Can CBD Oil Be Used for Managing Homeostasis?
Much has been said about COVID-19, but another — much quieter and equally deadly — pandemic has been plaguing the modern world for much longer: Stress and inflammation.
Unhealthy diets, persistent overworking, harmful environmental factors, and low-quality sleep result in stress and inflammation.
In the long term, these two make the key ingredients for hormone imbalance, compromised immune systems, and poor metabolism, which — when left unaddressed — lead to cancers, heart attacks, obesity, neurodegenerative illnesses, diabetes, and many other diseases.
However, there was a time in the past when people were much less likely to become at risk of these ailments. The majority of the theories surrounding this issue have pointed to the simple fact that people were simply more active, eating healthier, and were less exposed to toxic elements.
But a more interesting speculation has caused the healthcare industry to focus on CBD and its effects on the body’s homeostasis today (more on this below).
So, what is homeostasis? Why is it important? And can CBD for homeostasis really work?
In this article, we delve into these questions in depth to shed light on this less-talked-about matter and give you all the insights needed to take greater control of your health.
Let’s begin.
What is Homeostasis?
Homeostasis refers to a state of internal balance where all body systems are functioning optimally despite ever-changing external factors. It is critical for a living organism’s overall long-term health and survival.
The term was coined by the physician Walter Cannon in 1930 to pertain to how the human body, when functioning ideally, maintains “normal” levels of bodily variables, including temperature, water, salt, sugar, protein, fat, calcium, and oxygen levels.
Why is managing your homeostasis important?
A state of homeostasis is key to maintaining optimal bodily state and function.
When the body reaches an optimal state, cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems are able to do their jobs properly in terms of regulating the ideal blood glucose concentration, body temperature, and water level — to name a few.
Without homeostasis, the body cannot function properly and can cause living organisms to deteriorate and succumb to disease and illness.
How do our bodies manage homeostasis?
Our bodies maintain bodily homeostasis through a negative feedback mechanism that seeks to keep physiological and cognitive variables within a normal range.
When bodily conditions go above or below the normal range, this feedback mechanism is triggered and makes the necessary corrections to bring the variables back to normal.
The process is a highly complex balancing act between at least four interacting components: Stimulus, Sensor, Control Center, and Effector. For clarity, we look to Body Temperature as an example.
When the hypothalamus (the part of the brain that controls body temperature) senses that the body has become too hot, it triggers the body to sweat in an attempt to get the temperature back to normal range. Once body temperature reaches normal range, the sweating stops.
Similarly, when the hypothalamus senses that the body has become too cold, it tells the body to shiver in order to produce heat and get the temperature back to normal levels. Once body temperature reaches normal range, the shivering stops.
CBD oil for Homeostasis
Now comes the important issue: Does CBD for homeostasis really work?
Now that CBD is slowly becoming a health staple in millions of households, we look into how it functions inside the body and how it may assist in maintaining homeostasis.
While CBD oil for homeostasis is still subject to further research to determine how much it can positively impact our overall health, its possible role as a therapeutic daily supplement is worth exploring so that you can talk to your doctor more about it.
Let’s begin.
The Endocannabinoid System, The HPA Axis, and Homeostasis
For thousands of years, humans have made hemp a part of their daily lives as a food and medicine source.
As a result, we have evolved to develop an endocannabinoid system (ECS), which helps regulate and control many critical bodily functions — including emotion regulation, learning, memory, temperature control, pain management, inflammatory and immune responses, sleep, and eating.
In short, the ECS is one of two systems responsible for maintaining bodily homeostasis. As you may have gathered from its name, the ECS is highly receptive to the cannabinoids found in cannabis plants like marijuana and hemp.
Through millennia, humans became less reliant on hemp for their day-to-day medical needs mostly because of three reasons:
- hemp’s potency and reliability as a drug became variable and erratic depending on how it’s prepared,
- new, more stable alternatives became available, and
- the prohibition of hemp and cannabis under the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act.
Due to these points, the world experienced a sudden and complete restriction of cannabinoids. But could this have played a role in today’s chronic illnesses?
The answer isn’t quite clear, and more research is still being done to prove this theory now that cannabis is being openly embraced once again.
The second system responsible for bodily homeostasis is the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis — the system responsible for dynamically regulating cortisol levels a.k.a. the stress hormone.
The HPA axis is also critical for homeostasis because of its role as the major hormonal system responsible for rapidly responding to and defending against stress, as well as regulating many physiological processes and organs, including immune responses, metabolism, and the autonomic nervous system (ANS).
The ECS and HPA axis work together in regulating and stabilizing not just homeostasis, but also numerous other bodily processes including inflammation, metabolism, mood, memory, pain regulation, and many more.
How does CBD for homeostasis work?
While CBD is naturally derived from hemp, it doesn’t fit into CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors quite like THC does.
Instead, it stimulates these receptors without binding directly to them, resulting in:
- The synthesis of 2-Arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), an endocannabinoid compound naturally produced by the body which binds to and activates CB1 and CB2 receptors without triggering psychoactive effects
- The inhibition of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), an integral membrane enzyme that breaks down an endocannabinoid called anandamide and other related lipids, possibly assisting in producing a sense of happiness and mental wellness
However, CBD has been shown to bind to transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 (TrpV1), a G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) known to play an active role in regulating body temperature and physical discomfort.
Through its interaction with TrpV1 and by stimulating anandamide and 2-AG, CBD indirectly encourages healthy endocannabinoid activity and, in turn, shows much promise in possibly assisting with the body’s homeostatic process.
Conclusion
Indeed, while more studies still need to be done to prove its efficacy, millions of users have already been sold on CBD’s effectiveness as a powerful natural dietary supplement that may assist with maintaining ECS-HPA axis homeostasis.
For your safety, talk to your healthcare provider if taking CBD oil for homeostasis (or other delivery systems) is the best route to take when addressing your needs.
What Zatural CBD products can help us manage homeostasis?
At Zatural, we go the extra mile when it comes to developing CBD products that are safe and effective.
From isolates to full-spectrum options, rest assured that you’re getting only fast-acting, easy-to-take, high-quality, and organically grown CBD products that cater to your most pressing wellness and vitality needs.
If you’re looking for great third-party tested softgels, gummies, edibles, topicals, and CBD oil for homeostasis, then check out all our doctor-formulated choices here.
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*FDA DISCLAIMER -These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.