Alzheimer's disease may be the last straw that propels medical cannabis into the mainstream and denigrates the status and influence of Big Pharma, which offers no treatment of cure for Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's has leaped from far down to #3 as a cause of death, according to new evidence. "Deaths from Alzheimer's Six Times Higher than Previous Estimate " (Reuters)
MMJ seems to have the answer.
The baby boomers (born 1946 - 1964) are the largest US demographic (75 million) and fastest growing age demographic. Alzheimer's disease affects an estimated 1 in 10 people over age 65. It is the most common form of dementia and said to have no cure. New evidence ranks it as a major killer. Heart/vascular disease is #1; cancer is #2; Alzheimer's is now #3. It's more likely that the baby-boomer bloc, who vote in high numbers and collectively control vast wealth, will not accept the status quo denial of MMJ due to the incoherent and nonsensical federal ban on MMJ/MJ nor tolerate the pawns of Big Pharma and the cartels who stubbornly resist the will of the people.
A)
Dr. Chu Chen of Lousiana State University: "There are no effective medications (i.e., Big Pharma medications) currently available for preventing and treating Alzheimer's disease or halting disease progression.
Scientists have also found that medical cannabis helps to dramatically reduce chronic pain, and reduce tremors and improve mood and communication skills in Alzheimer's sufferers.
Chen and his team found that THC treatment caused an increase in the levels of an enzyme in the hippocampus, a brain region involved in memory and learning.
Chen: "Our results suggest that the unwanted side effects of cannabis could be eliminated or reduced, while retaining its beneficial effects, by administering a COX-2 inhibitor [painkiller] along with THC for the treatment of intractable medical conditions such as Alzheimer's disease."
###
B)
Deaths from Alzheimer's Six Times Higher than Previous Estimate
March 6, 2014. NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Nearly half a million elderly Americans likely died from Alzheimer's disease in 2010, a figure almost six times higher than previous estimates of annual deaths, according to a new study released on Wednesday.
Dr. James Leverenz of Ohio's Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health: "The aging of the baby boomer population means more people living with Alzheimer's disease, which in
turn means more people dying from Alzheimer's disease since no effective treatment (i.e., Big Pharma treatments) or cure exists."
A1)
Medical Marijuana 'Holds Promise for Alzheimer's Treatment'
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/medical-marijuana-ca...ory-524214
Cannabis has been used for medical purposes for centuries for treating a wealth of conditions from chronic pain to epilepsy.
Its use in modern medicine has been stunted because of side effects, however, with the Food and Drugs Administration unwilling to approve of its use.
Researchers with Louisiana State University have found a way to reduce the side effect of memory loss associated with cannabis use and said it could be adapted as a treatment for Alzheimer's.
Scientists found that memory loss from medical marijuana could be prevented with over-the-counter painkillers such as Ibuprofen.
In findings published in the journal Cell, senior author Chu Chen said: "Our studies have solved the long-time mystery of how marijuana causes neuronal and memory impairments. The results suggest that the use of medical marijuana could be broadened if patients concurrently take a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug such as Ibuprofen."
The active ingredient in cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and some drugs based on this compound have been approved for medical use to treat nausea, vomiting and chemotherapy patients.
THC
THC destroys cancer cells and helps treat chronic pain sufferers (Reuters)
Previous research has shown that cannabis has a potent anti-cancer agent that destroys cancer cells.
Scientists have also found that medical cannabis helps to dramatically reduce chronic pain, and reduce tremors and improve mood and communication skills in Alzheimer's sufferers.
Chen and his team found that THC treatment caused an increase in the levels of an enzyme in the hippocampus, a brain region involved in memory and learning.
Testing on mice, researchers were able to reduce levels of this enzyme using drugs to stop memory problems and brain abnormalities that normally occur from repeat THC exposure.
Chen said: "There are no effective medications currently available for preventing and treating Alzheimer's disease or halting disease progression.
"Our results suggest that the unwanted side effects of cannabis could be eliminated or reduced, while retaining its beneficial effects, by administering a COX-2 inhibitor [painkiller] along with THC for the treatment of intractable medical conditions such as Alzheimer's disease."
B1)
Exhibit B
Deaths from Alzheimer's Six Times Higher than Previous Estimate
By Kathryn Doyle
March 6, 2014. NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Nearly half a million elderly Americans likely died from Alzheimer's disease in 2010, a figure almost six times higher than previous estimates of annual deaths, according to a new study released on Wednesday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that approximately 5 million people are living with Alzheimer's disease in the United States, and that 83,000 die from the condition each year.
"Many people do not realize that Alzheimer's is a fatal disease," said lead author Bryan D. James of the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center in Chicago.
"Alzheimer's disease starts in the part of your brain that controls your memory and thinking, but over years it spreads to the parts of your brain that control more basic functions such as breathing and swallowing," he told Reuters Health in an email.
Current national estimates are based on death certificates, which tend to underestimate deaths from dementia, he and his colleagues write in the journal Neurology.
They analyzed data from two existing studies that followed people age 65 and older, starting at a time when they did not have Alzheimer's. The participants were tracked for an average of eight years, with annual checkups and brain donation in the case of death.
One study followed religious orders of nuns and priests and the other followed people in retirement communities and senior housing facilities. In all, the studies tracked 2,566 people.
Over the course of the two studies, 559 participants developed Alzheimer's disease and 1,090 participants died.
People diagnosed with Alzheimer's were more than three times as likely to die as those without it. The risk was more than four times as high among participants aged 75 to 84.
Applying these figures to U.S. deaths in 2010, when the data in the two studies were collected, the authors estimate that about 500,000 people over age 75 died from Alzheimer's disease that year.
"There's no doubt that if you have Alzheimer's disease, it increases mortality risk," said Dr. James Leverenz of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Ohio.
But although current national estimates for Alzheimer's deaths are definitely low, he's not sure the true number is as high as the one found in this study.
"The two groups are pretty highly educated," said Leverenz, who was not involved in the new research. "They were in generally a little bit better health than the general population."
That means people in these studies could have been less likely to die from heart disease or other conditions, so a higher proportion might have died from Alzheimer's, he explained.
One of the reasons it is so hard to estimate the number of deaths from Alzheimer's is that dementia can be the underlying reason for a number of more immediate causes of death, Leverenz said. For instance, severe dementia can lead to problems swallowing, which leads to malnutrition, which can lead to pneumonia, the study authors write.
Death certificates tend to list the immediate cause of death, in this case pneumonia, and leave out dementia.
"Understanding that AD may contribute to almost as many deaths as the two leading killers in America, heart disease and cancer, is an eye-opening figure that may convince the public and policy makers that AD funding should be increased," James said.
In the study, participants lived an average of four years after an Alzheimer's diagnosis, but Leverenz said he has seen patients live with the condition for much longer - 10 or even 20 years for those with an earlier onset of disease.
"The aging of the baby boomer population means more people living with Alzheimer's disease, which in turn means more people dying from Alzheimer's disease since no effective treatment or cure exists," James said.
MMJ seems to have the answer.
The baby boomers (born 1946 - 1964) are the largest US demographic (75 million) and fastest growing age demographic. Alzheimer's disease affects an estimated 1 in 10 people over age 65. It is the most common form of dementia and said to have no cure. New evidence ranks it as a major killer. Heart/vascular disease is #1; cancer is #2; Alzheimer's is now #3. It's more likely that the baby-boomer bloc, who vote in high numbers and collectively control vast wealth, will not accept the status quo denial of MMJ due to the incoherent and nonsensical federal ban on MMJ/MJ nor tolerate the pawns of Big Pharma and the cartels who stubbornly resist the will of the people.
A)
Dr. Chu Chen of Lousiana State University: "There are no effective medications (i.e., Big Pharma medications) currently available for preventing and treating Alzheimer's disease or halting disease progression.
Scientists have also found that medical cannabis helps to dramatically reduce chronic pain, and reduce tremors and improve mood and communication skills in Alzheimer's sufferers.
Chen and his team found that THC treatment caused an increase in the levels of an enzyme in the hippocampus, a brain region involved in memory and learning.
Chen: "Our results suggest that the unwanted side effects of cannabis could be eliminated or reduced, while retaining its beneficial effects, by administering a COX-2 inhibitor [painkiller] along with THC for the treatment of intractable medical conditions such as Alzheimer's disease."
###
B)
Deaths from Alzheimer's Six Times Higher than Previous Estimate
March 6, 2014. NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Nearly half a million elderly Americans likely died from Alzheimer's disease in 2010, a figure almost six times higher than previous estimates of annual deaths, according to a new study released on Wednesday.
Dr. James Leverenz of Ohio's Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health: "The aging of the baby boomer population means more people living with Alzheimer's disease, which in
turn means more people dying from Alzheimer's disease since no effective treatment (i.e., Big Pharma treatments) or cure exists."
A1)
Medical Marijuana 'Holds Promise for Alzheimer's Treatment'
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/medical-marijuana-ca...ory-524214
Cannabis has been used for medical purposes for centuries for treating a wealth of conditions from chronic pain to epilepsy.
Its use in modern medicine has been stunted because of side effects, however, with the Food and Drugs Administration unwilling to approve of its use.
Researchers with Louisiana State University have found a way to reduce the side effect of memory loss associated with cannabis use and said it could be adapted as a treatment for Alzheimer's.
Scientists found that memory loss from medical marijuana could be prevented with over-the-counter painkillers such as Ibuprofen.
In findings published in the journal Cell, senior author Chu Chen said: "Our studies have solved the long-time mystery of how marijuana causes neuronal and memory impairments. The results suggest that the use of medical marijuana could be broadened if patients concurrently take a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug such as Ibuprofen."
The active ingredient in cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and some drugs based on this compound have been approved for medical use to treat nausea, vomiting and chemotherapy patients.
THC
THC destroys cancer cells and helps treat chronic pain sufferers (Reuters)
Previous research has shown that cannabis has a potent anti-cancer agent that destroys cancer cells.
Scientists have also found that medical cannabis helps to dramatically reduce chronic pain, and reduce tremors and improve mood and communication skills in Alzheimer's sufferers.
Chen and his team found that THC treatment caused an increase in the levels of an enzyme in the hippocampus, a brain region involved in memory and learning.
Testing on mice, researchers were able to reduce levels of this enzyme using drugs to stop memory problems and brain abnormalities that normally occur from repeat THC exposure.
Chen said: "There are no effective medications currently available for preventing and treating Alzheimer's disease or halting disease progression.
"Our results suggest that the unwanted side effects of cannabis could be eliminated or reduced, while retaining its beneficial effects, by administering a COX-2 inhibitor [painkiller] along with THC for the treatment of intractable medical conditions such as Alzheimer's disease."
B1)
Exhibit B
Deaths from Alzheimer's Six Times Higher than Previous Estimate
By Kathryn Doyle
March 6, 2014. NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Nearly half a million elderly Americans likely died from Alzheimer's disease in 2010, a figure almost six times higher than previous estimates of annual deaths, according to a new study released on Wednesday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that approximately 5 million people are living with Alzheimer's disease in the United States, and that 83,000 die from the condition each year.
"Many people do not realize that Alzheimer's is a fatal disease," said lead author Bryan D. James of the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center in Chicago.
"Alzheimer's disease starts in the part of your brain that controls your memory and thinking, but over years it spreads to the parts of your brain that control more basic functions such as breathing and swallowing," he told Reuters Health in an email.
Current national estimates are based on death certificates, which tend to underestimate deaths from dementia, he and his colleagues write in the journal Neurology.
They analyzed data from two existing studies that followed people age 65 and older, starting at a time when they did not have Alzheimer's. The participants were tracked for an average of eight years, with annual checkups and brain donation in the case of death.
One study followed religious orders of nuns and priests and the other followed people in retirement communities and senior housing facilities. In all, the studies tracked 2,566 people.
Over the course of the two studies, 559 participants developed Alzheimer's disease and 1,090 participants died.
People diagnosed with Alzheimer's were more than three times as likely to die as those without it. The risk was more than four times as high among participants aged 75 to 84.
Applying these figures to U.S. deaths in 2010, when the data in the two studies were collected, the authors estimate that about 500,000 people over age 75 died from Alzheimer's disease that year.
"There's no doubt that if you have Alzheimer's disease, it increases mortality risk," said Dr. James Leverenz of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Ohio.
But although current national estimates for Alzheimer's deaths are definitely low, he's not sure the true number is as high as the one found in this study.
"The two groups are pretty highly educated," said Leverenz, who was not involved in the new research. "They were in generally a little bit better health than the general population."
That means people in these studies could have been less likely to die from heart disease or other conditions, so a higher proportion might have died from Alzheimer's, he explained.
One of the reasons it is so hard to estimate the number of deaths from Alzheimer's is that dementia can be the underlying reason for a number of more immediate causes of death, Leverenz said. For instance, severe dementia can lead to problems swallowing, which leads to malnutrition, which can lead to pneumonia, the study authors write.
Death certificates tend to list the immediate cause of death, in this case pneumonia, and leave out dementia.
"Understanding that AD may contribute to almost as many deaths as the two leading killers in America, heart disease and cancer, is an eye-opening figure that may convince the public and policy makers that AD funding should be increased," James said.
In the study, participants lived an average of four years after an Alzheimer's diagnosis, but Leverenz said he has seen patients live with the condition for much longer - 10 or even 20 years for those with an earlier onset of disease.
"The aging of the baby boomer population means more people living with Alzheimer's disease, which in turn means more people dying from Alzheimer's disease since no effective treatment or cure exists," James said.
