There’s no doubt that chemotherapy is a punishing treatment, adding more stress to cancer patients and sometimes becoming just as harrowing as the cancer itself. As soon as patients begin chemo, they need a bevvy of prescriptions to cope with the treatment’s side effects. These medications also come with their own negative effects, like gastrointestinal problems and vomiting, that need another batch of pills to bring relief. Chemotherapy patients have to endure this process repeatedly, depending on the severity of their cancer and the amount of sessions it requires. The thing you need to know about marijuana and cancer? The plant helps.
While research on marijuana and its effect on cancer has been limited, it’s been discovered that the plant directly affects tumors. During animal trials cannabis inhibited the growth of tumors in rats for their different types of cancer, including breast cancer, lung cancer and leukemia, prolonging their lives by 36%. Cannabis is also an antioxidant, which has been found to decrease the incidence of cancer.
The plant’s positive input on the side effects of chemotherapy are well recorded. Cannabis offers a lot of benefits for cancer patients, aiding them in their depression, anxiety, loss of appetite and sleep deprivation. The plant also reduces the amount of drugs patient ingest, improving their quality of life and their overall health. Â
-
Related Story: How Marijuana Helped My Daughter With Grand Mal Seizures
Marijuana is a complex plant that produces several effects that are difficult to quantify and document due to strange way in which it functions. The plant is not going to target a specific symptom or area of the body, it will instead provide several benefits that’ll improve the general health of the user. This effect happens when we consume cannabinoids that are present in the cannabis sativa plant – like THC and CBD – which in turn activate the cannabinoid receptors in our bodies. With the little research that has been conducted on medical cannabis, the plant has become amongst our best options for managing the symptoms of cancer patients and for improving their quality of life.
Here Are Three Helpful Stories On How Cannabis Can Help With Cancer:
- A Primer About Cannabidiol And The Benefits Of CBD
- Marijuana Is A Wonder Drug When It Comes To The Horrors Of Chemo
- Tackling cancer treatment myths, from clean eating to cannabis