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CBD – Pain Relief for UK Cancer Patients or Snake Oil?

pain relief for cancer patients uk

These days, everywhere you look in the UK – online or on the high street – there are CBD companies promising amazing health benefits. Some even say they’ve possibly discovered a way to give pain relief for cancer patients.

Could it be true? Is CBD just snake oil, or does it have real benefits? And if not CBD oil, then what about full extracts of cannabis? We did some research to find out.

Is CBD just snake oil?

Currently there are hundreds of trials worldwide judging the efficacy of THC (tetrahydrocannibinol) and CBD (cannabidiol) as treatments. These include any number of diseases, genetic disorders and symptoms of an endless list of health issues.

The truth is, there’s no real evidence that states definitively whether CBD oil has any effect on cancer cells. It’s true that CBD has benefits for the treatment of many of the symptoms of cancer. Pain relief for cancer patients, reduced anxiety, and less insomnia caused by either have all been reported.

When it comes to CBD, more research is required. Appropriate dosages, clinical trials, blind trials, all are needed to give doctors an idea of what CBD is capable of.

Can THC offer pain relief for cancer patients?

Because of the psychoactive nature of THC, cannabis is considered a controlled substance. As a result it is illegal to grow or sell in the UK, but for medical research there is some leeway.

Most of the research conducted so far has involved cells and mice. Historically it has not been tested directly on human subjects. However, this is now starting to change.

Clinical trials, such as one being run currently by LVL Health, are hoping to provide new data for medical legislation. For governing bodies to change their stance on THC, this is the sort of research we need far more of.

Brain tumors and further afield

The University of Birmingham have been running a major UK trial since 2021. They plan to analyse cannabis-based drug Sativex, and it’s effect on aggressive brain tumors.

In its first phase, the trial was found to have positive results. There was a potential to extend survival, as well as being okay to take alongside chemotherapy.

The Brain  Tumour Charity, which is  funding the trial, said: “We hope this trial could pave the way for a long-awaited new lifeline that could help offer glioblastoma patients precious extra months to live and make memories with  their loved ones.

“With so few treatments available and average survival still so heartbreakingly short, thousands affected by a glioblastoma in the UK each year are in urgent need of new options and new hope.”

The truth of the matter is that research into cannabis and the chemicals within the plant is in its infancy. This is due in part to the legislation surrounding the plant, and roadblocks for researchers and doctors to navigate.

The only way we can ever know for sure how good cannabis could be for pain relief in cancer patients is to study it across a wider variety of real human subjects, with various stages and types of cancer.

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