Written by Renata Filiaci, MSHW

Within the scope of our cannabis business being open these past 3 years, I have seen all sorts of clients suffering from a range of different illnesses. From anxiety to cancer to diabetes, I have assessed many illnesses and pinpointed through research and evaluation how cannabis can benefit them. With that being said, I have recently seen an uptick in people with symptoms and diseases affiliated with the lungs; the global incidence of respiratory diseases and complications is increasing. Many times, our clients say they have pre-existing or new breathing issues, heightened allergies, are quitting smoking due to onset of illness, are currently battling an illness of the lungs, or have long covid. After investigating many studies, I have seen that cannabis, once again, can be therapeutic for another ailment.

From all the research I have gathered, I wholeheartedly believe cannabis can help pretty much everything humans go through. Our endocannabinoid system is connected to every other physiological system through vast network of chemical signals and cellular receptors, which means, it plays a role in how those other systems function and has been established as an important homeostatic regulator. As we know, our airways are prone to environmental irritants and stimulants, and increased inflammation is an important process in most of the respiratory diseases. Therefore, the main strategies for treating airway diseases are suppression of inflammation and producing bronchodilation. The ability of cannabinoids to induce bronchodilation and modify inflammation indicates their importance for airway physiology and pathologies.

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is a condition in which fluid collects in the lungs’ air sacs, depriving organs of oxygen. ARDS can occur in those who are critically ill or who have significant injuries. Severe shortness of breath — the main symptom of ARDS — usually develops within a few hours to a few days after the precipitating injury or infection. The lung is a primary site of entry for SARS-CoV-2, as evidenced by massive pulmonary inflammation and development of ARDS. When developing research to combat covid, for the first time, scientists found that CBD may ameliorate the symptoms of ARDS through up-regulation of apelin, a peptide with significant role in the central and peripheral regulation of immunity, central nervous system, metabolic, and cardiovascular system. When mouse models received CBD isolate treatment, researchers saw it was able to reverse the symptoms of ARDS towards a normal level. Importantly, CBD treatment increased the apelin expression significantly, suggesting a potential crosstalk between apelinergic system and CBD may be the therapeutic target in the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Fibrosis is a condition characterized by thickening or/and scarring of various tissues. Fibrosis may develop in almost all tissues and organs, and it may be one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. It provokes excessive scarring that excels the usual wound healing response to trauma in numerous organs. Currently, very little can be done to prevent tissue fibrosis, and it is almost impossible to reverse it. Anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs are among the few treatments that may be efficient in preventing fibrosis; however, numerous publications suggest that cannabinoids and extracts of Cannabis sativa have potent anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrogenic properties. An in vitro study performed on pulmonary fibroblasts demonstrated that when given cannabinoids, JWH133, a CB2 receptor agonist, inhibited the proliferation and migration of fibroblasts, decreased the lung density, and the fibrotic score and histological results illustrated the suppression of the collagen accumulation and inflammatory response. Within multitudes of studies performed on lung fibrosis, there is a significant influence of the CB2 receptor on fibrosis development.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a respiratory ailment characterized by airway inflammation and irreversible obstruction, resulting in breathing difficulty, mucus production and coughing/wheezing, among other symptoms. COPD is commonly associated with both a pro-inflammatory and a T-helper 1 (Th1) immune response. It was hypothesized that cannabis oil extract can alleviate COPD symptoms by eliciting an anti-inflammatory T-helper 2 (Th2) immune response. Accordingly, the effects of cannabis oil extract on the expression of 84 Th2 and related immune response genes in human small airways epithelial cells (HSAEpC) were investigated. The data from these exploratory experiments suggest that treatment of HSAEpC cells with cannabis oil extract results in regulation of specific genes relevant to COPD. Cannabis oil extract significantly modulated the expression of 11 genes within a specific KEGG pathway (cytokine-cytokine receptor interactions). In short, these preliminary results suggest that cannabis oil extract has the potential to help decrease inflammation, restore a Th1/Th2 balance, or ameliorate other symptoms in COPD, and possibly do the same in autoimmune or other diseases that have a hyperactive Th1-mediated immune response profile.

Obviously, I am no doctor so I cannot decide what you do with your own body in regards to treatment of disease; however, it may be worth exploring further the use of CBD oil as a potential lung cancer treatment, suggest doctors in BMJ Case Reports after dealing with a daily user whose lung tumor shrank without the aid of conventional treatment. Cannabinoids can interact with signaling pathways in cells, including cancer cells, hey have been studied for use as a primary cancer treatment. Without the knowledge of her clinicians, the patient chose to self-administer CBD oil orally 2–3 times daily. Serial imaging shows that her cancer reduced in size progressively from 41 mm to 10 mm over a period of 2.5 years; this is equal to an overall 76% reduction in maximum diameter, averaging 2.4% a month, say the report authors. The supplier had advised that the main active ingredients were Δ9-­tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) at 19.5%, cannabidiol at around 20%, and tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) at around 24%. Previous studies have failed to agree on the usefulness of cannabinoids as a cancer treatment. This case appears to demonstrate a possible benefit of CBD oil intake that may have resulted in the observed tumor regression. The use of cannabinoids as a potential cancer treatment justifies further research.

As someone who has done an immense amount of research on the topic of cannabis, I highly suggest doing your own research, as well. If you or a loved one is diagnosed with a disease or chronic illness, why not look into ALL options, this includes conventional and alternative. Before our healthcare system was bought out by the Rockefellers, natural and herbal remedies were a huge part of people’s lifestyles for thousands of years whether it be Eastern Asian, European, or Native American. Within the Flexner report of 1910, it concluded that there were too many doctors and medical schools in America, and that all the natural healing modalities which had existed for hundreds of years were unscientific quackery. The report called for the standardization of medical education, whereby only the AMA (another monopoly) would be allowed to grant medical school licensure in the U.S. This “quackery” is now being reexamined through scientific evaluation to once again prove itself as beneficial and I am excited to be a part of this journey.