Cancer, being a chronic and sometimes terminal condition, is hard to endure for patients, caregivers, family, and friends. The goal when providing care during this time is to make the patient comfortable, decrease pain, and improve emotional health to create a positive experience for the remainder of their time. There are many conventional methods used to treat different cancers, but the traditional treatment method further adds to the patient’s suffering. Chemo and radiotherapy treatments are proving to be lifesavers for millions of patients, but they lead to many undesired effects causing immense discomfort to the patient. With the backing of scientific research on Marijuana, it is becoming evident that it can successfully reduce the effects of cancer treatment and can also improve the life of terminally ill patients.
Medical Marijuana is a safer, potent option, with fewer side effects than conventional cancer and end-of-life treatments. It has the potential to help patients live their lives with less pain, stress, and it can ease severe symptoms, including depression.
Adding Medical Marijuana to your cancer treatment is a possibility as it is on the list of qualifying conditions, and once your condition has been verified by a state-licensed Marijuana physician, you can buy various Medical Marijuana products as per your needs. Today, there are many Medical Marijuana service centers in Florida and My Florida Green is a trusted partners for many in Naples, Sarasota, Melbourne, and St. Petersburg. You can connect with our experts and take the first step today.
What is Medical Cannabis?
Marijuana is a group of dried leaves and buds from the Cannabis sativa plant and is referred by several names, one of the most common being Cannabis. Cannabis is being used as an alternate for treating many illnesses in the recent past since the legalization of Marijuana. The data from studies and clinical trials have established the positive link between Cannabis and the alleviation of cancer symptoms, especially symptoms caused by chemotherapy. Researchers have thoroughly studied the two main components in Medical Marijuana, the first being tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and the other known as cannabidiol (CBD). THC and CBD are both cannabinoids and can affect our endocannabinoid system as they are similar to the natural cannabinoids receptors produced in the body.
How does Marijuana help improve cancer symptoms?
The issue with conventional treatment of cancer is that they can cause side effects that have the potential to further worsen the patient’s quality of life. Strong pain medications often cause unpleasant side effects, including constipation, vomiting, and/or severe nausea. Antidepressants are good for many patients, but there is simply no time for these medications to work in the majority of terminal cancer patients. Medical Marijuana is becoming increasingly popular amongst cancer patients because this treatment option adds no troubling side effects to a patient’s existing symptoms.
Recent studies have shown that Marijuana can significantly reduce and alleviate the symptoms caused by chemotherapy. Chemotherapy has many side effects, including nausea, weight loss from lack of appetite, pain, insomnia & anxiety. Marijuana can help increase appetite, ease pain, improve sleep, and decrease emotional health issues. In addition, Cannabis also supports the body to fight back cancerous cell growth while going through chemotherapy and radiation.
Some of the most prominent benefits of Marijuana in cancer are listed below:
Marijuana improves the patient’s appetite:
Many patients undergoing chemotherapy have reported losing their appetite and developing a condition known as cachexia. In this condition, patients lose a significant amount of weight by losing both body fat and muscles. This condition, along with nausea and vomiting, makes the patient physically weak and emotionally drained. Patients going through chemotherapy need to maintain a good body weight and adequate appetite to help them stay stronger to cope with the ongoing treatment.
The data collected from clinical trials have shown that THC and CBD are linked to reducing nausea and vomiting as oral cannabinoids have proven to be effective antiemetics(drugs reducing nausea and vomiting). By adding Marijuana to a patient’s treatment, nausea is reduced, and they can eat enough to maintain their body weight. People taking Marijuana have seen that their appetite returned, and they had a greater urge to snack, and all this led to them maintaining a healthy weight allowing them to fight cancer effectively.
Marijuana reduces severe and chronic pain:
Many cancers and treatments like chemotherapy can be very painful as the administered drugs result in inflammation, leading to severe pain and discomfort. This makes every day a challenge for many, as it becomes hard for the patient to move and they feel extremely exhausted. When Marijuana is added to patients’ treatment regime, it reduces pain and gives a sense of soothing calm to the patients. Patients have reported feeling a sense of euphoria and feeling happy after using Cannabis. There are many different Marijuana products, with different Marijuana strains and compositions, ranging from oils, topical creams, tablets, and Marijuana vapes, that can be used by the patients for pain relief.
Marijuana reduces anxiety and improves mood:
Cancer patients often suffer from anxiety and mood, as they feel anxious and worried about the treatment that they will have to go through to fight cancer. Patients have reported having anxiety before and after chemotherapy sessions, as it’s natural to worry about their effects on the person’s body. However, patients who have used Cannabis during the ongoing chemotherapy sessions have testified that they feel energized and more alert, hence less anxious. Marijuana also improves the patient’s overall mood, improving their emotional wellbeing and quality of life.
Marijuana improves the quality of sleep:
Patients suffering from cancer often suffer from lack of sleep and feel exhausted as they cannot get enough rest. Patients find it difficult to go to sleep and cannot stay asleep. This is sometimes due to pain, anxiety, depression, or ongoing treatment. As a result of insomnia, they feel exhausted and drained throughout the day and unable to carry out their daily activities. Marijuana has shown remarkable results in improving the quality of sleep of such patients and helps them fight insomnia.
Marijuana role in managing emotional well-being of cancer patients.
It is common for patients who are burdened with an illness like cancer to suffer from severe emotional issues. These emotions are strong and resemble the feelings experienced in the cycle of grief. Common emotional reactions can include anger, fear, depression, shock, helplessness, and/or denial. These emotions cause further pain in patients who are already suffering from grave illnesses. After the cancer treatment medical marijuana also helps in PTSD.
Patients who are dealing with terminal cancer often suffer severe depression and anxiety. Marijuana has the ability to help these patients find relief from these severe emotional issues and provide them with a peaceful passing.
Marijuana is helping cancer patients improve their lives.
Marijuana is better than the conventional therapy options that are currently being offered in healthcare settings, due to which more patients are seeking to add Marijuana to their cancer treatment. Medical Marijuana works immediately to relieve pain, anxiety, depression and helps patients sleep. These great benefits of Cannabis help the patient be better equipped to deal with the harsh symptoms of chemotherapy and other debilitating cancer symptoms.
However, to add Medical Marijuana to your treatment, you first have to connect with a state-licensed Marijuana physician. Only an experienced physician can determine if you can use Marijuana for medicinal use. Once they evaluate your health condition, they can recommend you to the state registry if they think that you will benefit from Marijuana treatment. We, at My Florida Green, are helping patients in Sarasota, Naples, Melbourne, and St. Petersburg obtain their Medical Marijuana Card. You can speak to our experienced experts and get the help you need to get started on your Marijuana journey.
