Does Medical Cannabis Help In Treating Cancer?

By Author: Dwayne Smith
Total Articles: 12
Comment this article

Medical cannabis comes from the buds and leaves of the cannabis plant. The medical practices of this plant go back hundreds of years, but its use still remains controversial in many parts of the world today. In fact, many states and countries consider weed an illegal drug, banning its use even for medical purposes. While there are places where its use is allowed, there are varying qualifying conditions to consider.

Marijuana has active ingredients known as cannabinoids that help regulate many biological functions of many organisms. THC is a cannabinoid that produces the high feeling that is popularly associated with cannabis use, but it can also be helpful for the side effects of cancer and its treatments. CBD is another cannabinoid that has lots of potential applications in cancer and many other medical conditions.

Several studies involving patients undergoing cancer treatment have shown that medical cannabis can help with managing many of the symptoms associated with ...
... cancer, including:

• Pain. Cannabis can work similarly to opioids, which is the strongest pain reliever available today, when treating patients with cancer-related pain. Also, it has anti-inflammatory effects that can greatly help with pain. In fact, some treatment plants can include both cannabis and opioids.
• Neuropathy. This is a medical term that means nerve damage, and is a common complication of many cancer treatments like chemotherapy. It is usually characterized by a feeling of numbness, burning, weakness and tingling in the hands and feet. Medical cannabis has been shown to give relief for those experiencing neuropathy-associated pain.
• Nausea and vomiting. Cancer patients experience nausea and vomiting as a side effect of radiation or chemotherapy. There are lots of medications available over the counter to treat this unpleasant side effect. In fact, dronabinol is a synthetic cannabinoid approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for this indication. Also, research has shown that cannabis can be effective against nausea and vomiting.
• Anorexia and cachexia. Anorexia is a medical term for loss of appetite, while cachexia and wasting syndrome is a phenomenon where there is unintentional weight loss, particularly the loss of fat and lean muscle. It is usually accompanied with a decline in functional abilities and fatigue. The synthetic cannabinoid dronabinol is also approved for anorexia associated with AIDS, but not specifically for cancer. More studies are still needed to demonstrate the efficacy of medical cannabis in managing these symptoms, but it can approve the patients appetite.
• Anti-neoplastic. Studies have shown that cannabis can be effective in stopping or slowing down the growth of some tumors. There are still very limited human trials that look into this anti-cancer effect, although other research shown an association between the development of certain cancers and recreational cannabis use. These studies do not show that cannabis cause these cancers, but further research is needed to completely understand the safety profile of this treatment.

Medical marijuana comes in several forms, including dried buds or leaves for smoking; edible products like candies, brownies or cookies; creams to be applied topically; sprays for the mouth; oils for vaporizing or mixing into food and drinks; and capsules or pills. The best form for you will depend on your personal preference, as well as the cannabis dosage that you need or can tolerate.

Cannabis being labeled as an illegal drug has greatly limited the research on its potential medical applications. Still, the last few decades has shown an increasing interest in this field. Additional studies are needed to completely understand the new and exciting potential benefits of marijuana to improve the symptoms and the quality of life of cancer patients.