Cannabis and Cancers: The State of Knowledge

Cancers are scary things, aren’t they? And many of us think that they just appear out of the blue and there is really not much we can do if “one day” we wake up to find out “our doctor is telling us” we “have cancer” – a diagnosis that too often get translated and perceived as a kind of death sentence.

Let’s begin by clarify a couple of points here. Although some cancers have their raison d’être in our genes, the best part of them are a result of how and where we live. As stated by the National Cancer Institute, technically speaking “cancer can start almost anywhere in the human body, which is made up of trillions of cells. Normally, human cells grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them. When cells grow old or become damaged, they die, and new cells take their place. When cancer develops, however, this orderly process breaks down. As cells become more and more abnormal, old or damaged cells survive when they should die, and new cells form when they are not needed. These extra cells can divide without stopping and may form growths called tumors”. In other words, we kind of make our own cancers. And if our body is ready to react, we are naturally able to fight against these old, damaged cells. Unfortunately, however, we are not always able to do that.

So, what cannabis can do to help us? Here is what science is telling us, looking at some of the most important recents studies. Thanks to Sean D. McAllister, for instance, a scientist who works at California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute, we know that “CBD appears to be interacting through a cellular system that regulates the expression of key transcriptional factors (e.g., Id-1) that control breast cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion” – a point he made in his article titled Pathways Mediating the Effects of Cannabidiol on the Reduction of Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation, Invasion, and Metastasis. And breast cancers are only an example, of course. We also know that cannabinoids stimulate appetite and prevent nausea, pain and vomiting in patients who suffer from different types of cancer (this has been demonstrated by big names such as Richard H. Schwartz at Georgetown University, Manuel Guzman at Madrid Complutense University and Marta Duran at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, among others).

Researches all over the world are producing extremely exciting results, and we very excited about the potential life-changing consequences this knowledge could produce. As we wait for the next great study, let’s celebrate with some amazing cannabis (here is where you can find some http://greenhouseseeds.nl/).