The understanding of cancer as a disease is changing rapidly with the various number of studies being done on it. Although progress has been slow and it has taken decades to reach this point in cancer treatment, the survival rate is much better than it was a few decades ago. This has been a result of the collective efforts of cancer specialists, research scientists and medical operatives from all over the world.
During this time, a number of alternative cancer treatments have also surfaced, one of which is CBD for cancer. Before delving into a discussion of whether treating cancer with CBD is possible, it is important to understand what CBD is and how it is expected to work as treatment.
What is CBD?
CBD is the short for cannabidiol which is one among the 113 cannabinoids that have been found in cannabis. CBD accounts for a total of 40% of extract from the plant. Unlike THC, which is also present in cannabis, CBD has not been found to be intoxicating. But is does have positive effects on anxiety and psychotic behavior. These are two among several other symptoms of physical and mental disorders that cannabis is said to cure.
However, when it comes to treating cancer, things get a little more complicated as cancer doesn’t have a sure-shot cure yet. The disease manifests itself in different ways in different people and the treatments too differ from one case to another. Throwing cannabis treatment in this mix has met with opposition from various organizations around the world.
Despite this, there are several backers of CBD for cancer treatment and it is currently being studied at several research labs. Till now, cannabis has successfully shrunk tumors and prevented growth of cancer cells in lab experiments. However, since none of the studies have been done on human subjects, the findings cannot be said to have conclusive proof.
Ways in Which CBD can Possibly Cure Cancer
- CBD might be anti-metastatic. A cancer is said to have metastasized when cancer cells break off from the tumor and start residing in some other part of the body. These cancers are extremely tough to treat.
- Programmed cell death is a mechanism by which human bodies prevent mutated cells to grow or divide. This mechanism stops in a body that has cancer. It has been found that programmed cell death can be triggered with the use of CBD for cancer.
- Cannabis compounds CBD and THC might also be capable of curing cancer by halting or preventing proliferation and thus stopping the growth of tumors. Cannabis was found to have this effect on tumors in rodents in lab experiments.
Although the above given information is good enough to fill you up with hope, it is important to remember that cancer is not a simple disease. CBD for cancer might become a reality in the future and its controlled medical use might benefit a large number of patients. However, till more proof is found about its capability of being used as treatment, the conventional therapies are all that patients have to turn to.
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