Health

Can CBD Prevent Breast Cancer?

CBD For Breast Cancer
Written by Alexandra Hicks

CBD is known to have a huge variety of healing powers, but a lesser known fact is that CBD can actually kill cancer cells. Yes, you read that right… pot destroys cancer.

It’s well-documented, although sadly, not very well publicized. Pharmaceutical companies don’t want you to know this, but cannabidiol is considered an antineoplastic agent, based on the way it fiercely attacks many tumor cells. It doesn’t necessarily work against every type of cancer in every patient, but studies show high rates of effectiveness in killing certain cancers, breast cancer cells in particular, with CBD therapy.

BREAST CANCER INFO

There are two primary form of breast cancer, invasive and non-invasive. Non-invasive cancers stay in or immediately surrounding the mammary glands and don’t “invade” other tissues in the breasts or other organs in the body. Invasive breast cancer can spread throughout the entire breast and eventually metastasize, or spread out to other parts of the body.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women and the second most common overall. In the United States alone, about 12 percent of women, or 1 in 8, will develop invasive breast cancer. That’s around 252,000 women every year. Of those, about 41,000 will die as a result of this tragic disease. Worldwide, it’s estimated that over 1.7 million women are diagnosed with invasive breast cancer annually.

CANNABIS FOR BREAST CANCER

Out of the 3 different subtypes of breast cancer, CBD has shown to be most effective for HER2-positive and triple hormone negative tumors. Triple-negative tumors aren’t very common, but they’re extremely deadly. This subtype accounts for about 15 percent of all breast cancer cases, and as of now, no standard or effective treatment exists.

Studies show that the cannabinoid receptors in our bodies are over engaged, so to speak, in breast tumors. Cannabinoids from CBD products bind to the receptors in the cancerous cells and prevent it from dividing or replicated. In other cases, the CBD will completely kill off the cells in a process known as apoptosis.

This research proves that not only does CBD inhibit tumor growth, kill cancer cells, and prevent metastasis, it’s also pretty much the only, natural and non-toxic way to fight cancer without destroying all the healthy cells in the body. There will also be no major side effects like weight loss and hair loss, and it can also effectively treat depression, anxiety, and physical pain that is often associated with diseases of this caliber.

BLOCKS METASTATISIS

During metastasis, cancer cells break away from their point of origin and move through the blood and lymphatic system and attack other parts of the body. Sometimes, very rarely, metastatic cancer can be treated, but usually once it’s metastasized it’s very difficult to control. In humans, the ld-1 gene is responsible for metastasis.

“In metastatic cancer when [the genes] wake up, they are very bad. They push the cells to behave like embryonic cells and grow. They go crazy, they proliferate, and they migrate. We need to be able to turn them off, which is exactly what CBD does. We are focusing on the latest stages of cancer. The cancer cell itself is not the problem, because a tumor can be removed easily by surgery. The problem is the development of metastatic cells which is conducted by Id-1.” Senior researcher Pierre-Yves Desprez, California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute in San Francisco

Once again, that magical herb we all love so very much is here to the rescue. Researchers believe that CBD inhibits the ld-1 gene and stops the tumor from spreading. Because CBD is non-toxic, it can be administered in high doses, for many years to treat and possibly prevent cancer recurrence. 

PREVENTION?

It’s unknown whether CBD products or cannabis in general can prevent cancer from ever occurring in the first place. But considering it destroys cancer cells, blocks metastasis, and prevents cancer from coming back, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to incorporate a little weed, or at the very least some CBD supplements, into your daily healthcare regimen. 

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About the author

Alexandra Hicks

Managing editor at Cannadelics and U.S based journalist, helping spread the word about the many benefits of using cannabis and psychedelics.