Open Leaf CBD store, of course !!! First of all, you would definitely consult your phyician. He/she will be able to say if it safe for you, especially if you have other conditions.
Just a short note and testimony: my mother-in-law has been using full spectrum gummies, 25mg, for about three weeks for COPD. Since she started taking them, she said she’s happy to report she is no longer out of breath when walking from room to room. She no longer has to stop and rest and trips to the grocery store aren’t so bad anymore.
