{"id":38282,"date":"2025-04-04T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-04T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.veriheal.com\/blog\/?p=38282"},"modified":"2026-03-26T01:27:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T05:27:08","slug":"cannabis-supports-palliative-care-and-quality-of-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.veriheal.com\/blog\/cannabis-supports-palliative-care-and-quality-of-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Cannabis Across Life: Palliative And End-Of-Life Care"},"content":{"rendered":"

Comforting a loved one who is seriously ill or dying is one of the most challenging and humanizing experiences. During this time, you must have all the right people, caring support, and information you need to manage best and move forward gracefully. Oftentimes, traditional treatments are insufficient when dealing with overwhelming symptoms; that\u2019s usually when patients and families start wondering about medical cannabis.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve empowered and helped many patients and their families through these hard times in various settings through evidence-based education and the soothing capabilities of medical cannabis in many forms. Likewise, I\u2019ve seen firsthand how dramatically therapeutic cannabis is for them, especially after they\u2019ve tried everything else first from every specialist. The right dosing and delivery strategies are essential for this fragile population and require personal optimization by cannabis-knowledgeable professionals to adequately meet their goals while avoiding or minimizing side effects.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s immensely rewarding to finally see patients and families get much-needed relief from <\/span>treatment-resistant symptoms<\/span><\/a> like pain, insomnia, nausea and vomiting, little or no appetite, anxiety, and mood disturbances. Especially when time is of the essence. Cannabis can also improve quality of life while <\/span>helping patients<\/span><\/a> stick to their chemo and reduce or eliminate opioid consumption.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In this article, you\u2019ll gain useful tips and insights about using cannabis wisely in palliative care. Let\u2019s start by understanding palliative care and related terms.<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s The Difference Between Palliative, Hospice, and End-Of-Life Care?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Palliative, hospice, and end-of-life care <\/span>share related aims<\/span><\/a> but are technically different. They have distinct definitions and timing, most importantly.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Palliative care is a broad term involving multiple types of doctors, specialties, and providers. It aims to control symptoms of a serious, life-limiting disease, whether early or advanced and may involve intensive treatments for the underlying disease. Palliative doesn\u2019t necessarily mean the patient is terminal or already at the end of life, but it also happens to encompass advanced care planning, hospice, respite, end-of-life care, and bereavement care.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Hospice is a specific kind of palliative care that is engaged when the prognosis is estimated to be 6 months or less of life remaining. It may be delivered at home, centers, or assisted living facilities. Still, patients can and do leave or re-enter hospice, often depending on disease exacerbations, insurance coverage, preferred facility availability, and financing difficulties, unfortunately.<\/span><\/p>\n

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End-of-life care is simply the immediate weeks or days before passing. This is when comfort and easing suffering are the predominant focus, regardless of whether the patient is at home or in a facility. Nevertheless, these terms all involve a core holistic approach tending to a patient\u2019s autonomy, comfort, emotional, dignity, social, and spiritual care needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Use Cannabis For Palliative Care?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Our empathy as caretakers and providers drives us to prevent harm while easing pain and suffering, first and foremost. Throughout the disease process, managing difficult-to-treat symptoms for maintaining or improving quality of life is a primary goal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Quality of Life First<\/strong><\/h3>\n

With this in mind, I sought out some wisdom from my long-time colleague, mentor, and friend, <\/span>Dr. Mikhail Kogan, MD<\/span><\/a>. As a leading integrative geriatric and palliative medicine professor and provider at GW Medical Faculty Associates and the GW Center for Integrative Medicine, Dr. Kogan affirms that:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCannabis has become one of the most powerful tools in my medical practice for palliative care patients. It effectively addresses chronic pain, nausea, appetite loss, and anxiety, often improving quality of life where other treatments fall short. With its relatively low risk of adverse effects, cannabis provides a holistic and compassionate option for patients navigating serious or terminal illnesses. Based on what I have observed in my clinical practice, I decided to publish a review article to share this important information with others.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Mikhail Kogan, MD<\/span><\/p>\n

Chief Medical Officer,<\/span><\/p>\n

GW Center for Integrative Medicine<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This <\/span>2019 review article<\/span><\/a>, co-authored by Dr. Kogan and <\/span>Dr. Michelle Sexton, ND<\/span><\/a>, describes how cannabis offers a natural, therapeutic alternative to \u201cdrug cocktails\u201d and opioids and for handling the side effects of chemo and radiation. Less time spent dealing with troublesome symptoms and medication side effects means more quality time with family and loved ones.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What Are The Possible Benefits of Cannabis?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Their review paper is further supported by more <\/span>recent 2024 cumulative data<\/span><\/a> showing that cannabis may alleviate many <\/span>tough symptoms of cancer<\/span><\/a>, chemo, radiation therapy, advanced dementia, and related palliative conditions. For sensitive persons, <\/span>hemp presents a non-intoxicating alternative<\/span><\/a> to THC-dominant cannabis.<\/span><\/p>\n

The potential benefits include more effectively addressing the following:<\/span><\/p>\n