Cancer refers to the abnormal development of cells. These cells divide uncontrollably and can also penetrate, infiltrate, and destroy normal tissues. Cancer is a dangerous disease, which can often spread throughout the body. According to the World Health Organization, it is one of the leading causes of death in the world.
The National Institute of Health (NIH) has deemed the use, safety, and effectiveness of medical cannabis for a variety of medical conditions outside of cancer including: Cancer, Chronic Pain, Anxiety, Depression, PTSD, Glaucoma, Multiple Sclerosis, Spinal Cord Injury, HIV/AIDS, Arthritis, Epilepsy, Insomnia and more.
But what about Cancer? While cannabis cannot cure this disease completely, it can significantly reduce the acuteness and severity of the symptoms. Research studies have shown that both CBD and THC, which are two of the main active elements found in cannabis, can drastically stimulate appetite that can help with cachexia, anorexia, and weight loss that many patients suffering from cancer usually experience. Likewise, medical cannabis is extremely effective at fighting/combating nausea caused by typical cancer treatments like chemotherapy.
Some clinical research studies on cancer suggest that medical cannabis can either slow down the growth of cancerous cells or kill some type of cancer. Nonetheless, earlier research studies that tested the aforementioned hypothesis have revealed that although CBD and/or cannabinoids are safer for treatment, they are not very effective at curing cancer. Moreover, the Endocannabinoid System contains a series of molecular receptors, which are specifically designed to receive cannabinoids. Particularly, this includes tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), Cannabidiol (CBD), Cannabinol (CBN), and Cannabigerol (CBG).
Moreover, receptors such as CB1 and CB2 are specific targets for THC. When THC binds with the cannabinoid receptor, it stimulates appetite, motor function, food intake, etc., which significantly reduce the potential symptoms of the patient. Check out NHSOF MD Blog for more.
After a tremendous amount of research a number of mmj doctors now recommend the use of medical cannabis for cancer treatment. This substance does not have any psychoactive effects, which makes it a potent anti-cancer agent. Medical Cannabis has the ability to significantly interfere with cellular communication in tumor cells. It also has the ability to promote apoptosis and/or programmed cancer cell death.
According to researchers at the CP Medical Center, medical cannabis can affect genes that play a role in aggressive metastasis. Furthermore, they explained that medical cannabis shuts cellular growth receptors. Here, it is important to know that this study was in vitro and based on animal trials.
Researchers have conducted various clinical studies to examine the combined effect of THC and CBD on prostate, lung, colon, liver, pancreas, cervical, bladder, liver, and brain tumors. Such studies provide increasing evidence and information to the fact that medical cannabis is not only an antioxidant phytonutrient but also a very powerful “Herbal Chemo” agent.
Furthermore, one of the advantages of medical cannabis is that it targets specifically tumor cells. It does not have any toxic non-tumor or normal cells. This, particularly, is an advantage or benefit with respect to the standard chemotherapy procedure that targets basically everything. Contact NHSOF MD marijuana doctors to learn how to qualify for medical marijuana in Florida.
In conclusion, there are numerous research studies available online that show the effectiveness of cannabis in treating cancer. However, we need to learn more about strains and conduct targeted research studies to explore further the unprecedented benefits of medical cannabis or marijuana for the treatment of cancer.
Get To Know The Alternative Cancer Treatments Available
Judging by the over a million Internet search results, it’s no doubt that cannabis oil has become a popular topic as of late especially as a potentially miraculous treatment for any number of devastating conditions like cancer. But what exactly is cannabis oil and are the claims about it too good to be true you ask?
Cannabis oil is merely the concentrated, distilled form of the plant most commonly known as marijuana, with all the plant material stripped away via a solvent. Though it’s also used with other oils to whip up an assortment of edible pot-infused treats, cannabis oil has achieved the most notoriety for its possible medicinal uses.
Like marijuana, cannabis oil contains two primary ingredients: the high-inducing THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and cannabidiol (CBD), the second most active ingredient in marijuana. Typically, oil brands marketed for medicinal uses contain much less THC than your average joint but both ingredients have been touted for their curative powers.
When it comes to cannabidiol and its related cousin chemicals, all broadly called cannabinoids, there’s some support showing they can reduce chemotherapy-related pain and other symptoms like vomiting and nausea in patients. Elsewhere, other research has shown cannabinoids can uniquely target and kill cancer cells and there have even been anecdotes of supposedly miraculous recoveries from cancer as a result of using cannabis oil.
THC, on the other hand, has been theorized to delay the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease as well as help veterans who are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder to help relieve their anxiety.
Many of these promising studies, however, are generally in the earliest stages of research. Maybe cannabinoids can eliminate cancer cells or cut off their blood supply in the real world, or maybe, like many a purported cancer cure, they can only work in the lab.
What we do know is that desperate people have been taken for a ride when it comes to cannabis oil. Cancer Research noted in 2015 that online sites are tricking cancer patients and their families into handing over money for ‘cannabis oil’, yet receiving hemp infused oil and not CBD from a real cannabis flower.
Their verdict on the oil itself? “There is no doubt that cannabinoids — both natural and synthetic — are interesting biological molecules. Hundreds of scientists around the world are investigating their potential in cancer and other diseases — as well as the harms they can cause… But claims that this body of preclinical research is solid ‘proof’ that cannabis or cannabinoids can cure cancer is highly misleading to patients and their families, and builds a false picture of the state of progress in this area.”
None of this is to say that cannabis oil is worthless as a treatment. Currently, medical research hasn’t fully explored the drug’s true potential yet. In the meantime, we should be wary of those claiming to say otherwise. Lung cancer as its the number one cancer killer in the world. Lung tumors that over-produce the EGF receptor tend to be extra-aggressive and don’t respond well to chemotherapy.
THC is the main active ingredient of Cannabis sativa marijuana. It has been shown to inhibit tumor growth in cancer, but specific information on its action against lung cancer has so far been limited.
In the new study, the researchers first showed that two different lung cancer lines, as well as samples from patient lung tumors, produced the cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2.
Endocannabinoids aka cannabinoids produced naturally in the body are thought to have an effect on pain, anxiety and inflammation when they bind to cannabinoid receptors.
Next, the researchers injected standard doses of THC into mice implanted with human lung cancer cells. After three weeks of treatment, tumors shrank by about 50 percent in animals treated with THC, compared to those in an untreated control group, the researchers reported. Get Started today.