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If you’re planning to be vaccinated against COVID-19, you might be wondering if there’s anything you can do to optimize your vaccination response. The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) has developed a Pre-Vaccination Protocol with actions you can do by yourself as well as with your doctor that may improve your immune response to vaccination.

A new study has found that, at least in the case of human papilloma virus (HPV)-positive head and neck cancer, smoking cannabis daily may have cancer-promoting effects.

The gist of it is that Google has changed its algorithm for searches, which in turn changes the way Google ranks websites. “Many health sites have seen a dramatic drop in traffic. The People’s Pharmacy is one of them. Over the last month our traffic is down over 50% thanks to Google’s 2019 Core Update.”

If you are older and are diagnosed with cancer, it’s best not to languish too long in the “I’m too old to . . .“ (you fill in the blank with your favorite aging stereotype). Though there are some important considerations and adaptations, cancer treatment doesn’t have to be sub-optimal just because you are “old.” 

Like many other aging boomers, I’ve used recreational marijuana occasionally and mostly in gatherings with friends for years. But when I developed breast cancer for the first time in 1999, it never occurred to me that cannabis could have therapeutic value.

This post was originally published on The ASCO Post on December 10, 2018. BCCT published this excerpt with permission.

A recent survey of 400 clinical oncologists found that 80 percent discuss the use of medical cannabis with their patients, and although nearly 50 percent recommend it, fewer than 30 percent consider themselves knowledgeable enough to make such recommendations.