Cancer is one of the most prolific diseases in our country. It is now estimated that over 38% of people will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in their lifetime. Cancer has touched virtually every person’s life in one way or another and remains one of the toughest diagnoses to hear.
While survival rates are improving, the treatments can be invasive, painful, and make patients very ill.
Medical cannabis is not known to cure cancer. However, the evidence is mounting that cannabis represents one of the most effective ways to experience relief from the pain and nausea associated with cancer treatments. Patients across Florida and the country have reported that medical marijuana has improved their well-being and minimized the most adverse reactions to cancer treatments.
Cannabis and Cancer Treatments
Cannabis has been most successful in treating the adverse effects of radiation and chemotherapy treatments. There are specific types of medical marijuana that are available to address the lack of appetite, fatigue, nausea, and pain caused by these traditional treatments.
Cannabis & Pain Relief
The Journal of Pain and Symptom Management reports that CBD:THC extract was efficacious for pain relief in advanced cancer patients. The extract worked well even with those patients who found potent opioids to be ineffective.
Cannabis & Relief from Nausea
The BMJ Scientific Journal published the results of research testing the effectiveness of cannabis cannabinoids in treating nausea resulting from chemotherapy. The study proved cannabis to be more effective than prochlorperazine, metoclopramide, chlorpromazine, thiethylperazine, haloperidol, or domperidone.
Cannabis vs. a Loss of Appetite
The Journal of Pain & Symptom Management published finding regarding the use of Dronabinol, a synthetic form of cannabis. This variety was used to treat patients who were experiencing extreme loss of appetite due to cancer treatment or HIV/AIDS. Results showed that patients tended towards a stable body weight with cannabis use.
Benefits of 1: 1 Ratio Chemovars for Cancer Patients
The broad range of therapeutic benefits of chemovars with 1:1 ratios of CBD and THC have come to light over the last several years.
The designation of 1:1 means that there are equal amounts of CBD and THC in the product. For example a 10 mg capsule would contain 5 mg CBD and 5 mg THC.
Patients taking 1:1 chemovars can benefit from the benefits unique to THC along with enough CBD to reduce the psychoactive effects of that THC cannabinoid.
These two cannabinoids synergistically combine to maximize the medicinal potency of the plant. 1:1 ratios are often used to provide pain relief and appetite stimulation while combatting the nausea and insomnia resulting from cancer treatments.
Because these chemovars induce a feeling of mild euphoria and relaxation, they are often utilized to treat patients with anxiety and PTSD. They are also proving to be useful for the treatment of fibromyalgia, epilepsy, arthritis, and conditions involving spasticity.
For those with multiple symptoms and diseases, chemovars comprised of this ratio may bring relief while causing less general impairment.
Cannabis as a Cure?
Although still in the early stages of research, studies are leaning towards the possibility of cannabis preventing and curing specific types of cancer in the near future. Early research shows that chemovars that contain CBD may inhibit cancer and tumor growths in the body. But as of today, there’s just not enough research to answer that question.
If you or a loved one has cancer and is suffering from its associated treatments, help is available. You can learn more about the relief medical cannabis can bring by calling Dr. Daniel P. Stein, a recognized expert in the fields of neurology and medical cannabis treatments.
Dr. Stein is uniquely qualified to explain the benefits of each available treatment option to get you on the road to relief and healing.