CBD and Cancer: Can Medical Cannabis and CBD Supplments Help?

CBD, or cannabidiol,  is one of the primary cannabinoids in the cannabis plants that are gaining popularity across the world of natural medicine.

This is because it appears to offer the human body many benefits. While there are mixed opinions around the topic, some experts suggest that using CBD could be beneficial in the treatment of cancer.

Although research is ongoing, this compound could help to manage symptoms that are associated with cancer, and it's treatment.

CBD as a Complementary Therapy

Some evidence suggests that CBD and cannabis therapies may help to relieve cancer treatments.  CBD could help people with cancer by:

Stimulating Appetite

Many cancer patients experience nausea and loss of appetite.  These symptoms often make it difficult for them to maintain healthy weight levels.

Ingested cannabis can deliver THC and other cannabinoids into the bloodstream, and this may help to increase the appetite. However, there is no evidence that CBD alone could have this impact.

Pain Relief

Certain cancers and their treatments can cause pain. This pain is often caused by inflammation, nerve injury, or pressure on internal organs. Sometimes the pain is so severe; it becomes resistant to opioid medications.

CBD products indirectly act on the bodies CB2 receptors; these can help manage widespread pain relief by reducing levels of inflammation.

Alternatively, THC works with CB1 receptors, which could be helpful for pain that is the result of nerve damage.

Nausea

Cannabis and some cannabinoids such as CBD could also be helpful for people with cancer who regularly experience nausea and vomiting, a symptom commonly associated with chemotherapy.

CBD for Cancer Prevention

Many people wonder if they can use cannabis or CBD products to prevent cancer. The various studies that have researched the link between cannabis and cancer have provided mixed results.

A study of 64,855 men from the USA found that cannabis use failed to increase the risk of tobacco-related cancers. However, this same study found that male cannabis users who had never smoked tobacco had an increased chance of developing prostate cancer.

Alternatively, the authors of a 2015 study found a very promising relationship between cannabis and bladder cancer. After varying for several factors, they found that that cannabis users had a 45% lower risk of developing bladder cancer.

Ingesting CBD extract will not expose the body to the same amount of carcinogens as smoking marijuana. More research in human subjects is necessary to determine what role, if any, CBD has to play in preventing cancer.

Can CBD Treat Cancer?

In 2016, researchers noted the use of cannabinoids shows some promise in the fight against cancer. The research discovered that cannabinoids seem to slow the growth of many different types of tumor cell in both animal models and test tubes.

However, they also found that some dosages or types of cannabinoid could suppress the immune system, encouraging tumors to grow unchecked.

More detailed research is necessary to discover the potential therapeutic uses of cannabinoids, such as CBD in cancer treatment.

While CBD appears to be beneficial in relieving many cancer symptoms,  no scientific research has proven that CBD can be an effective cancer treatment as of yet.

 For people who need to manage chronic pain and nausea, CBD may have its place as a complementary treatment in some cases.

 We recommend that people speak to their physician before using CBD or any other natural supplements while undergoing cancer treatment. This Is to ensure it will not react with any of the pharmaceutical medications that they may be taking.