What Are The Benefits Of CBD To People With Alzheimer’s?

Cannabis products are increasingly growing in popularity in treating different health issues. The biggest use case for CBD has been in the treatment of anxiety, and pain management in terminally ill patients. 

However, there is a growing use case for CBD in the treatment of neurological conditions.

For instance, there is excitement around the girl scout cookies strain of Cannabis as a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s.

This strain of Cannabis contains the chemical CBD, which has been taunted as a treatment for Alzheimer’s. But how true is this? To get to the root of it, let’s first take a deeper look at Alzheimer’s and CBD as a potential treatment. 

What is Alzheimer’s?

Without getting too much into its technicalities, Alzheimer’s is a medical condition that leads to the death of brain cells and destroys neural connections in the brain.

This results in progressive memory loss where the individual no longer understands themselves or their surroundings. 

What causes Alzheimer’s?

Scientists believe that Alzheimer’s is caused by increased protein on and around brain cells. This tends to choke off the brain cells and cause them to die off.

The result is a decline in neurotransmitters, which leads to memory loss.

While anyone can get Alzheimer’s, the risks are higher for older people, those with a family history of Alzheimer’s, those with Down’s Syndrome, and people who have suffered a head injury at some point in their lives. 

What Is CBD? Is It Safe to Use?

CBD is often taunted as a potential treatment for many other health conditions, not just for Alzheimer’s. But how safe is it? To understand the safety and effectiveness of CBD, it is best first to understand what it is? CBD is a compound found in Cannabis and is extracted for use in oils for various health conditions.

So far, CBD has proven to be pretty safe. It also does not cause a high, as a different compound called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) usually triggers this in Cannabis users.

Is CBD effective in people with Alzheimer’s?

According to a 2019 report published in the National Library of Medicine, CBD reduces some of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, such as memory loss. 

Another study on the same in 2021 found that CBD helped get rid of plaque in the brain.

Since plaque build-up around brain cells causes Alzheimer’s, its removal can lead to a slowdown of some of the issues related to Alzheimer’s.

The research was carried out on Mice with Alzheimer’s.

It found that when CBD was injected into these mice regularly, it removed dead brain cells while increasing the levels of proteins called TREM2, and IL-33, both of which are known to improve the brain’s cognitive capabilities. 

These two works of research seem to collaborate on a 2011 Australian study, which showed that the use of CBD triggers the growth of brain cells, which then reduces memory loss and other issues related to Alzheimer’s. 

It is important to note that research into the connection between CBD and a slowdown of Alzheimer’s is still in its infancy.

However, there is growing consensus amongst medical researchers that CBD, when used alongside the THC component of Marijuana, can help slow down some of the worst symptoms of Alzheimer’s.

Conclusion

So far, the research points to CBD as being beneficial to people with Alzheimer’s. That’s not to say that Alzheimer’s patients should get off their medical treatments, though.

Until there is conclusive, peer-reviewed research on this issue, it is best to take both approaches. 

The best part is that CBD, unlike prescription medications, is not harmful to anyone. Many people take it as a supplement, and its popularity is growing.

That’s because it is nature-based. For someone who has Alzheimer’s, it would not hurt to include CBD as part of the management of their symptoms regimen.

All one has to do is consult their doctor before doing it for better advice on how to get the best out of alternative medicine.