Cancer and cannabis
Cancer is probably the most frequent cause of death in industrialized countries. All the cells of our organism multiply based on the information contained in its genetic code. Following those instructions encoded in the genes, they can divide, giving rise to healthy and functional cells in each of the different tissues of our body.
What happens when some circumstance alters genetic information?
The resulting cell is abnormal and does not look like the normal cells of that tissue. They also grow much faster and all the cells that come from it. A mutation has occurred in that cell or cells—an alteration in the genome. A change in genetic information will lead to abnormal cells that will multiply based on that erroneous information. It should be noted that generally, a single mutation does not give rise to a cancer cell; it must produce more than one mutation for the neoplastic cell to generate an erroneous cell line. Buy cannabis oil online.
After being studied using different techniques, CT, MRI, biopsy and cytological analysis, a tumor has formed that will be classified as benign or malignant.
Malignant tumors are usually fast-growing; the faster, the worse the prognosis in general. There is also another criterion for its classification, the specificity of its cells. The more primitive the cancer cells, the less they resemble the normal cells of the tissue from which they come, the worse the prognosis in terms of malignancy. Cancers that appear in young people can be more aggressive overall than those that appear in older people.
How can a change in the genetic information of a cell take place?
Different factors can produce it. We can induce mutations, for example, by physical agents, such as exposure to ionizing radiation or radioactive isotopes, chemical agents. There are probably many more factors related to cancer diseases, such as the quality of food products or exposure to new compounds that the industry generates. Even solar radiation is causing more and more skin cancers. The cells derived from the cancer stem cell multiply with erroneous information due to genetic mutations. Buy Dank Vapes online.
Under normal conditions, a cell that suffers irreparable damage self-induces suicide called apoptosis or induced cell death. This mechanism ensures that cells that are no longer useful for our body die induced and do not replicate erroneously, forming new tissue, a tumor.
It should also be noted that, although chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatments are still undoubtedly very toxic and aggressive for the patient, given the advances in tumor markers, each time, the treatments are more specific and selective in terms of cellular targets. Which, ultimately, consists of selectively killing cancer cells without affecting other healthy cells in our body. But obviously, the treatment of cancer in its various forms is still a challenge today. Buy Hemp Products
Can cannabinoids be effective against some cancer?
We know that there are cannabinoids with antineoplastic or antiproliferative properties. We also know some of the mechanisms of action at the molecular level, which makes it easier to predict how they work and their therapeutic effects, about the possible side effects that, as we know, most drugs have, including chemotherapy drugs, of course. , being, in this case, one of the most toxic treatments to which one must undergo to treat cancer disease.
Cannabinoids inhibit the formation of new vessels in the tumor, which determines that its growth is inhibited by not receiving enough blood to grow. This phenomenon is called inhibition of angiogenesis.
Cannabinoids, likewise, induce apoptosis or cellular suicide of tumor cells, respecting the viability or survival of healthy cells. Different studies demonstrate this. This specificity of action, only at the level of cancer cells, is what is sought with chemotherapy drugs, which only target cancer cells, respecting healthy ones. Properties are also described in terms of reducing the chances of metastasis when using cannabinoids. It is clear, then, that they have antineoplastic properties. CBD, in particular, has been found to inhibit the action of a protein called ID, the presence of which determines increased aggressiveness and chances of tumor metastasis. This protein occurs in several subtypes, of which ID1 and ID3 are those inhibited by CBD.
But we have to reflect on an essential question. Most of the studies on the use of cannabinoids in different types of cancer come from preclinical research, with experimental animals, basically selected mice, and of course. However, we share 93% of genes. Their immune system doesn’t look much like ours, inefficiency and complexity. Vapes for sale
We can access clinical trials, but they are usually scarce, and few patients give extrapolated and conclusive results. This situation has been brought about by the legal position of the use of cannabis in different countries. It is very complicated to investigate illegal substances.
Cancer is not a single clinical entity, there are over 100 different cancers, and each is different from the rest in many ways. Although the patient generally presents similar symptomatology in many cases, pain, anxiety, insomnia, weight loss, each type of cancer affects different cells, tissues, and organs. Therefore the symptoms will be various depending on the type of cancer.
For example, brain cancer will probably generate epilepsy, headache, neurological disorders, and specific symptoms.
Given the pharmaceutical industry’s characteristics and the methodology of clinical trials, which are very costly in time and money, we do not currently have genuinely verified and verified information with the methods requested by the scientific community.
We do not know exactly which combination of cannabinoids is the most suitable for each type of cancer, nor do we know what treatment cycles. In each case, we have to carry out even the doses to be used, and the proportions between the different cannabinoids are not defined. Buy cannabis online
So why do we use cannabinoids already?
Well, basically because of its low toxicity; We know its side effects that we have discussed in other articles, and we can manage them safely in combination with other drugs in most cases.
Not all patients tolerate the treatment equally, and its efficacy is not the same in all cases. That should note that the majority of patients start complementary medicine with cannabinoids in the advanced stages of the process, so the results are logically closely related to this fact. We can use THC without the patient having a limiting psychoactive effect, which is good news for patients who are logically concerned with this situation.
It is essential to consult a doctor if we incorporate cannabinoids into treatment in general since we must consider contraindications, interactions and assess each patient’s characteristics to indicate the complementary medicine with cannabinoids.
It is necessary to study the medical documentation of each case and obtain the data required to assess the indication or not of treatment with cannabinoids.
The types of cancer that it could treat with cannabinoids would be glioblastomas, some types of breast cancer, colon cancer, lymphomas, leukemias, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, lung cancer, and gastric cancer.
Always insisting that most of the information comes from preclinical studies, and there are no conclusively proven results in humans. Dank vapes for sale
And it is never too late to talk a little about the true protagonist of this story, which is the Endocannabinoid System, since, with the cannabinoids of the plant, we act through its specific receptors and obtain the effects that cannabinoids generate in us when we use. The antitumor effects are also exerted through these receptors.
We use phytocannabinoids, in this case, as modulators of the Endocannabinoid System. Still, other molecules can also act on these receptors, which do not plant cannabinoids, and that is why we are talking about the “promiscuity” of this system.
We must bear in mind that from a medical point of view, many clinical studies lack to indicate which cannabinoids are displayed, at what doses should be administered, and what treatment cycles must be followed. Therefore, I believe that we still lack the data necessary to use cannabinoids as safe antitumor agents.
Another issue is that, at the moment, cannabinoids are used together with chemotherapy drugs and to alleviate the symptoms that accompany the cancer patient. Cannabis oil buys online.
I still respect patients who choose cannabinoid treatment as monotherapy, of course. It is a right to choose the treatment that seems most appropriate after having been correctly informed of the therapeutic alternatives in each particular case.
The toxic picture resulting from chemotherapy causes, in most cases, side effects that require specific medication in some cases.
The cancer patient usually presents weight loss, accompanied by a lack of appetite, as well as sleep and mood disorders, which is generally anxious depressive, and presents pain to a greater or lesser degree, in addition to nausea and vomiting secondary to chemotherapy. In this context, cannabinoids are already effective in treating these described symptoms, and it is necessary to find the correct combination and the exact therapeutic dose for each patient. To treat these symptoms, varieties with a 1/1 ratio, CBD / THC, are valid, but without forgetting that THC is essential for most signs. Probably the use in this case of an extract rich in CBD without THC possibly would not give the same result, being poorer in effect on appetite and vomiting that accompany chemotherapy in some patients.
Ya podemos en estos momentos actuar de manera controlada con 3 cannabinoides, THC, CBD y recientemente CBG. Tenemos productos en el mercado con CBD y CBG correctamente analizados y testados. Es imprescindible el análisis de los productos a utilizar, para conocer la concentración de cannabinoides y poder dosificar de manera precisa. Las dosis se calculan en relación al peso del paciente. Otros cannabinoides también interesantes desde el punto de vista oncológico como el CBG, serian el CBGV o Cannabigerovarin, y THCV o Tetrahidrocannabivarin. Presentan el problema de accesibilidad, ya que se encuentran en porcentajes muy bajos en la mayoría de las variedades, por lo menos que sepamos hasta ahora. El THCV suele encontrarse en porcentajes mas elevados en algunas variedades surafricanas y asiáticas Thai. Pero de los 111 cannabinoides caracterizados a día de hoy poco conocemos en relación a sus efectos, metabolismo y potencial terapéutico. Queda muchísimo camino por recorrer con esta familia de interesantes moléculas de origen vegetal. Buy dank vapes cartridges online
Cancer patients can benefit from treatment with cannabinoids to treat chemotherapy symptoms and improve their quality of life.
How can cancer patients manage cannabinoids?
First of all, we have to advise the medical supervision of the treatment, especially if there is no previous experience in the consumption of cannabis. It is essential to rule out contraindications and assess possible interactions of the treatment prescribed by the oncologist. Remember that the use of cannabinoids is complementary to cancer treatment. We do not have conclusive data to advise cannabinoid treatment as monotherapy or single therapy.
We have to differentiate the palliative use of cannabinoids, which would be aimed at controlling or improving the symptoms presented by the patient, from the service for antitumor purposes, which many patients seek. since they have accessed information indicating that “high” doses “Cannabinoids, especially THC, can” cure cancer. ” Currently, we do not know precisely what doses we have to use, what cannabinoids we have to use, and for how long we have to use them, for the 200 different types of cancer that the WHO recognizes.
Cancer patients can at least improve their quality of life in many cases, and in others, there can be very positive results on the evolution of the disease. Still, scientifically we cannot present conclusive and reliable results, among other factors, due to the great diversity in the types of cancer. Also, in most cases, the patient, when consulting, is already in the advanced stages of the disease, and it is essential to act as soon as possible obviously. In many cases, cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, are more effective with complementary medicine with cannabinoids. The patient tolerates the side effects of the treatment much better, nausea and vomiting and lack of appetite disorders of the sleep, mood, pain.
Why Use Cannabinoids?
The most used route of administration would be the sublingual route, using oils or tinctures, and it provides us with a more stable absorption than the oral route. In the cases in which we treat some brain cancer, it is the route of choice since we manage to save the first hepatic metabolic step of THC, and it directly passes the blood-brain barrier distributing itself through the brain tissue.
The effect can take between twenty minutes and an hour to appear, depending on the characteristics of each patient, although in half an hour, most patients already detect the effect. Buy cannabis oil online.
The oral route will determine a more irregular absorption, and the effect may take between half an hour and an hour and a half, but it is a practical route. When we take a few days of treatment, we can maintain an excellent average absorption that Keeps the effect stable.
Whole plant vaporization is an exciting resource since it gives us an almost immediate effect. Furthermore, if the plant is analyzed, we can, by weighing it, prepare the doses with acceptable precision. A patient who is taking a prescribed treatment with THC and CBD orally, for example, can vaporize as a rescue on demand since, noticing the effect quickly, he can dose as needed more or less effectively. But for non-smoking patients, it is more difficult to use it correctly. However, you inhale steam and not smoke, and the moisture must reach the pulmonary alveoli so that the cannabinoids are absorbed perfectly.
Currently, we can also vaporize cannabis extracts or concentrates. It is essential to reflect on the percentages of cannabinoids found in these extracts, especially in the different types of BHO.
We manage percentages of 80% in THC, which indicates that in 100 mg of the extract, we have 80 mg of THC. We must be cautious with the doses if we use these extracts since they contain any THC. Hence, the “grain of rice” anecdote left more than one patient who had no previous experience with cannabis. We have to know what quantities we use.
We know that chronic cannabis users require increasingly higher THC doses to achieve the same effect. We refer to this phenomenon as tolerance. CBD does not seem to generate the same problem since, in clinical practice, maintained doses induce the same effect without increasing them. Patients who have previously used cannabis know its products and may or may not have had positive experiences. Hence, we have to be especially careful with patients who have had bad experiences with cannabis and the psychoactive effect. It is complicated to dose in chronic consumers since tolerance to THC is generated due to its continued use.
The patient must tolerate the treatment well, without presenting a psychoactive effect and generating a comfort area that reasonably meets his expectations depending on the pathology we are treating. In our clinical experience, the use of CBD allows us to work with THC as well, without the patient having a limiting or unpleasant psychoactive effect. Not all patients tolerate cannabinoids the same; they must correct THC / CBD ratios and doses to adapt the treatment to each patient. vapes for sale
If we work with ratios close to 1/1 (THC / CBD), we minimize the psychoactive effect of THC; if we increase THC, the psychoactive effect increases by exceeding the amount of CBD. The Indica varieties, due to their composition in terpenes and cannabinoids, usually provide a relaxing body effect, with hypnotic and analgesic properties that can induce sleep, which is why their use is recommended at night doses. Myrcene is above 0.5% as the primary terpene in most Indica varieties, which strengthens these effects.
Sativa varieties, in general, will give us a more cerebral, euphoric, analgesic effect, and they do not usually induce sleep, which makes them more useful during the day if the patient has to perform some physical task. We find terpenes like borneol, rare in Indica varieties.
It is interesting to consider the origin of cannabinoids when working with extracts or dilutions of whole plants. The same dose of THC will have different effects depending on the extractor dilution of Sativa or Indica origin.
