January 27, 2019 | Cancer
By, Lauraine Kanders, ANP, ACNP-BC
The benefits of medical marijuana are becoming widely known. With an increased awareness and realization, society is embracing it’s many uses. Research is now supporting the use of medical marijuana for cancer patients. In this article, we will examine how cancer can take over the body and what medical marijuana does to help limit the impact.
What is Cancer?
Cancer is due to an uncontrollable growth of abnormal cells within your body. It usually finds way into your body, when the normal control mechanism in place within your body stops doing its job. The lack of a proper combat mechanism means that old cells don’t die, and they eventually start creating new abnormal cells. These abnormal cells create a mass of tissues that is often referred to as a tumor. While there may be an accumulation of new abnormal cells in almost all types of cancers, some cancers like leukemia don’t result in a tumor.
Cancer can develop anywhere inside your body. From a woman’s breast to a man’s prostate, cancer can find its way in any part of the body. The 5 broad categories of the disease include:
• Sarcomas, which develops in the bones, muscle, fats and connective tissues.
• Carcinomas, which develops on the skin or the tissues lining internal organs.
• Lymphomas, which starts inside your immune system.
• Leukemia, which is based in the bone marrow and in your blood.
• Central nervous system, which develops inside your spinal cord and brain.
While cancer has been known to be a challenge to treat, we are at a new stage in time where there is recognition regarding the efficacy of medical marijuana in helping to treat cancer.
Benefits of Medical Marijuana for Helping Cancer Patients
The treatment of cancer with medical marijuana has yet to be finalized but it is widely believed that the magic herb can be beneficial in many ways for these patients. The benefits of medical marijuana for cancer patients include:
• Reduction of Nausea and Vomiting: Cannabis has anti-emetic properties that can reduce vomiting and nausea. Those who have been` through it would agree that radiation and chemotherapy treatments can be brutal on your body and cause vomiting and nausea.
• Alleviating Chronic Pain: Chronic pain has been recognized as one of the severe side effects of cancer and the requisite treatment options. Medical marijuana has been found to have properties beneficial for managing symptoms of chronic pain. There is strong support for this in the medical community.
• Managing Digestive Distress: Diarrhea and constipation are potential side effects of cancer medications and treatment. Due to it’s anti-inflammatory properties, Medical marijuana can help curtail these disturbances.
There seems to be growing consensus over the medicinal properties of marijuana. This increasing awareness will likely result in more usage of marijuana to help patients suffering from cancer.
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