As marijuana becomes increasingly legal and more widely accepted, medical uses are being realized. This includes symptom relief and treatment for some of the patients hardest hit by cancer. Those with serious, aggressive, and life-threatening cancers like mesothelioma may benefit from using CBD oil for a variety of purposes. This non-psychoactive product has few and minimal side effects and may help patients get relief from treatment side effects. It may even have anti-tumor properties.
What is Mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma is a cancer of the tissue that lines organs and cavities in the body. Most commonly it attacks the lining in the chest cavity, around the lungs. This type of cancer is known as pleural mesothelioma, and it is caused by exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma is aggressive and deadly, most people have little hope of remission but some treatments can extend life expectancy and relieve symptoms and treatment side effects.
What is CBD Oil?
CBD oil is an extract from the cannabis plant. Unlike marijuana it does not contain all of the plant’s active substances. It should contain just cannabidiol, a compound found in cannabis that may have medicinal properties but that is not psychoactive. In other words, you cannot get high from it. Cannabidiol is one of several natural cannabis substances known as cannabinoids. The oil is usually used orally as a treatment for a variety of conditions and symptoms.
How Mesothelioma Patients Benefit from CBD Oil
Medical marijuana gets much of the attention for what it can do in patients with all types of ailments, but CBD oil can be a powerful medicine as well. Researchers are finding the many ways that this non-psychoactive, largely safe supplement can help mesothelioma patients and others:
- CBD oil has been shown in studies to provide relief from pain. More specifically there are studies that prove it can help provide relief for cancer patients with severe, intractable pain. Living with mesothelioma can cause serious pain, and many painkillers are either insufficient or risky, like opioids. CBD oil could be a useful alternative.
- Mesothelioma patients undergoing chemotherapy are likely to experience nausea and vomiting. CBD oil may be helpful in managing and reducing these uncomfortable side effects of treatment.
- Living with mesothelioma also triggers a lot of mental health issues. Patients typically feel stressed, anxious, and afraid. Marijuana may be used to reduce these feelings, but CBD oil can also help reduce anxiety and stress and without producing the characteristic high.
- There is even growing evidence that cannabidiol has important anti-tumor properties. Lab studies have shown that it can slow the growth of cancer cells and may even kill cancer cells. Other studies have proven that lab animals with cancer live longer when given CBD.
CBD Oil is Safe
For mesothelioma patients already undergoing treatments that cause significant side effects and living with the pain of cancer, a medicine that is low-risk is essential. Safety studies of CBD oil prove that it causes few side effects, and these are typically mild. Because it does not contain the psychoactive THC compound, CBD oil also has no risk for addiction.
There is not yet enough evidence for the benefits of CBD oil to use it as a replacement for traditional medical treatment. However, the results of lab and animal studies are promising and show that one day this substance may help mesothelioma patients fight this devastating and aggressive cancer. The evidence is already clear that it can help manage symptoms and improve quality of life. And because CBD oil is safe, most patients can benefit from it.