Cannabidoil (commonly known as CBD) is creating a lot of buzz in the cancer world because of its potential benefits to patients and survivors. If you’re being treated for breast cancer, you’ve probably had some side effects like pain, fatigue, nausea, discomfort, and anxiety. Maybe you’ve heard other people with the disease talk about using CBD products to ease these symptoms — or you’ve run across CBD at your local gas station or drug store. But what exactly is CBD? How does cannabidiol oil India work? And can it really help people who have breast cancer?
How CBD Can Help
While there is not yet enough evidence to say anything definitive about CBD possibly being a cancer-fighting drug, we do know cannabidiol oil India can be beneficial to cancer patients in other ways.
The effects of CBD are still being researched and it is very possible that we begin to see more CBD treatments as legalization becomes more common and more research is done on the drug. While CBD is legal federally, legalization from state to state is inconsistent so it can be challenging for researchers to obtain hemp plants in order to perform research on CBD legally. Because of this, the only FDA approved medical treatment involving CBD oil, Epidiolex, was approved in 2018 for treatment of two epilepsy-related conditions. Since then, there have been no other CBD products approved specifically for medical use by the FDA. This is sure to change as more research is done on the drug and new medicines are created from it, but it is important to keep this fact in mind when considering if you should try CBD.
For cancer patients, there are multiple possible benefits of regular CBD use. In fact, this is where CBD really shines. Existing research has shown that CBD can help with anxiety, insomnia, nausea and pain, all common side effects of treatment for cancer. Research has also shown that CBD may help with nerve pain from damage caused by chemotherapy. There have even been a few small studies that have shown CBD may be effective in slowing the growth of cancer cells (in mice) but more research is needed on human subjects, specifically human subjects with cancer.
But, how does CBD really function?
Your body has a natural endocannabinoid system, “a complex network of receptors on cells that regulates your daily body functions, such as inflammation, mood, and sleep,” says Marisa C. Weiss, MD, chief medical officer and founder of Breastcancer.org and director of breast radiation oncology at Lankenau Medical Center in Wynnewood, PA.
CBD works by interacting with this system, which means it can help reduce side effects of breast cancer treatment like pain, anxiety, insomnia, nausea, and vomiting.
What do you need to do?
It’s critical to talk to your doctor before you use CBD, especially if you’re in active treatment for breast cancer. For one thing, you need to make sure it’s a safe option for you.
If you’re taking certain medications like blood thinners and thyroid and seizure medications, you’ll need periodic blood tests to make sure your levels are where they should be. If you’re on a medication like this and you’re going to use CBD products your doctor will need to monitor you to make sure your levels stay on track. Everybody’s different, so you won’t really know how CBD will affect your body’s metabolism of other medications.
How to Buy CBD
By now you must be wondering what should you look for if you decide to give CBD products a try:
Medical-grade CBD products: Just because CBD products made from hemp are now widely available, you shouldn’t assume they’re safe, effective. Look for medical-grade pure cbd oil orCBD products because they’re “probably a safer option.
Certificate of analysis: It is recommended to ask for a certificate of analysis (COA) from the company or dispensary you use. A COA comes from a third-party laboratory and tells you the quantity of cannabinoids in the product so that you know exactly what you’re getting. Some COAs also show the levels of potential toxins like pesticides, arsenic, and heavy metals.
At last
There is a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding around the use of CBD. One important thing to realize is that while CBD is derived from the same plant, it doesn’t have the psychoactive “high” effects of THC, the active compound in marijuana. Distillation and production of CBD are unregulated, so before buying, it is important to understand the production process of the brand you want to buy and be sure to know if trace levels of THC are present and if yes, how much they are present. You can ask for a certificate of Analysis from the company to confirm whether the THC levels are within 0.3% or not.
