{"id":67175,"date":"2019-09-30T06:55:21","date_gmt":"2019-09-30T06:55:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/?p=67175"},"modified":"2020-10-07T10:37:56","modified_gmt":"2020-10-07T10:37:56","slug":"is-cannabis-an-effective-treatment-for-cancer-patients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/is-cannabis-an-effective-treatment-for-cancer-patients\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Cannabis an Effective Treatment for Cancer Patients?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"38520354a5201685ddf480eec688e1a7\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\"\r\n     data-ad-layout=\"in-article\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-9477973674766713\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"8885944693\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p><em><strong>Cannabis<\/strong> <\/em>is getting increased attention as a form of medicine, in part due to the number of countries now legalizing it for medicinal (and sometimes recreational) purposes. There\u2019s still a lot we don\u2019t know and don\u2019t understand about the drug, in part because it was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drugpolicy.org\/blog\/how-did-marijuana-become-illegal-first-place\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">demonized for such a long period of time<\/a>, but our scientific understanding is growing, and the more we learn about it, the more positive benefits we seem to discover. <!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Dispensaries like BudBuddies.ca are now so common and convenient that if you live in a country with legalized cannabis, you can order cannabis online. That is, assuming, you have an underlying medical condition that allows you to consume it legally.<\/p>\n<p>One of the most notable reasons for prescribing cannabis is cancer\u2014but is cannabis truly an effective cancer treatment? If so, how does it work?<\/p>\n<h2>Cancer Symptom Management<\/h2>\n<p>There are some studies that suggest that cannabis has a positive effect on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.org\/treatment\/treatments-and-side-effects\/complementary-and-alternative-medicine\/marijuana-and-cancer.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">certain symptoms of cancer<\/a>. For example:<\/p>\n<h3>Nausea and vomiting<\/h3>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-67179\" src=\"https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2019\/09\/feel-nauseated.jpg\" alt=\"Nausea\" width=\"800\" height=\"644\" srcset=\"https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2019\/09\/feel-nauseated.jpg 600w, https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2019\/09\/feel-nauseated-300x242.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Cannabis is useful in reducing feelings of nausea and reducing susceptibility to vomiting. Some types of cancer produce these symptoms naturally. Even more importantly, some forms of cancer treatment (e.g., chemotherapy) produce these uncomfortable symptoms. Accordingly, many patients consume cannabis to relieve these symptoms.<\/p>\n<h3>Appetite<\/h3>\n<p>Some forms of cancer also make it difficult to have an appetite. You may feel reluctant to eat, or even feel disgusted at the sight of food. Cannabis consumption is shown to stimulate a healthy appetite, meaning it can help cancer patients get the food they need to stay strong.<\/p>\n<h3>Neuropathic pain<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-67180\" src=\"https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2019\/09\/neuropathy-3.jpg\" alt=\"Neuropathic pain\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2019\/09\/neuropathy-3.jpg 600w, https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2019\/09\/neuropathy-3-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2019\/09\/neuropathy-3-300x300.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Other forms of cancer are associated with neuropathic pain\u2014a specific type of pain caused by damaged nerves. Cannabis is shown to be helpful in treating this type of pain.<\/p>\n<h3>Chronic pain<\/h3>\n<p>In fact, cannabis is effective as an all-around reliever of pain. Cancer can be a very painful disease, depending on its location and its intensity. Cannabis can help manage these symptoms, and prevent the need for prescription painkillers (or at least reduce their consumption).<\/p>\n<h3>Slowing cancer growth<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-67181\" src=\"https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2019\/09\/lung-cancer.jpg\" alt=\"cancer\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2019\/09\/lung-cancer.jpg 600w, https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2019\/09\/lung-cancer-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Certain isolated studies have shown that cannabis, when applied directly, may be able to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/279571.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">slow the growth of certain types of tumors<\/a>, and kill some cancer cells outright. However, there\u2019s currently no evidence that smoking or consuming marijuana can help cancer patients curb the growth or spread of cancer in their own bodies.<\/p><div class=\"38520354a5201685ddf480eec688e1a7\" data-index=\"2\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\"\r\n     data-ad-layout=\"in-article\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-9477973674766713\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"8885944693\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2>The Complications<\/h2>\n<p>Unfortunately, there are some complicating factors holding cannabis back from being an effective, universal prescription for cancer patients:<\/p>\n<h3>Types of cancer<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-67182\" src=\"https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2019\/09\/Colorectal-Cancer-4.jpg\" alt=\"Colorectal Cancer \" width=\"800\" height=\"711\" srcset=\"https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2019\/09\/Colorectal-Cancer-4.jpg 600w, https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2019\/09\/Colorectal-Cancer-4-300x267.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>There are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.webmd.com\/cancer\/cancer-a-to-z\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hundreds of types and subtypes of cancer<\/a>, and each of them behaves a bit differently. It\u2019s misleading to even suggest they all belong under the same umbrella term \u201ccancer.\u201d In fact, it\u2019s one of the main reasons why we may never have a full-fledged cure for the disease. Understanding the interactions of cannabis with each of these different types of cancer is going to be a long and complicated effort.<\/p>\n<h3>Individual differences<\/h3>\n<p>Different people respond to cannabis in different ways, which means it isn\u2019t going to work the same for everybody. This is especially true because many of the symptoms that cannabis can treat are somewhat subjective.People experience appetite loss and nausea in different ways.<\/p>\n<h3>Evidence<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-67184\" src=\"https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2019\/09\/cancer-treatment.jpg\" alt=\"cancer\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2019\/09\/cancer-treatment.jpg 600w, https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2019\/09\/cancer-treatment-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Cannabis research has been limited due to the drug\u2019s controversial illegal status in most areas. The evidence we do have is mixed, and not necessarily applicable to all cases.For example, just because it effectively reduces the size of a tumor in a lab doesn\u2019t mean it will work in a live patient.<\/p>\n<h3>Availability<\/h3>\n<p>Of course, we also need to acknowledge the issue that cannabis isn\u2019t legalized (even for medicinal use) in many countries. This makes it hard to access as a cancer patient, and further restricts our study of the drug.<\/p>\n<h2>Are There Negative Effects?<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-67186\" src=\"https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2019\/09\/medicinal-benefits-out-of-marijuana.jpg\" alt=\"marijuana\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2019\/09\/medicinal-benefits-out-of-marijuana.jpg 600w, https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2019\/09\/medicinal-benefits-out-of-marijuana-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also worth noting that there may be some negative effects of using marijuana, oftentimes depending on the user. For some people, marijuana is associated with loss of physical control and disorientation, or feelings of anxiety and paranoia. Smoking marijuana can also cause lung damage and distribute harmful substances similar to those found in tobacco smoke to the body. Though cannabis is not a particularly addictive substance, some users may grow to become unhealthily dependent on it.<\/p>\n<p>So what\u2019s the bottom line? Cannabis can be an effective treatment for some cancer patients in some situations.It has the capacity to reduce pain, improve appetite, and reduce feelings of nausea, but it remains to be seen whether cannabis can, in any way, limit the growth or spread of cancer itself. We need to devote more time and research to understanding the effects of cannabis on the mind and body, and until we do, we\u2019re still going to be somewhat in the dark.<\/p>\n<p>Article Submitted By Community Writer<\/p>\n<div class=\"38520354a5201685ddf480eec688e1a7\" data-index=\"3\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n          <p><a id=\"link-15\" href=\"\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\r\n            <img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;\" id=\"img-15\" src=\"\"><\/a><\/p>\r\n            <script>\r\n            var xmlhttp = new XMLHttpRequest();\r\n            xmlhttp.onreadystatechange = function() {\r\n              if (this.readyState == 4 && this.status == 200) {\r\n                var myObj = JSON.parse(this.responseText);\r\n                document.getElementById(\"link-\"+myObj.id).setAttribute('href',myObj.url);\r\n                document.getElementById(\"img-\"+myObj.id).setAttribute('src','https:\/\/fetch.drprem.com\/\/uploads\/'+myObj.image);\r\n              }\r\n            };\r\n            xmlhttp.open(\"GET\", \"https:\/\/fetch.drprem.com\/\/api\/Ads\/15\", true);\r\n            xmlhttp.send();\r\n            <\/script>\r\n        \r\n        <style>\r\n        *{box-sizing:border-box}.top-container{display: grid;grid-template-columns: auto auto auto;}.column{float:left;width:100%;padding: 0 7.5px 15px 7.5px;}.row{margin:0 -5px}.row:after{content:\"\";display:table;clear:both}@media screen and (max-width: 600px){.top-container{display: block;grid-template-columns: unset;}.column{width:100%;display:block;margin-bottom:20px}}.card{text-align:center;}.card_image img{width:100%}.card_body{padding:15px}.card_title{font-size: 14px;line-height: 19px;text-decoration: none;text-align:left;color: #333;}.card-heading{text-align: left;margin-bottom: 25px !important;}\r\n        <\/style>\r\n        <div class=\"row todays-top\">\r\n            <h3 class=\"card-heading\"> Recent Articles: <\/h3><div class=\"top-container\" id=\"todays-top\">\r\n        <\/div>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n        <script>\r\n            var xmlhttp = new XMLHttpRequest();\r\n            xmlhttp.onreadystatechange = function() {\r\n            if (this.readyState == 4 && this.status == 200) {\r\n            var myObj = JSON.parse(this.responseText); \r\n            myObj.forEach(function(item) {\r\n            document.getElementById('todays-top').innerHTML += '<div class=\"column\"><div class=\"card\"><div class=\"card_image\"><a href=\"'+item.url+'\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"'+item.image+'\"><\/a><\/div><div class=\"card_body\"><a href=\"'+item.url+'\"><h3 class=\"card_title\">'+item.title+'<\/h3><\/a><a href=\"'+item.url+'\">Read more<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>';\r\n            });\r\n            }\r\n            };\r\n            xmlhttp.open(\"GET\", \"https:\/\/fetch.drprem.com\/api\/Drprem_blogs\", true);\r\n            xmlhttp.send();\r\n            <\/script>\r\n        \r\n        \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<style>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t.videoWrapper{position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0}.videoWrapper iframe{position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%}\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/style>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"videoWrapper\" id=\"video_7\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<script>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tvar xmlhttp = new XMLHttpRequest();\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t            xmlhttp.onreadystatechange = function() {\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t            if (this.readyState == 4 && this.status == 200) {\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                var myObj = JSON.parse(this.responseText);\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                document.getElementById(\"video_\"+myObj.id).innerHTML = myObj.embed_video_code;\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t            }\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t            };\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t            xmlhttp.open(\"GET\", \"https:\/\/fetch.drprem.com\/api\/Videos\/7\", true);\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t            xmlhttp.send();\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/script>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<\/div>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cannabis is getting increased attention as a form of medicine, in part due to the number of countries now legalizing it for medicinal (and sometimes recreational) purposes. There\u2019s still a lot we don\u2019t know and don\u2019t understand about the drug, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":67178,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[3995,3996,3993,3999,3994,799,3997,4001,3998,1955,4000],"class_list":["post-67175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-off-beat","tag-cancer-patients","tag-cancer-symptom-management","tag-cannabis","tag-complications","tag-effective-treatment","tag-featured","tag-nausea-and-vomiting","tag-negative-effects","tag-neuropathic-pain","tag-top","tag-types-of-cancer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/107"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67175"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67175\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drprem.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}