October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, during which we acknowledge the many people who have tragically lost their lives due to this unsettlingly prevalent disease, while also spreading awareness about the various risk factors associated with it. One in eight women will end up with a breast cancer diagnosis in her lifetime, and a staggering 276,500 women will be diagnosed in 2020 alone. We must also be reminded that about 2,000 men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, as they also have breast tissue.
No two people’s journeys with breast cancer are identical. There are so many symptoms, treatments, and side effects that one may experience while they are being treated for it. Further, some cases are more rapidly growing than others. But, what every breast cancer patient shares in common with the others is the gnawing acknowledgement that their bodies are in need of extra care.
At Pinnacle Hemp, we’ve devoted our lives to making CBD accessible to all. We go above and beyond to deliver high-quality, useful, and bioavailable hemp-based goods to anyone who is yearning for a natural form of relief. We have had several cancer patients who have sought out or CBD products for help with specific symptoms.
Common Symptoms of Breast Cancer
Each breast cancer patient will have their own unique variety of symptoms. However, the most common symptoms are pain in the breast region and fatigue. The pain is understandable, as it indicates the development of cancer cells in the area, causing tumors that cause the entire area to become tender. The pain may be worse during certain points of the day, like when a person is exerting themselves.
The fatigue is not surprising when you consider what is happening inside the body of a person who is fighting cancer. The immune system must work incredibly hard in an effort to stop the growth of cancer cells, and this process is, as you might imagine, taxing due to the rapidly developing nature of cancer, especially breast cancer. This leaves the entire body feeling depleted as all of its resources are going toward combating the disease.
Another common and totally understandable symptom is anxiety. Cancer puts us up close and personal with our own mortality, and while it’s certainly not a death sentence, it can cause fearful thoughts to arise that make us feel uneasy. This can certainly lead to feelings of being defeated by stress and worry.
Of course, many treatments for breast cancer exist, and several of them come with well known side effects. Chemotherapy is the most common, causing a person to lose weight, lose their appetite, lose their hair, and develop a weakened immune system.
CBD AND BREAST CANCER SYMPTOMS
We can’t give medical advice, as only your doctor is authorized to do that. What we can do, however, is point out some very enlightening clinical studies showing the unique effects of CBD for breast cancer on the symptoms described above.
Pain
Breast cancer often leads to pain. The pain occurs in the cancerous area of the body for understandable reasons. But what’s rarely discussed is how the entire body can ache, due to the immune system’s heightened inflammatory response, which can make joints and muscles become tender.
CBD is commonly shown in studies to have the potential to alleviate a wide range of pain types, being both an analgesic and an anti-inflammatory.
Energy
The body’s process of fighting cancer can also wipe a person of energy. This can create a vicious cycle in which the body is no longer physically active, thus bringing down a person’s overall health.
CBD has been studied widely for its effects on energy, as it has the potential to regulate the body’s natural energy cycle by binding to cannabinoid receptors in the frontal lobe of the brain. This may help a person maintain steady energy levels throughout the day, which naturally dip in the evening.
Nausea and Poor Appetite
Nausea is a common complaint of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The nausea leads to a lack of appetite, which can stop a cancer patient from consuming enough nutrients to maintain a healthy, cancer-fighting body.
We know from findings that CBD can help with nausea, as it regulates all digestive functions, with appetite and nausea being digestive functions of their own. It can simultaneously boost appetite while suppressing nauseous sensations that occur in many chemotherapy recipients.
Stress and Anxiety
Stress and anxiety are common among cancer patients, for understandable reasons. CBD is unique in that it can calm stress naturally by rearranging the neurotransmitters in the brain, essentially balancing the function of stress hormones. This can also improve sleep, according to the study sourced above, by preventing stress hormones from interfering with the sleeping process.
Immunity
The immune system obviously plays a major role in fighting cancer, and further, it can be compromised during a chemotherapy treatment. Maintaining a strong immune system is key, and CBD may regulate its function due to cannabinoid receptors within this bodily system that control its many processes.
USING CBD FOR SYMPTOMS ASSOCIATED WITH BREAST CANCER: WHAT TO KNOW
If you are a breast cancer patient who is interested in using cannabidiol, speak with your doctor first is imperative. It’s crucial that they know your medical history, current symptoms, and medications you are presently taking to help you determine the best way to use CBD for breast cancer.
Symptoms associated with breast cancer can be severe, which is why we recommend going with a stronger potency level than average and taking it at least once a day. This allows the cannabinoid to build up in the body in order to be more effective, as CBD seems to work in a cumulative fashion.
Choose a high-quality product from a trusted source and adjust your dosage and strength levels as needed along the way. Make sure to communicate with your doctor while you take CBD for breast cancer to ensure that it’s working in a favorable manner.
FINAL THOUGHTS
During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we’re talking a lot about preventing the disease by knowing the various risk factors involved. But, if you are dealing with breast cancer yourself, you might want to speak to your doctor about giving CBD for breast cancer a try in an effort to manage your symptoms in a natural way.
