Treating Dementia With Cannabis: What Patients and Caregivers Should Know

For anyone going through the aging process, the thought of forgetting their life or precious memories associated with loved ones can be debilitating. However, new studies on dementia and Alzheimer’s (AD) are finding surprising new ways to improve quality of life in the later years and what drugs can help patients suffering from the debilitating disease – right now.

In a 2015 study, researchers in the Czech Republic found that dementia and Alzheimer’s were linked, but there was another Phase in the process that preceded memory loss: mMild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a “borderline area between normal aging and dementia”. The stage before memory loss could be key to the development of the disease.

Photo by GDJ via Pixabay

Even more interesting, while cannabis and CBD were both screened for Alzheimer’s, a 2020 study on dementia and cannabis opened the door to more knowledge. Lakewood Medical Health Clinic, a holistic medical marijuana practice in Ohio, shared that “In recent years, researchers have begun exploring how medical marijuana can be used to treat Alzheimer’s and dementia. While more research is needed, there are some promising results that suggest that patients affected by these two conditions may benefit from the use of medicinal cannabis. “

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A 2019 study published in the American Journal of Geriatric PsychiatryNabilone (a synthetic form of THC), found during a 14-week randomized, double-blind crossover study, had a positive impact on patients and paved the way for further studies, including an ongoing 168-person study by the study author Dr. Lanctot, the stated, “Treatment with nabilone was associated with a clinically and statistically significant reduction in arousal over six weeks compared to six weeks with placebo.”

RELATED: The Link Between Flavonoids, Alzheimer’s, and Marijuana

Last year, The Fresh Toast shared how CBD can improve memory function, proven in a study published in the J.Journal of Psychopharmacology. A study from April 2020, published in the The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that higher levels of flavonoids (often found in berries, tea, and apples) had a direct impact on lowering the risk of memory loss.

Where is dementia and THC research going? With studies like this one out CanadaThe sky turns out to be the limit.