The coming of summer is something most people will look forward to. The warmer weather, the plethora of bank holidays, barbecues, light evenings, beach days, music festivals, traditional sporting occasions like the Ashes and Wimbledon and the chance to enjoy lower energy bills as less will have to be spent on heating and lighting are all elements many will love.
Unfortunately, there is one aspect of the season that many people absolutely loathe – hay fever. When the pollen count is high, life can become an absolute misery of streaming eyes, sneezing, itching and irritation, the kind of symptoms that will make some desperate to welcome the falling leaves of autumn and the frosty days of winter.
Hay fever is caused by an allergic reaction to pollen, which can be experienced from March to September, but will be most prominent in the height of summer.
If you are a smoker thinking of switching to vaping, maybe now is the time to think of going a bit further and seeing what a CBD vape can do for you.
While some may rely on medications like antihistamines, which can have some effect but are limited, many will swear by CBD oil and in vape form, you can easily access its benefits for tackling hay fever. As Cannacares notes, there is plenty of research to indicate that chemicals contained in CBD oil can help tackle allergic reactions, although not the most severe ones.
Firstly, the substance has significant qualities as an anti-inflammatory and immune-suppressant substance. The latter matters because it is an overreaction of the immune system that triggers hay fever symptoms. The former is useful because the less inflammation occurs, the more the nasal airways can be kept clear to help you breathe.
This benefit in keeping airways clear was shown in a 2013 study on Guinea pigs, followed by later studies on mice.
Other studies have indicated that CBD receptors can have the effect of suppressing the release of histamine by mast cells, which are a kind of immune cells that specifically produce histamine. This means it has the same benefits as antihistamine tablets.
As things stand, CBD oil is not prescribed as an antihistamine in the UK as yet. Arguably, more studies may be needed to formally provide the evidence needed for CBD oil to be used in this way. For that reason, it cannot officially be said with absolute medical certainty that using a CBD vape will clear up your hay fever or at least make a big difference, but it is certainly worth giving it a try.
Indeed, if you want to make summer the season when you give up smoking and have been reading the evidence about how vaping can help you quit more effectively than alternatives like nicotine gum or cold turkey, it makes sense to combine the switch to vaping with giving CBD a go.
Who knows – you might end up having a great summer with far fewer struggles with a runny nose and sneezing, as well as kicking smoking into touch.
