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Facebook posts are promoting hemp-derived CBD products as a “cure” for a chronic lung disease called COPD. This is false; Medical experts and health authorities say there is no known cure for the debilitating disease, although some treatments can ease the condition. symptoms
“When I was first diagnosed with COPD, it took a long time to catch my breath,” says one Facebook user publication posted on July 23, 2022. “I felt extremely tired, hopeless, about to give up, then I saw this natural remedy that changes my life forever.”
similar Facebook posts claim that “it only takes a week to cure COPD. They link aa page where TV personalities and celebrities supposedly discuss and to sell a “natural” cure for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): An umbrella term that includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema and is among the main causes of death around the world.
Screenshot of a Facebook post made on July 28, 2022
But medical authorities and lung disease specialists say yes no known cure for COPD. Approved medications and lifestyle changes, such as abstaining or stopping smoking, can control symptoms and slow the progression of the disease.
“We mainly treat COPD with symptom relief,” he said Albert Rizzomedical director of the American Lung Association and a practicing pulmonologist.
COPD is “a slow process during which the airways and lung tissue get worse over time,” Rizzo told AFP. “We don’t have anything that can reverse the process. We can prevent it by cutting out cigarettes, and we have treatments that can ease the symptoms.”
Some research usually suggests cannabidiol (CBD). derivative of hemp, has potential anti-inflammatory effects that may be useful in the treatment of some diseases.
But Rizzo said no clinical studies with human patients have indicated that CBD could help treat COPD, and no product has been approved to treat the condition. He added that CBD products can have varying amounts of the active ingredient and could also include a psychoactive component.
Allen Blaivas, a pulmonologist and president of the Airway Disorders Network of the American College of Physicians, agreed that CBD cannot reverse the damage of severe COPD.
Chart showing the 10 leading causes of death worldwide (AFP / Gal ROMA, Laurence SAUBADU)
“It’s a real rupture of the lung tissue,” Blaivas told AFP. “It can’t be repaired by anything we have. We have no way to grow new lung tissue.”
Blaivas said that limited studies suggest that CBD’s anti-inflammatory properties may offer some relief in less severe COPD cases, but that “the harm would be to hang up the hat on CBD and do nothing else.”
“We have effective therapies that help people, so I wouldn’t sacrifice what we know is helpful,” he said.
The AFP has previously verified claims about CBD here, here and here.