Cancer pain is something patients battle with every day. While cannabis isn’t a replacement for doctor-prescribed medications, incorporating it for pain relief is worth a try.
Cancer patients can be in the worst situations before and after treatment. When cancer cells start to develop, they can only wish they don’t metastasize. If worse comes to worst, cancer patients could be seeing their entire life in shambles.
But there could still be hope. The advancements in the medical field have paved the way for state-of-the-art medical equipment and medications. Nonetheless, even with this avant-garde progression, it doesn’t change the fact that pain is a perennial aspect for someone battling cancer.
And one relief that many have begun to take notice of is cannabis oil. Let’s delve into why cancer, pain relief, and medical marijuana for depression are interlinked in the life of a cancer patient.
The Link Between Cannabis and Endocannabinoid System
Before we explore the omnipotent healing ability of cannabis, let’s get to know the endocannabinoid system.
The human body has an endocannabinoid system that produces natural cannabinoids. These cannabinoids work with receptors to keep every neurotransmitter in the body regulated. With this consistent regulation, the different parts, and major organs in the body function normally.
Looking at the other side of the spectrum, cannabis contains cannabinoids that also bear a myriad of benefits. Hence, the intake of cannabinoids works in tandem with the body’s natural cannabinoids.
When this happens, the receptors in every part of our body react positively and make their functions better. One is the physiological process called apoptosis.
Apoptosis is the body’s innate way of controlling the proliferation of cells by naturally eliminating them. When this function is not regulated, abnormal cells, like cancer cells, start to emerge.
And this is where all hell breaks loose. Cancer cells, if malignant, start to metastasize and spread all over the body. This is where cannabis oil comes into play. The link between cannabis and cancer might need more extensive research and peer-reviewed studies, but it’s showing promising signs of development.
Is Cannabis Oil the Panacea for Cancer Pain?
Cannabis oil, when extracted from cannabis flowers, can bring with it a handful of benefits. Two major cannabinoids found in cannabis, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol), impose various effects. The former is responsible for making consumers high, while the latter brings more of the pain relief.
Cancer patients know how being diagnosed can also mean having to experience a lot of this pain. During chemotherapy, most of the symptoms such as nausea, anxiety, and pain can lead to a life of discomfort and more often than not – depression.
Cancer pain has several underlying reasons and the tumor’s growth has everything to do with it. While it grows, the tumor could squeeze and press into nerves or bones. In some cases, the tumor even invades the body’s major organs and causes pain.
Sometimes, it also produces certain chemicals. Since these chemicals are foreign to the human body, it creates a particular reaction which also can be distinguished as another cause of cancer pain.
As mentioned, cancer patients who undergo several cancer treatments like radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery also experience pain afterward. And while there are opiates and other over-the-counter medications for pain relief, some find these medications futile. That’s why cancer patients have turned to cannabis as a painkiller. And the connection is through our peripheral nerves.
Our body has peripheral nerves that can determine these feelings of pain. They travel through different pathways. These peripheral nerves consist of many receptors that cannabinoids work with. The primary role of cannabis oil for pain relief is it blocks these peripheral nerves from sending pain signals.
In addition, tissue inflammation and other types of inflammation that cause pain can also be relieved by cannabis oil’s anti-inflammatory properties.
Final Thoughts
Cancer pain is something patients battle with every day. While cannabis isn’t a replacement for doctor-prescribed medications, incorporating it for pain relief is worth a try.
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