For many decades now, cancer has been a menace to the human race and sadly, the culprit behind the deaths of billions of people. It is also one of the leading causes of death in the world, and according to recent research, more than 12.7 million people are diagnosed with the killer disease while 7.6 more succumb to it every year. As a result, scientists are working themselves to the finger bone to try and come up with a solution to relieve the pain it causes to the patients and also the cure. Some of the treatments they have come up with include the use of radiation therapy.
What is radiation therapy?
For many cancer patients, radiation therapy is a term they hear almost every day in their lives and one which they dread but can do nothing to avoid it as it gives them hope for another day. For those who just hear about it, radiation therapy involves the use of high energy beams from any charged particles such as X-rays, protons, gamma rays among many others to kill cancer cells. For instance, in a person who has breast cancer, the beans are directed at that body part to destroy the cancer cells. Radiation can also be placed near the cancer cells inside the body of the patient during what is known as brachytherapy. Systematic radiation therapy has been used for a long time especially in the treatment of benign tumors. It’s the most effective because it uses radioactive substance like radioactive iodine that finds its way through the blood to the cancer cells where it kills them. For the radiation therapy to be a success, it must destroy the cancer cell’s genetic material in order to stop their growth, division, and multiplication.
However, in doing so even, the healthy cells tend to be affected, and that is why they receive the radiation therapy in bits to minimize the effects. Please note that radiation and chemotherapy are two different methods used to kill cancer cells and it is also known as external radiotherapy.
It is offered for many reasons, and some doctors provide it to help;
• Shrink a tumor before surgery so they can be able to operate and remove it
• Kill any remaining cancerous cells after surgery
• Ease symptoms of advanced cancer
• Combine with the other treatments to make the medication more efficient and help eliminate it
• As the primary cancer treatment for some patients
Side effects of radio-oncology.
One aspect to keep in mind, even when offered in bits, radiotherapy tends to affect the healthy cells and as such brings with it hordes of side effects. However, these vary depending on the type of cancer the patient is suffering from. Some of the most common ones include hair loss, experiencing changes in how the food tastes, dry mouth, loss of appetite, nausea, shortness of breath, bladder irritation, sore throat and mouth sores, tooth decay, skin dryness and irritation among many others. Those are common symptoms, but women tend to experience additional ones, for example, they may cease menstruating or vaginal itchiness. However, these side effects should not keep you away from seeking radiation therapy, as they are temporary, can be managed, and most importantly, once your treatment has ended, they as well disappear. With the extensive research being done by scientists worldwide, significant milestones in the field of cancer continue to be marked with each dawn, cancer patients can now sigh with relief since the incorporation of medical marijuana into cancer treatments such as radiation therapy.
Radiation therapy and marijuana
To deal with the pangs caused by radiation therapy, most patients run to medical marijuana for relief or as an alternative management for the disease. According to research conducted by the Institute of medicine, marijuana helps control some of the cancer symptoms and also goes a long way in offering relief. Medical weed is made up of THC and CBD which occur naturally in the plant. These two work together to constrain the growth of tumors. The medical research report further states that Cannabinol or CBD has properties which enable it not only to inhibit metastasis but also to switch off this gene completely. Metastasis is the gene found in the human body which usually promotes the growth of cancerous cells most especially the aggressive ones. Therefore apart from offering relief, marijuana has better chances of beating cancer better than any other form of treatment because it has the capability of switching off the cancer-causing gene. However, it is vital that patients incorporate both methods, that is radiation therapy and marijuana for better results. When used together they will experience fewer side effects from the external oncology. Radiation therapy side effects and marijuana. The main impact of marijuana is that it causes an increased appetite which is very crucial to cancer patients because radiation oncology tends to cause a loss of appetite. Thus by using both radiation therapy and marijuana, the patient will have balanced appetite and will be able to take food which is necessary for their strength and also allows the body to repair its damaged cells. As a result, the patient will not encounter weight loss, frustration which comes from experiencing pain and depression. Medical marijuana is also mostly used as an anesthetic and thus when taken by patients; it boasts anesthetic properties which relieves pain caused by radiation therapy hence leading to a better life of the treatment. Best ways to take medical marijuana. Most patients prefer smoking but doing so also puts them in the danger of damaging lungs thus the best ways to intake marijuana for radiation therapy are below; • Tincture • Eating it raw or through edibles with medical marijuana • Oil and tonics • Tropical When most people are questioned regarding their worst fears, most of them say being diagnosed with cancer is one of them. However, you should know that it's not the end and thanks to medical marijuana, the treatment experience should not be that horrific. Radiation therapy and marijuana is the best way to triumph over the monster disease.