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How Cannabis Can Help Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy

The idea of using medical marijuana to help patients undergoing chemotherapy isn’t new. In fact, there’s medical evidence that dates backs to 1980s, which suggests that cannabis usage during cancer treatment can be beneficial.  
So how can medical marijuana help cancer patients who’re undergoing chemotherapy? Let’s find out!
But first, let’s learn more about chemotherapy.

What is chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy is a medical treatment that’s performed to kill cancer cells from the body of the patient. Unlike radiation or surgery, which only targets specific areas of the body, chemotherapy works throughout the body and kills cells that divide and grow quickly.
Unfortunately, the chemo process also kills healthy cells, including bone borrow, hair, intestines, and skin cells; which can lead to several side-effects, including change in appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and more. 


How Cannabis Helps Relieve the Side-Effects of Chemotherapy

Pain Relief

Cancer patients may experience mild to severe pain during the treatment process, especially during chemotherapy and radiation. The cancer tumor itself can also lead to discomfort and pain.
Medical marijuana can help with pain management during cancer treatment. It’s particularly helpful for patients facing chronic or neuropathic pain caused by chemotherapy.

Stimulates the Appetite

Many patients experience a complete loss of appetite during cancer treatment, especially when undergoing chemotherapy sessions. As a matter of fact, it’s one of the most common side-effects of chemotherapy. 

There are several medical cannabis strains that are rich in THC content, which is a potent ingredient that aids in appetite regulation, and consequently, stimulates the appetite of the patient, helping them to consume more nutritious food and fewer tablets.

Reduction of Nausea and Vomiting

Nausea and vomiting are also the most common and harsh physical side-effects of chemotherapy. Most patients are provided preventive treatment to cope with these side-effects before chemo is administered.

According to the Cochrane Library research, medical cannabis may be useful for treating refractory chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.

Medical marijuana contains cannabinoid CBD, which has been shown to help to treat nausea and vomiting. Moreover, CBD can also help in easing the symptoms of anxiety, which can lead to chronic nausea.

Furthermore, the THC compound present in cannabis also serves as an anti-nausea cannabinoid.
There are two marijuana-based drugs that are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat nausea and vomiting caused due to chemotherapy, namely Dronabinol (Marinol®) and Nabilone (Cesamet®).



Undergoing chemotherapy and looking to purchase cannabis legally? Get in touch with Midori Med. Based in Miami, Florida, they’re a medical marijuana clinic that helps patients with qualifying conditions to obtain a license to buy medical marijuana legally in Aventura, Dania Beach, Hallandale Beach, Hollywood, and surrounding areas. For more information, call at 754-777-8283 or visit their website.

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