Vitality Unleashed: The Functional Medicine Podcast

When Medicine Meets Marijuana: Promise, Peril, And Precision

• Dr. Kumar from LifeWellMD.com • Season 1 • Episode 204

Share episode

Send us a text

Cancer care deserves more than myths and half-truths, so we went straight to the data to map where cannabinoids genuinely help—and where they can get in the way. We unpack how THC can push malignant cells toward programmed death and starve tumors by inhibiting angiogenesis, while CBD operates on a different track, reshaping the tumor microenvironment and blocking M2 tumor-associated macrophages that shield cancer from immune attack. Then we connect the lab dots to clinical signals, including early but striking survival data in recurrent glioblastoma when a precise 1:1 THC:CBD extract was paired with temozolomide.

We also dig into CBD’s role as a potential chemotherapy enhancer. By activating the TRPV2 ion channel, CBD can increase uptake of drugs like doxorubicin in triple-negative breast cancer models, amplifying apoptosis markers and reframing cannabinoids as possible partners to standard-of-care therapies. On the quality-of-life front, large oncology cohorts show meaningful, measurable gains over six months of supervised medical cannabis: lower total symptom burden, improved sleep and anxiety scores, and significant pain reduction with notable decreases in opioid use. Safety signals are mostly mild and manageable, especially under physician-guided, start-low and titrate protocols.

Precision matters. Observational studies suggest a serious red flag for patients on immune checkpoint inhibitors, where concurrent use of whole-plant botanical cannabis correlates with faster progression and sharply reduced overall survival. We explore the likely mechanism—cannabis’s immunomodulatory effects potentially dampening ICI-driven immune activation—and why ratio-controlled, medically overseen products are essential. The future we see is personalized cannabinoid medicine: tailoring THC, CBD, and minor compounds to tumor biology, treatment timing, and patient goals. Subscribe, share this episode with someone who needs the science, and leave a review with your biggest question about integrating cannabinoids into cancer care.

Follow here for more info on medical cannabis for patients in Florida:  https://mmjapp.ai/

Doctorkumar.substack.com

Disclaimer:
The information provided in this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your supplement regimen or health routine. Individual needs and reactions vary, so it’s important to make informed decisions with the guidance of your physician.

Connect with Us:
If you enjoyed today’s episode, be sure to subscribe, leave us a review, and share it with someone who might benefit. For more insights and updates, visit our website at Lifewellmd.com.

Stay Informed, Stay Healthy:
Remember, informed choices lead to better health. Until next time, be well and take care of yourself.

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to the deep dive. Our whole mission here is to take, you know, a huge stack of dense research, medical journals, clinical trials, and really just pull out the most important actionable nuggets of knowledge and get them straight to you. And today we're doing a really essential deep dive on a topic that, I mean, it touches so many lives. It's the science that supports the medical use of cannabinoids, specifically for cancer patients.

SPEAKER_01:

We're aiming pretty high today because the conversation, you know, the public conversation around cannabis and cancer, it usually just stops at palliative care.

SPEAKER_00:

Trevor Burrus, right. Like managing nausea, helping with appetite.

SPEAKER_01:

Aaron Powell Exactly. And while those things are absolutely vital, the source material we've been digging into, a major monograph from the JNCI monographs and these large observational studies from Israeli oncology centers, it all paints a much more complex and frankly revolutionary picture.

SPEAKER_00:

Aaron Powell That's it, exactly. Our goal here is to separate the real evidence from just anecdote, hope from hype, and give you the facts, not just about supportive care, but about the potential for these compounds and, you know, the direct fight against tumors.

SPEAKER_01:

Aaron Powell And we know a lot of you or your loved ones, you're looking for every possible advantage on that journey toward comprehensive health and longevity. This is a field that demands serious attention.

SPEAKER_00:

Aaron Powell And we are really pleased to say that this deep dive is brought to you by LifeWellMD. They're a clinic really focused on innovative health and longevity solutions, specializing in these evidence-based personalized wellness plans.

SPEAKER_01:

So if you're interested in exploring how an expert team can integrate advanced therapeutic options into your health strategy, we really do encourage you to call Dr. Kumar's dedicated team. The number is 561-210-9999 to start your wellness journey.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, let's untack this. I think we have to start with the science from the lab because this is where the story gets its, well, surprising foundation. Right. When we think of anti-cancer drug development, we're picturing these massive pharma labs working on brand new molecules, right? But the earliest evidence that cannabinoids might have antineoclastic activity.

SPEAKER_01:

Which is just a scientific term for direct activity against tumor cells.

SPEAKER_00:

Exactly. That research dates back almost five decades. We're talking about key findings published as early as 1975.

SPEAKER_01:

Aaron Powell That 1975 date is so significant, it shows this is not some brand new fringe idea. It's a concept that's been explored in preclinical models for generations. And what's fascinating is how the compounds, especially THC, seem to work in these lab settings.

SPEAKER_00:

So give us the breakdown. What's the mechanism? How is THC actually fighting cancer cells in, you know, a petri dish?

SPEAKER_01:

Aaron Powell Well, it basically acts like an internal saboteur.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

THC has been shown to induce cancer cell death. It's a programmed self-destruct mechanism that scientists call apoptosis.

SPEAKER_00:

Apoptosis.

SPEAKER_01:

And it does this by stimulating what's called an endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway inside the cell. Think of the endoplasmic reticulum as the cell's manufacturing and quality control center.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay.

SPEAKER_01:

When THC ramps up stress in there, the cancer cell basically decides it's too damaged to live and it commits suicide.

SPEAKER_00:

So it's not just poisoning it, it is forcing the tumor cells to eliminate themselves. But I remember the source material also said it works against the tumor's ability to even thrive and spread.

SPEAKER_01:

Precisely. Beyond just direct cell death, these cannabinoids also inhibit angiogenesis.

SPEAKER_00:

That's the creation of new blood vessels.

SPEAKER_01:

Exactly. And tumors desperately need those to tap into the body's supply line for oxygen and nutrients. So if you can cut off the tumor's infrastructure, you starve it. And on top of that, THC has been shown to block tumor cell invasiveness and metastasis in animal models, particularly with gliomas, those really aggressive brain tumors.

SPEAKER_00:

And I know a lot of that initial work, especially from researchers like Guillermo Velasco, it really zeroed in on those gliomas and rodents. That's what paved the way for human trials. But we absolutely have to talk about CBD cannabidial because its method is so different.

SPEAKER_01:

Aaron Powell Oh, CBD is the true rogue agent in all this. It creates these strong anti-tumor effects, but it does it independently of the classic CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors that THC uses.

SPEAKER_00:

So it's taking a totally different pathway.

SPEAKER_01:

A completely different pathway. And it's been shown to be effective in really challenging models like for triple negative breast cancer, TNBC, which is one of the hardest types to treat.

SPEAKER_00:

Aaron Powell The findings around the tumor microenvironment, that's what really caught my eye. It wasn't just killing the TNBC cells, it was changing the entire battlefield around them.

SPEAKER_01:

Aaron Powell That's the critical nugget of knowledge here. In those TNBC models, CBD significantly inhibited the recruitment of these immunosuppressive cells called M2 tumor-associated macrophages or TAMS.

SPEAKER_00:

And what do these TAMS do?

SPEAKER_01:

You can think of them as the tumor's personal bodyguards. They create this little protective bubble where the cancer can hide from the body's own immune system.

SPEAKER_00:

So by blocking those TAMs, CBD is essentially taking away the tumor's invisibility cloak.

SPEAKER_01:

That is a perfect analogy, yes. It makes the whole area less friendly to tumor growth and, you know, potentially more accessible for the body's natural defenses. But the single most surprising mechanism, it was its role with traditional treatment.

SPEAKER_00:

I found this part just astonishing. CBD seems to act as an enhancer for conventional chemotherapy. How on earth does that work?

SPEAKER_01:

The research showed that CBD could actually increase the uptake of chemo drugs, in this case doxerubicin, into those TNBC cells. It does it by activating this specific gateway on the cell's surface. It's called the TRPV2 ion channel. By opening that channel, more chemo gets inside, which then leads to much higher markers of apoptosis of cell death.

SPEAKER_00:

So this isn't just about reducing side effects. This suggests a carefully prescribed cannabinoid regimen could make the chemotherapy itself more powerful.

SPEAKER_01:

It's a total paradigm shift. If this translates to human patients, the implications are just massive. It completely flips the script from cannabis instead of chemo to cannabis with chemo.

SPEAKER_00:

Which brings us directly to the bedside. We have to talk about glioblastoma multiform GBM. For listeners who might not be familiar, GBM is one of the most aggressive, usually incurable adult brain tumors. The prognosis is just it's grim. Five-year survival is less than six percent.

SPEAKER_01:

It's a cancer where researchers are desperate for any sliver of hope they can find. And that sets the stage for the phase 1B trial we reviewed.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. This was the one that evaluated a specific cannabinoid combination.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes. They used nibiximals, which is a whole plant extract, but it's formulated with a very precise one-to-one ratio of THC to CBD. And they combine that with the standard chemo, temazolamide, or TMZ.

SPEAKER_00:

And this was in patients with recurrent GBM.

SPEAKER_01:

Recurrent GBM, yes.

SPEAKER_00:

But it started as a small feasibility study, right? They were just looking to see if it was safe.

SPEAKER_01:

Exactly. The primary goal was to see if it was safe and tolerable, if they could personalize the dosing. And it was. The combination was found to be tolerable. But the efficacy signal they saw was truly remarkable. It was just impossible to ignore.

SPEAKER_00:

Let's hit the survival data because this is where everything changed. This is where it went from a simple safety test to a major breakthrough signal.

SPEAKER_01:

They found a striking difference in overall survival. In the group that got the nabiximals plus the chemo.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay. Compared to what? What was it in the placebo arm?

SPEAKER_01:

44%.

SPEAKER_00:

Wow. That's not a marginal improvement. That's nearly double. I mean, that is a fundamental shift in outcome.

SPEAKER_01:

And that difference didn't disappear. It held up at the two-year mark. It was 50% survival for the Nabiximals arm compared to just 22% in the placebo group.

SPEAKER_00:

So even two years out, it was still more than double.

SPEAKER_01:

The difference was so significant that the researchers were basically compelled to conclude the data warrants urgent exploration in a much larger, properly powered phase two trial. And that's actually underway now.

SPEAKER_00:

That preclinical logic, now combined with this clinical signal, it tells us these compounds are so much more than just symptom managers. Absolutely. But it also highlights a critical point. This success was with a specific, medically controlled, ratio-defined product biximals, not just any generic cannabis product off the street.

SPEAKER_01:

That is the key takeaway for you, the listener. It underscores the absolute necessity of professional medical oversight. It's not about getting cannabis from just any source, it's about using specific pharmaceutical grade compounds with known tested concentrations, like that one-to-one THC C B D ratio, to get targeted biological effects inside a very complex treatment plan. This is integrated medicine and it requires real expertise.

SPEAKER_00:

So let's pivot now. Let's move from that direct tumor fight to the more immediate quality of life improvements that patients experience. Because while those bigger trials are ongoing, the supportive care benefits are already very well established.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, and this is where we look at those large long-term observational studies, especially that big cohort from Israeli oncology centers. They followed hundreds of patients, many with advanced stage four disease over six months of medical cannabis treatment.

SPEAKER_00:

So these are people dealing with the daily reality of their diagnosis.

SPEAKER_01:

The daily grind of the disease and the rigorous treatments. And the question was: what was the effect on their daily symptom burden? All the things that just compromise their quality of life.

SPEAKER_00:

And what did they find?

SPEAKER_01:

The findings were consistently positive. Over six months, the total cancer symptom burden, which is a validated score for overall distress, it decreased by a median of 18%.

SPEAKER_00:

18%? That is a significant measurable drop in daily suffering. What about some of the specifics, like the mental and emotional health metrics? Anxiety, sleep, those are so debilitating.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. Anxiety levels decreased by 22%. Depression severity dropped by 12%, and scores for sleep disturbance fell by 16%.

SPEAKER_00:

A 16% improvement in sleep is huge.

SPEAKER_01:

It's life-changing. When you can reduce anxiety and improve sleep that dramatically, you are fundamentally restoring a patient's ability to cope and to heal. Quality of life itself showed a significant improvement.

SPEAKER_00:

And that kind of outcome is exactly what an actionable wellness plan should be aiming for. It's comprehensive health.

SPEAKER_01:

It really is. But maybe the most profound public health implication from all this data relates to pain management, specifically opioid substitution.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, give us those pain numbers and especially the opioid cessation rate. I think everyone listening needs to really hear this.

SPEAKER_01:

So the studies show that the average weekly pain intensity went down by a median of 20% across the group. But here's the critical number.

SPEAKER_00:

That is a staggering number. It just speaks volumes about the efficacy of medically supervised cannabinoid therapy for managing severe pain without the same risks.

SPEAKER_01:

It's a massive win for wellness, for longevity, for public health, and it wasn't achieved recklessly. The safety profile really reinforces the need for professional management. Adverse effects happened in about 20 to 30 percent of patients, but they were generally non-serious. Dizziness, fatigue, drowsiness.

SPEAKER_00:

Things that can be managed.

SPEAKER_01:

Exactly. Which reinforces that core actionable tip start low and adjust the dosage carefully, with the doctor monitoring the patient as the medicine is integrated.

SPEAKER_00:

This just highlights why that personalized evidence-based approach is so vital. And these results, they confirm that professionally managed cannabinoid therapy offers real tangible relief for these huge issues like chronic pain, anxiety, and sleep disorders.

SPEAKER_01:

And if you or someone you know is struggling with managing these symptoms and you're looking for that kind of evidence-based approach, that is exactly where expert guidance is crucial. Dr. Kumar's team is focused on implementing these exact personalized wellness strategies.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, now we have to turn to what makes this a deep dive, and that's the critical nuance. We've covered the benefits, but we absolutely have to address the warning signs. The source material is very clear about potential negative interactions.

SPEAKER_01:

This is the critical thinking moment. We have to look at the observational studies that tracked advanced cancer patients receiving modern immune checkpoint inhibitor treatments, ICIs.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. Drugs like Nivalu Mab, these are the cornerstone of modern oncology.

SPEAKER_01:

They are. They work by unleashing the body's own immune response against the cancer.

SPEAKER_00:

And the correlation they found between concurrent botanical cannabis use and these specific immunotherapies, it was alarming.

SPEAKER_01:

It was concurrent use of whole plant botanical cannabis, so the less controlled products that correlated with significantly inferior outcomes.

SPEAKER_00:

How inferior?

SPEAKER_01:

The data showed the cannabis users had a substantially shorter time to tumor progression. We're talking 3.4 months compared to 13.1 months for non-users.

SPEAKER_00:

That's a difference of almost 10 months before the cancer starts growing again. That is huge. And the overall survival numbers?

SPEAKER_01:

Even more dramatic. The decreased overall survival was stark, six point four months for the cannabis users versus 28.5 months for the non-users.

SPEAKER_00:

28 and a half months. My gosh.

SPEAKER_01:

Now this is observational data, so it can have bias, but the magnitude of that difference, it demands immediate attention.

SPEAKER_00:

So what's the hypothesis? Why would this devastating interaction happen?

SPEAKER_01:

The proposed mechanism really centers on a fundamental conflict in the goals. Immunotherapy is all about boosting the immune system to aggressively fight the cancer. Right. But cannabis. Cannabis is known to have potent immunomodulatory and you know anti-inflammatory effects. So researchers hypothesize that the botanical cannabis might actually be dampening or even neutralizing that critical immune response that the ICI treatment is trying so hard to ignite.

SPEAKER_00:

So the very thing that makes cannabis good for inflammation and symptoms might, in this very specific context, be working directly against the anti-cancer drug.

SPEAKER_01:

It's a huge complication. It makes specialized medical supervision absolutely essential. For any patient on these modern immune therapies, careful monitoring and individualized care are just. They're non-negotiable. You have to avoid these unintended consequences.

SPEAKER_00:

Which brings us to our final synthesis. We've covered two major and pretty sophisticated tracks today. First, that really intriguing direct anti-cancer potential of specific ratio-controlled cannabinoids. We saw it in the lab with CBD enhancing chemo in breast cancer cells.

SPEAKER_01:

And we saw it in that early clinical hope from the glioblastoma trial.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. And second, it's established immediate and really significant role in supportive care. The data from those large groups confirms it can dramatically reduce patient suffering, help with anxiety and sleep, and critically lead to huge reductions in opioid use.

SPEAKER_01:

It's an effective tool for improving quality of life and supporting longevity. But the key takeaway is that knowledge here is moving so fast, it shows that medical cannabis requires specialized, integrated care.

SPEAKER_00:

It is clearly not a benign one-size-fits-all solution. It's a complex therapeutic agent. It demands physician expertise for dosing, for product selection, and for safe integration.

SPEAKER_01:

We've literally just seen how the right ratio might enhance one therapy, like chemotherapy, while potentially interfering with another, like those ICI treatments.

SPEAKER_00:

So here is our final provocative thought for you to consider. What if the future of cancer treatment involves tailoring the specific cannabinoid ratio, not just THC and CDD, but all the minor compounds too, to match an individual patient's tumor characteristics and their ongoing treatment protocol? Truly personalized precision medicine.

SPEAKER_01:

And if you are looking to integrate evidence-based wellness therapies, including medically prescribed cannabinoid therapy, into your own health plan, that expert guidance is just paramount. The science demands it.

SPEAKER_00:

Dr. Coomer's team at LifeWell MD is dedicated to providing exactly that type of personalized care, making sure you have the latest research guiding your entire treatment plan. Take control of your health journey today. Call LifeWell MD at 561 210 9999. We'll be back next time for another deep dive.