Medical Marijuana and Chemo: How the Herb Can Help Those Suffering With Cancer

In 2020, nearly two million Americans were diagnosed with various types of cancer. It is one of the most common deadly diseases in the world. A treatment frequently given to these patients is chemotherapy, which has shown great success in many cases, but the chemo drugs themselves can also wreak havoc on a patient’s body.

Backed by scientific research, medical marijuana has been shown to provide respite to many cancer patients in a few different ways! Read about them below.

Marijuana for Chemo Patients In Pain

Many types of cancer and some of the drugs used to treat cancer can cause patients severe pain. Sometimes, the pain is even severe enough that it can cause mental and physical distress. Any sort of treatment for this pain, so long as it isn’t also harmful to the body, can help increase a patient’s quality of life.

Research on marijuana’s benefits for pain can be dated as far back as 1975. Scientific researchers found that THC could effectively manage pain and applauded it for its low, unobtrusive side effects.

Marijuana and Chemo That Causes Nausea

Science supports claims that marijuana can help reduce vomiting and nausea. It also increases users’ appetites. These are all very important factors because cancer patients need to sustain healthy eating habits to stay as well as they can while their illness is being treated.

Total body wellness is not easily solved by switching one drug or supplement for another – it is earned by finding proper balance among everything that your body takes in. Reduced pain, nausea, and normal eating habits are all great effects marijuana can have that enable users to constantly treat their body well by eating right, exercising more, etc.

A common question we get is “what is the best marijuana for chemo patients?” The truth is that different strains of marijuana and chemo side effects together can affect patients differently. Wellness looks a little different for everyone – rather than tell you what to do with your body, we aim to help you help yourself.

A Word From the American Society of Cancer (ASC)

Having been around for over a century, the ASC is a national organization that is dedicated to enriching the lives of cancer patients while spearheading the research for a cure. Despite recognizing the benefits of marijuana to people living with cancer, the organization insists on the need for more research, citing the side effects. In this regard, they believe that the US Drug Enforcement Administration should be more lenient with marijuana control to allow researchers to conduct more in-depth research.