Brazilian Scientists Show How Marijuana Can Help in Treating Parkinson

brazzilmag.com

Fri. Jan. 1 2010 22:30

Brazilian researchers from prestigious University of São Paulo (USP) have discovered that marijuana contains substances that can help ease the collateral effects of medicines prescribed to patients suffering from Parkinson disease.

Six patients with Parkinson were given during a whole month small doses of Cannabidiol (CBD) one of the 400 substances in marijuana, following which encouraging results were confirmed according to scientists from the Ribeirão Preto Medicine School from the SP University.

"Patients with Parkinson developed improvements in their sleeping alterations, in their psychotic symptoms and could even reduce their trembling," said psychiatrist Jose Alexander Crippa, Neuro-sciences Department professor.

The paper on the discovery was published last November and an additional paper with test results on the anxiolytic effects of Cannabidiol in patients with obsession and compulsion disorders will be released in 2010.

A group of voluntary patients with obsessive and compulsive conducts were medicated with the substance 70 minutes before facing situations that forced them into anxiety fits, and "improvements were evident."

Crippa underlined the significance of the research which scientifically establishes the positive effects of Cannabidiol but warned that "the non therapeutic use of marijuana was not recommended since it could only lead to worsen the psychotic symptoms and consequences of patients."

Mercopress