Baby Boomers are Encouraged with Marijuana Shown to Inhibit Alzheimers Disease [VIDEOS]
August 23rd, 2009
[VIDEOS] Scripps Research Institute has discovered that THC in Marijuana inhibits Alzheimer’s disease, the leading cause of dementia among the elderly and soon a major threat to aging Baby Boomers.
Baby Boomers are Encouraged with Marijuana Shown to Inhibit Alzheimers Disease
Scripps Research Institute has discovered that THC in Marijuana inhibits Alzheimer’s disease, the leading cause of dementia among the elderly.
Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia among the elderly.
With Baby Boomers coming of age, cases of Alzheimer's disease are expected to triple over the next 50 years.
It is imperative to Baby Boomers that we find treatments that slow or halt Alzheimer's disease to improve our quality of life.
The Scripps Research Institute scientists have discovered that THC or tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in marijuana inhibits the formation of amyloid plaque, a primary pathological marker for Alzheimer’s disease. It has been suspected in preventing damaging neural deposits from forming deep within the brain, which has been associated with the overall degenerative neural condition known as Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer's is considered a form of dementia; a degenerative condition marked by a continuous decline in memory and intellectual facility. Alzheimer’s disease represents up to 70 percent of all dementia cases in the nation and is the leading cause of dementia among America’s elderly.
Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia among the elderly, and with the ever-increasing size of this population, cases of Alzheimer's disease are expected to triple over the next 50 years.
Alzheimer's is a progressive and fatal disease of the brain. Over five million Americans currently suffer from Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's destroys brain cells, causes deficits in memory, orientation, intellect and social skills. Alzheimer’s is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States.
Presently, Alzheimer's disease is incurable, degenerative, and terminal. It is generally found in people over 65 years of age but can strike patients in their middle age as well. Worldwide, there are over 25 million people that suffering from Alzheimer's.
Consequently, the development of treatments that slow or halt the disease progression have become imperative to both improve the quality of life for patients and reduce the health care costs attributable to Alzheimer's disease.
Over the past few years there has been mounting medical evidence that the use of marijuana might play a significant role in reducing the spread and progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
Scripps Research in San Diego, California, is now finding tangible and convincing evidence substantiating earlier suspicions that acetylcholinesterase, a neural enzyme responsible for preventing the formation of harmful deposits in the brain, can actually be triggered by the intake of marijuana. Acetylcholinesterase prevents protein deposits that are known to inhibit memory and cognition in Alzheimer’s patients. Researchers believe this could lead to more effective drug treatment for Alzheimer’s. This has brought hope to millions of Alzheimer’s patients and their families
Compared to currently approved drugs prescribed for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, marijuana with its THC is a considerably superior inhibitor of aggregation and provides a previously unrecognized molecular mechanism through which cannabinoid molecules may directly impact the progression of this debilitating disease.
Prejudice against marijuana and smoking in general runs so deep for many people that it just seems inconceivable that marijuana could actually reduce the risk of lung cancer. But that’s what the data shows and it not only demolishes a major tenet of popular anti-pot propaganda, but also points towards a potentially groundbreaking opportunity to develop cancer cures through marijuana research.
Most “drugs of abuse” such as alcohol, heroin, cocaine and nicotine suppress growth of new brain cells. However, researchers found that cannabinoids promoted generation of new neurons in rats’ hippocampuses.
Hippocampuses are the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory, and the study held true for either plant-derived or the synthetic version of cannabinoids.
“This is quite a surprise,” said Xia Zhang, an associate professor with the Neuropsychiatry Research Unit at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon
Marijuana/Cannabis memory loss & Alzheimer's
Prevention of Alzheimer Disease
Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia among the elderly, and the numbers are growing. The Alzheimer's Association estimates 4.5 million Americans have the disease, a figure that could reach as high as 16 million by 2050.
A survey by the National Center for Health Statistics noted that half of all nursing home residents have Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder. The costs of caring for Alzheimer's patients are at least $100 billion annually, according to the National Institute on Aging.
