There has been more media coverage in recent months concerning the use of medical marijuana to control some Parkinson’s disease symptoms. This is due to several US states passing laws that make it legal to use medical marijuana for some health purposes.
A recent report from the American Academy of Neurology looked at the evidence that supports the use of medical marijuana for neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s. Some research has shown that spasticity, pain, and bladder problems seem to improve with use of medical marijuana in some patients. A few studies have shown, however, that medical marijuana did not help to control PD-related tremor.
In addition to the above report, there have been other scholarly papers that have supported the use of the drug for PD symptoms, including sleep, motor control and sleeping. But those studies were small and did not include a control group, so it is hard to draw any definitive conclusions.
However, on the other side, a researcher named Katerina Venderova in the Movement Disorders Journal did a survey of PD patients taking medical marijuana and found that 46% of patients had mild or major alleviation of many PD symptoms; 30% had improvement in rest tremors and 37% had a reduction in muscle rigidity. Only 5% of patients reported that cannabis made their symptoms worse. Patients in this study who used marijuana for three months had more alleviation of PD symptoms in general.
Some researchers believe that it is not off the wall to think that marijuana could have a positive effect in controlling PD symptoms. In the brain, there are cannabinoid (THC) receptors in many parts of the brain, and some of these receptors are in areas that are relevant to PD, also known as the basal ganglia. It is not unreasonable to think that a drug that affects these receptors could influence symptoms of the disease.
Of course, much research still needs to be done on this, and marijuana is not a replacement for approved PD therapies. Still the results to date have been intriguing regarding medical marijuana’s effects on PD symptoms, and further research is warranted.
Writing Aids for PD
As you continue with your therapies to control your Parkinson’s symptoms, remember that there are helpful products to ease the tasks of daily living. Our writing aids for those with PD include pen weights, large grip pens, and large grip pencils. Two of these are:
