In 2017, Olivia Newton-John revealed that she was once again battling cancer. In the early 1990s the actress, best known for her role in the blockbusting movie Grease, had successfully overcome breast cancer through a partial mastectomy and chemotherapy. Until the summer of 2017, it had been in remission. During a September interview with Karl Stefanovic on Australian 60 Minutes, she not only revealed that the cancer was back, but also that she was taking a totally new approach to treatment. Instead of only relying on conventional cancer treatments this time around, Olivia Newton John’s cancer was facing a powerful new foe - cannabidiol (CBD) oil. [1]
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Cannabidiol is one compound out of hundreds found in cannabis, but until recently it had remained sidelined by its much more popular cousin, THC. Yet, there have always been issues with the psychoactivity of THC, which is why CBD, a non-psychoactive cannabis compound, is making waves. Cannabidiol doesn't get you high.
With recent scientific discoveries about its therapeutic potential, CBD is dominating news headlines these days. Celebrities like Sir Patrick Stewart, Morgan Freeman and now Olivia Newton-John are voicing their approval for medicinal use of the all-natural substance. What is all the hype about? [2][3]
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CBD Oil for Cancer
The research is promising when it comes to CBD oil, cancer, and cancer-related pain. Cannabidiol is by no means a proven cancer therapy; the research is still in its infancy, with really only experimental data from in-vivo and in-vitro investigations available. Still, patients and physicians alike are intrigued by what the preliminary information suggests, especially for breast cancer.
A paper published in the Molecular Cancer Therapeutics journal suggested that CBD is an antineoplastic agent, which means it is capable of inhibiting, preventing or halting the development of tumor cells. According to the study, CBD oil and cancer are two agents which do not happily coexist, as it presented evidence that CBD induced death of breast cancer cells, at least in a laboratory setting. [4]
In another study, this time published in the Breast Cancer Research and Treatment journal, researchers discovered that CBD significantly reduced the size of the primary breast cancer tumor in laboratory mice, as well as the size and frequency of metastasized tumors in the lungs. In their conclusion, they state, "The results have the potential to lead to the development of novel, non-toxic compounds for the treatment of breast cancer metastasis."[5]
The research on CBD oil and cancer doesn’t end with breast cancer, as there are other similar studies done on the effect of cannabinoids like CBD for all types of cancer cells. Cannabinoids are now subjected to extensive research for their cancer-fighting potential. According to a recent review of the literature on CBD oil and cancer, “several cannabinoids have been shown to exert anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects in various cancer types (lung, glioma, thyroid, lymphoma, skin, pancreas, uterus, breast, prostate and colorectal carcinoma) both in vitro and in vivo.” These results are promising, but there is a need for more research to specifically demonstrate the possible benefits of CBD oil for cancer treatment in humans. [6]
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Olivia Newton-John: Cancer and CBD Oil
While the research machine plugs along at a snail’s pace, many patients and alternatively minded physicians are already using or prescribing cannabinoids like CBD and THC for various health conditions. Olivia Newton-John is one of the most notable people to recently speak out about her use of cannabis for her cancer-related pain.
According to Olivia Newton-John, she is approaching her cancer treatment this time around in a more natural way, relying on wellness techniques and her herbalist husbands’ plant medicine. In a short statement issued on her Facebook page last Fall, more information about her chosen therapy was made clear. "In addition to natural wellness therapies, Olivia will complete a short course of photon radiation therapy and is confident she will be back later in the year, better than ever, to celebrate her shows."
Considering she has been in remission for over two decades, the diagnosis was a surprise. It originally manifested as pain in her lower back, but the diagnosis was far less benign. Her doctors discovered that the old breast cancer has metastasized in her lower back. The back isn’t the most common area for cancer to spread to, yet it can be extremely dangerous and may even cause paralysis.
In the Fall, Olivia Newton-John was in so much pain that she was forced to postpone her world tour. At times she couldn’t walk. The pain is much better but, as she said in 2017, “The pain was the hardest thing. I can walk [now] but I can’t go long distances.” [7]
In addition to a number of wellness techniques, the actress and singer manages her pain and the progression of the disease through a cannabis tincture made by her husband. In fact, he grew the cannabis plants himself to distill the CBD herbal medicine in as natural a way as possible.
Olivia Newton-John hasn’t made any recent announcements about her current battle with cancer, but she has been quoted as saying, “It really is a magical, miracle plant." More good news is that as of early 2018, it seems as if she has resumed her world tour across the country.
It is clear that despite the possible ramifications, Olivia Newton-John’s cancer diagnosis isn’t getting her down. Now, as was the case during her previous battle with the disease, she’s learning greater compassion especially towards others going through similar challenges, also to be grateful for each and every day. One can assume that her approach to treatment, using alternative wellness techniques and CBD oil for cancer, is part of the reason for her upbeat attitude.
Sources:
[1] https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/4454398/olivia-newton-john-reveals-she-is-drinking-cannabis-extract-to-ease-her-back-pain-as-she-battles-cancer/
[2] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/20/sir-patrick-stewart-urges-cannabis-treatment-boy-epilepsy/
[3] https://www.thedailybeast.com/morgan-freeman-shoots-straight-on-legalizing-marijuana-and-his-escape-from-new-york
[4] http://mct.aacrjournals.org/content/10/7/1161.short
[5] https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10549-010-1177-4
[6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3579246/
[7] https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/olivia-newton-john-breast-cancer-10530974
