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Is Cannabis Also A Cure For Parkinson’s Disease?
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You most likely already know that cannabis has been proven to stop brain tumors, prevent seizures and help bones heal faster but, now the plant that has been demonized as “frying” the brains of its users might be the answer for those who suffer from Parkinson’s disease.
It appears that there are two different trains of thought when it comes to marijuana. Those who believe that it can heal and those who believe it’s the devil’s weed. Unfortunately, for the second half there is growing scientific research which shows that cannabidiols, which do not contain the THC compound that gets you high, have a wide range of therapeutic applications. This includes treating conditions that normally have very little results even with conventional drug therapy.
In case you haven’t read about it lately, even the federal government has recently admitted that cannabis does indeed kill cancer cells as well as improving most brain diseases, such as Alzheimer’s. The medical journal, Molecular Cancer Therapies, published a study in 2014 which found that the two most active types of cannabinoids found in marijuana actually weakened cancer cells and made them more susceptible to other types of treatments.
One of these diseases is Parkinson’s disease which at present there is no effective drug therapy, and certainly nothing close to a cure. The primary treatment for Parkinson’s is dopamine increasing drugs. The problem with these drugs is that they actually accelerate this disease. This is why most people tend to look to natural alternatives that are safe and effective. Preclinical research done on cannabis has shown some very promising results. This includes two studies done with lab animals showing that weed has neuroprotective compounds.
There have also been three human clinical trials which found that cannabis might even be a preventative treatment in the future. This study, published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology in 2014, found that subjects who were given 300mgs of cannabidiol each day had significant improvements in their overall well-being and quality of life. Researchers believe that the antidepressant, antipsychotic, and sedative compounds in cannabis are just some of the reasons why this natural plant works so well.
A new study, published in Toxicology In Vitro, found that cannabidiols protects against the neurotoxin called MPP, which is believed by many scientists to be responsible for the damage to the dopamine producing cells in the brains of those with Parkinson’s disease. Cannabis prevented neuronal cell death as well as something called neuritogenesis, which is a regenerative process that repairs damaged neurons.
READ ALSO: Cinnamon Bark Used in Chinese Medicine Used to Stop Parkinson’s
There is extensive data on natural interventions for Parkinson’s disease. A simple Google search for foods, spices, and other natural substances that have neurogenic compounds reveals many natural ways that Mother Nature can help us fight back against diseases such as Parkinson’s. You can also do a search of the PubMed National Library of Medicine using the keywords marijuana or cannabis and receive thousands of hits showing that cannabis has literally thousands of studies done on it proving that it is anything but the “devil weed” and that it is sometimes made out to be by those who are a little less enlightened.
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