Medical cannabis in cancer care: A review
While cannabis has been used for both medical and recreational purposes for hundreds of years, only recently are doctors and scientists beginning to appreciate how important it could be in modern medicine.
Over the past few years, researchers have been particularly interested in how cannabis can be used in the care of cancer patients. Medical cannabis can relieve pain, anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances, all of which can be associated with cancer.
What role could medical cannabis play in cancer care?
Increasing scrutiny within the scientific community has revealed a myriad of benefits for cancer patients who manage their symptoms with cannabis. Some of the ways cannabis can improve the quality of life for cancer patients include:
- Relieve pain: Cannabis is already used in the treatment of neuropathic pain, and it may be able to relieve pain associated with cancer as well.
- Reduce anxiety and depression: Many cancer patients feel anxiety and depression related to their cancer. THC, a compound found in cannabis, can induce feelings of relaxation and relieve anxiety.
- Improve sleep: Some studies have shown that taking medical cannabis improves sleep and reduces nighttime wakings.
- Increased appetite: Cannabinoids may increase appetite, which helps in the treatment of cachexia in cancer patients.
Each of these effects could singlehandedly improve the lives of people suffering from all kinds of cancers.
Could medical cannabis cure cancer?
The role of medical cannabis in the <a href=”https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/treatment/complementary-alternative-therapies/individual-therapies/cannabis”>treatment of cancer</a> isn’t fully known, but there are some indications that cannabis could even halt the growth of tumours in the body. This is because cannabinoids can block cell growth, cause cell death, and stop the development of blood vessels, which cancer needs to be able to spread around the body.
However, doctors have to be very cautious when using cannabis to treat cancer in the early stages, because in the cases of some types of cancer, cannabinoids could even encourage cancer cells to grow.
Get in touch
Whether you’re suffering from cancer or if you want to help a loved one currently being treated for cancer, get in touch with us at the London Cannabis Clinic to find out more about how medical cannabis can be used to ease the symptoms of cancer and provide relief to patients.