In June this year the Grease star revealed her breast cancer had returned and spread to her spine leaving her unable to walk
Olivia Newton-John has revealed she is using medical marijuana to ease her pain as she battles cancer for the second time.
The 68-year-old has been left unable to walk due to agonising back pain caused by the disease.
The Grease star was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992 when she was 43.
She opted to have a partial mastectomy and underwent chemotherapy and a breast reconstruction before being given a clean bill of health.
But in June this year she revealed the disease had returned and the cancer had spread to her spine, leaving her in crippling pain.
In an emotional interview with Karl Stefanovic on Australian current affairs programme 60 minutes Olivia revealed she was using the controversial plant to treat her pain.
Calling it a “magical, miracle plant” she told of how her husband, John Easterling, grew the class B drug for her.
She said: “It is not hard to get.
“He grew cannabis for me and made tinctures for me to take for pain and inflammation and so many other things that cannabis can do.
“It really is a magical miracle plant.”
Tinctures are a type of medicine made by dissolving a drug so it can be taken in liquid form.
Olivia was forced to postpone tour dates in June when her cancer returned.
A post on Facebook that month revealed her pain at her cancer’s recurrence.
The statement read: “The back pain that initially caused her to postpone the first half of her concert tour, has turned out to be breast cancer that has metastasised to the sacrum.
“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.”
She revealed she would undertake natural therapies as well as a short course of photon radiation therapy.
She added: “I decided on my direction of therapies after consultation with my doctors and natural therapists and the medical team at my Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre in Melbourne, Australia.”
This type of radiation kills both cancerous and healthy cells in the body in a bid to get the disease under control.
When cancer metastasises it means it has spread to other areas of the body.
Cancer cells are able to spread through the body and invade healthy cells.
Common areas for breast cancer to spread to include the bones, lungs or brain.
The spine is a particularly dangerous area for cancer to invade as there is a risk of paralysis.
Possessing and using cannabis is still illegal in the UK but there have been calls from politicians, celebrities and experts to legalise it.
Currently anyone found possessing cannabis can be sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison, an unlimited fine or both punishments under UK legislation.
But it is being tested to treat chronic pain, nausea and anorexia.
In Australia, Puerto Rico, Poland, Czech Republic, Canada, Croatia and Macedonia it is legal for medicinal purposes in some form, and in Turkey for the cultivation for the same purpose.
Some studies have found that cannabis could interact with receptors in the gut to treat type 1 diabetes and the gut disease colitis.
And others have discovered it could be used to help ease the pain of skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis.
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