Medical Cannabis is becoming the new shining light in the alternative therapy world and treating Parkinson’s Disease with cannabis oil is now very plausible. New studies are revealing how medical cannabis can offer relief from the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease, making life easier and better for these patients. Most of the evidence relies on anecdotal accounts and records and it is mainly elderly people who succumb to Parkinson’s Disease. Findings are showing, however, that medical cannabis can treat overall stiffness of muscles, tremors in muscles, pain and sleep quality. There is also evidence of better moods, better appetite and better memory for people taking medical cannabis for Parkinson’s. Add to this fewer falls and better coordination of limbs, and those with this neurological disease are experiencing an improved quality of life.
What is Parkinson’s Disease?
This degenerative disorder is about the shutting down of the brain cells that make dopamine which assists the body to move its muscles smoothly and with coordination. When this dopamine center dies, the body displays some abnormal behaviours which include shaking limbs, stiff muscles which also experience spams, loss of balance and coordination, loss of memory, dementia and decreased ability to think clearly. The brain can no longer tell the body how to move as the necessary brain cells have deteriorated so much. This is where cannabis and cannabinoids can assist to treat Parkinson’s Disease.
How Does Medical Cannabis Treat Parkinson’s Disease?
Medical cannabis can treat Parkinson’s by protecting the brain cells, or neurons, from damage that the disease causes. Cannabinoids interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system which comprises the brain, central and peripheral nervous systems. The ECS regulates everything to do with a healthy immune system which includes energy, hormones, moods, fertility, appetite and more. If everything remains in a state of natural balance, or homeostasis, then the person is healthy. Dis-ease creeps in once the balance is skewed. Cannabidiol (CBD) has been used to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s which detract from a good quality of life: dyskinesia (uncoordinated and too much unregulated movement) and bradykinesia (slow movements).
Cannabis comprises more than 100 different cannabinoids, of which cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are the most common and the best to use for natural therapy. These cannabinoids bind to cannabinoid receptors in the brain (CB1), and in the brain and immune system (CB2). It is interesting to note that people with Parkinson’s Disease have fewer CB1 receptors and doctors have realised that these can be boosted using CBD, which then helps to relieve shaking and jerky movements. In addition, CBD is a potent antioxidant which can protect the brain cells, or neurons, from damage and it can actually re-energise old and deteriorating cells in the brain. This then slows the progress of the disease itself.
Medical Cannabis has Fundamental Health Qualities for Treating Parkinson’s Disease
The fundamental qualities of medical cannabis, especially CBD, can immediately assist a Parkinson’s Disease patient by treating the symptoms: it is a natural anti-infammatory, pain reliever, appetite stimulator, sleep inducer and anti-depressant. CBD is also able to decrease stress and assist with mood swings. Treating Parkinson’s Disease with medical cannabis is one way to go, and will increase quality of life, enabling the patient to wean themselves off their chronic medication.
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