Maraijuana a new treatment??

[neaclow]

My dad suffers from AD.  He is 65 years old....diagnosed at 62 and is already considered early stage 2 of the disease.  My mom and myself are his primary caregivers (she lives at home w/ him I live in the same town, but with my son and husband..)  The AD came early, and, came quick.  I have watched my dad go from being my loving, sweet, intelligent dad.....to a nervous, obsessive, sometimes grouchy shell of himself.  I have seen cancer take people in what I thought to be the most viscious of ways...until now.  AD is by far one of the most devastating diseases I've ever come in contact with.  Utterly heartbreaking....I feel for each and every one of you who live with this disease...as patients or caretakers.

I am always looking for new medicines to treat AD....looking for what's on the horizon. Several months ago I came upon a small article that talked about THC (the active component in Marijuana) being studied to inhibit plaque growth on the brain.  I've been constantly checking on these studies to see what has progressed and what I read is promising....

http://www.babyboomer-magazine.com/news/123/ARTICLE/1131/2008-01-31.html

What do you all think?  I think it's ironic...treating a disease that epitomizes forgetfulness with a drug that for years has been said to cause it??

[margypops]

I still keep an open mind about the other stuff as I actually dont know but have heard what others have said about it , that it has helped many people who are in pain, I think the problem may lie in the fact it is illegal.

[margypops]

No I dont say that , I think he would be better taking supplements I think he would be okay taking supplements and going the Holistic route not the drug route.

[margypops]

I guess that is the way to go for you with your Dad he is a lucky Dad to have you on his page like this ,I have been the prescribed med route and all those awful side effects ,I couldnt take it,so now I go the Holistic and Natural remedy route and feel a lot better, one time a Doctor prescribed 2 meds that didnt  mix and I ended up in ER with allergic reactions .

[neaclow]

I suppose it can be said that Marijuana has a good track record for being a drug commonly used......and a stepping stone for the harder stuff.  However, it not being addictive in itself (aside from mental addiction....nothing physical like pain killers, etc.) I think a lot can be said for it's medicinal qualities.  I know it helped my aunt with Chemo nausea A LOT...and her pain.

Truth be told however, as a recovering opiate addict myself...I didn't start out with pot.  I started at Hyrdocodone prescribed for Wisdom tooth removal and got a taste for it from there.......This  being a drug that is prescribed a LOT nowadays....

I think critics of research into marijuana's medicinal value should take a step back.  It's natural...grows in the earth.  And, if I thought for a minute that said research for AD was accurate I'd go get my dad some in a heartbeat.  But, for now I'll sit back and watch what unfolds with it.  I hope, be it THC or whatever they do find something to help in his lifetime....I pray everyday they do.

[margypops]

I think that they need to do more research into it as for years people have been saying is is far better to use this than to drink alcohol, I have never used it but I know of people who have,  it is widely used in Europe now and sold openly, perhaps they need to find out just how damaging it is if it is damaging at all. I realise that a lot say it leads to bigger heavier Drugs but can that be true?