vol2 - Page 136
Page 136
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18. Viewed in this ways it is clear, as Sallan first
pointed out in his 1975 article, that there are advantages to
the use of marijuana for the alleviation of nausea and
vomiting° That these advantages may be of critical importance
to a patient in the grasp of chemotherapeutically-induced
,meals cannot be dismissed lightly.
19. There is another aspect to marijuana's use in
therapy which does not gain as much attention as its use as
anti-emetic but which I feel is of equivalent importance,
namely, the phenomenon which is socially referred to as _the
munchies, n Patients who smoke marijuana not only gain the
benefit of suppressed nausea_ but are actually induced to
eat. They become hungry, and as a result, patients who use
o
marijuana often have stable weight or actually gain weight
during a chemotherapeutic reglmen_
20. Another all too often dismissed attribute of
...... marijuana is its mood enhancement p=opertieso The quality of
life which a cancer patient experiences during chemotherapy can
be greatly eroded by the treatment itself_ By eliminating
severe vomiting and nausea_ and by promoting an active appetite
and thus avoiding the chronic anorexic conditions experienced
by many cancer patlents_ makes patients feel better about
themselves. They are able to lead more normal lives and, in
doing so_ are more able to cope both with their cancer and with
the treatment_
21. In my view, based on a careful review of the
literature and on my own experiences as a practicing physician
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