Some Facts About Breast Cancer

Cancer affects approximately 1.9 million individuals in America. Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an annual campaign to bring attention to the 1 in 8 women that will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. Cancer begins as a mutation of genes in the cells of the body forming tumors or affecting organs. Usually breast cancer begins in the cells of the milk-producing glands of the breast or the ducts that drain milk to the nipple. Less commonly, breast cancer will begin in the fatty tissues of the breast. Over time cancer cells invade other healthy cells and can spread the cancer to the lymphatic system and beyond.

The Impact of Chronic Pain

We all experience some sort of pain in our life. From scuffed knees as kids, to arthritis as adults, pain is prevalent throughout our lives. However, for approximately 50 million Americans, chronic pain is a daily part of their life. Chronic pain is any pain that persists past 6 months, or after the injury or trauma has healed. Sometimes the pain can spread to other parts of the body or increase even after the cause has been treated.

Did you know that one in three American adults has high blood pressure? If left untreated, high blood pressure (also known as hypertension) can lead to cardiovascular disease, which increases the risk for heart attack, kidney disease, and stroke. Additionally, one of the single greatest contributing factors to high blood pressure is stress. Medical Cannabis has a dual-purpose effect of treating both the underlying physiologic causes of hypertension and its greatest trigger, chronic stress. When considering effectiveness, side effect profile, and safety, there is no better treatment for stress than medical cannabis.

The opioid epidemic is at an all-time high in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 500,000 people died from an overdose involving any opioid from 1999 – 2019. The first wave of the epidemic began in the 1990s with the over-prescribing of prescription opioids. The second wave began in the 2010s when users started to turn to heroin instead of pharmaceutical opioids due to tighter legal regulations and thus a decrease in supply. The last wave of the epidemic began in 2013 with the illicit manufacturing of fentanyl. The third wave is especially dangerous as fentanyl can be found in numerous substances, including cocaine, counterfeit pills, and heroin.