Patient Education ►
Cannabis
A Treatment for Prostatitis and Prostate Cancer ?
by Peter Kershaw , contributing writer
Actor and comedian Billy Crystal jokes that as he ’ s aged , “ I pee in Morse code .” For millions of men , peeing dot-dot-dash while lingering at the toilet is all too common . It indicates something is wrong — prostatitis , possibly worse .
Impaired urination is caused by an enlarged / inflamed prostate , impinging on the urethra that goes directly through the walnut-sized prostate , making it difficult to urinate and fully empty the bladder . It ’ s often accompanied by discomfort and pain . Urologists consider such symptoms to be indicative of a pre-cancerous condition . The doctor is likely to order a PSA ( prostate-specific antigen ) test . A normal reading is 4 ng / mL or less . Much above that may be cause for concern . An elevated PSA isn ’ t necessarily indicative of cancer but would call for further observation and investigation , including , in some cases , a biopsy .
In the U . S ., prostate issues account for nearly two million outpatient visits per year . It ’ s one of the most common diseases seen in urology practices . Autopsy studies reveal a histologic prevalence of prostatitis of 64-86 %. Prostatitis was once called “ the priest ’ s disease ” due to the hypothesis that lack of sexual activity might lead to an inflamed prostate , potentially leading to prostate cancer . A study over eight years of some 30,000 men proved this to be valid . The study found that increased sexual activity ( more ejaculations per month ) resulted in a 30 % decreased risk of prostate cancer versus men who only ejaculate four to seven times per month .
18 March 2022
Prostatitis doesn ’ t inevitably result in prostate cancer ; however , an inflamed prostate could be indicative of a pre-cancerous condition and , therefore , should not be ignored . Prostate cancer accounts for 14 % of all malignancies in males and is second to lung cancer as the leading cause of death across 46 countries . It has the fifth-highest mortality rate ( 6.7 %) worldwide . In spite of ever-improving diagnostic technology , approximately 34,500 deaths associated with prostate cancer were reported in 2020 .
“ Multiple studies have shown that cannabinoids are powerful regulators of cell growth and differentiation . They have demonstrated anti-tumor effects in experimental models by decreasing the viability , proliferation , adhesion , and migration of various cancer cells .”
One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime . Six cases in 10 are reported in men who are 65 or older . It ’ s rare for men under 40 to get the disease .
The good news is prostate cancer is also one of the most survivable forms of cancer — 3.1 million men in the U . S . diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point are still alive today . Unfortunately , the mainstream methods of treating prostate cancer ( cut , burn , poison ) can come at a very high price , including prostatectomy ( excision of the prostate ) and , in some cases , orchiectomy ( excision of the testes ). Needless to say , a man who undergoes such treatments can kiss his sex life goodbye .
Gratefully , natural treatments have shown great promise , not the least being cannabis . While it has yet to be clinically proven that cannabis lowers PSA levels , anecdotally , many men have reported favorable results in their PSA levels while using cannabis . Several studies have proven that cannabinoids do indeed decrease prostate inflammation , not to mention the pain commonly associated with prostatitis . One study concluded , “… cannabinoids should be considered as agents for the management of prostate cancer .” 1
Several studies have shown that the expression of CB1 and CB2 receptors was significantly higher in prostate cancer cells . The use of a receptor agonist , particularly THC , decreased cancer cell viability . As this author has written in two previous articles ( January and February 2020 ), cannabis kills cancer cells and shrinks cancer tumors .
A lab study conducted in Naples , Italy , in 2000 demonstrated that the body ’ s own endocannabinoid , anandamide , inhibited the growth of breast cancer and prostate cancer cells . A later study in 2004 in Wisconsin found that prostate cancer cells contained significantly higher expressions of CB1 and CB2 receptors . Researchers concluded that cannabis offered promise in treating prostate cancer .
Multiple studies have shown that cannabinoids are powerful regulators of cell growth