Alzheimer’s disease is arguably one of the worst neurodegenerative diseases that one can experience. One of the reasons why it is considered to be such a terrible disease is due to the fact that there is no cure and there are no ways to stop the disease from progressing. The only comfort that one can experience when coping with the disease are medications that help to lessen the impact of the symptoms.
Although no definite statement has been made from the FDA about using CBD for Alzheimers Disease, many people have reported to giving CBD to Alzheimer patience.
For those who have heard of Cannabidiol or who have heard of it but are not quite sure whether or not it is the right treatment for them, here is a guide that takes an extensive look into CBD for Alzheimer’s.
WHAT IS ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE?
Alzheimer’s Disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that slowly causes the death of brain cells. It impacts an individual’s ability to process information and function normally. It is the most common form of dementia. People who are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s when they experience most or all of the following symptoms.
- An inability to properly accept and store new information. This may manifest itself in ways such as forgetting what was recently told to them, losing track of objects around the house, and not being able to recall important memories or events.
- A noticeable decline in the ability to problem solve, make rational decisions, or reason, which can result in decisions stemming from poor judgment, the inability to create complex plans, and changes in the way that an individual previously navigated daily tasks.
- Problems with recognizing people, places, or objects that cannot be associated with a vision problem. This can be noted in those who cannot recall people’s faces, have trouble using simple objects that they normally use, and cannot recall places they see regularly.
- Changes in the way they speak, read, or write, which may include misspelling words, not being able to remember simple words while speaking, or trouble writing in general.
- Notable shifts in behavior such as out-of-character actions like losing interest in normal activities or snapping at others, a lack of empathy towards others, and behavior that could be considered compulsive or is highly inappropriate.
Symptoms
When more than two of these symptoms are noted and there is a notable change in cognitive ability that occurs over the course of months to years, Alzheimer’s can be confirmed. This disease is most often found in those who are 65 and older. However, Alzheimer’s can show up in individuals even younger than 65. In some cases, symptoms may manifest over the course of hours or days but this typically indicates a major issue that requires immediate attention.
In addition to the symptoms that one can identify in those with the disease, there are also some risk factors and indicators that one may go through the disease. Some of the risk factors that may indicate the development of the disease include family history and whether or not relatives have developed Alzheimer’s or your own genetic makeup. It can also be the result of extensive or intense head trauma, the overall health of the heart, and the quality of which one is aging. This is often based on how well they are taking care of themselves and how well they were taking care of themselves in their earlier years.
As we stated above, Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease, meaning that it worsens over time. The length of the disease and the eventual passing of the person in question truly depends upon the severity of the symptoms experienced and the rhythm of the progression. In summary, Alzheimer’s is an unstoppable cognitive decline that affects someone’s ability to think and function properly.
Difference Between Dementia and Alzheimer’s?
Dementia does not directly refer to a specific mental disorder. Dementia instead refers to any disease that causes cognitive decline in a person. In addition to the fact that dementia is an umbrella term that tackles any and all symptoms of cognitive decline, dementia is not necessarily the result of a disease. For example, some reasons behind dementia include trauma to the head or the slow dying of brain cells, just as one would experience with Alzheimer’s.
Causes
There are other reasons behind dementia such as drug abuse, excessive alcohol use, and even hormonal imbalances. Unlike the former issues, these causes behind dementia are potentially treatable and provide hope for those who are dealing with cognitive decline. Since it varies so widely, it is important to identify exactly what a person is dealing with so that they can receive the proper form of treatment.
Alzheimer’s, on the other hand, is a specific disease that falls into the dementia spectrum and is characterized by the many symptoms that we listed in the previous section. If someone uses Alzheimer’s and dementia in the same sentence, they refer to the same thing, cognitive decline. Alzheimer’s is simply the specific disease that someone is dealing with and dementia refers to the cognitive decline that they are dealing with as a whole.
Cure
As we also stated above, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s but there can be a cure for specific, mild forms of dementia that are not caused by disease or trauma. However, some sources that explore CBD will mistakenly discuss CBD’s properties in reversing cognitive decline in those dealing with the disease.
Although CBD has shown potential in reversing dementia, this quality is not true in its treatment of Alzheimer’s and it is important to note that CBD only acts as a means to lessen the severity of the symptoms of the disease, not fix it and reverse of it. Regardless of what other sources may tell you, keep this in mind if you continue to research the use of CBD in Alzheimer’s treatment outside of this article.
How Does the Endocannabinoid System Affect It?
Inside each of our bodies, there exists something known as the endocannabinoid system. It's designed to regulate a lot of the body’s processes. The endocannabinoid system consists of two kinds of receptors located throughout the entirety of the human body called CB1 and CB2 receptors. In order to properly regulate these processes, the body produces and releases chemical compounds known as endocannabinoids that bind to these receptors in order to produce the desired effects.
When a disease is found in the body that affects certain processes, however, the endocannabinoid is unable to respond in such a way that helps to regulate the processes effectively. There is still little research to understand the role of the endocannabinoid system in the disease. We’ll talk more about this introduction in the next section.
HOW DOES CBD HELP WITH ALZHEIMER'S?
The biggest problem with this disease is that there is no treatment and patients simply have to deal with the symptoms as they come. That being said, a progressive disease doesn’t indicate a disease that cannot be slowed. CBD is one of the few substances that has shown some benefits according to feedback from user reports.
There are studies on how CBD can protect against damage in brain cells. CBD is also said to help the brain fight against cognitive decline and boost overall memory and cognition. While these improvements won’t significantly improve the condition of someone with Alzheimer’s, many people say it helps their everyday quality of life.
Neuroprotective
Although our bodies take quite a bit of abuse, they are more liable to wear down. It refuses to repair themselves as well as they previously could as we age and this is certainly no exception when it comes to the brain. Threats from issues such as oxidation, harmful neurons, toxicity due to inflammation, and senile plaque deposits only begin to scratch the surface of what our brain will have to face as we continue to grow older. Fortunately, studies of CBD have shown it can be a potent neuroprotective. This is associated with developing symptoms associated with dementia.
Benefits
The two sections above have hopefully given you a better idea of why CBD is so valuable for Alzheimer’s. However, the benefits below will give you a more detailed explanation as to how CBD targets Alzheimer’s symptoms. Here are some of the most notable benefits that are associated with using CBD.
Reduces Inflammation
Inflammation is thought to be one of the biggest contributors to the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore, stopping inflammation is one of the most important goals in Alzheimer’s treatment, regardless of the medication or method being used. Fortunately enough, CBD has been studied for its anti-inflammatory properties.
Remove Beta-Amyloid
Beta-amyloid is a large membrane protein that is produced by the brain in order to help neurons grow and repair. In a brain that is healthy, the proteins travel around by themselves and are eventually broken down eliminated once they have achieved their purpose. In a brain that has begun to show signs of Alzheimer’s, these proteins begin bunching up and clinging onto receptors on nerve cells. Once attached, these clusters of proteins start to deteriorate the connections between nerve cells, also known as synapses. They are responsible for memories, actions, and other such important functions. CBD helps to remove these dangerous protein clumps and works to prevent future groups from causing the same amount of damage by restoring balance to endocannabinoid production in the body.
Conclusion
As unfortunate as Alzheimer’s disease is, it is something that cannot be stopped once it has taken hold of the brain. However, it is certainly something that we can fight against as we attempt to slow down the progression and search for a way to stop and possibly reverse the process.
If you are looking for something that customers and users have reported to help them with Alzheimer's, look into CBD. Use this guide as a reference to understand how CBD goes against the ever-growing symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
Disclaimer:
These statements have not evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. Always check with your physician or medical provider before starting a new dietary supplement program.