Can you use medical marijuana as a cancer treatment in Louisiana? Anecdotal evidence has some patients believing in the power of cannabinoids.
But what's involved with using medical marijuana to treat cancer in Louisiana?
Keep reading to learn more about cancer, how people use medical cannabis in Louisiana as a potential treatment, and this qualifying condition for medical marijuana in Louisiana.
Interested in learning more about medical marijuana as a medicine for cancer? Speak with one of our Board-registered doctors and get your medical marijuana recommendation today.
Types of Cancer
Cancer is a prevalent illness throughout the US; it was also the second most common cause of expiration in Louisiana in 2017.
The term "cancer" is used to describe various diseases that promote the uncontrolled expansion and spreading of abnormal growth on the cellular level. Cancerous cells are capable of infiltrating the body, causing damage to the tissues that surround them. These cancerous cells can even grow and spread to other areas in the body, causing even more damage.
In the event that cancerous cells develop, the disease is diagnosed as being stage I-IV. This classification is based on the severity of the condition.
There are a variety of cancers, according to the American Cancer Society, which comprise:
- Leukemia
- Lymphoma
- Hodgkin's Lymphoma
- Myeloid Leukemia
- Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
- Multiple Myeloma
- Kaposi's Sarcoma Cancer
- Breast Cancer
- Prostate Cancer
- Digestive Tract Cancer
- Respiratory System Cancer
- Urinary Bladder Cancer
- Uterus Cancer
Medical marijuana has only been discovered to have anti-cancer properties. But its efficacy has been proven in treating certain kinds of cancer. However, more research is essential to say for sure.
In some studies, cannabis has demonstrated its effectiveness in the treatment of the negative side negative effects of aggressive treatments for cancer. These treatments can harm other body parts in an effort to prevent or slow down the spread of cancer.
How Can Cancers Be Treated?
Although cancer comes in many forms, you'll find numerous cancer treatment methods. Ultimately, the type of cancer the patient is suffering from will determine the kind of treatment they should choose.
A lot of times, a combination of treatments is recommended. The treatments tend to include radiation therapy, hormone therapy, chemotherapy stem cell transplants, immunotherapy, and surgery.
Numerous treatments are available, and certain choices may be more hard on the body in comparison to others. The two most challenging options are radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
These kinds of treatments could be intense on the body and immune system, resulting in extreme nausea and hair loss, as well as weakness and could cause depression as well as the loss of weight, anemia and numerous other issues. However, these treatments have been developed to target the most significant risk for patients' health: cancer.
Some people have even anecdotally used medical cannabis in Louisiana to treat Crohn's Disease.
In order to eliminate or stop the development of cancer, treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy are commonly used. These treatments can be harsh on a person's body, but they have also been found to be very effective against cancer.
Can Medical Marijuana Be Used to Treat Cancer?
Evidence has proven medicinal marijuana may assist with certain kinds of cancers. Some evidence highlights that it also might help reduce the adverse effects of cancer treatments in equally through in vitro as well as in the vivo.
Cannabis cannabinoids are also anti-cancer agents that help in the prevention of tumor growth via apoptosis, or the death of cancer cells. By triggering certain cancer cells to die through autophagy the cancer cells digest themselves.
Incredibly, in the context of the targeted cell death of cancerous cells that is triggered by cannabinoids cells, or those that aren't cancerous, appear to be left unaffected.
This could provide the most effective way to combat cancers in the near future. However, more in-depth studies should be conducted in order to comprehend the way this works in greater detail.
The Treatment of Cancers Using Medical Marijuana
Various methods are used to treat cancer, and in some cases, this can involve medical marijuana. Most of the time, it's recommended for use in conjunction with other treatments, such as chemotherapy. This is because medical marijuana may aid in nausea relief, pain relief, and prevention of vomiting.
The benefits listed above each have a significant role to play in helping cancer sufferers through their treatment. Medical marijuana can also make patients feel more at ease, which is hard to achieve in the midst of the severe effects of radiation and chemotherapy.
This is crucial for patients suffering from cancer because it can prevent cancer from spreading through causing cancerous cells end their lives without harming healthy tissue around them.
There are two other synthetic drugs that work comparably to the natural cannabinoids found within the cannabis plant. Nabilone and dronabinol are backed by anecdotal evidence, but the majority of patients report the use of natural and non-synthetic cannabis extracts as a treatment option with higher efficacy when combined with radiation or chemotherapy.
Get Your Louisiana Medical Marijuana Card for Cancer
Cancer is one of the most challenging diseases to fight. As more Americans receive their diagnosis, the idea to use alternative treatment options for cancer becomes more appealing. This is why so much research is being allocated towards understanding cancer and developing effective treatments.
As more knowledge about cannabis as a possible treatment option for cancers and related side effects from other treatments, Louisiana cancer patients may be able to find the relief they need with a medical marijuana card.
To learn more about medical marijuana as a medicine for cancer, speak with one of our Board-registered doctors. They can determine whether medical cannabis is right for your treatment and get you the recommendation you need for accessible medicinal products.
