Cancer survivors are using cannabis to alleviate physical and mental health symptoms
Recently, a team of investigators analyzed the results from a cannabis health study to examine administration methods and changes in cannabis used among cancer survivors during the pandemic. Researchers claim that cancer survivors are more likely to use cannabis over other alternatives to treat nausea, pain, anxiety, and insomnia among other symptoms.
Cancer Survivors Are More Likely To Consume Cannabis
The study found that people who’ve had cancer are more likely to consume cannabis to alleviate mental health and pain symptoms, and also found that cancer survivors are more likely to fear Covid-19 when compared to those without a history of cancer.
The data was collected between 2020 and 2021 from 79 cancer survivors who identified as medicinal cannabis users and then compared to 79 medicinal cannabis users, with the same age, without a history of cancer; According to the research, those with a history of cancer are more likely to use cannabis as a way of controlling vomiting, migraines, sleep problems and seizures and also, anxiety and pain.
The results claim that 61% of the participants with a history of cancer use cannabis to alleviate anxiety symptoms while the rest use it for chronic pain, also, the majority of participants also use cannabis to alleviate symptoms of depression and PTSD while a smaller number uses cannabis to control irritable bowel syndrome and symptoms of other autoimmune diseases.
Cancer Survivors Have More Access To Cannabis
Despite showing no differences in how often cannabis is consumed or the administration methods, the study shows that cancer survivors are more likely to get access to medicinal cannabis. This supports the idea that doctors and patients should talk more about how cannabis can be a safer alternative to other types of medicine.
Experts say that cancer survivors are more likely to use cannabis to manage physical and mental health symptoms but those without a history of cancer could also benefit from medical cannabis to alleviate different symptoms but in order for this to happen, doctors have to feel safe about talking with their patients about the benefits of cannabis and the patients should also show interest if they want to try medical cannabis as an alternative.
MEDICAL DISCLAIMER
This content is for educational purposes only. The information provided is derived from research gathered from external sources.
