TODAY'S VIDEO
During this discussion Dr. Mary Clifton speaks about the the many ways that CBD and cannabis help to prevent the proliferation and growth of cancer. From the management of patients going through chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting, or dealing with loss of appetite at the end of life related to their cancer, the use of a high THC product may do wonders to help them get through the process safely or slow the process significantly.
What you’ll Learn
- CBD & Cannabis for Cancer
- Combatting Nausea & Weight Loss
TRANSCRIPTION
Combating Nausea and Weight Loss with Cannabis and THC
Cancer leads to a development of a number of metabolic changes. People lose their appetite, and develop a bit of nausea, resulting in reduced calorie intake. The inflammation and the tumor growth itself ends up burning more calories that are actually being brought in, and the person ends up losing weight over time. The cancer is very effective at directing whatever nutrition is present in the body to itself, to help itself grow by a process of angiogenesis, where it grows more blood vessels to the tumor, taking nutrients from the blood. This cancer induced loss of appetite is estimated to be the immediate cause of death in as many as 40% of cancer patients. So controlling the rate at which weight is lost, and controlling the loss of appetite becomes a very important part of keeping cancer patients alive through the period of their chemotherapy and also as they approach the end of life.
So with these studies surrounding the use of smoked or orally administered THC to be effective in reducing chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting in several trials are very interesting, much of the nausea and the loss of appetite is centrally mediated in the brain. And the brain is loaded with CB1 receptors. So stimulation of those CB1 receptors helps to reduce nausea and stimulate appetite. I have other videos that talk about how to use cannabis in a way that doesn’t stimulate the appetite particularly. But in cancer patients, it’s very important to think about these high THC compounds for use for appetite stimulation. And in fact, different synthetic products have been available on the market since the 1990s to do exactly that.
In one particular study that I found interesting, 42 cancer patients were followed for six weeks with various doses of synthetic cannabis, of dronabinol. There was no significant weight gain observed, yet there was a reduction in the rate of weight loss, and an increase in appetite scores. So from a palliative care standpoint, from the management of patients going through chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting, or dealing with loss of appetite at the end of life related to their cancer, the use of a high THC product may do wonders to help them get through the process safely or slow the process significantly.
