Is Medical Marijuana Helpful in the Management of Alzheimer’s Disease?

Cannabis is a store house of many potent chemicals. It has shown its effectiveness in the management of several health problems. For this reason, it has become most popular among the patient community of Oklahoma. 

There are several medical conditions for which medical marijuana can help and Alzheimer’s disease is one of them. A patient suffering from this disease can legally use medical marijuana for their condition. For this, you first have to get evaluated by Medical Marijuana Doctors who will determine the qualifying condition.  You can also contact  420 Doctors Oklahoma to get evaluated by an experienced and professional doctor online. Once you get your MMJ card, you can easily access the medical marijuana for your condition.  In this blog, we will cover how medical marijuana can help in the management of Alzheimer’s disease and related problems.

What Is Alzheimer’s Disease?

Alzheimer’s is a major health concern in the world. It is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. Generally, the individual of old age suffers more from it.  It can also be chronic and can pass from one generation to another. The patient suffers from neuron breakdown which reduces the flow of blood to the brain and leads to several mental issues such as loss of ability to think and recognize a person. A person finds difficulty in movement and can not perform daily activities and loses his ability to think and make decisions. When the condition becomes more severe, it can even result in the death of the patient.

Stages and Symptoms of Alzheimer’s

Every patient has different warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease.  Some of them are mild whereas others are very severe. Therefore, we can divide it into three categories on the basis of symptoms experienced by the patients. 

Early Stage AD - It is the initial stage of Alzheimer's disease.  The initial symptoms of AD are often mistaken with the complications of aging. The individual feels no to mild symptoms at this stage. He/She does not find much difficulty in performing daily tasks. So, it is not easily diagnosed at this stage. The initial symptoms faced by the patients are excess thinking, memory loss, confusion, incapability to make decisions and some others.

Moderate Stage Alzheimer’s Disease - At this stage, the symptoms are moderate and  easily observable. A patient needs much care and supervision along with a doctor’s consultation. The major symptoms one can go through at this stage are Puzzled among numbers, alphabet, and numerics, Inability to recognize family and friends, misconceptions, Repetition of a task or talks, Incapability to handle a situation, feeling of restlessness, anxiety, and stress.

Severe/Last Stage AD - Severe stage of Alzheimer’s is very harmful to a person. Even a person is completely unable to communicate and his body functions get completely seized. It also results in the death of the patient. Late-stage symptoms include Complete inability to communicate, wailing and moaning, uncontrolled disturbances in the brain, and complete memory loss. 

Medical Marijuana and Alzheimer’s Disease

The Alzheimer’s Society Research Program has researched how cannabis affects mood and anxiety in the person suffering from AD. Cannabis has two main components present in them which are cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Also, the human brain contains two main cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2. CB1 is responsible for controlling the nervous and endocrine system of the body whereas CB2 is present among Immune tissues. Most Alzheimer's patients  suffer from inflammation. CBD has anti-inflammatory properties that prevent brain inflammation.  Also, Cannabinoid helps in easing other  symptoms such as loss of appetite, stress relief  and anxiety.

Bottom Line

The only way to lead a quality life with Alzheimer’s is by managing it with the right medications and treatments. For many, cannabis has been that solution. Where prescription medicine failed, cannabis helped the people suffering from Alzheimer. Though the research still lacks the connection of the two, anecdotal evidence suggests that it can promote an overall sense of calmness. Additionally, its neuroprotective properties may be helpful in managing the condition in the long run. Based on the data so far, cannabis may be used for Alzheimer’s disease provided it is administered after an evaluation by one of the licensed medical marijuana doctors of your state.