Useof Cannabis in Palliative Care to Improve Quality of Life

Palliative care aims to improve the quality of life in patients suffering from incurable illnesses by relieving their symptoms and aiding in daily function. The hundreds of bioactive compounds and over 140 cannabinoids enable Vijaya to have a multi-fold approach to the human system, thus alleviating symptoms and enhancing life quality.

With over 75% of global deaths caused by chronic and progressive health conditions, the need for effective palliative care rises rapidly worldwide, especially among the aging population. Patients facing terminal illnesses experience a considerable symptom burden that worsens with time, the most common being pain, anxiety, depression, and fatigue.

The robust medicinal qualities of Vijaya have made it one of the most impactful herbs in modern therapy, especially in palliative care. But even today, many patients and caregivers worldwide possess little information about the usage of this herb and its pharmaceuticals.

Read ahead to discover how this powerful Ayurvedic herb can aid patients suffering from severe or life-threatening health conditions and naturally boost their daily physiological and psychological functions.

Role Of Vijaya in Palliative Care

The varied properties of Vijaya allow it to alleviate symptoms and approach illnesses in a subjective way. Numerous patients worldwide have been using this herb to relieve symptoms like post-operative pain, vomiting, nausea, and many side effects of chemotherapy.

Throughout several clinical trials conducted on thousands of patients worldwide, medical practitioners have observed that the therapeutic action of Vijaya is multifold. Besides alleviating chronic conditions and their symptoms, the herb can improve quality of life by

Enhancing sleep quality
Reducing anxiety, stress, and depression
Increasing metabolism
Attenuating behavioral issues
Boosting the overall mood

Patients with carcinomas of the head and neck have reported that Vijaya has helped them tolerate radiotherapy better and prevent its long-term side effects, such as muscle spasms, pain, appetite loss, weight loss, altered sense, etc.

The prominent factor behind the herb’s remarkable efficacy is the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS). Vijaya contains over 140 cannabinoids, with THC and CBD being the most prevalent. They bind with the ECS’ cannabinoid receptors spread throughout the body, allowing the herb to regulate the patients’ physical and mental health.

It is why most patients use Vijaya to help them cope with their illnesses, treatment methods, and the associated symptoms. Another major factor contributing to the herb’s efficacy in enhancing life quality is its safety profile and tolerability.

The potent biological compounds in the herb, like flavonoids, terpenes, and cannabinoids, all have a natural approach to all illnesses, thus exhibiting safety with favorable efficacy.

What The Studies Say

Research in Wellington, New Zealand, found in a recent study that Vijaya helped alleviate pain, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and paraneoplastic night sweats among cancer patients. It significantly improved their appetite, sleep quality, and chemosensory perception (reception of the chemical signals by the sense organs, especially that of taste and smell).

The herb boosted appetite and reduced agitation among dementia patients and attenuated nausea and vomiting among the ones with AIDS.

A 2023 study conducted in Melbourne, Australia, assessed over 3,000 patients suffering from chronic pain, cancer pain, insomnia, and anxiety. After being treated with Vijaya, they reported significant and clinically meaningful improvements in all eight domains of their health-related quality of life:

Limitations in physical activities due to health issues
Limitations in social activities due to physical and/or emotional health problems
General health perceptions
Bodily pain
Vitality (energy and fatigue)
General mental health (psychological distress and well-being)
Limitations in usual role activities due to physical problems
Limitations in usual role activities due to emotional problems

The study also indicated that all their therapeutical improvements were sustained over time.

Another recent study showed that among the patients using Vijaya to treat their neurological disorders, over 96% reported a reduction in their symptoms, 88% reported better ability to perform their daily duties, 79% and 71% of them indicated enhancements in their sleep and appetite respectively, and 68% communicated having better energy and vitality.

The University of Colorado Boulder conducted a study in 2023 to assess the physical and mental impacts of Vijaya on patients. Within an hour, all the patients reported a sharp decrease in pain. Besides the subsiding pain intensity, the sustained use of the herb at the frequency of their choice led to a revamp of their cognitive function, reaction times, and even sleep quality.

In a study where 1,000 patients consumed medical cannabis to alleviate pain, it was found that over 82% of them could reduce or stop consuming conventional over-the-counter pain medications, and nearly 88% of the patients were able to stop taking opioid painkillers completely.

It allows the patients suffering from conditions like chronic and post-surgery pains to avoid adverse side effects of harmful painkillers, like-

Addiction
Tolerance and withdrawal
Mental and behavioral changes

Another Canadian study confirmed the same by indicating that using Vijaya and its derived medications caused a 78% reduction in the patients’ opioid and painkiller consumption. It implies that the herb plays a potent role in avoiding opioid-related morbidity, overdose, and mortality in patients, thus contributing to a better quality of life and overall public health.

It was reaffirmed by another American study, stating that patients suffering from osteoarthritis could not only weaken their pain and other associated symptoms with medical cannabis but also decrease their opioid consumption and boost their life quality.

In a 2022 Brazilian survey, it was found that the use of Vijaya led to better life quality and mental health outcomes (reduced depression and anxiety symptoms) without any adverse effects on the system.

Modern medicine has been increasingly using Vijaya to improve the life quality of critical patients and aid with efficacious palliative care. Find out more about this herb’s holistic approach to the body’s function and well-being by reaching out to Hempstreet.