In a recent
case study, one year after diagnosis with lung adenocarcinoma and having
refused all other treatment, an 81-year-old unidentified man took CBD
oil and experienced a remarkable reduction in tumor size
The reduction
in tumor size was documented by his physicians through X-ray and CT
scans. In one study using two cannabinoid compounds, data yielded
impressive results, alleviating pain, restoring appetite and shrinking
brain tumors
Your body has
natural cannabinoid receptors, indicating you make these compounds
naturally; cannabinoids are integral to supporting your optimal health
when produced in appropriate amounts
You may
naturally boost endogenous production of cannabinoid compounds to
support your health through yoga, exercise, stress reduction, exposure
to cold and fasting
Cannabis has a long history of
traditional use as a botanical medicine. The term medical marijuana
refers to the use of whole, unprocessed plant and pure extract to treat
disease or improve a symptom.1
To qualify, the product must be sourced from a medicinal grade cannabis
plant meticulously grown without the use of toxic pesticides and
fertilizers.
The cannabis plant has over 400 chemicals and at least 60 different cannabinoids2
— chemical compounds the human body is uniquely equipped to respond to.
The two primary ones are cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC), the latter of which is the psychoactive component in marijuana.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, notable scientific
study results led to the creation of two U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA)-approved medications containing cannabinoid
chemicals in pill form, but not the use of the whole plant as opposed to
single ingredients.3
Movement of CBD oil on and off the list of Schedule 1 drugs4
(the most dangerous category reserved for drugs like LSD and heroin)
may signal an underlying struggle between research results and the
desire to harness financial potential in pill form. Recently, an
unidentified patient in the U.K. was treated with CBD oil and
experienced remarkable, physician-documented results.5
Unidentified Patient in UK Shrinks Lung Cancer With CBD Oil
An as yet unidentified 81-year-old patient, believed to be from Stoke-on-Trent in the U.K., was reported in the Daily Mail6 as having experienced remarkable tumor shrinkage after consuming CBD oil each day. Reportedly, the 81-year-old was an ex-smoker who had been treated for prostate cancer 15 years previously.
The man had been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma in October 2016, a
form of lung cancer accounting for nearly 80 percent of lung cancer
diagnoses in the U.K.7
He was offered chemotherapy and radiotherapy to prolong his life but
declined treatment. By December that year, the mass increased in size,
but he once again declined treatment.8
Another chest X-ray in July 2017 demonstrated the disease was still
progressing, yet a CT scan in November that year suddenly, and
surprisingly, revealed a “near-total resolution of the tumor. The
patient had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and also
reportedly used to smoke 20 cigarettes a day throughout his 20s and 30s.
After spotting the significant reduction in tumor size and
progression, physicians asked the patient about his lifestyle to
understand what may they have triggered these changes. According to the
patient, he started taking CBD oil two months before his last CT scan.
He reported no other changes in diet, medication or lifestyle,
leading his physicians to believe the CBD oil was responsible for the
reduction in tumor size. According to the American Cancer Society,9
non-small cell lung cancer is the most common type of lung cancer with
five-year survival rates between 6 percent and 60 percent, depending
upon the spread of the disease.10
The Daily Mail11
published the patient’s scans, showing how the size of his tumors
halved. Although experts have warned this is just one case, other data
also support the use of cannabis on the treatment of cancer.
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International Research Team Finds THC Reduces Brain Tumor Growth
Although CBD and THC are both cannabinoids that interact with
receptors found in the human brain, they have dramatically different
effects. CBD is nonpsychoactive, which means you don't experience the
“high” you do from consuming or smoking marijuana. THC is the chief
psychoactive component in the plant primarily responsible for creating
the “high” associated with recreational use.
While the unidentified 81-year-old patient in the U.K. experienced a
reduction in tumor size using just CBD oil, an in vitro study from the
University of London, published in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics,12 used both THC and CBD to yield impressive results in alleviating pain, restoring the appetite and shrinking brain tumors.
The study found THC and CBD in combination with radiation were able
to shrink tumors to a greater extent than radiation alone.
Interestingly, using just one of the compounds or radiation alone had a
negligible effect on the treatment of the brain tumors.
The findings suggest patients may not need a lot of THC to bind the
cannabinoid receptor in the brain cell, as in small doses it can retain anticancer properties
without psychoactive side effects. Senior study author Wai Liu, Ph.D.,
says the trick is to find the right balance. He told Medical Daily:13
“We think that the cannabinoids are hitting a number of cell
signaling pathways, which primes them to the effects of irradiation.
Pretreatment with the cannabinoids seems to interfere with the ability
of the tumor cell to repair the DNA-damaging effects of irradiation.
We think this is due to the different pathways that these
cannabinoids hit. Specifically, THC works via receptors, whilst CBD may
not need them; consequently, using them together results in a ‘priming’
effect in tumor cells, making them more sensitive to the ‘cell killing’
effects of irradiation.”
This study also supports the results from others. In 2009,14
researchers in Spain discovered THC kills brain cancer cells through a
process known as autophagy. The initial discovery was made in animals.
Two human patients suffering highly aggressive brain tumors then
received intracranial injections of THC, showing similar signs of
autophagy.15
Your Body Makes Endocannabinoids Naturally
In this short video, Carl Germano, Ph.D., touches on the importance
of the endocannabinoid system and its role in human health. Cannabinoid
receptors were discovered in the 1990s, leading to the realization the
human body makes compounds that influence these receptors.
Deficiencies in endogenous cannabinoids have been identified in those suffering migraines,16fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, neurological conditions and a variety of treatment-resistant conditions.17
While CBD and THC have received the most attention and research, the
cannabis plant contains at least 58 other cannabinoids and 400 other
chemicals, and many of these other phytocannabinoids and terpenes are
needed to fully support your internal endocannabinoid system (ECS).
Hemp has been outlawed in the U.S. since 1938, but the latest Farm Bill makes it legal,18
which is exciting news to clinical nutritionists. Germano, an expert on
phytocannabinoids, is excited about the future for study of what he
says may be the most important botanical plant on the planet.19 He goes on to say:20
“Your body produces cannabinoids similar structurally to the
cannabinoids found in cannabis; your body feeds off of them and if you
don't produce enough to feed every single receptor, various conditions,
various illnesses will ensue.
I have not seen any natural compound this clinically-relevant
since the inception of this industry, and I can tell you that targeting
the endocannabinoid system supporting it will dominate medicine and
nutrition over the next couple of decades.”
An intimate relationship exists between your body's ECS and your omega-3 levels, as omega-3 fats
increase the activity of your cannabinoid receptors. A systematic
review of clinical interventions was published in PLOS ONE, looking at
ways cannabinoid receptors can be upregulated. The researchers found
clinical data suggesting yoga, exercise and omega-3 fats have an effect
on your ECS.21
History of Cannabis and Cancer
The history of cannabis use for medicinal purposes dates back at least 6,000 years.22
It was first introduced to the West by W.B. O’Shaughnessy, an Irish
surgeon who learned about it while working in India. His research was
first presented to scholars at the Medical and Physical Society of
Calcutta in 1839.23,24 Initially it was primarily used for its analgesic, sedative, antispasmodic and anticonvulsant properties.
According to the National Cancer Institute,25
the U.S. Treasury Department introduced the Marijuana Tax Act in 1937,
imposing a levy of $1 per ounce for medicinal use. Interestingly,
physicians were the principal opponents as it required doctors to pay a
special tax, use different order forms and keep special records.
In 1942 cannabis was removed from the U.S. pharmacopoeia (USP), the
list of approved medications and drugs in the U.S., as it was believed
cannabis might have harmful side effects. In 1951 Congress included
cannabis on a list of narcotic drugs. When the Controlled Substance Act
was passed in 1970, marijuana was classified as a Schedule 1 drug.26
In 1996,27
California initiated the movement to legalize access for medicinal use
under physician supervision. Today, 13 states have decriminalized
recreational use, 10 have made recreational use legal and 33, including
Washington, D.C., have legalized medical marijuana.28
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) removed CBD medicines with a
THC content below 0.1 percent off their Schedule 1 list of drugs three
months after the FDA approved the first nonsynthetic, cannabis-derived
medicine as a treatment for certain types of epilepsy.29
In addition to the cancer treatment studies discussed, researchers
have found cannabis is pro-apoptotic, triggering cellular suicide of
cancer cells while leaving healthy cells untouched, and anti-angiogenic,
as it cuts off blood supply to tumors.30 For example, Harvard researchers found THC cuts tumor growth in lung cancer while significantly reducing its ability to spread.31
Avoid pesticides and phthalates —
To start, it is important to avoid blocking the receptivity of your
endogenous system by reducing your exposure to neonicotinoid pesticides
and phthalates.32 Find more information about phthalates in my previous article, “Phthalate Exposure Threatens Human Survival.”
Optimize your omega-3 intake —
There’s an intimate relationship between your ECS and your omega-3
status. Omega-3 fats make your cannabinoid receptors more active, and
are used as backbone structures to produce cannabinoids in your body.33
Expose yourself to cold temperatures — In past articles I’ve written about some of the surprising benefits of extreme temperatures. One of those benefits is the regulation of endocannabinoid in white and brown adipose tissue.34
Fasting —Intermittent fasting may improve your health using yet another mechanism in your body — by increasing your endocannabinoid levels35,36 and regulating your ECS.37
Caffeine — Regular caffeine consumption regulates and enhances the activation of cannabinoid receptors.38 Remember the added caffeine may also disrupt quality sleep, so it’s important to forgo any caffeinated substances after 2 p.m.
Exercise — Although exercise is an
excellent stress reducer, research also finds the much talked about
“runner’s high” may be a function of the release of endocannabinoids in
your brain and not just endorphins.41 If you are new to exercise, you’ll find suggestions and links in my previous article, “Exercise to Improve Your Body and Your Brain.”
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