If you’ve been through the life-changing moment when you hear that you or someone you love has cancer, you are far from alone. In 2018, an estimated 17 million people worldwide were diagnosed with cancer—and that diagnosis affects many more people than just the cancer patient.
When I first searched “pancreatic cancer,” it was difficult to find any positive information. Now my hope is that I can help change that. The most fulfilling emails I’ve ever received have been the ones from newly diagnosed patients and caregivers, saying that my blogs on cancer were the only thing they could find on the Internet that has given them hope and inspiration in a sea of not-so-positive information. Just hearing that someone else has been able to enjoy life and feel good during cancer treatment can be a tremendous relief.
When I told my dad’s oncologist that I planned to write about this topic, he said, “Spread as much positive information as you can about this disease. People need to know that it’s not all doom and gloom.”
If you or someone you love recently got a cancer diagnosis, there’s no way around the fact that it feels scary and disorienting. After the initial disbelief from getting a cancer diagnosis starts to settle, there can be a feeling of hopelessness that sets in. But the situation doesn’t have to be hopeless, and conventional treatments aren’t the only option for supporting your health and healing. There are ways that you can feel good and healthy and have a great quality of life, even during conventional cancer treatments. You have the power to enhance how good you can feel during treatment—and potentially, possibly . . . help fight the cancer, too. The goal of The Rebel’s Apothecary is to help you feel as healthy and supported as possible along the way.
More research is happening every day that focuses on the addition of cannabis and medicinal mushrooms as adjunct cancer therapies—both to alleviate side effects of conventional treatments and to potentially kill cancer cells, too. In fact, there’s been evidence that cannabis and medicinal mushrooms can actually help conventional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy work better. By the time this book lands in your hands, there will likely be even more research to support this.
In case I haven’t said it enough, creating your own Rebel’s Apothecary isn’t about denying conventional cancer treatments or going against your doctor’s recommendations. It’s about giving yourself the greatest amount of support possible for your health and healing. I can’t tell you what the best option is for you when it comes to treating your cancer, of course, but whatever you choose to do, please know that you have some wonderful natural options that can complement your doctor’s plan for you, support you through the process, relieve you of some of the negative side effects of your treatment, and majorly improve your quality of life.
First and foremost, please know that much of the information I’m sharing in this book hasn’t been verified through clinical trials yet. The information I’m presenting here is in no way intended to replace your doctor’s advice, nor should it be considered a medical recommendation. My intention is that this book points you in a direction of information gathering and experimenting for yourself, in the way that feels right for you, your family, and your doctor.
If you decide to support your cancer treatments with cannabis, medicinal mushrooms, or any other herb or supplement, talk to your oncologist about it first. Create a plan that everyone is on board with, and when you first have the conversation with your doctor, go into the meeting prepared with your own proposed ideas, research, and information. Don’t expect your oncologist to know enough about cannabis and mushrooms to be able to give you a fully informed opinion. These remedies likely weren’t a part of your doctor’s training (although this is changing!), and they may not have any experience with these remedies. I suspect that as legality shifts and more clinical research is done, oncologists will be required to know how to speak to their patients about medical cannabis and medicinal mushrooms—but for now, your doctor might tell you they simply don’t know enough about it to recommend it.
When my dad first started chemo, we told his oncologist that he was going to experiment with medical cannabis, and we brought in some of the medicinal mushroom supplements we were thinking about trying. His doctor suggested to tread carefully with these remedies because he didn’t have any clinical evidence that they would help, but he also said that “it probably won’t hurt.” We accepted that as a green light. My dad’s progress would be monitored every two weeks at the cancer hospital, so we knew we would have frequent check-ins about not only the tumors but about his quality of life and any side effects. We could stop using cannabis or mushrooms anytime if he had any kind of negative reaction to them. For us, the positive anecdotal evidence and preliminary research were enough for us to believe they were worth a try.
American oncologists commonly tell patients to avoid all dietary supplements and natural remedies while undergoing treatment, and to eat whatever they want. That’s not good enough. I would urge patients and families not to reject surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy, but to seek and demand integrative treatment.
—Dr. Andrew Weil
When I first started sharing about this cancer journey online, I got emails from patients and caregivers saying their doctor “won’t allow” them to use medical cannabis, CBD, or medicinal mushrooms, despite the positive stories and research about people boosting their immune systems, alleviating their chemotherapy side effects, and helping them fight the cancer. The people who get in touch with me are often in pain, losing too much weight, and their immune systems are breaking down. They are often desperate for a solution, and some of these natural remedies may help. In some cases, they may help a lot.
Instead of asking your doctor for “permission” to try these remedies, it might be a more fruitful conversation to ask if there are any specific concerns your doctor has about them related to you or the medications you’re taking. If your doctor says a firm “no” to you about adding cannabis or medicinal mushrooms to your cancer treatment plan, make sure you dig into their reasoning a little bit more before accepting it as truth.
Questions to ask your doctor:
Are they saying no because of a specific reason that’s unique to you, your condition, or your medications?
Is there research they are basing their answer on?
What is the specific drawback they are concerned about?
Is it because the doctor doesn’t have enough experience with cannabis and mushrooms to officially recommend them?
If that’s the case, would they be willing to get on board with you trying any of these remedies for just one scan cycle, and then reassessing as a team?
Of course, cannabis and mushrooms may not be right for you. Every case is different, every person is different, and every cancer is different.
If your doctor says there will be a drug interaction with a medication you’re already taking, or that there’s evidence to support the fact that these remedies will be harmful to you, of course you want to take that seriously—but make sure to ask them for the information they’re looking at in order to come to that conclusion.
It’s your body and your health we’re talking about, so it’s important to understand why you’re taking—or not allowed to take—any drug, plant, or supplement. If you don’t understand, keep asking questions until you do.
Don’t be afraid to get a second opinion, or a third opinion. If you share your doctor’s viewpoint, that’s great. The mind is powerful, and believing in your treatment is important.
STAY CURIOUS. KEEP ASKING QUESTIONS. THIS IS YOUR HEALTH, YOUR BODY, AND YOUR LIFE.
If you’ve come to the conclusion that you’re ready to experiment with medical cannabis or medicinal mushrooms to support your cancer treatment, and you’ve gotten your oncologist on board, too, in the next section you’ll find tips on how to get started.