Cannabis like CBD is being studied for its potential in alleviating symptoms of “Chemo Brain," which are cognitive issues associated with cancer treatment or side effects from receiving chemotherapy treatment which can affect the functions of the brain.
What is Chemo Brain?
Mayo Clinic defines Chemo Brian as a term used by cancer survivors to identify the thinking and memory problems that would or could occur after cancer treatment. Chemo brain is also known as chemo fog, cancer-related cognitive impairment or cognitive dysfunction.
Chemo brain can be frustrating and can be an obstacle in one's daily life functions, but scientists are still trying to find out the cause of chemo brain symptoms.
Cancer related causes that could trigger chemo brain may include:
Stress and anxiety from receiving cancer diagnosis could trigger memory and thought processing problems.
Many types of cancer may produce chemicals that can be harmful to the memory.
Cancer of the brain which has spread throughout the brain may affect parts of the brain.
Other cancer treatments like chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, bone marrow transplant, hormone therapy, immunotherapy and medication can play a factor into causing brain chemo as well.
Symptoms of brain chemo may include:
Be unusually disorganized
Difficulty with concentration
Being constantly confused
Speech problem or difficulty in finding the right words
Inability to learn new skills
Difficulty in multitasking
Mental fog
Having shorter memory span
Unable to finish routine task
Trouble with verbal and visual memory
Angelina Bryan, who has been studying cannabis use for cancer patients and at the same time being diagnosed with cancer herself. She shared her experience with using cannabis during her cancer treatment and discussed the study published in the journal of Exploration in Medicine published in 2023 on the subject of how cannabis impacts cancer symptoms and side effects from chemotherapy.
On a side note, surveys conducted in the study showed that 40% of cancer patients in the U. S. use cannabis for their illness while only one third of doctors would feel comfortable in advising their patients to do so. This is true, because in the past there have been a lot of restrictions to studying the effects of CBD or cannabis for medicinal use therefore there is very little evidence or data about how cannabis can benefit our health. But with the changes of time and law more studies are being conducted to help medical experts understand the advantages of cannabis in the health industry.
This particular study was conducted at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus on 25 cancer patients with cannabis over a two week period.
The researchers began with assessing the level of pain, sleep patterns and cognition condition of each patient. The patients were asked to choose the cannabis products of their
choice varying from edibles like chocolates to gummies, tinctures, oil, pills or baked goods.
Patients were physically and cognitively examined before and after consuming cannabis and were given enough cannabis for two weeks. After the two weeks trial period, patients were examined again for both their physical and cognition level.
During the first examination before the two weeks trial period started they found that patients did feel a significant ease in their pain level while patients that ingested a high level of THC felt “high." But after two weeks they found that patients reported an improvement of pain, sleep quality and cognitive functions. While initially they may have felt that their cognitive functions may have been impaired, but after two weeks their response time was improved and they were able to think more clearly too. Plus, people that ingested more of CBD saw a bigger improvement in pain intensity and sleep quality.
More studies are needed to fully understand how CBD and other cannabis can impact cancer. But in the meantime if you are looking for high quality CBD products then Mellow Organic is your answer. Mellow Organic is the first and most trusted CBD products in Thailand. Our premium CBD products that we offer are made from pure CBD, Mellow 900mg CBD Oil is made from CBD Isolate and is available with two flavor options, Natural and Orange. Mellow Full Spectrum 1,800 mg CBD Oil contains a high amount of CBD along with THC and other cannabinoids from the cannabis plant and finally, Mellow CBD Soothing Balm with pleasant vanilla scented CBD infused topical balm. Our product is lab tested for Top Quality CBD content and zero toxicity. Feel free to visit our website https://www.melloworganic.com for more details on our CBD products.
Written by Vivek Roachthavilit
Special thanks to:
Cancer Health
Mayo Clinic
Open Exploration