As a firefighter, the odds of contracting some form of cancer is significantly higher than the general public due to our exposure to chemicals and the by products of combustion at fires. Per the International Association of Firefighters, cancer has now exceeded heart disease as the leading cause of death among firefighters. As of 2016 cancer accounted for 70% of line of duty deaths for firefighters. Needless to say, I am passionate and deeply involved in the prevention and battling of cancer that takes so many lives of not just first responders, but the general public as well. Now I am NOT a doctor, but I have practiced emergency prehospital medicine as an EMT medic for nearly 30 years as well as own a medical training company. So, I am extremely well versed with the human body and how it operates at a very intricate level. Let’s take a quick look at cancer and your typical path that one is given as a patient.
Are standard options really the BEST option?
When we look at the typical treatment options for cancer, it “normally” entails a program regime of “cut, poison, and burn” via surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. When you look at chemotherapy and how it works, it is pretty scary stuff as it does not specifically “seek” out the cancer or cancer cells to destroy. Chemotherapy indiscriminately poisons the entire body systemically to try and destroy those cancer cells. The problem with that is that you also destroy the very thing our bodies need in order to fight cancer such as your immune system and healthy cells. That is kind of counterproductive when you need your body systemically to be in its best shape ever to fight cancer. Research continues to show that chemotherapy’s effects are not only devastating to healthy cells within the body, it has also shown that as far back as 2004 that it only has a minimal impact on survival rates. A clinical Oncology study found that in terms of five year survival rates in adult cancer cases, chemotherapy has an average success rate of just 2.3 percent in Australia and 2.1 percent in the United States.
There is a great article on chemotherapy and how it may contribute to the spread of cancer by Dr. Mercola that is worth the short read. Another concerning factor is that in today’s day and age of “Western Medicine”, the pharmaceutical industry is notorious for pushing drugs for profit instead of what is best for patients. Oncology is one of the only fields that encourages doctors to sell drugs at massive profits, and chemotherapy drugs are some of the most expensive medications to begin with. Most people are unaware that many Oncologists get a commission for the chemotherapy treatments so even consideration of “alternative” treatment options is usually not even discussed. Adding to the issue is the fact that Oncologists are further constrained by the “standard of care” protocols by medical boards and the drug industry which punishes them if they go against the established standard of care. So that essentially leaves the patient on their own when it comes to looking at other “alternative” options that may benefit them in better ways than the standard options we are offered as patients.
Can Cannabis/Hemp/CBD help?
Being diagnosed with cancer will naturally instill anxiety and fear as well as the prospect of first-line treatments that often carry severe adverse side effects. For decades we have known about the medicinal benefits of cannabis (hemp or marijuana) and recently the addition of CBD regarding the application in fighting and possibly preventing cancer. When you break down the significance of cannabis oil, it specifically has a positive interaction with our bodies endocannabinoid system. Our endocannabinoid system has everything to do with the regulation of different bodily functions such as behavior, appetite, mood, sleep, energy, pain and more. More importantly, the endocannabinoid system is also responsible for cell growth and apoptosis.
Apoptosis is the natural process in the body where the death of cells occurs as a normal and controlled part of an organism’s growth of development. And since cancer is the abnormal growth and mutation of cells, the cannabinoids in cannabis oil have been known to specifically target cancer cells without the toxic effects that other treatments methods typically induce. Another cannabis compound that has shown to have a positive impact on the destruction of cancer cells and is NOT psychoactive is CBD. It is a natural antioxidant, protects the brain, and when mixed with THC produces a synergistic effect which equates to a potent holistic process of healing the body.
Researchers at the University of Newcastle engaged in a three year study with cancer researcher Dr. Matt Dun and biotech company Australian Natural Therapeutics Group. They tested a specific cannabis strain with less than 1% THC against cancer and higher levels of CBD. In the end, they found that the strains that were rich in CBD tended to be more effective in killing cancer cells compared to strains that had higher THC levels. More importantly they found that low THC and high CBD varieties did NOT kill normal bone marrow cells or healthy white blood cells.
Dr. Jordan Tishler is a cannabis medicine expert and CEO of the Association of Cannabis Specialists. Dr. Tishler stated; “It’s interesting that CBD seems to work independently, and also together with THC. In fact, there are studies showing that the whole plant extracts are more effective than isolates of any individual cannabinoid.”
What about CBD specifically?
As we talked about earlier, the endocannabinoid system has a large role in managing cell growth and death. As cancer cells multiply faster than the endocannabinoid system can handle, the cancer cells invade normal healthy tissue and spreads throughout the body. This process is called metastasis. The endocannabinoid system has two primary receptors called CB1 and CB2. The CB1 receptors are mostly found in the brain and the CB2 receptors are primarily in the immune system. When we talk about THC, it specifically binds to the CB1 receptors which affects mood, behavior and other brain functions. Whereas CBD binds to the CB2 receptors which assist the body in fighting “invaders” such as cancer cells or other inflammation and systemic diseases. To simplify all of this, CBD and cannabis oil assists the endocannabinoid system in signaling an antitumorigenic warning which impairs cancer development and aids in cancer cell death while maintaining healthy cells in the body.
In 2012, research published by the British Journal of Pharmacology showed that CBD had a positive impact on tumor angiogenesis, which is the formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing ones. This process is critical for cancer to invade and spread throughout the body as that is what “feeds” the cancer cells for growth. CBD essentially prevented the creation of new blood vessels which slowed or stopped tumor growth.
CBD also proved to be an effective means of managing symptoms associated with cancer or the side effects of cancer treatments such as chemotherapy. CBD has also been proven to help alleviate anxiety, inflammation, and neuropathic pain which are common symptoms with cancer and cancer treatment therapies. A 2018 review published by Cancer Medicine showed that CBD itself had a positive effect on cancer cell reduction in diseases such as breast, lung, colon, prostate cancer, leukemia, melanoma, glioblastoma, and neuroblastoma in animal and in vitro models.
With so many negative side effects of typical cancer treatments, CBD has shown to counter many of those negative effects and assist the body in healing.
Conclusion
It is undeniable that CBD has helped cancer patients in one way or another. Chemotherapy patients have especially seen tremendous improvement when it comes to alleviating their post chemo side effects such as nausea, vomiting, fatigue, inflammation, loss of appetite, immune suppression, and neuropathic pain. The truth of the matter is that big pharma is still against CBD and/or cannabis as that would cost them billions of dollars in revenue when it comes to cancer treatments. Luckily, YOU have an option to pursue options that best suits your needs and circumstances. Keep in mind that many doctors are still not educated on the positive benefits that CBD and cannabis offer when it comes to alternative treatment therapies. You ultimately have the choice to choose what works for you even if your doctor does not agree. It is your body and there are decades of research proving successful outcomes when you add natural treatment options.
As a medical professional, I truly believe in the healing properties of CBD and cannabis. But that is just one portion of a total treatment regimen. If one is battling cancer, I believe you must initiate a multi attack approach to healing and battling any cancer. That should include a complete overhaul of your nutrition intake, supplementation, body detoxification, and emotional health. Basically, take away the things that feed cancer such as processed sugar and foods, stress, and poor diet/exercise. You should focus on things that support your bodies healing process and at the cellular level, CBD has been shown to do exactly that in multiple ways.
CBD alone is not enough when battling diseases like cancer. One needs to incorporate a comprehensive and strategic approach to an overall lifestyle change in order to increase your odds when fighting diseases like cancer.
Many of the past and ongoing studies investigating CBD as a treatment option for cancer do show positive and hopeful results. But more clinical studies on humans needs to be done to understand how we maximize the effective anti-cancer potential of CBD and cannabis effectively and safely. In the end, you are in control of your own health. There are over 700 studies out there regarding CBD and cannabis as alternative and natural options. Be sure to do your due diligence and research as there are plenty of success stories of overcoming cancer with unconventional methods. I know me personally, if I ever have to face that battle, I will without a doubt be including CBD and cannabis as my treatment regime. Because in the end, what do we really have to lose?
