One of the most well-researched benefits of marijuana is in the realm of cancer. Although there are many unknowns surrounding marijuana’s usage for health, cancer, including prostate cancer, is one of the areas where most experts agree that marijuana can be very helpful. There are many ways that medical marijuana may benefit someone diagnosed with prostate cancer. Here are a few of the most important ones.
- Help With Nausea and Low Appetite
Chemotherapy and radiation are two of the first-line responses for cancer, and while they’re very effective, they can also wreak havoc on your body. One of the things they can do is reduce your appetite dramatically and make you nauseous. The good news is that medical marijuana can help increase your appetite, giving you “the munchies” and making it easier for you to keep food down. But, of course, it would be best if you had plenty of food to help fight off cancer, making this a great benefit.
- Reduce Fatigue and Increase Alertness
Fatigue is a huge problem that many cancer patients experience. When your body is trying to fight off cancer, it often doesn’t have the energy to do much else, which means you can find that you’ve exhausted all the time essentially. However, some strains of medical marijuana, especially Sativa strains, can help reduce fatigue, allowing you to stay energized throughout the day and do more.
- Make It Easier to Fall Asleep and Stay Asleep
On the other hand, some strains, especially Indica strains, can help increase a feeling of fatigue. Whereas strains that increase alertness can be beneficial when fatigued during the day, strains that increase drowsiness can help you fall asleep at night. Many cancer patients find it difficult to sleep at night, whether because of pain, stress or just because of general insomnia. Medical marijuana may make it easier to sleep than staying asleep all night.
- Boost the Effects of Chemotherapy and Radiation
When used alongside chemotherapy and radiation, medical marijuana may increase the cancer-killing effect of these tools. That means you may need to go through fewer rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, allowing you to start recovering from cancer more quickly. In addition, the cannabinoids in medical marijuana may have a cancer-killing effect, potentially boosting the benefits of radiation and chemotherapy. This can be a great tool for people dealing with very aggressive cancer or severe side effects from chemotherapy and radiation.
Conclusion
The benefits of medical marijuana for cancer of all types are well-attested. It was one of the first things scientists started looking into regarding the usefulness of marijuana in a medical context. If you’re currently undergoing treatment for prostate cancer, you may want to look into medical marijuana. Not only can it help you more easily deal with the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation, but it may also actually make those things work more effectively, generally improving your chances of getting through prostate cancer quickly.
