Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a degenerative disorder that affects the nervous system. The disease is characterized by shaky hands. Staying for long without treating the condition can lead to difficult movements. Patients experience a reduction in motor skills and movement becomes difficult.
The disease is also characterized by other symptoms including emotional problems, sensory problems, and sleep disorders. Some patients may also become develop dementia and become depressed.
The basic treatment for Parkinson’s is prescription medications. The pharmaceutical pills come with side effects and may not work for everybody. Severe sufferers of the condition may need to undergo a deep brain stimulation surgery which involves placing micro-electrodes to stimulate the brain and improve a patient’s motor skills.
Cannabis and Parkinson’s
Currently, there’s no known cure for Parkinson’s Disease. The current medications only work to increase dopamine levels and slow the progression of the disease. Patients using medical cannabis for Parkinson’s Disease have reported an improvement in symptoms. However, there is still a need for more research to clarify its effects.
Parkinson’s patients using cannabis tend to generate high levels of naturally occurring endocannabinoids within the body, which could show that cannabinoid-based therapies could be an alternate treatment. Since CBD is a neuroprotectant, it can provide a potential intervention against the progression of the disease.
Can Cannabis Help with Parkinson’s Tremors?
There is proof suggesting that cannabinoids are useful in controlling tremors, however, in these cases, the tremors did not result from Parkinson’s disease. For instance, a clinical trial conducted in Brazil showed that CBD could help reduce tremors in anxiety sufferers.
A small study demonstrated the usefulness of CBD in controlling Parkinson’s tremors, however, this was undertaken in the 1980s and more research still needs to be done.
Since the tremors result from dopamine levels, there are further investigations into CBD as a treatment for Parkinson’s tremors. Researchers from the University of Louisville, Kentucky, noted that CBD has the potential to increase dopamine levels, thus could counteract the decrease of dopamine levels experienced by Parkinson’s sufferers.
Cannabinoids may also stop the cell denaturing, which results from Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s causes brain cells to stop functioning properly as they are hit by issues. These issues include protein misfolding, general inflammation, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial failure.
Bottom line
It’s good to understand that cannabis isn’t a cure for Parkinson’s Disease, but it can lessen the tremors and stiffness that come with the condition. Also, cannabis can relieve other common side effects of Parkinson’s like sleeping disorders, chronic pain, and spasms.
Regardless due to the lack of insufficient research on cannabis and Parkinson’s we can say that it will help with all symptoms. In the near future, we expect to see more studies. If you consider using cannabis for Parkinson’s, we recommend consulting a healthcare provider to receive guides.
Cannabis can be a technical drug to use for beginners and its effects may vary from one person to another. Before consuming cannabis, consult your doctor for advice on the right strains to use as well as the dosage.
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