RESEARCH SUGGESTS CANNABIS MAY BE EFFECTIVE AT LIMITING THE EFFECTS OF PARKINSON’S DISEASE

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH SHOWS EFFECTIVE USE  OF CANNABIS FOR PARKINSON’S DISEASE TREATMENT

Much about Parkinson’s Disease remains unclear. Nobody knows the true cause of the disease and scientists are still searching for a cure. What  we do know is that Parkinson’s is a degenerative condition that depletes dopamine centers within the brain.

The loss of dopamine causes these common symptoms: body tremors, muscle spasms, loss of balance, insomnia, memory loss and dementia. What is most frightening about Parkinson’s Disease is the fact that it is progressive. What may start out as the occasional finger twitch can lead to the inability to freely move certain muscles. These symptoms of Parkinson’s makes  it extremely difficult to accomplish daily tasks.

The root causes of Parkinson’s Disease are unknown and current medications only dull its symptoms.Over time, many patients build up a tolerance to these treatments , which cause their symptoms to eventually return. Some Parkinson’s patients are now finding relief through medical cannabis treatments.

 

Recent research has shown positive results when utilizing cannabis for Parkinson’s Disease treatment.

 

Recent scientific research into how Parkinson’s affects our neurological structure has uncovered how the disease attacks the dopamine centers within the basal ganglia. The basal ganglia helps control muscle mobility and is one of the key regions in the brain that Parkinson’s attacks. The basal ganglia has a surprisingly high amount of endocannabinoid receptors that consist mostly of CB1 receptors; the receptors where endogenous THC is activated when it reaches the brain.

Cannabis’ ability to be a neuroprotector has been discussed and researched for decades. A study conducted nearly twenty years ago researched whether or not cannabis had neuroprotective qualities. Researchers injected rats with a neurotoxic chemical that typically severely decays the brain. When given cannabis extracts, the rat’s brains were protected from the chemical. The groundbreaking study proved that cannabis has inherent neuroprotective qualities.

CANNABIS IS A RELIABLE NEUROPROTECTANT

A reliable neuroprotectant that could treat Parkinson’s would be very welcome. While the research proving cannabis is a reliable neuroprotectant is promising, it is scarce. There is not enough cannabis research to prove definitively that cannabis can effectively treat Parkinson’s disease, but the anecdotal evidence is overwhelming.

According to multiple firsthand accounts, patients can find relief by using medical cannabis. In states where medical marijuana is legal, those with Parkinson’s have began exploring alternate treatments with medical cannabis. As more states continue to legalize marijuana use, more patients will have the ability to discover the medicinal qualities of cannabis for Parkinson’s disease.

THE IMPACT ON PARKINSON’S BY MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Katerina Venderova

Katerina Venderova  from  Movement Disorders Journal conducted a survey of Parkinson’s disease patients using medial cannabis and reported that “39 patients (45.9%) described mild or substantial alleviation of their PD symptoms in general, 26 (30.6%) showed improvement of rest tremor, 38 (44.7%) had improvement in bradykinesia, 32 (37.7%) had alleviation of muscle rigidity, and 12 (14.1%) had improvement of L-dopa-induced dyskinesias. Only 4 patients in this survey (4.7%) reported that cannabis actually worsened their symptoms.

 

“Patients using cannabis for at least 3 months reported significantly more alleviation of their Parkinson’s disease symptoms in general.”

 

 

David, who has Parkinson’s disease, has been using medical marijuana to help improve his quality of life.

 FORMER POLICE CAPTAIN HAS AMAZING RESULTS WITH MEDICAL MARIJUANA

From Ride with Larry – Patient Story- Larry doesn’t just live with Parkinson’s, He rises above it. After a 20-year battle with Parkinson’s, Larry has exhausted every conventional method of treatment, every drug, and even brain surgery. Refusing to give up, he seeks alternatives, discovering the untapped benefits of exercise and medical marijuana. Now Larry will attempt the unthinkable, a 300-mile bike ride across South Dakota, a journey of hope for anyone facing a life altering illness. In this intimate portrait of courage, love, and community, Larry Smith refuses to give up, proving that if you love life, you’ll fight for it.

This clip is from the feature documentary “Ride with Larry.” With his Parkinson’s symptoms worsening and options for new medications unavailable, retired police captain Larry S. is getting tested for his medical marijuana card. The final results in Part 3 show, unedited, the effect of cannabis on his Parkinson’s tremor, dyskinesia, and voice.

FIRST DISPENSARY VISIT

This clip is from the feature documentary “Ride with Larry” and shows retired police captain Larry going through the process to purchase medical marijuana for the first time.

RESULTS

See the effects of cannabis first hand, unedited, on Parkinson’s tremor dyskinesia, and voice.

This clip is from the feature documentary “Ride with Larry” and shows retired police captain Larry trying medical marijuana for the first time.

 

 

 

 

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‘GRANDMA’S MAGIC REMEDY:’ MEXICO’S MEDICAL MARIJUANA SECRET

Mexico City (AFP) – When her legs ache, this Mexican grandmother rubs them with marijuana-infused alcohol. She is well aware the homemade remedy defies the country’s cannabis ban, but her family has used the concoction to treat ailments since she was a child, handing it down the generations.

 

“I really have a lot of faith in it,” said the slender 53-year-old, a housewife and amateur dancer about her cannabis use on condition of strict anonymity.

“When I’m very tired, I spread it on my legs, feet and body. It’s really good. I can go without salt but not without marijuana with alcohol. My grandmother used it,” she said, holding a plastic bottle filled with the leaves and liquid.

In turn, she used the family remedy to care for her three children, and three grandchildren. For the kids, a piece of cotton soaked in the liquid is placed in the bellybutton to fight fevers. When they’re congested, the alcohol is rubbed on the chest and back.

A debate on whether to legalize marijuana for recreational or medicinal uses in Mexico is in its infant stages, but Mexicans have used cannabis for therapeutic purposes for centuries.

The national discussion was launched in November when the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling authorizing four people to grow and smoke marijuana for personal use, opening the door for others to seek similar permits.

A woman applies a mixture of alcohol and marijuana to relieve muscle aches at a clandestine greenhouse in Mexico City 

 

Weeks earlier, the parents of an eight-year-old girl named Grace, who suffers from a severe form of epilepsy, won a legal battle to import a cannabis-based oil to treat her condition.

But for generations Mexicans have been using “grandma’s magic remedy” to combat a wide range of pains, fevers or other complaints.

The cannabis-infused oil can be kept for months, and many keep a flask hidden in a closet. The remedy also comes in dry forms or as pastes. Some drink marijuana tea to relieve headaches or help with insomnia while others smoke it to fight nausea or cancer-related pains.

“Infused into alcohol is the traditional use for rheumatism as well as muscular and circulation pains,” said Humberto Rocca, a doctor specializing in addictions and herbalism.

“It’s an ancient medicine, passed on from generation to generation. Young people know that their grandmothers or mothers use it,” Rocca said.

A debate on whether to legalize marijuana for recreational or medicinal uses in Mexico is in its infant stages, but Mexicans have used cannabis for therapeutic purposes for centuries
Jorge Hernandez Tinajero, a veteran pot legalization activist, said Spanish conquistadors brought hemp with them, and indigenous populations added it to their ceremonial and medicinal traditions.

“Marijuana began to be used in different ways in the 16th century, for rituals guided by shamans, which persist to this day in some villages,” said Tinajero, who is part of the Mexican Association of Cannabis Studies.

In a Mexico City home, a 33-year-old publicist agreed to show AFP reporters his hydroponic system of some 20 marijuana plants growing under intense spotlights.

“This is for personal and medical use,” he said from his greenhouse, walking barefoot and smoking a joint during the chat.

While President Enrique Pena Nieto has voiced opposition to legalizing marijuana, he has convened experts to hold debates between January and March to see if the government should change the law in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling
“There’s no sale or purchases. We only do this to change the system and this war” against drug trafficking, he said, echoing the argument among pro-legalization activists that decriminalizing pot will help combat the violence associated with the illegal trade.

He taught himself to make various types of therapeutic marijuana, including the traditional alcohol-based recipe, a thick wax concentrate of tetrahydrocannabinol — the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis — which is used to treat nausea, and extracts that are used for vaporizations.

“If your mom has a migraine, you give her a little tea because the pain goes away with a little bit of marijuana,” he said.

“Typically I make alcohol for the grandmother of a friend who has pains in the hands or feet due to arthritis or sciatica,” said the man, who insists he gives away the medicine for free.

– National debate –

While President Enrique Pena Nieto has voiced opposition to legalizing marijuana, he has convened experts to hold debates between January and March to see if the government should change the law in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling.

In its wake, Mexican health authorities this week issued the first permit allowing the individuals concerned to grow their own marijuana for recreational purposes.

Though limited to those four people only, the authorization opens a crack in Mexico’s prohibitionist policies.

In parallel, a member of Pena Nieto’s Institutional Revolutionary Party has introduced a bill in the Senate that would allow Mexicans to import and consume medical marijuana — though not grow it on national soil.

But the head of the government’s Cofepris health and drug regulator, Mikel Arriola, doubts the medicinal value of marijuana.

“For it to have healing effects, it must be presented in a medicine form, like a tablet, an injection or a solution,” Arriola told AFP. “Marijuana does not go through this process. Its healing effects are not recognized.”

A spokesman for the attorney general’s office said that carrying marijuana-infused alcohol is illegal. But he also said there was no precedent of anyone being arrested for using the home brew.

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WHOLE PLANT THERAPY RESTORES A LIFE

By Mary Lou Smart

Debbie Wilson was disabled 22 years ago when the 16-year-old driver of a pick-up truck knocked her down and backed over her at a Kentucky Fried Chicken.

He was driving the wrong way, against the arrows, as he left the restaurant. The tail end of his truck clipped her jaw, knocking out her teeth and throwing her to the ground, head first.

The injury dramatically altered her life.

Prior to becoming disabled, Wilson enjoyed a career in law enforcement as a felony probation and parole officer for the state of Florida, and was also in her second year of law school.

She had grown up and trained in Tampa, where her father was a supervisor of federal probation and parole officers and her mother was a U.S. marshal.

Her husband, who is now deceased, was a county deputy sheriff. In a split second, the swipe of a pick-up truck dramatically changed her life.

She could no longer hold her 3-year-old son. She became reliant on others.

For two decades following the accident, she wore a helmet from the time she woke up until the time she went to sleep. She suffered from migraine headaches and uncontrolled seizures, including several grand mal seizures every week and daily partial cluster seizures lasting for hours.

Seven years ago, a loss of balance led to a repeat head injury that did more damage to her brain and exasperated her seizures. She learned to walk, talk and tie her shoes for the third time in her life.

Nothing was under control. Her neurologist admitted to her that she was one of up to 30 percent of seizure patients whose seizures cannot be controlled by conventional medications.

Ten years ago her large intestine was removed, leaving her with constant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and necessitating diapers. Dehydration from diarrhea all day every day regularly caused her potassium level to plummet, resulting in several hospitalizations a year to stabilize life-threatening hypokalemia.

Wilson ’s pharmaceutical regimen was considerable.

Pain meds for migraines; high doses of central nervous system depressants for non-stop seizures; eight Lemotil, a Pfizer pharmaceutical intended for short-term use, daily for years for IBS; and antidepressants to deal with a life spent taking pills.

The pain medications to control the post traumatic headaches were ineffective, possibly because of the seizure medications she was taking.

“I was opiate resistant, and I think that’s because I was taking so many anti-epileptic drugs in such massive proportions,” she said. “At one point I was taking 400 milligrams of Phenobarbital a day. My doctor told me that it was enough to put two men comatose.”

Wilson has been under the care of doctors specializing in high-risk patients for years, and has been told that she’s one of the worst seizure patients they’ve ever seen.

She’s been turned down for seizure studies because her condition is so precarious. While trying to stabilize the seizures, doctors occasionally poisoned her with too many seizure medications.

Charcoaling with a substance that binds to drugs and prevents them from being absorbed into the bloodstream is one method of dealing with drug overdoses. She estimates that she’s been charcoaled 30 times in the past two decades.

She developed type 2 diabetes five years ago, and began taking medication for that.

Constant anxiety from spiraling health contributed to a diagnosis of post traumatic stress syndrome.

Throughout it all, Wilson , 57, advocated for others in similar predicaments.

“The most hopeless group of people I’ve ever met are not in wheelchairs,” she said. “They are people with traumatic brain injuries, and that’s no lie. We are given no hope. I can’t tell you how many doctors wrote me off as just not worth it. This goes to show you that doctors can be wrong.”

Fifteen years ago she started a website to write about traumatic brain injury. That site, domiciled in England , has had over 8 million hits. A Google search of TBI + Debbie Wilson leads to her story, poems and prose about living with a brain injury.

Through her writing, she’s tried to help a wide range of people, from infants to war veterans, that suffer from serious head injuries. Physicians and lawyers specializing in traumatic brain injury, and even the manufacturer of the wheelchair she uses, feature her poetry on their websites.

One year ago, she went to Chicago for out-patient treatment for her migraines, which were getting worse. Head trauma patients often suffer from chronic headaches, and chronic pain is also known to cause changes in the nervous system that can worsen over time.

The physician she visited insisted on admitting her for a 14-day treatment, but his hospital would not take Medicaid. Her insurance did not cover in-patient care. With only Medicare being accepted, a daily out-of-pocket expense of $500 would have been beyond her reach. She could not afford the treatment that she needed.

On the train ride back home, she decided that she needed to take her life back. Having head aches and seizures non-stop while taking multiple medications was bad enough, but wearing a helmet and diapers all day was pure hell. She thought about it for several days before asking a friend to buy her some marijuana.

For a former law enforcement professional who had never smoked marijuana, the decision was not an easy one.

“I’d come from the other side of the law,” she said. “The way I had been raised, I would never have considered crossing the line and doing something illegal. I had never experimented recreationally.”

“First of all, it helped my headaches, and then after a few weeks I started noticing that I wasn’t having diarrhea any more,” she said. “When it helped the seizures, that was just the icing on the cake.”

With cannabis, her chronic migraines were immediately relieved. Her uncontrolled cluster partial complex seizures, which previously would have continued for hours, could now be stopped quickly and without hospitalization. Even her diabetes improved.

When her blood sugar level stabilized, she stopped taking diabetes medication.

Prior to cannabis, she’d been told by her doctor that the brain injury caused her brain to stop producing serotonin, which is why she needed antidepressants. When she began feeling better all over, she went off of the antidepressants.

“It really was the miracle cure. I went from 40 pills a day to none, and after 13 years of never being able to watch my grandchildren on my own, I finally can because of cannabis.”

“The secret is the CBD-rich tinctures, but where I live there is no medical system for me to get it so I’m always worried. It would be nice to be able to move, or have my state allow for medical marijuana.”

Now that she is saving taxpayers $4,000 each month by not taking her prescription pills, she is still unable to work, but only because this Phd would fail a drug test, and not because of any disability anymore.

“Sadly, the same thing that allows me to have a better quality of life now and gives me the strength and ability to be a productive member in society is the same thing that makes me fail a drug test.”

“As a former probation officer, I know how they think, and it’s still black and white to the black and blue. They just don’t know any better.”

 

 

 

Mary Lou Smart is a freelance writer based on the East Coast. She maintains her website, Medical Cannabis Art and has many of her articles and artwork available for your own publications. With more than 20 years as a journalist, Ms. Smart has the experience and expertise to help shape the stories she writes with a solid understanding in this complicated plant science.

 

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