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Cannabis and Seasonal Ailments - Managing Cold and Flu with Cannabinoids

Cold and flu season is right around the corner, and nobody is excited about it. Washington Post reported that, “COVID is making the flu and other common viruses act in unfamiliar ways.” An example of this is how respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) had been infecting more and more people outside of the typical winter months. With this information it has been concluded that we are likely to have another bad year with cold and flu infections.

It’s time to get prepared! But can you add cannabis to your list of preparations? Before we find out, let’s go over the things WebMD recommends to be ready for cold and flu season. Stock up on supplies like tissues, hand soap, hand sanitizer, and paper towels. Grab some masks, they can help with the spread of viruses. And, if you’re a parent, try grabbing some puzzles, coloring books, or other activities if they get sick and need to stay home from school. It’s also important to stock up on the medicine you’ll need: pain relievers, fever reducers, decongestants, cough syrups, and whatever else you need to feel better when fighting a sickness. (I personally like the Alka Seltzer Cold Plus tablets!) Be sure to test your thermometer to make sure it’s working, or buy a new one. If you have a humidifier, clean it out to be certain any germs from last time are washed away.

Wash your hands thoroughly and often with soap for around 20 seconds. Seriously, if anything, keep your hands as clean as they can be. In this same line, it’s a good idea to disinfect your home's surfaces. If you don’t want to, or can’t make time for cleaning all surfaces, try to clean heavily touched areas like remote controls, phones, and doorknobs once a day. A great way to keep germs away is also getting the flu shot, if you are comfortable doing so.

If you do end up getting sick after taking precautions, it’s time to fill the fridge and the pantry so you don’t need to go shopping while sick. This is for your health and the health of others. Stock up on easy-to-make foods like spaghetti, soup, sandwiches, and more. Make sure to pick up snacks and drinks, orange juice has lots of Vitamin C, great for getting better! During this time, you must get rest. Rest is one of the best cures for the cold or the flu. This means getting plenty of sleep. It's a good idea to ask a neighbor or a family member to help take the kids to soccer and karate that week.

So, should you add cannabis to your cold and flu survival pack?

According to only anecdotal evidence (not much scientific research going on in this area) the answer is yes, or at least, why not. The only big stipulation to consider is how you should be consuming cannabis. When you are hit with a sore throat, it may not be the best choice to smoke a joint or hit a bong. The smoke can be an irritant and make your throat worse than it already is.

The best idea would be to consume cannabis, edibles of any kind can work for this option. There are even infused teas that you can make that will soothe the throat as well as get you high.

Using cannabis while sick with a cold or flu can be a great option to combat pain, inflammation, problems sleeping, and more. Leafwell reports that cannabinoids act on the body through the CB1 and CB2 receptors within the brain and nervous system. CB1 receptors have a role in the psychoactive and antiemetic effects. The CB2 receptors are actually more active in the immune system, they are important in the pain response system as well.

“The flu causes the body to activate the immune response. Inflammation occurs as part of this response, causing many of the symptoms associated with the flu. There are five cardinal signs of inflammation: pain, swelling, heat, redness, and loss of function. Many flu symptoms fit into these cardinal signs. You can already see from those signs that cannabis may relieve many of the common flu symptoms by acting on the immune response and inflammation.” It is important to understand that sometimes inflammation is not bad and it can assist in how we beat illnesses. It is when the inflammation becomes constant that you would need to be worried about treating it.

As mentioned before, the main cold and flu symptoms that cannabis can help with are inflammation, pain, and trouble sleeping. When it comes to inflammation and pain management, science can back up the fact that cannabis can be a great help. CBD in particular is great at providing anti-inflammatory qualities. Studies have found that CBD, when used topically, reduced inflammation in arthritis. It has also been theorized that CBD can help with COVID-19 inflammation including those associated with cytokine storms which can be fatal. Although those examples are extreme, the inflammation associated with sore throats, swollen nasal passages, and fevers can be lessened with the use of cannabis.

For pain, cannabis has been treating this since the year ended in B.C. Out of all symptoms that cannabis can treat, pain has been proven time and time again to be treated well with cannabinoids. Both THC and CBD can assist, this can also help with how fatigued a body can feel during and after a cold or flu.

Topical creams can be great for sore body parts, the ones with menthol are best for this type of symptom. Lastly, sleep is very important for healing during a sickness but it can be difficult to get to sleep when you feel achy and sore. According to many personal accounts, cannabis is perfect for getting to sleep without feeling groggy in the morning. However, if you are a long time cannabis user, you may be nearly immune to cannabis helping you get to sleep. For this, maybe try an edible specifically designed for sleep that has extra sleep inducing ingredients.

Regardless of what you want to use to heal after getting sick, remember that if you illness persists for over a week and seems to be getting worse, it’s time to visit a doctor. Don’t take any chances if you feel worse than you should. Stay healthy this season! Take your vitamins, wash your hands, and maybe you won’t be sick this fall and winter.

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