What’s the Hardest Part of Fighting Cancer? (It may not be what you think.)

First of all, fighting cancer ABSOLUTELY SUCKS in all cases and in every possible way. That should never be questioned. It’s not fair to be diagnosed as having cancer, and no one knows exactly why, or exactly what, will save your life.

The day that you find yourself sitting in a doctor’s office waiting for your physician to walk in and tell you what you’re facing… and he or she walks in, a serious expression on his or her face, to tell you that you have cancer… well, let’s just say that’s a day you’ll never forget.

Being diagnosed with cancer is like getting a death sentence, but you don’t know when it will happen, or how it will happen… all you really know is that, as of that day, you could die a lot sooner than you’d previously hoped. It’s terrifying.

I know. My late wife and I battled Stage 4, metastatic breast cancer for 13 years. During that time, we endured 52 weeks of intravenous chemotherapy, a year of oral chemotherapy, 26 weeks of daily radiation, years of hormone therapy, and 11 surgeries over 13 years. During that time, I watched white counts rise and fall, living from scan to scan with a list of prescribed medications far too long to remember.

So, what is the hardest part of fighting cancer?

Is it chemotherapy? Losing hair, throwing up, the inability to eat? The answer is no. Chemotherapy might be one of the scariest words in the English language, but chemotherapy is something you handle.

Is it the recovery from surgeries? No. Recovering from surgeries can certainly suck, but it’s far from the worst part of the cancer fight. How about the exhaustion or potential longer-term effects of radiation? No. It’s none of those things. 

Truth be told, today the physical aspects of treating cancer are mostly, generally manageable. It’s never easy or fun, but the physical aspect can pale in comparison to the emotional and psychologicalbattle you’re fighting when you’re fighting cancer.

Big Pharma has no great answers…

There are no great pharmaceutical answers to the mental struggles that cancer patients face. Most patients today are prescribed a class of drugs called benzodiazepines. The most common benzodiazepines are the prescription drugs Valium®, Xanax®, Halcion®, Ativan®, and Klonopin®. 

Benzodiazepines “work” by slowing down the central nervous system, causing sleepiness and hopefully a relaxed mood. However, benzodiazepines are also associated with amnesia, hostility, irritability, and vivid or disturbing dreams, none of which are ever positives, but especially not when fighting cancer.

I can’t even imagine how anyone can live life while taking a Valium® or two every day, and Xanax® isn’t much better. Don’t even get me started on Halcion® or Klonopin®. If I have to choose, I choose small doses of Ativan®, but it’s still a very serious drug that, over time, can lead to cognitive decline and impairment.

In today’s pharma-reality, there’s just not a great answer when you’re going to need this type of medication every day and perhaps for many years.

What about cannabis or THC and cancer?

The problem is that cannabis has become far too strong for someone who isn’t already used to it, and since smoking or vaping doesn’t allow you to control the dosage, it’s impossible to know how much you’ve taken… until it’s too late.

If you have memories of smoking pot during the 1960s, 70s, 80s or 90s, what you remember is nothing like today’s high-grade cannabis.

As with everything else, science and technology have contributed to making today’s cannabis MUCH stronger than what you remember. Consequently, smoking or vaping today’s cannabis is often far too strong for the average person to use comfortably.

Gummies are popping up everywhere…

THC-based gummies, on the other hand, are gaining in popularity primarily because they allow the user to control the dosage, and of course, don’t require smoking or vaping, an obvious advantage for many.

A recent study from the University of California San Diego found that between 2015 and 2020, there was a 75% increase in cannabis use among adults 65+, largely driven by edibles like gummies that contain THC. And, Headset, a cannabis data firm, reports year over year, double-digit increases in gummy sales to customers over 60.

The problem is that there’s a lot of, frankly, crap on the market, so it’s important to become an educated consumer.

First, you always want to check the product’s Certificate of Analysis or COA, which is a document issued by a testing laboratory, to make sure that what it says on the label is what the lab found inside the gummies. (Deltrium submits its gummies to two independent labs for analysis and both COAs can be found HERE, at deltrium.com.)

Beyond the COA, you also want to become familiar with how much THC is in your gummies, remembering that more is often not better. Gummies that advertise a large number on their packaging, like “1500 milligrams,” or whatever, should probably be avoided, as should those that make health claims about “cures for illnesses.”

Of course, Deltrium’s dosing algorithm addresses the dosing issue for you, but if trying another brand of gummies, be careful not to take a gummy containing more THC than you’re used to… or less, for that matter.

What the doctor didn’t order, but should have…

If you or your loved one is involved in a cancer fight, THC gummies may be exactly what the doctor didn’t order… but should have.

It’s why Deltrium developed target compounds that each have individual purposes: DREAM when you want to sleep, ENERGIZE when you need extra energy, SOOTHE for pain, etc.

If you or someone you care about is fighting cancer, using THC-based gummies for different purposes can be a big deal. Cancer patients struggle with the psychological aspects of battling cancer every bit as much as the physiological ones…

… and taking an all-natural gummy can be a MUCH better solution that what the pharmaceutical industry has to offer, IMHO.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Martin Andelman is the CEO at Deltrium, a company founded solely to create “Gummies for Grown-ups.” Deltrium is the only company with a proprietary dosing algorithm consisting of a series of questions that consumers answer about themselves in order to obtain a personalized dosing recommendation, thus ensuring that no one takes too much or too little.

Deltrium uses only all natural ingredients to create the following blends, each with its own specific purpose: DREAM for sleep, SOOTHE for pain, UNWIND for anxiety and to relax, JOYFUL for a brighter outlook, ENERGIZE for extra energy without caffeine, and SOARING for that euphoric feeling.

And, all Deltriumproducts are double-blind lab tested so you always know exactly what’s inside. For more information about Deltrium^TM and its products, please visit deltrium.com.