Marijuana is legal in Canada and some of you may be giving or getting some for the holidays. The following is from a story by Marie Ellis, published in Medical News Today in 2016.
Interestingly Marijuana helps people who are suffering from Parkinsons Disease. In a review published in the journal Parkinson's Disease led by Prof. Zvi Loewy, from the Touro College of Pharmacy in New York, NY, his findings suggest symptoms of the condition could be improved with marijuana.
Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurological illness in the United States, causing tremors, slowness of movement, postural instability, and impaired balance and coordination. in the U.S., Parkinson's disease (PD) affects about 1 million people. It is progressive, which means it gets worse over time, and it occurs when a person's brain stops producing dopamine.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in our movements as well as in cognitive and psychological functions.
There is currently no cure for the disease; treatments carry with them several limitations and do not slow the progression of PD. Professor Loewy and his team conducted a thorough literature review on studies of marijuana. The most compelling finding was that chemical components of marijuana yield benefits in the wake of different PD symptoms.
For example, Prof. Loewy notes that marijuana has been found to relieve pain in other diseases, adding that it should be studied for pain relief in people with PD. Pain affects nearly 50 percent of people with the condition, the researchers note.
But why is marijuana specifically promising for PD? According to the team, the cannabinoid compounds in marijuana bind to dopamine receptors to reduce the effects of reduced dopamine in the brain.
Essentially, the compounds replace the normal compounds that are adversely affected by Parkinson's. The big finding from their review centers around the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of marijuana, which may prevent neuron damage.
Inflammation can damage neurons that produce dopamine - the lack of which contributes to movement problems in Parkinson's. So preventing neuron damage could slow PD progression.
There is a need for safer drugs to treat PD, adding that cannabis may provide a viable alternative or addition to the current treatment of Parkinson's disease.
There are risks to take into account, recent research has uncovered some downsides to marijuana use, including memory loss, increased osteoporosis risk, and impaired blood vessel function.
Furthermore, a study published in 2016 suggested marijuana use may reduce dopamine in the brain.
Given all of this, they concluded that further studies are needed to provide more data on efficacy, safety, pharmacokinetics, and interactions of cannabinoids.
Interestingly Marijuana helps people who are suffering from Parkinsons Disease. In a review published in the journal Parkinson's Disease led by Prof. Zvi Loewy, from the Touro College of Pharmacy in New York, NY, his findings suggest symptoms of the condition could be improved with marijuana.
Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurological illness in the United States, causing tremors, slowness of movement, postural instability, and impaired balance and coordination. in the U.S., Parkinson's disease (PD) affects about 1 million people. It is progressive, which means it gets worse over time, and it occurs when a person's brain stops producing dopamine.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in our movements as well as in cognitive and psychological functions.
There is currently no cure for the disease; treatments carry with them several limitations and do not slow the progression of PD. Professor Loewy and his team conducted a thorough literature review on studies of marijuana. The most compelling finding was that chemical components of marijuana yield benefits in the wake of different PD symptoms.
For example, Prof. Loewy notes that marijuana has been found to relieve pain in other diseases, adding that it should be studied for pain relief in people with PD. Pain affects nearly 50 percent of people with the condition, the researchers note.
But why is marijuana specifically promising for PD? According to the team, the cannabinoid compounds in marijuana bind to dopamine receptors to reduce the effects of reduced dopamine in the brain.
Essentially, the compounds replace the normal compounds that are adversely affected by Parkinson's. The big finding from their review centers around the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of marijuana, which may prevent neuron damage.
Inflammation can damage neurons that produce dopamine - the lack of which contributes to movement problems in Parkinson's. So preventing neuron damage could slow PD progression.
There is a need for safer drugs to treat PD, adding that cannabis may provide a viable alternative or addition to the current treatment of Parkinson's disease.
There are risks to take into account, recent research has uncovered some downsides to marijuana use, including memory loss, increased osteoporosis risk, and impaired blood vessel function.
Furthermore, a study published in 2016 suggested marijuana use may reduce dopamine in the brain.
Given all of this, they concluded that further studies are needed to provide more data on efficacy, safety, pharmacokinetics, and interactions of cannabinoids.
