New research has found that administering cannabis extracts containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to Alzheimer’s patients helped to relieve various symptoms of dementia, including agitation, aggression, apathy and delusions.
The trial, conducted by Israeli researchers, studied 11 Alzheimer’s patients who were given medical cannabis oil containing THC over the course of four weeks. Of the 10 patients who completed the trial, the researchers recorded “significant reduction” in behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia. The scientists concluded that adding medical cannabis oil to Alzheimer’s disease patients’ pharmacotherapy is a “safe and promising treatment option.”
This is just one of the latest studies to indicate that THC relieves dementia symptoms and may also act as an Alzheimer’s inhibitor. There is increasing evidence that the disease is caused by long-term brain inflammation and cannabis acts as a powerful anti-inflammatory.
Until recently, most drugs used to treat dementia have targeted amyloid plaques in the brain but the latest research suggests that targeting inflammation there, caused by a build-up of immune cells called microglia, could halt the progression of the disease.
Anything that can help with dementia has to be a good thing, as a report published this week, entitled Focus on Dementia, revealed that the proportion of people receiving a dementia diagnosis in the UK in the past year has increased by 112 per 100,000.
Commenting on the report, Alzheimer’s Research UK said that with one person developing dementia every three minutes this year, the need for research to defeat the condition has never been more vital.
At EnViva Care, our experienced staff can provide managed care in the home for individuals with conditions including dementia. For more information about the services we provide, please contact us today.
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