Tara Monks Giltner

A 2018 study from the Department of Pathology in the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, published in Frontiers in Immunology, studied the treatment of EAE (encephalomyelitis: inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, typically due to acute viral infection) in mice with CBD oil in order to characterize the previously unknown biochemical mechanisms through which CBD inhibits MS-like symptoms. *Note: Myeloid-derived suppressor cells, also known as immature myeloid cells, are another suspected factor in the onset of MS and MS-like symptoms – as they are known to suppress both innate and adaptive immunity. With the given knowledge that EAE (encephalomyelitis: inflammation of the brain and spinal cord) in mice is triggered by Th1 and TH17 cells, researchers chose to examine the effect of CBD on the cytokines that affect these cells, as well as additional cytokines and other closely related transcription factors. Taking into account both the differences in cytokine and transcription factors, the data indicates that CBD treatment leads to the suppression of cytokines and transcription factors that are known to display pro-inflammatory effects, while also promoting the production of IL10, a cytokine which is known to have strong anti-inflammatory properties.

Asthma expert Dr. Francesca Levi-Schaffer and cannabis researcher Dr. Raphael Mechoulam are working together to study CBD’s potential as a therapy for symptoms of asthma. Even though human studies, reviews and trials are still ongoing, many people – without the prompt of a study – report first-hand success with CBD for asthma management. Another possibility for lack of result is that the person’s body simply doesn’t process it the same way as others. Like I said, I don’t have asthma anymore, so I can’t say what’s worked for me in this regard.

Research on alternative medicines has shown that the use of cannabis can substantially improve the lung functioning of asthma patients, pre- and during asthma attacks. CIITECH, a UK/Israel biotch firm, funded professors from the Multidisciplinary Center on Cannabinoid Research of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem to conduct a study on the effects of CBD on asthma in humans for the first time. Asthma expert Dr. Francesca Levi-Schaffer and cannabis researcher Dr. Raphael Mechoulam are working together to study CBD’s potential as a therapy for symptoms of asthma. Like I said, I don’t have asthma anymore, so I can’t say what’s worked for me in this regard.

And just like us, their endocannabinoid system is a series of molecular receptors that work to maintain homeostasis amongst our physiologic system, meaning CBD’s medicinal benefits can help our dogs and cats as well. While research is ongoing, here’s what we know so far about the ways in which CBD works with and benefits dogs and cats. CB2 receptors found throughout the body’s nervous and immune system regulate inflammation, which is known to be the source of many auto-immune and pain symptoms. Introducing plant cannabinoids to the body’s ECS stimulates cannabinoid receptors the same way that the body’s naturally produced endocannabinoids do.