Medical Marijuana And Alzheimers
Some research over the years has shown that small amounts of the THC component of marijuana may have an effect on the symptoms and progression of Alzheimers, but with that being said, there isnt currently evidence that shows marijuana could prevent the development of the disease.
What is possible in terms of medical marijuana and Alzheimers is that it could help manage behavioral symptoms of Alzheimers when someone is already diagnosed with the disease, such as aggression.
With medical marijuana and Alzheimers, the results are pretty mixed regarding the use of marijuana as a treatment for the disease.
How Medical Marijuana Is Used To Treat Alzheimers Disease
Medical marijuana patients wanting to supplement with cannabinoids have several options for delivery methods including smoking, vaping, capsules, tinctures, edibles, and concentrates.;
Patients in the early stages of Alzheimers might benefit from some of these products. However, Alzheimers patients suffering from advanced symptoms will have trouble with most of these delivery methods. For these patients, tinctures are often the best bet. They can be added to food or beverages or dropped under the tongue where the cannabinoids can be directly absorbed into the bloodstream.
Keep in mind that there are several different types of tinctures. Full-spectrum and broad-spectrum tinctures often have an unpleasant taste. However, tinctures made with purified THC and CBD are often more palatable since cannabinoids have no flavor.;
Also, keep in mind that not all U.S. states with medical-use-only marijuana programs consider Alzheimers to be a qualifying condition for a medical marijuana card. And some states leave the decision up to medical marijuana doctors as to whether or not the patient is eligible for a card up.;
Furthermore, some states such as Texas, Georgia, South Carolina and others limit the levels of THC in medical marijuana products allowing the production and sale of only high-CBD, low-THC products.;
What Is Alzheimers Disease
Alzheimers disease is a neurological disorder that causes the brain to shrink and eventually leads to the death of brain cells. This disease affects memory, thinking, and behavior and is considered the most common cause of dementia.;
Alzheimers disease is progressive, and the symptoms of dementia gradually worsen over the years. In the early stages, the loss of memory in Alzheimers disease is mild. However, as it progresses to the later stage, patients with Alzheimers lose their ability to respond to their environment.
According to reports, approximately 5.8 million people in the US 65 years or older live with this disease. Approximately50 million people worldwide have dementia, and about 60% to 70% of them have Alzheimers disease. Alzheimers is also currently the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.;
If diagnosed with Alzheimers disease, the average period the person lives is 4 to 8 years. However, people live as long as 20 years, depending on several other factors.
You May Like: How Many Caregivers Are Caring For Parents With Dementia
Smoking Vs Eating Marijuana
With so much progress in the market, there are lots of mechanisms to guarantee the desirable amount of cannabinoids is penetrating your blood but both big ways of delivering these valuable compounds to your own body are by smoking or ingesting Medical Marijuana.
However, you may very well consume the herb and there are lots of methods to ingest it also.
Together with these tempting choices, the choices are almost overwhelming, particularly for novices. Both smoking and ingesting bud have their advantages and disadvantages and it is really pointless to compare them with regard to what system is better.
But, it does not mean drinking and smoking weed from Weed-deals.ca will provide you exactly the exact same type of expertise.
It will not and this report explains all significant differences between smoking versus ingesting bud. Differences between smoking versus ingesting bud. Obviously, the most important difference is in the sort of high supplied by all the approaches, but in addition, there are some seemingly small differences which may prove crucial for choosing the go-to method to consume bud.
Let us shed some light on those aspects.
Absorption Speed
Anyone who is experienced both smoking marijuana, Boutique Cannabis and ingesting a herb-infused edible will probably be well conscious of the gap in the high. Edibles take more time to take effect, but as soon as they do, the high feels much more powerful and much more spacey.
Smoking Vs Eating Bud Differs
Can Medical Marijuana Slow The Progression Of Alzheimers Disease
There is ample research to support medical marijuanas ability to alleviate many common Alzheimers disease symptoms, but can it slow the progress of the disease itself? Initial research in this area is promising.
One preclinical study published in the Journal of Alzheimers disease showed that THC, one of the main compounds in marijuana, can slow the production of beta-amyloid, which contributes to the progression of Alzheimers disease. Another preliminary study from the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California, also found that THC reduces beta-amyloid proteins.
THC and CBD, another primary chemical compound in marijuana, are also known anti-inflammatories. As brain inflammation may contribute to the progression of Alzheimers disease, reducing inflammation could help slow the progression of the disease.
Recommended Reading: Can You Die From Alzheimer Dementia
Learn More About Medical Marijuana In Ohio
Overall, medical marijuana offers a promising treatment for the symptoms of Alzheimers. It can help people with Alzheimers to feel more comfortable and more in touch with reality, and can also help to reduce the physical effects in the brain. However, it has not been shown to offer a real cure or any significant extension of life. But it could be another good treatment option for sufferers, and more research is being conducted into how medical marijuana could be of more use for this disease. If you want to learn more about how medical marijuana can be used for Alzheimers patients in Ohio, give us a call.
Does Marijuana Cause Or Help Dementia
Dementia is a term thats less specific than Alzheimers because rather than referring to a specific disease or condition, it actually refers to different symptoms that characterize cognitive decline. When someone has dementia, its underlying brain diseases and disorders, and dementia itself is somewhat of a blanket term.
There has been a lot of talk in recent years about marijuana and dementia. People wonder does marijuana cause or help dementia, and its a bit of a complex subject.
Below is more information about dementia, and also more specifically marijuana and dementia.
Read Also: How To Get Tested For Alzheimer’s Gene
But What Causes Alzheimers Disease
The exact cause of Alzheimers disease is not fully understood. However, scientists believe a combination of different factors such as genetic, environmental, and lifestyle which affects the brain causes Alzheimers disease in most people.;
The damage it causes to the brain often starts in the parts responsible for memory control. The damage begins several years before you experience the first symptoms. Alzheimers is characterized by the failure of the brain proteins to function normally, and it damages the proteins, causes them to lose their connection, and leads to the eventual death of these proteins.
Some risk factors increase the chances that someone would get Alzheimers disease. One of such is age. Alzheimers disease isnt a normal part of aging; however, chances of getting this disease increase as you get older. Your family history and genetics are also risk factors because your risk of developing the disease is higher if your first-degree relative, either parent or sibling, has the disease.
Also, those who have had any case of severe head trauma have an increased likelihood of developing this disease. Air pollution, excessive alcohol consumption, poor sleep patterns, lifestyle choices such as smoking, high blood pressure, poorly controlled type 2 diabetes, and obesity are other risk factors.
Should You Consider Medical Cannabis
If you think medical cannabis could benefit your loved one and it is legal in your state, find out if your state considers Alzheimers disease and/or dementia as conditions for receiving it. If yes, Hergenrather recommends working with a cannabis physician to determine the optimal product and dose for a patients condition.
The Society of Cannabis Clinicians website has a referral section. If you dont find a specialist in your state, look for one nearby who may provide consultations by phone.
Read Also: What Diseases Are Similar To Alzheimer’s
Is Cannabis An Effective Treatment For Alzheimers Disease
The most abundant psychoactive compound in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol , is a potential option. It could help Alzheimers patients due to its ability to remove clumps of amyloid-beta protein from the brain. Amyloid-beta is a toxic component that builds up like a plaque in the brains of Alzheimers patients.
Another component of the disease is the inflammation that occurs as the brain reacts to the formation of amyloid-beta. One of marijuanas possible benefits is providing relief from inflammation.
When you use marijuana, its cannabinoids make their way to the bloodstream. There, they attach to the endocannabinoid systems cannabinoid receptors, CB1, and CB2. In the brain, these receptors are concentrated in neurons associated with memory, thinking, and coordination.
Research suggests that when THC binds to the CB receptors, it may affect aging brains. Its apparent ability to help the body remove amyloid-beta accumulation is massive news for Alzheimers patients.
Studies On Cannabis And Dementia
At this point, a few, small clinical studies on cannabis for dementia-related behaviors are beginning to deliver data.
A recently published pilot study of 10 patients with severe dementia in Switzerland found that administering a medication combining cannabidiol and tetrahydrocannabinol , the two main compounds in cannabis, resulted in a dramatic reduction in behavioral problems and rigidity. It also led to the complete elimination by half of the patients of the use of antipsychotics and other drugs.
Another pilot study from Israel found that adding a medical cannabis preparation to the standard pharmaceutical treatment protocol was a safe and promising treatment option.
After Alex Spiers positive experience with cannabis, the Spier Family Foundation decided to fund a study at Harvards McLean Hospital on cannabis as a treatment for dementia.
In the meantime, with or without scientific data, more and more people are willing to investigate cannabis to treat their loved ones with dementia.
Recommended Reading: How To Calm Down A Dementia Person
How To Find Safe Legal Medical Marijuana
First, find out whether or not your state has medical marijuana laws in effect. If your state does support medical marijuana, your public health department or basic internet searching should help you find the process for gaining access to dispensaries, which varies state to state. You may need to see one or several doctors to confirm a diagnoses for the prescription. These specialists will also help determine which strain or hybrid is best for your loved ones specific situation, as different types of marijuana are bred to amplify different therapeutic effects. Once you have the prescription, you will go to a dispensary, where pharmacy grade, medically regulated marijuana is sold. There will be a variety of options to choose from, including herbs for smoking, oils, resins, different kinds of smoking apparatus, and edible goods such as candies, cookies, or butter. You may need to experiment a little bit to find out what works best for your loved one: smoked cannabis tends to act faster and stronger, whereas ingested tends to last longer and take a while to set in. Depending on what symptoms it is being used to treat, and your loved ones feelings about the various options, it may take some experimentation before you find what works for you.
Medical Marijuana For Better World
Cannabis is known to effectively treat various diseases, from cancer toepilepsy, even to multiple sclerosis. Cannabis along with a collection ofcannabinoids and terpenes as active and therapeutic chemicals found in theseplants. In fact, it could work at a higher level than the needs of one diseaseor condition. Becauseof the simultaneous effects of these substances, the entire cannabis plant isable to adapt to the specific needs of individual endocannabinoid systems,which often perform simple miracles by not directly fighting disease. Byincreasing the bodys natural immune system, marijuana can defend against thesediseases. One of the most popular diseases that can be good after cannbis isCrohns didease. ;Crohns disease , is one of the conditions most often exemplified by the medicalmarijuana community. The disease itself today has been recorded in thedigestive tract of more than half a million people in North America, which is acause of stomach pain, diarrhea, vomiting, bloody stools, and extreme weightloss. This can also have a serious impact on the skin, eyes and can causearthritis .
You May Like: Can Nootropics Help With Dementia
Does Alzheimer’s Disease Qualify For Medical Marijuana In Arkansas
Recent studies have shown that medical marijuana may have many more uses than we knew. From PTSD to chronic pain disorders, studies are being performed in all sorts of medical areas to explore the uses of cannabis. One of those areas is in the treatment of Alzheimers, and the controversy surrounding this research may surprise many after all, medical marijuana has been used to treat many diseases for thousands of years. Heres what you need to know about the use of medical marijuana for Alzheimers.
No Official Endorsement Of Medical Marijuana For Dementia
The arsenal of pharmaceutical drugs normally used to treat agitation and behavioral disorders associated with dementia includes antipsychotic, antianxiety, antidepressant and antiepileptic drugs. Yet the effectiveness of these drugs is often limited, and the significant risks they carry can often outweigh their benefits.
With or without scientific data, more and more people are willing to investigate cannabis to treat their loved ones with dementia.
Even though medical marijuana, also called cannabis, is legal in many states, it is not typically included in a treatment regimen for dementia. In many cases, health care professionals dont have enough understanding of medical cannabis to feel comfortable recommending it.
Many health care organizations choose not to include medical cannabis as a treatment out of concern over jeopardizing their federal funding. And as long as cannabis remains a federally outlawed Schedule 1 controlled substance, which by definition has no medical utility, the medical establishment will be hard-pressed to endorse it without the benefit of very compelling research.
This led to the national Alzheimers Associations stance regarding the use of medical cannabis to treat the symptoms of the disease.
Don’t Miss: How Do You Spell Alzheimer’s Disease
Could Cannabis Harm Dementia Patients
Herrmann warns that marijuana-based treatments will not likely improve cognition in dementia patients. In fact, there is good reason to be concerned that cannabinoids could make cognitive function worse, either by direct effects or by causing excessive sedation, he said.
The Kings College researchers hope that completing this small trial will result in getting a much larger clinical trial approved to offer more options to people with dementia and their caregivers.
Current treatments for behavioral and psychiatric symptoms of dementia are very limited, and we desperately need to develop alternatives, said Aarsland. Doctors sometimes prescribe antipsychotic medications, and while these drugs can have important benefits, these need to be weighed against the risk of very serious side effects, he added.
The spray may offer some hope to people suffering from the unpleasant symptoms that sometimes accompany a dementia diagnosis.
With no new dementia treatments in over 15 years, it is vital that we test a wide range of approaches to find effective ways to help people living with the condition, said David Reynolds, Ph.D., of Alzheimers Research U.K.
While a major focus for dementia research is to develop drugs that slow or stop the progression of the physical diseases that cause dementia, what really matters is that a medicine benefits peoples day-to-day lives, he added.
Thc For Symptom Relief
While the Zimmer labs mouse research supports the idea, setting up a human trial specifically for pot as an aging-brain treatment poses challenges. Alzheimers trials have to last as long as a decade, because the disease progresses so slowly. And marijuana and THC, natural or synthetic, are still tightly restricted though it may help that Zimmers mice are treated at doses below any measurable psychoactive effects, suggesting that people in the trial wouldnt have to get high to see the benefits. Major pharmaceutical companies, meanwhile, tend to ignore the drug because its increasingly available from dispensaries or local dealers, or even for free. As Angela Bryan, a neuroscientist at the University of Colorado at Boulder who studies marijuana, puts it, Why would patients buy it when you can grow it in your backyard?;
Zimmer hopes that despite these issues, the German government will fund a multi-year human trial to determine if the brain-preserving effects of THC seen in mice carry over to people. Thats not a sure thing: We dont know when we can start, he says. Even so, given the obstacles to a clinical trial, a delay of a few years might still leave Zimmer at the front of the pack.
Also Check: Is Sugar Linked To Dementia
Cannabis Use In The Us
In the U.S., 30 states have legalized marijuana for medical use, but there is limited research on the drugs affect on dementia patients because its difficult to get trials approved, Dr. Nathan Herrmann,;the head of the division of geriatric psychiatry at;Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre;in Canada, told Being Patient.
Based on some preliminary studies in other populations, like younger individuals with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, as well as animal studies, there is at least some reason to theorize these drugs would have a benefit, said Herrmann. Therefore, there is a crucial need to do more, and larger studies in patients with Alzheimers disease to determine their effects and side effects.
How Does Medical Marijuana Help Alzheimers Disease
According to a preclinical study, small doses of tetrahydrocannabinol , a chemical found in marijuana, can slow the production of beta-amyloid proteins. Beta-amyloid proteins are one of the key contributors to the progression of Alzheimers.;
Another study also found that THC and some other compounds present in marijuana can reduce the amount of beta-amyloid proteins found in the brain. According to this study, when beta-amyloid proteins get exposed to THC, it reduces their levels in the brain, stops the inflammatory response from the nerve cells caused by the beta-amyloid proteins, and allows the nerve cells to survive. According to the United Kingdoms Alzheimers society, cannabis or its components can counteract symptoms such as agitation and aggression.
However, the Alzheimers Association in the United States has stated that marijuana is still an untested drug for Alzheimers disease. Its potential effectiveness and safety profile have not been thoroughly evaluated in clinical trials in people with or at risk for Alzheimers. Researchers have also noted that further research still needs to be conducted on the potential of medical marijuana for treating Alzheimers disease.
You May Like: What Is The 7th Stage Of Alzheimer’s