Cannabidiol May Help With Parkinson’s Disease…
New research suggests a compound in marijuana can help manage symptoms of
Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s disease is a chronic,
degenerative disorder that mostly affects the
elderly population. Like Alzheimer’s, it is
thought to be caused by a progressive loss of
neurons in the brain.
Interesting enough, compounds in marijuana
have shown promise in treating a number of
neurodegenerative disorders.
In a new study, published Sept. 18 in
the Journal of Psychopharmacology, daily
treatment with cannabidiol (CBD) led to
improved wellbeing and quality of life
scores among a small group of Parkinson’s
disease patients.
Conducted by a team of researchers from
Brazil, CBD was administered in gelatin
capsules over a 6-week period. The study
involved 21 patients, who were given either
75 mg/day, 300 mg/day or placebo.
Cannabidiol
is
a non-psychoactive
compound that is produced naturally by the
cannabis plant. Due to its anti-inflammatory
and anti-oxidant properties, many believe
CBD holds potential as a treatment for
conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
disease.
“Our findings point to a possible effect of
CBD in improving quality of life measures
in Parkinson’s disease patients,” the authors
wrote.
Patients that received 300mg doses sh owed
the most significant improvements. On the
other hand, a disease-modifying effect was
not found. But the authors suggest that the
small size of the patient group may have
limited their findings. According to the
team, prior studies have shown a wide range
of benefits of cannabis for Parkinson’s
disease, including relief from motor
symptoms and sleep disturbances.
“Recently,
another
study
revealed
significant improvement in specific motor
symptoms after treatment with Cannabis. In
addition, CBD’s possible anxiolytic,
antidepressant, antipsychotic and sedative
properties could explain the reports of
improvements in emotional well-being,
daily life activities and, hence, quality of
life,” they summarized.
And that’s not all. Though scientists haven’t
figured out exactly how it works, studies
suggest compounds in marijuana may be
able to slow the progression of Parkinson’s
and other neurodegenerative conditions as
well. (Health Parkinson's 26/09/2014)
http://www.leafscience.com/2014/09/26/cannabidio
l-may-help-parkinsons-disease/