CBD Oil and Cancer: What We Know So Far

best CBD oil for sleepCBD Oil and Cancer: What We Know So Far

Cancer. The Big C. The elephant in the room that nobody wants to talk about.

Regardless of what you want to call it, this illness is up there with one of the cruelest in existence. 

With 1.6 million Americans diagnosed with some form of cancer every year, 600,00 of whom sadly never beat it, new treatments are desperately needed. 

Even if new treatments cannot be called cures, having something that enhances someone’s quality of life instead of diminishing it beyond recognition is a breakthrough, and that’s where CBD oil comes in. 

Since gaining popularity in the medical research community less than two decades ago, medical researchers have relentlessly attempted to discover how the compound reacts with cancer. 

Although these studies are still in their pioneering stages, we have seen many promising outcomes, which we will go into more detail about as the article progresses. 

Reduction In Cancer & Treatment Side Effects 

One area where knowledge has seen the most progression in the relationship between CBD oil and cancer is how it could potentially subside the side effects of cancer and treatment itself.

This is further explained by dailycbdmag, who say although cure-based research is extremely limited, there’s a lot of evidence backing up a breakthrough in treating cancer-based side effects. 

Pain 

In patients with cancer, pain often occurs as a result of the tumor or tumors pressing against nerves in the body instead of the tumors hurting themselves.

This can be helped by CBD oil as it can block pain messages between the nerves and the brain for limited periods.

CBD oil also has anti-inflammatory properties, which helps to reduce the immune system’s response to a tumor, leaving the site less inflamed and with fewer opportunities to affect nerves around it. 

Over time, cancer treatments may weaken bones and lead to a condition called osteoporosis which causes significant joint pain, which CBD oil can also be used to treat. Apart from this, CBD’s pain relieving properties are equally benefiting for the dogs as well. You can find many dog products by CBD on the market.

Sleeping Difficulties

Sleeping difficulties are incredibly common with people with cancer. This can be for both physical and psychological reasons, such as side effects of drugs, physical changes from treatments, or anxiety surrounding their condition. 

Various studies, however, have shown that CBD oil can be used to treat even the most extreme of sleeping difficulties. 

It does this due to its anti-anxiety and pain-relieving properties, which help to relax the body long enough to achieve deep sleep. Although it’s not known why, the best CBD oil for sleep can also help people stay asleep for longer once they have fallen asleep, too.

Lack of Appetite

When going through cancer treatment, patients are often told about the importance of maintaining a balanced diet to help keep their immune system fighting fit. 

This can also help with energy levels, improving someone’s quality of life, but cancer treatment often kills your appetite so much that doing so is easier said than done. 

Thankfully, using CBD oil can reverse the effects of many medications, with several studies proving that it can stimulate your appetite in a similar way to marijuana without unwanted side effects. 

Vomiting & Nausea 

The thing that has potentially the biggest impact on a cancer sufferer’s quality of life is vomiting and nausea. 

It’s often called the domino effect as it can offset other problems like malnutrition, dehydration, and significant lapses in energy. 

Many studies have shown that CBD oil is extremely useful in reducing this, however, which will enable someone to continue treatment with lesser side effects.

If someone is experiencing these symptoms, taking CBD tinctures may be the better option as they are more potent than oils but made of a similar consistency, leading to faster-acting results.

Treatment For Cancer Directly 

Traditionally, treatment response following a cancer diagnosis would come with invasive treatments that affect healthy parts of the body in addition to the cancerous tumors.

In recent years, however, innovations like proton beam therapy have led the way for other research into alternative, less aggressive treatment options for the illness.

One such treatment option that has seen several pioneering studies in less than a decade in CBD oil, with many researchers believing it could be a great option in the future.

This comes largely from a famous 2012 study reported by HealthcareWeekly that shows CBD oil has anti-progressive, anti-migratory, anti-metastatic and anti-invasive properties against cancer. 

It’s important to note that this is one of the only studies reporting these results, and there have only been a few since that has gone into the potential cure benefits for individual cancers.

Leukemia 

The first type of cancer where CBD oil has been discussed as a potential cure is leukemia. 

Although this has a high remission rate of 94% in children after five years, this falls to just 30-40% in adults, leaving a large gap of people for whom conventional treatments aren’t successful. 

One research study published in the International Journal of Oncology found that CBD oil may provide hope for these patients, proving the chemical compound has anti-cancer effects on its own when it comes to leukemia. 

They did, however, acknowledge that these results seemed to improve when CBD oil was combined with traditional chemotherapy drugs as it seemed to kill off cancerous cells faster.

Breast Cancer 

The links between curing breast cancer and CBD oil are even less researched than what has gone into leukemia, but early research study results do show that there is potential.

This mainly comes from a breakthrough 2011 test-tube study which showed that CBD oil can be used directly to trigger the death of human breast cancer cells.

This built on another study from four years earlier where it was found that CBD oil could reduce the spreading and progression of aggressive breast cancer cells in mice by a huge margin. 

As this has yet to be properly tested on humans, however, this is only a theory and would need extensive research before it could be put forward as a potential cure. 

Summary 

Based on the research we have so far, it’s clear to see that CBD oil is considered more effective at treating the side effects associated with cancer than curing the condition itself.

This has come out of a lack of research into individual cancers, but with increasing popularity and the easing up of regulations, this could be set to change in the next few years.

Even so, the considerable impact CBD oil can have on those with cancer and their quality of life throughout and after treatment makes it well worth trying for sufferers looking for relief.

If you are currently battling this condition, however, it’s important to consult your doctor before taking CBD oil just to make sure the supplement won’t interact with any existing treatment.