'Shout Out to the Weed'
- Rapper and cannabis entrepreneur Berner, 40, announced in October that he had been diagnosed with cancer and that he had a long fight ahead of him. He did not specify the type of cancer or its stage.
- He posted an update on his second day of chemotherapy, acknowledging that he was experiencing uncomfortable side effects, but also saying that he is determined to fight through.
- According to Berner, marijuana has helped him manage the nausea caused by his chemotherapy. It’s one of the many tools he’s using to mitigate his side effects.
San Francisco-based rapper and cannabis entrepreneur Berner, 40, has released 19 albums since 2007, and has collaborated with artists like Wiz Khalifa, Camron, YG, Young Thug, Chris Brown, and 2 Chainz. This week, he took to Instagram to share an update on his cancer battle and how he's getting through chemotherapy.
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In his post, Berner reported that the chemotherapy side effect that's really troubling him is his sensitivity to cold temperatures. "Just breathing air outside felt like swallowing razor blades and having a brain freeze at the same dam time," he wrote. "Same goes for drinking cold or even room temp beverages which sucks cause I love cold drinks."
Overall, though, Berner projects a positive outlook: "Feeling strong on day 2…Ready to power through this 3 months."
Marijuana has been a helpful tool for Berner in maintaining his optimism and managing the side effects of his chemotherapy. "Shout out to the weed," he wrote. "So far every time I feel a little nauseous the weed helps so much, I haven't even had to take nausea pills yet."
Medical marijuana can help alleviate pain and decrease inflammation for people with cancer. But how?
Berner's Cancer Diagnosis
The rapper and founder of Cookies cannabis dispensaries announced via Instagram on October 13 that he was diagnosed with cancer. He didn't specify the type or stage of his cancer.
In the lengthy Instagram post accompanying an image reading: "Time to fight!," he wrote that he was sharing his story in order to be transparent with his fans and followers.
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"I wanted the people who got me where I'm at today to fight with me," he writes, adding that three weeks prior, his doctors found traces of cancer in a series of blood tests.
The day he announced the troubling news, he wrote: "I went in for a procedure hoping to get off easy and found out I have a major fight ahead of me. If you know me, this has always been my biggest fear, but I am content with where I'm at and what I'm facing as well as every possible outcome."
Can Marijuana Help?
Marijuana can be a helpful option for pain relief during cancer treatment, but SurvivorNet experts encourage patients to consult their doctors before using it because it can cause complications with some traditional treatments. Our doctors warn that marijuana is never a substitute for traditional cancer treatment, but may be used as part of an "integrative therapy," meaning coupled with traditional treatment with approval from the patient's oncologist.
"I have no problem with patients getting marijuana from a reputable, licensed source as long as patients are open with their physician about what they're taking, and making sure it doesn't interact with any clinical trial drug that they're taking or any standard therapy," says Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. While open to her patients using marijuana, edibles are probably the preferred method, since Dr. Comen does have concerns about possible damage to the lungs from smoking marijuana.
People undergoing chemotherapy seek medical marijuana for all sorts of side effects, from loss of appetite to depression.
Dr. Junella Chin, an integrative cannabis physician at MedLeafRX, describes her practice as a way to help with the pain and discomfort that can result from certain parts of cancer treatment. For example, sometimes she treats patients who are experiencing pain due to chemotherapy. "A chemotherapy patient usually comes to see me if they have nausea, if they have decreased appetite, if they have pain, if they have insomnia, and if they're depressed," she tells SurvivorNet.
"Medical cannabis if you think about it, it's the only botanical medicine, it's the only plant-based medicine that can help nausea, increase appetite, decrease pain, and elevate mood," Dr. Chin continues. "So I could in essence write four or five different prescription medications which a lot of physicians do, a lot of oncologists do, or we can try having the patient take one plant-based medicine first."
When we're talking about using cannabis for relief during cancer treatment, it's important to acknowledge that each patient is different based on their age, size, medical history, and the other treatments they are undergoing. Some alternative therapies can even get in the way of ongoing conventional treatments, causing them not to work or to work less effectively. That's why it's so important to talk to your oncologist before looking for any integrative therapies, including cannabis.
At Dr. Chin's office, assessing each patient as an individual is the first step. "When a patient comes sees me through a referral through their oncologist or from a friend, word of mouth, the first step is to look at their medical records, do a full history and physical exam. You're still assessing the patient as a regular physician's visit," says Dr. Chin.
"Then we talk about different medications that they're on that might've worked, different medications that they're on that might not have worked. Their lifestyle. Whether they're still working, or whether they're at home," Dr. Chin continues. "We look at the patient's medication list. We look at the patient's lifestyle, and we decide and recommend a medical cannabis formulation that will work well for them."
Researchers have been able to get some impressively specific data on marijuana substances and best practices for using the plant. "In a state like New York where it's very highly regulated, we are measuring patient results and patient data through the milligrams of cannabis that they're taking, and we know exactly what the composition of the medical cannabis plant has in these New York dispensaries," said Dr. Chin. "We know percentages of cannabinoids, percentages of terpenes, and how each patient might react differently.”
Contributing: SurvivorNet staff
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