In honor of World Alzheimer’s Month, we’ve asked educator/author Curt Robbins to provide an overview of how the cannabinoids in cannabis can be helpful in treating this mental illness.
Discovered in 1906 by Dr. Alois (Aloysius) Alzheimer, a German psychiatrist and neuropathologist, Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Alzheimer stumbled upon the ailment when performing an autopsy on the brain of a woman who died of a then-unknown mental illness.
Surprisingly, Alzheimer’s disease begins damaging the brain up to a decade prior to the onset of any form of short-term memory loss—the stereotypical first discernible symptom of the disease that leads to a positive diagnosis.
The cannabinoids in cannabis help treat Alzheimer’s disease via a mechanism involving the removal of the excess plaques and tau tangles from the brain. Research indicates that some cannabinoids may transport these damaging plaques through the blood-brain barrier and out of the brain. Consumption of cannabinoids to remove plaque from the brain may result in improvement, but significant progress is strongly dependent on the progress of the disease with respect to how large a portion of the brain has suffered damage.
Formal research, anecdotal evidence, and personal testimonials have revealed that treatment with cannabinoids may slow or even halt the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. In some cases, memory function may be partially or mostly restored.
Read the entire article here:
Copyright © 2020 by Curt Robbins. All Rights Reserved.