What can CBD oil do for cancer patients? CBD oil is a plant-based alternative for managing symptoms of cancer and cancer treatments. It is derived from the cannabis plant but does not get you high. It has medicinal properties and acts as an anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and analgesic, providing relief from multiple symptoms of cancer and cancer treatments.
This article talks about how CBD oil helps with different symptoms of cancer followed by a guide to where to buy CBD oil for cancer in India.
Outline
What is Cancer?
How does Cancer Begin?
Types of Cancer
Symptoms of Cancer
What causes Cancer?
Stages of Cancer
Cancer Complications
How does CBD Oil help with Cancer?
Research on CBD Oil and Cancer
Potential Benefits of CBD Oil for Cancer
Types of CBD Oil for Cancer in India
How to use CBD Oil for Cancer in India
CBD Oil for Cancer in India | Dosage Guide
Buy CBD Oil for Cancer in India
What is Cancer?
The word Cancer denotes any one of a large number of diseases characterized by the development of abnormal cells that divide uncontrollably and have the ability to infiltrate and destroy normal body tissue. Cancer often has the ability to spread throughout your body. Cancer develops when the body’s normal control mechanism stops working. Instead of dying, old cells grow out of control and form new, abnormal cells. These extra cells may form a mass of tissue called a tumour. However, some cancers like leukaemia, myeloma, and lymphoma, do not form tumours.
There are more than 200 different types of cancer.
How does Cancer Begin?
All cancers begin in cells. Cells are the basic units that make up the human body. Cells grow and divide to make new cells as the body needs them. Cancer starts with changes in one cell or a small group of cells.
Usually, the human body has just the right number of each type of cell. This happens because the cells produce signals to control how much and how often the cells divide. If any of these signals are faulty or missing, cells might start to grow and multiply too much, forming a lump called a tumour.
A primary tumour is where cancer starts. Cancers like leukaemia start from blood cells. They do not form solid tumours but build up in the blood and sometimes the bone marrow.
When the tumour spreads to other cells or parts of the body, it is called a secondary tumour or metastasis.
A tumour can be cancerous or benign. A cancerous tumour is malignant. That is, it can grow and spread to other parts of the body. A benign tumour can grow but will not spread.
Types of Cancer
Cancer is divided into types on the basis of where it begins. There are 5 main types of cancers:
- Carcinomas: begin in the epithelial tissue. Epithelial tissues cover the outside of the body such as the skin, cover and line all the organs inside the body such as the organs of the digestive system, and line the body cavities such as the inside of the chest cavity and the abdominal cavity.Carcinomas are the most common type of cancer. They usually form solid tumours. Examples of carcinomas include breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, and colorectal cancer.
- Sarcomas: start in the connective tissues. Connective tissues are the supporting tissues of the body including bones, tendons, cartilage, and fibrous tissue that support organs.A sarcoma can develop in fat, muscles, nerves, joints, tendons, lymph vessels, blood vessels, cartilage, or bone. Sarcomas starting in the bone are called bone sarcomas. Others are called soft tissue sarcoma.
- Leukaemias: is a cancer of the blood. It begins when healthy white blood cells change and grow uncontrollably. Lekaemias are comparatively uncommon and have 4 main types—acute lymphocytic leukaemia, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, acute myeloid leukaemia, and chronic myeloid leukaemia.
- Lymphomas & Myelomas: begin in the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is a network of vessels and glands that filter body fluid and help fight infection. Lymphoma is cancer that starts in the lymph glands or the cells of the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system runs throughout the body so lymphoma can start anywhere.Myeloma is a cancer that starts in the plasma cells. These are a type of white blood cell made in the bone marrow that produce antibodies and help fight infection.
- Brain & Spinal Cord Cancers: start in either the brain or the spinal cord. The most common type of brain tumour, glioma, developed from glial cells. Tumours starting in the brain or spinal cord can be benign or cancerous.
Symptoms of Cancer
Signs and symptoms caused by cancer usually vary depending on the body part affected. Following are some general signs and symptoms associated with, but not specific to, cancer:
- Fatigue
- Weight changes, including unintended wright loss or gain
- Lump or area of thickening that can be felt under the skin
- Changes in the bowel or bladder habits
- Skin changes such as yellowing, darkening, or redness of the skin, sores that won’t heal, or changes to existing moles
- Persistent cough or trouble breathing
- Hoarseness
- Difficulty swallowing
- Persistent, unexplained muscle or joint pain, fevers, or night sweats
- Persistent indigestion or discomfort after eating
- Unexplained bleeding or bruising
Symptoms caused by cancer can also be grouped according to the body part they affect:
- Breast changes: nipple changes or discharge; skin that is itchy, red, scaly, puckered, or dimpled; or lump or firm feeling in your breast or under your arm
- Bladder changes: trouble urinating, pain while urinating, blood in the urine.
- Bleeding or bruising, for no known reason
- Cough, or hoarseness that does not go away
- Bowel changes: blood in the stools, changes in bowel habits
- Eating problems: pain after eating, trouble swallowing, belly pain, nausea and vomiting, appetite changes
- Mouth changes: bleeding, pain, or numbness in the lip or mouth;a white or red patch on the tongue or in your mouth
- Fatigue, that is severe and lasts
- Fever or night sweats for no known reason
- Skin changes: a flesh-coloured lump that bleeds or turns scaly; a sore that does not heal; jaundice; a new mole or change in an existing mole
- Neurological problems: seizures, headaches, hearing changes, vision changes, drooping of the face
- Swelling or lumps anywhere such as in the neck, underarm, groin, or stomach
- Wright gain or loss, for no known reason
What causes Cancer?
Cancer is caused by changes or mutations to the DNA within cells. The DNA inside a cell is packed into a large number of individual genes each of which contains a set of instructions that tell a cell what functions to perform and how to grow and divide.
Errors in these instructions can cause the cell to stop its normal function and may allow a cell to become cancerous.
What do gene mutations do?
A gene mutation can instruct a healthy cell to:
- Allow rapid growth: instructing a cell to grow and divide more rapidly. This creates many new cells that all have that same mutation.
- Make mistakes when repairing DNA errors: DNA repair genes search for errors in a cell’s DNA and make corrections. A mutation in a DNA repair gene may mean that other errors are not corrected, leading one or more cells to become cancerous.
- Fail to stop uncontrolled cell growth: normal, healthy cells know when to stop growing so that our body can have just the right number of each type of cell. Cancer cells lose the controls that tell them when to stop growing. A mutation in a these control genes allows cancer cells to continue growing and accumulating.
These are the most common mutations found in cancer. But many other gene mutations can be a contributing factor for cancer.
What causes Gene Mutations?
Gene mutations can occur for several reasons.
- Gene mutations we’re born with: we may be born with a genetic mutation inherited from our parents. This type of mutation accounts for a small percentage of cancers.
- Gene mutations that occur after birth:most gene mutations are not inherited and occur after we’re born. A number of factors can cause such gene mutations. Some common ones include viruses, smoking, radiation, cancer-causing chemicals, hormones, obesity, chronic inflammation, and a lack of exercise.
Gene mutations occur frequently during normal cell growth. Cells contain a mechanism that recognises when a mistake occurs and repairs the mistake. However, occasionally a mistake is missed, causing a cell to become cancerous.
Stages of Cancer
Cancer staging is a way to describe the size of cancer and how fat it has grown. It is important because it helps doctors to know what treatments are needed. Doctors may recommend a local treatment, such as surgery or radiotherapy if the cancer is just in one place. This could be enough to get rid of cancer completely.
But if cancer has spread, we might also need treatment that circulates through the whole body. These are called systemic treatments and include chemotherapy, hormone therapy, immunotherapy, and targeted cancer drugs.
Cancer Complications
Cancer and its treatment can cause several complications in the body, including:
- Pain: may be caused by cancer or cancer treatment. Not all cancer is painful. Medications and other approaches (such as CBD oil) can effectively treat cancer-related pain.
- Difficulty in breathing
- Nausea
- Fatigue: in people with cancer has many causes, but it can be managed. Fatigue associated with chemotherapy or radiation therapy treatments is common but usually temporary.
- Diarrhoea or constipation
- Chemical changes in your body: cancer can upset normal chemical balance in the body and increase the risk of serious complications. Symptoms of chemical imbalances can include excessive thirst, frequent urination, constipation, and confusion.
- Weight loss: cancer steals food from normal cells and deprives them of nutrients. This is not affected by how many calories or what kind of food is eaten and is often difficult to treat.
- Brain and nervous system problems: cancer may press on nearby nerves, causing pain and loss of function of one part of your body. Cancer that involves the brain may cause headaches and stroke-like symptoms such as weakness on one side of the body.
- Cancer that spreads
- Cancer that returns
- Unusual reaction of the immune system to cancer: sometimes, the body’s immune system may react to the presence of cancer by attacking healthy cells. These are called paraneoplastic syndromes and can lead to a variety of symptoms such as seizures and difficulty in walking.
How does CBD Oil help with Cancer?
First and foremost, it is to be reiterated that CBD oil is not a cure for cancer. The therapeutic and medicinal benefits of CBD can help provide relief from symptoms and complications caused by cancer and/or cancer treatments.
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a naturally-occurring chemical compound present in the cannabis plant. It is non-intoxicating in nature and provides a broad spectrum of medicinal properties that can help relieve pain, nausea, vomiting, indigestion, skin pigmentation, and other complications caused by cancer and/or cancer treatments.
There has been a lot of interest in whether cannabinoids might be useful as a cancer treatment. The scientific research conducted so far has been laboratory research with results showing that different cannabinoids can:
- Block cell growth
- Cause cell death
- Reduce inflammation
- Stop the development of blood vessels that are needed for tumours to grow
- Reduce the ability of cancer to spread.
There is solid evidence in support of the idea that cannabinoids can reduce tumour growth in animal models of cancer. CBD may also increase the potency of certain drugs used to treat cancer.
Research on CBD Oil and Cancer
- The results of a 2019 study indicated that CBD could induce cell death and make glioblastoma cells more sensitive to radiation without any effects on healthy cells.
- A 2019 review of in vitro and in vivo studies focusing on pancreatic cancer revealed that cannabinoids, such as CBD, can help slow the growth of a tumour, reduce tumour invasion, and induce tumour cell death. However, the authors of the study also wrote that research into the efficacy of different formulations, dosing, and precise mode of action is lacking and urgently needed.
- A large, long-term study of men found that the use of cannabis may be inversely associated with the risk of bladder cancer. That said, a cause and effect relationship has not been established.
- A 2014 review of 35 in vitro and in vivo studies found that cannabinoids prove to be a promising compound in the treatment of gliomas.
- A 2014 study in experimental models of colon cancer in vivo suggested that CBD may stop the spread of colorectal cancer cells.
- A 2010 research demonstrated the efficiency of CBD in preclinical models of metastatic breast cancer. The study found that CBD considerably reduced breat cancer cell proliferation and invasion.
Potential Benefits of CBD Oil for Cancer
CBD has a broad spectrum of medicinal properties that can provide relief from multiple symptoms caused by cancer and cancer treatments.
- Pain Relief: CBD is anti-inflammatory in nature and can reduce acute and chronic pain throughout the body by inducing a number of mechanisms. These include altering pain signals, reducing inflammation, and increasing the immune response.
- Reduced Tremors: tremors and seizures are extreme complication caused by some cancer treatments. A small 1986 study suggests that CBD oil can help ease the muscle movement and help reduce tremors. CBD oil also reduces the frequency and intensity of seizures.
- Antiemetic properties: CBD also provides relief from feelings of nausea and vomiting.
- Better Cognitive Functioning: Regular use of CBD oil can improve motor coordination and strengthen the overall cognitive functioning.