So the CNN team suggests there’s a possibility that medical marijuana can treat Alzheimer’s patients?!
One recent study found THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, quickens the removal of toxic plaque in the brain, a common feature of the disease. Also, the researchers discovered it blocks inflammation, which damages neurons in your noggin. (On a lighter note, you can always boost your brain power by eating this…)
Science… Say What?
Having heard that, “it’s reasonable to conclude that there’s a therapeutic potential of cannabinoids for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease,” wrote David Schubert, senior researcher and a professor at Salk Institute for Biological Studies in the US.
Keith Fargo, director of scientific programs and outreach for the Alzheimer’s Association, refers to weed as a “legitimate avenue of research”. The association funded some of Schubert’s early research and Fargo sees therapeutic potential in components (or chemical derivatives) of cannabis to alleviate brain inflammation.
But Not Everyone Agrees…
The big question around the research is whether medical marijuana could be used for treating actual patients, says Dr Donovan Maust, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Michigan. He conducted his own study of dementia as a qualifying condition for medical marijuana. “It’s difficult to say what, if any, effect this might have in humans, even if it would successfully promote clearance of plaque,” said Maust.
That said, the author of the book “Stoned,” Dr David Casarett, chief of palliative care services at Duke University, remains open to the possibility that medical marijuana is beneficial, having spoken to family members of people with mild or moderate dementia who believed that THC or whole-plant marijuana was effective in lessening the confusion that sometimes happens.
The Verdict
According to CNN, the idea is supported by a 2014 review of the existing research on weed, where two Dutch scientists found studies showing THC is useful in treating the behavioural symptoms of dementia. Similarly, a very small 2016 study of 11 participants found THC helped decrease symptoms of delusions, agitation, aggression, irritability, apathy and sleep in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
While easing the complaints of patients is helpful, scientists hope to get more out of weed, plus all other avenues of research: namely, a preventative treatment or even a cure for Alzheimer’s.
Unfortunately, there are still no effective therapies for stopping Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative conditions. But we can still be hopeful that marijuana, the plant that kills cancer cells, will kill alzheimer’s cells too.
Um… Side Note…
You also might want to know why women are sticking weed up their vagina’s.
