My mom died with complications from Alzheimer’s and so did my paternal aunt and grandmother. When they were diagnosed the mainstream thought was that there is nothing you can do to slow or stop the progression nor could we prevent it. Now, we know better. We know that we can do many things to fight off the onset of debilitating cognitive decline if we have an early diagnosis. But I say, why wait?
Particularly interested in preventing cognitive decline, I learn from many functional medicine doctors and practice a healthy diet and lifestyle that includes eating vegetables, minimizing starchy carbs, lean toward low glycemic sweets like berries; doing regular moderate exercise; getting quality sleep and managing stress with mindfulness and meditation as well as using cannabis medicine. Two new studies released in March validate my personal working theories.
Also released last month, a computer simulation employing all atom molecular dynamics simulations showed that “…THC molecules disrupt the amyloid-β protofibril structure by binding strongly to them.” And referenced that “…Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is a cannabinoid, which can bind to the receptors in the brain, and has shown promise in reducing the fibril content in many experimental studies…”
There is a new drug in the Korean research pipeline showing some hope for Alzheimer’s on the thing that cannabis seems to do, but cannabis is available to Californians and many others right now, and has an established low risk of harm in the low doses that seniors and people living with dementia are using.
Combining these interesting new findings with Dr. Russo’s Frontiers article, also below, I’m seeing a picture that research should do a hard pivot and look for how cannabis is and can help in dementing illnesses and so many others.
Hope you enjoy reading the studies, and please share what you’re doing to support your long term brain health in the comments.
“…Alzheimer’s disease is a leading cause of dementia in the elderly population for which there is no cure at present. Deposits of neurotoxic plaques are found in the brains of patients which are composed of fibrils of the amyloid-β peptide. Molecules which can disrupt these fibrils have gained attention as potential therapeutic agents. Δ-tetrahydrocannabidiol (THC) is a cannabinoid, which can bind to the receptors in the brain, and has shown promise in reducing the fibril content in many experimental studies. In our present study, by employing all atom molecular dynamics simulations, we have investigated the mechanism of the interaction of the THC molecules with the amyloid-β protofibrils. Our results show that the THC molecules disrupt the protofibril structure by binding strongly to them. The driving force for the binding was the hydrophobic interactions with the hydrophobic residues in the fibrils. As a result of these interactions, the tight packing of the hydrophobic core of the protofibrils was made loose, and salt bridges, which were important for stability were disrupted. Hydrogen bonds between the chains of the protofibrils which are important for stability were disrupted, as a result of which the β-sheet content was reduced. The destabilization of the protofibrils by the THC molecules leads to the conclusion that THC molecules may be considered for the therapy in treating Alzheimer’s disease.”
[FTA] “…Based on its pharmacology (Russo and Marcu, 2017), cannabis components may provide myriad benefits on target symptoms in this complex disorder:
Caregiver Advocacy: Engaging Lawmakers To Expand Access & the Right to Try Plant Medicine
Remove Cannabis from the CSA Today!
February 19th was the last day for bills to be introduced in the CA Legislature. There are several bills pertinent to California medical cannabis patient access. I’ve written to my Assembly Member and CA Senator and left messages in their offices. Including what I wrote to them, below, for inspiration.
If any of these issues are important to you or a loved one, please contact your elected reps. Remember, they work for you. Let’s end the failed policy that is also bad for medical cannabis patients. To find your California state representative you can use this website: http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/
Impacting physicians and medical cannabis patients
MY CONCERNS:
What medical cannabis patients really need is cannabis to be removed for the CSA Schedule I completely, DE-scheduling. It was erroneously put there for political reasons. The science that the LaGuardia (1930s) & Schafer Commission (1970) presented was ignored and the CSA Schedule I was codified. It’s time for this to stop.
I would love to see mandated endocannabinoid system education ADDED to this bill.
We all have an endocannabinoid system and plant cannabinoids found in cannabis help to keep it balanced. Medical cannabis users often want their pets to feel better, too. I would love to see mandated endocannabinoid system education ADDED to this bill.
Why would anyone want to limit compassion? DO NOT LIMIT COMPASSION PROGRAMS. The modern cannabis movement is alive only because of medicinal cannabis. If anything more compassion and easier access is what’s needed. Do not punish patients and small business owners. Never limit compassion. Especially for microbusinesses. Compassion is often why a microbusiness owner got into cannabis to begin with.
Many studies are coming out that show medical or “adult use” cannabis reduces the need for opioids. And another study showed places that have access to cannabis have fewer workers compensation claims. If anything, I would loosen the restrictions on this bill. Stop screening for “marijuana” period.
But imo, too many barriers to be in alignment with federal law. I had to do this for my own mom. We would have been lost without cannabis on her deathbed. But, as you know, this one Gov. Newsom VETO’d last session over concerns about the Fed. Schedule I. He needs courage. The people want freedom of choice.
End failed policy, allow for sharing and research. Israel is researching how psilocybin and cannabis could help in dementia.
My letter to representatives.
Dear [Elected CA Assembly Member and Senator] –
As a family caregiver turned advocate for people living with Alzheimer’s & related dementias, I urge you to vote YES for things that support more patient access and freedom, and NO on things that will limit access to cannabis and other potentially life changing plant-and-fungus medicines. Seniors, especially those in long term care have particular difficulty in accessing safe, tested, legal medicinal cannabis due to current banking laws and the plant’s CSA Schedule I designation, which was not actually based on science (See Shafer and LaGuardia Commission Reports). Doctors still face dire consequences due to the same federal policy. There are many people living with dementia in Northern California who are in long-term care facilities getting this remarkable medicine in low dose capsules in blister pack pill cards, compliant with Title 22, but it is a labor of love that is not easy to sustain. These people need this medicine. And so many others could benefit when policy changes.
Below are a few bills proposed this session that warrant your support and attention. Please don’t hesitate to call if you would like to discuss any of these further, or if you have advice for me. I know you’re extremely busy, thank you for all you do for people.
CANNABIS RATIOS – WHAT ARE THEY AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?
Many of the web searches that land on our Farmacann website are looking for clarification of the term “ratios”, often seen on cannabis product labels when the manufacturer needs to specify one aspect of “cannabinoid” potency contained within. Ratios are not generally of interest to the “recreational” cannabis consumer but can be of great interest to the medicinal cannabis patient.
Wikipedia provides us with a simple definition: “In mathematics, a ratio indicates how many times one number contains another. For example, if there are eight oranges and six lemons in a bowl of fruit, then the ratio of oranges to lemons is eight to six (that is, 8∶6, which is equivalent to the ratio 4∶3).”
In the United States, the ratios shown on any cannabis product label (2:1 for example) will be the ratio (relationship) between CBD and THC, the primary cannabinoids in cannabis and of the greatest interest to cannabis consumers.
A 2:1 product may say that one capsule in the bottle “Contains 10mg CBD and 5mg THC” or it might say it “Contains 5mg CBD and 2.5mg THC” and still both be a 2:1 ratio. Below are the three formulated Farmacann products that contain a ratio of CBD to THC and their dosages:
There are at least 144 distinct cannabinoids found in cannabis so far, each exhibiting varied effects on the consumer. Non-psychoactive Cannabidiol (CBD) and psychoactive Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are considered the primary medicinal cannabinoids in the plant. CBD:THC ratios are what interests consumers, but some of the remaining cannabinoids can often be found in the product batch test results if available from the manufacturer.
SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP OR ENTOURAGE EFFECT
The symbiotic relationship between CBD, THC and other cannabis plant components, or the ”entourage effect”, has evolved to describe the polypharmacy-like effects of combined cannabis phytochemicals or whole plant extracts.[9] The phrase now commonly refers to the compounds present in cannabis supposedly working in concert to create “the sum of all the parts that leads to the magic or power of cannabis”.[4] Other cannabinoids, terpenoids, and flavonoids may be part of an entourage effect.[8] The entourage effect is considered a possible cannabinoid system modulator and is achieved in pain management.[1][8][10]
DOSAGE
Another aspect of product potency is “dosage” or “recommended dosage” which describes, in milligrams (mg), how much CBD or THC cannabinoids are in each capsule or pill, for example. That way, the consumer and/or healthcare provider can comfortably gauge and anticipate the effect of the product on the consumer. Since CBD is not psychoactive, there really isn’t a concern regarding maximum dosages that can vary over a wide range of opinions coming from doctors to self-professed social media guru’s.
A light dosage of THC might be in the 2-3mg range, a modest dosage might be 5-10mg and a “be careful” dosage can be anything greater than a light dosage depending on the individual’s tolerance, although some seasoned recreational hobbyists do enjoy a level in the 100’s of milligrams of THC.
If you do have an undesirable psychoactive THC experience while trying to gauge your personal comfort level, it will subside within an hour or so. Meanwhile, relax, listen to White Rabbit and enjoy the experience if you can.
TERPENES
You may be wondering what terpenes are and why they are referred to in medicinal cannabis conversations. In short, terpenes and terpenoids, which are prevalent throughout the plant world as aromas, flavors and other key plant elements, have an inventory estimated at 55,000 chemical entities and are shared throughout the plant world. For example, the terpene limonene is the major component of citrus fruit peels but is also an important component of the natural cannabis entourage playing its part in the symbiotic relationship of whole plant medicinal extracts much like aroma therapy capitalizes on a variety of plant terpenes for its medicinal benefits.
PRODUCT LABELS
A pill card of 30 Farmacann RELIEF 2:1 CBD:THC capsules, for example, is labeled that “Pill Cards contain a total of 300mg of combined cannabinoids,” a combination of the CBD + THC. Each capsule will contain 6.6mg CBD + 3.3mg THC and labeled as such. If the preferred or recommended dosage is one or more capsules, based on the batch lab test results, it is consistent from batch to batch. Product labels rarely include terpene content.
CONSISTENCY
When Farmacann was first conceived in 2010, with original products developed by 2011, knowledge of cannabidiol (CBD) was in its infancy and, unlike today, entirely unknown to most people.
At the time, with the unregulated cannabis industry conversations and “rumors” about CBD having medicinal qualities, the curious Farmacann founders acquired one hybrid plant of a strain named Harlequin that was claimed would test with a 2:1 CBD:THC ratio. The first Farmacann crop of Harlequin did in fact produce a roughly 2:1 CBD:THC extract ratio that immediately proved to be medicinally effective when formulated into a coconut oil-based tincture.
The challenge was consistency: The cloned plants themselves were not always consistent in producing exact ratios and the testing labs at the time were anything but consistent in their results.
So, blending consistent products was difficult until Farmacann acquired its own in-house High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) equipment and assembled its own testing lab, a first in the cannabis product manufacturing industry.
Today, the industry has evolved greatly and can produce very accurate, consistent blends of cannabinoids and terpenes to create the desired entourage effect, utilizing not only whole-plant extracts but by adjusting the medicinal ratios with individual extract components.
This is how Farmacann has been reinvented under VersaGenix, Inc., a BCC licensed cannabis manufacturing and delivery service (License No. C12-0000075-LIC) that has taken the original ratios of the products proven to be most effective, added a proprietary blend of terpenes for increased efficacy, and implemented even better in-house as well as independent third-party lab testing. This ensures that Farmacann products in 2021 are always pure, have consistent ratios and are effective from batch to batch.
Unleash American Ingenuity and Help People with Dementia
“In any civilized society, it is every citizen’s responsibility to obey just laws. But at the same time, it is every citizen’s responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Remove Cannabis from the CSA Today!
This is an exciting time in the world, to say the least. If we focus, it could be one where we begin to make meaningful progress in our fight to end the suffering of people living with Alzheimer’s and related dementias. It’s time to be bold. In addition to helping millions in relationship with dementia, what we’re proposing has the potential to revitalize the US economy by opening up a brand new industry and unleashing American ingenuity.
Cannabis medicine was the only medicine that ever helped ease the toughest behavioral symptoms of my mom’s (and our family’s) nearly decade-long journey through Alzheimer’s, but it was illegal for her to get it in the nursing facility she moved to because cannabis remains on the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) Schedule I of Drugs.
The most restrictive drug schedule in the US is reserved for drugs that are known to have:
– no currently accepted medical treatment use in the U.S.
– a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision
– high potential for abuse
Cannabis does not fit this definition, yet it remains on the CSA:
– cannabis is medically legal in 41 US states and territories.
– cannabis therapeutics have never been proven to result in serious harm, nor death
– a “high potential for abuse” is not a scientifically proven claim about cannabis
It’s time to simply remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act to allow patients to maintain access to this relatively harmless plant while science catches up with what is happening in practice in more than 2/3rds of states. The President has the power to do this by Executive Order.
The Science
In Northern California , Upstate NY and in Florida, there are care facilities currently using cannabis medicine for their residents. But most care facilities are too afraid to use a “Schedule I substance” because they risk losing funding and licensure. Additionally, cannabis science is only taught in ten medical schools and there are no legal requirements for medical professionals to learn about this valuable tool. Not even in California.
There are studies that show the potential benefits of medical cannabis, but due to the CSA, it is very, very difficult to research. Despite this, there are enough studies that show how beneficial cannabis is for people living with dementia for two review articles and a US Department of Health patent:
[FTA] “…Initial trials of herbal cannabis for AD have begun sporadically, with a more focused effort in a California nursing home (Hergenrather, 2017). Patients were treated with a variety of preparations: THC-predominant (2.5–30 mg/dose), CBD predominant, and THCA, mainly in tinctures and confections. Marked benefit was reported on neuroleptic drug sparing, decreased agitation, increased appetite, aggression, sleep quality, objective mood, nursing care demands, self-mutilation and pain control.
Based on its pharmacology (Russo and Marcu, 2017), cannabis components may provide myriad benefits on target symptoms in this complex disorder:
Agitation: THC, CBD, linalool
Anxiety: CBD, THC (low dose), linalool
Psychosis: CBD
Insomnia/Restlessness: THC, linalool
Anorexia: THC
Aggression: THC, CBD, linalool
Depression: THC, limonene, CBD
Pain: THC, CBD
Memory: alpha-pinene (Russo, 2011; Russo and Marcu, 2017) + THC
Neuroprotection: CBD, THC
Reduced Aβ plaque formation: THC, CBD, THCA
Thus, an extract of a Type II chemovar of cannabis (THC/CBD) with a sufficient pinene fraction would seem to be an excellent candidate for clinical trials (Lewis et al., 2018).
[FTA] “…These results implied that the CBD components of cannabis might be useful to treat and prevent AD because CBD components could suppress the main causal factors of AD. Moreover, it was suggested that using CBD and THC together could be more useful than using CBD or THC alone…”
From the US Department of Health Patent: “…The cannabinoids are found to have particular application as neuroprotectants, for example in limiting neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke and trauma, or in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and HIV dementia…”
The MORE Act + Social Justice
Passed in the House of Representatives in November 2020 and sponsored in the Senate by Vice President (elect) Harris, though not taken up by McConnell, The MORE Act would completely remove cannabis from the Federal Schedule I of Drugs. This would allow those who are currently benefiting from cannabis medicine in 35 States, to continue to do so while the relevant research studies and science can catch up with what’s happening in daily practice. By now, we all know that cannabis was not placed on the CSA Schedule I because of science, it was put there for racist, political reasons. It’s time to finally undo this generations-old wrong.
Green Future
The clean, renewable cannabis-hemp plant can replace dirty fossil fuel petroleum to make plastics, oil and gas. Hemp can replace trees for paper and biomass. Hemp can be building materials. Hemp is also an excellent source of nutrition and it’s a bioaccumulator that can clean the soil. Hemp can literally save the world, but it must be completely removed from the CSA to allow development. We must be bold in ways we never have been before.
The question is: will President Biden be bold enough to cut through the red-tape and sign an Executive Order to remove cannabis from the CSA? Or is he going to let people suffer needlessly while the congress further argues over out-dated, racist, prohibitionist policy?
There is nothing like a new industry to inspire hope and deliver relief to millions of Americans in this exceptionally difficult time. There is nothing like cannabis medicine for people living with dementia. Let all dementia sufferers have access to this life-changing plant. De-schedule cannabis today.
How Cannabis Eased Our Family’s Decade-long Journey Through Mom’s Alzheimer’s Disease
By Chela Fiorini-Coennen
Although it’s been a devastating year for everyone, it’s fair to say that people living in senior care homes with a dementing illness have experienced the COVID-19 pandemic more intensely than the rest of us. Beyond the fact that people living with dementia are at higher risk for coronavirus for several reasons, the isolation caused by public health measures and rules designed to protect them from the virus have led to rapid decline in many, as well as “Death by COVID Isolation”. Isolation itself is a risk factor for dementia, and is known to worsen the symptoms. Our loved ones are isolated for their protection, but how do we explain that to one who can’t remember.
There were times in her journey when my mom was in medical isolation where I couldn’t see her for a few days to a couple weeks, and even that short period was tough. After her long journey, my mom passed before the pandemic, and I can only imagine how hard it’s been for those of you who haven’t been allowed to support your loved one in assisted living the way you once did. We are all being asked to make enormous sacrifices for the greater good. And hopefully 2021 will bring better days and deeper connection.
In our first Farmacann Newsletter for 2021, we want to give you our backstory and explain why my husband and I became passionate advocates for cannabis therapeutics.
Cannabis medicine really helped ease my mother’s anxiety and aggression throughout her Alzheimer’s dementia journey. I know personally that CBD and cannabis medicine have calmed my anxiety, caregiver stress, and helped ease my pain from IBD and migraines, and a 1:1 ratio of CBD:THC helps prevent my night sweats from symptoms of menopause. Of course, I’m only one person. But for my mom, and our family, cannabis became essential long before the pandemic.
Our journey began suddenly in 2010
Sure, my husband and I noticed she was forgetting stuff, but nothing too weird. “Wait ‘til you get old!” she’d say. Sure, she hadn’t been cooking much, “I’ve cooked for people all my life, I’m done!” She was getting lost driving, but that wasn’t so unusual, she always had a bad sense of direction. Finally after a fall, at the hospital the doctor said flatly, “Ms. Seagram, you have dementia.” In another room, the Social Worker told us, “You know she can’t live alone, right?” And just like that, the whole world turned upside down.
But we’re “lucky,” they say, a diagnosis of dementia rips most families apart, and somehow it’s brought us closer together. Dementia is still a great mystery to science. They know little more today than they did 115 years ago when Dr. Alzheimer named the most common type. That’s probably why it’s the most feared diagnosis. Dementia affects more women than men, more people of color than whites.
That night, near the hospital, we were just a couple of film crew workers sitting in a red vinyl booth at the world-famous Formosa Cafe. Colorful twinkling Christmas lights festooning the walls, surrounded by an audience of vintage, autographed black-and-white headshots: Brando, Bogart, Marilynn, Elvis all looking on as we tossed back martini’s crying in our mac and cheese about how our fun-loving, child-free, carefree lifestyle had suddenly been destroyed: Mom has Alzheimer’s Disease.
We were totally clueless, self-centered and lacked practical skills. Though I’ve worked props on medical shows, I’m not a doctor, nurse or medical professional! So we started to study: read all the books on Alzheimer’s and related dementias, did loads of internet research, went to support groups and every doctor visit with research and questions. We were still clueless, but so were the doctors. They know little more than Dr. Alzheimer knew in 1906. The leading Alzheimer’s organizations have nearly given up on a cure and are now focused on prevention and promoting brain health as the solution to these incredibly complex diseases. But it’s hard to prevent a disease the cause of which we don’t fully understand and what research there is points to a massive overhaul of our diet/nutrition, exercise regimen, sleep hygiene, and stress management. We don’t know the exact cause, and there’s no pill to fix it.
Triage
We cared for my mom at home the first four years. Initially, it was complete triage. Constantly reacting to the major changes in all our lives. Including having to live with my narcissist mother who had been intent on breaking us up since before our first date. As the disease progressed, and our resources were drained, we had to move mom into a facility despite our absurd preference to keep her with us at home. She lived there for five years. The last two, spent crumpled and contracted, tortured and betrayed by her broken brain, trapped in her body at the mercy of a society that discards its elderly. Especially after she became non-verbal in the facility, she was frequently ignored, force fed, left wet for hours – until I was off work, and could get there to fix it. Every day. For years. It was a nightmare that only her passing could alleviate. After a nearly decade-long odyssey through dementia, my mom died February 1st, 2019.
When we began this journey in 2010 we only knew “Alzheimer’s” was a terminal disease that was bad news for your memory. Any form of dementia is no joke for all concerned. The irony is that the only way to get through it is to laugh and find the positive aspects out of the contrast, after all your dreams have been crushed – but that took us quite some time to figure out. Little did we know the answer was in our stash box all along.
“It’s bad for her memory!”
My mom had smoked three packs of cigarettes a day from 13-50 and she also smoked small amounts of cannabis medicinally for severe pain from gallstones for nearly 40 years at bedtime. When she was diagnosed with dementia the docs were very much against her using cannabis at all. In fact, they seemed to blame it on her condition. “She can’t have Marijuana, it’s bad for her memory!” Her neurologist held us hostage for Namenda and said she couldn’t have the prescription if she used cannabis, because he said, “marijuana is a drug of abuse, it has no medical efficacy.” And they put her on five new powerful medicines, so we kept cannabis away from her for most of the first year. Primarily because we hadn’t researched the drug-drug interactions and thought her doctors must know best, this is their specialty.
For a while, it was hard to tell what was a symptom of the disease or side-effects from all the new prescription medication. My mom had been rather hard to deal with even before she got sick. They prescribed Ativan for her relentless anxiety and agitation which worked great the first day. But she had an adverse reaction the day after when she totally freaked out and called me terrible names, wildly accusing me of trying to kill her. They prescribed Zyprexa, an antipsychotic, for her severe aggression – they called it “dementia-related psychosis”. There’s a notice on the bottle that has a black box around itthat reads:
“WARNING: Increased Mortality in Elderly Patients With Dementia-Related Psychosis. Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis treated with antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of death…not approved for the treatment of patients with dementia-related psychosis.”But Medicare paid for it.She was much nicer on the antipsychotic for a few days, but then, back to the name-calling freak outs.
They prescribed Seroquel, a different antipsychotic with the same warning, to replace the Zyprexa. They prescribed Lexapro for depression, because she was terribly depressed that she was losing her mind, her freedom, herself. They prescribed Depakote, a powerful anti-seizure medication that also has a black box warning, to relieve mom’s restlessness, and the cyclical, constant questions. She never stopped asking the same questions over and over, and she developed a tremor, an ironic side effect of the anti-seizure medication. They prescribed Trazadone to help mom’s insomnia. And of course, they prescribed Aricept and Namenda to try to slow down the disease process. All these drugs have serious side effect warnings that include kidney and liver damage, organ failure, stroke and sudden death. Which wouldn’t be so bad, if they actually worked and provided a decent quality of life.
Mom fell frequently on the meds, taken as prescribed, on their lowest doses – some of the lesser side-effects of these drugs include nervousness, restlessness and inability to sit still, particularly troublesome when there’s also weakness, loss of balance, and dizziness. She experienced all those side effects and worse, the meds didn’t do anything for the symptoms we were trying to treat. The falls forced me to take time off work, which is when we finally wised up. Mom refused to get out of bed for three weeks. Somehow she remembered she had fallen several times and was terrified to fall again. Her new doctor was calling it “failure to thrive.” We thought for sure, this was it.
In her room, her TV on, I was researching side-effects and drug-drug interactions. Mom turns to me and says, “I want a joint.” I call her new doctor and she says, “Look, she won’t get out of bed, give her anything she wants.” So I rolled us a joint and we smoked it together. Before we finish Mom says, “Let’s go to the living room and watch TV!” This began the discovery.
Our Research Begins
I learned the U.S. Department of Health has held patent #6630507B1 on cannabis since 1998 as “…neuroprotectants, for example in limiting neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke and trauma, or in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease…”And that led us to discovering the mountain of evidence that cannabis actually helps ease the symptoms and slow the disease process of dementia.
A simple Pub-Med search reveals study after study after study that cannabis eases the terrible symptoms of dementia better than anything else available on the market. A documentary called “The Scientist” shows that every nursing home in Israel uses cannabis medicine for their elderly. Mainstream media sources show that there are a few facilities in Northern California and New York state that are also currently using full-spectrum cannabis oil with people living with dementia. 33 State Departments of Health list Alzheimer’s Disease or other neurodegenerative diseases on their qualifying conditions for medical cannabis. How is it that a film worker turned family caregiver can uncover this life-changing information, but doctors seem willfully ignorant?
We stopped going to the doctors who had advised so strongly against cannabis and prescribed all the deadly, ineffective, off-label black-box drugs. They were obviously not aware of the most current science, nor did they seem interested. This was tricky because we didn’t have many assets to speak of and mom was on Medicare and Medicaid. But her new, fresh out of medical school, vegan doctor was really open-minded. I guess she believed in the power of plants, because she certainly didn’t learn about cannabis in her formal training.
How Cannabis Helped Mom
We weaned off five harsh prescription black-box drugs that were covered by insurance to find we only needed one plant-based medicine that we had to pay for out-of-pocket. It was obvious that Mom had greater focus and interaction when she was medicated with cannabis: she laughed, smiled and communicated with us, she was no longer agitated or aggressive. Cannabis helped mom have a carefree attitude about losing her mind.
Cannabis oil helped my mom so much that I made sure that she had it every time I saw her. Quietly, however, since the Nursing facility told us they would throw us out for using cannabis, a “Schedule One” drug. The first facility mom was in actually DID throw her out. After drug testing her for cannabis, and telling me to “knock it off” or they would ask us to leave. They kicked mom out after she drew the foul when another woman pushed her from behind and mom spun around and slapped her in the face in retaliation – my mom was the leader of the girls gang growing up in Brooklyn. The facility was not medicating her agitation and aggression at all and wouldn’t allow me to medicate her either…what did they expect?
Cannabis helped ease my mom’s symptoms from the moment we started using it, until her last breath – a couple drops of full spectrum CBD oil every hour eased her intense death rattle, and made it smooth like the sound of the oceans ebb and flow.
Schedule I of Drugs
Perhaps the reason there is no widely known effective treatment for dementia, nor it’s terrible symptoms, is because of the Controlled Substances Act Schedule I of Drugs? Maybe, at least part of the answer to complex brain issues is in complex plant medicine. Maybe all plants should be allowed to be studied before the cost of caring for people living with dementia surpasses the GDP.
Western Medicine is failing millions of people living with dementia and has not come up with anything promising in more than 100 years. We don’t have to be restricted by draconian ideas on plant-medicine any longer. However, because cannabis remains on the Controlled Substances Act Schedule I of Drugs, doctors are uneducated and afraid of losing their licensing, and researchers have a very hard time funding studies and getting the plant material from the one and only government approved grower in Mississippi (NIDA). Public pressure can change this. We could ease the suffering for millions of people living with dementia today, with education and policy change.
If the government studies under prohibition taught us anything, it’s that this plant has low risk of harm – it certainly does not have a black-box warning. With no end in sight for Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias, we must expand where we search for solutions to one of the greatest threats to human health and our national and global economy. More studies with real-world cannabis products need to be done.
After all the devastating losses from the COVID-19 pandemic this year, we must drop old racist policies that have held back cannabis research and prevented people from realizing the benefits from this plant that acts on so many different pathways simultaneously. Cannabis could even potentially help fight COVID-19 complications. We need to be able to freely study the potential of this vital plant. Call and write to all your elected officials and tell them to open up cannabis research, implement education and normalize the cannabis industry across all 50 states.
We must be bold. If not now, when?
#CannabisHelpsDementia
Chela Fiorini-Coennen
Chela and her husband Dave, working with Farmacann doing Education and Outreach, are Family Caregivers Turned Advocates who were so inspired by her mother’s journey they wrote a movie, launched the “Cannabis Helps Dementia” podcast , and started AlzNotes.com Crash Course for Caregivers under the umbrella of Coennen Creative: Wellness Marketing Solutions. It’s their mission to improve the lives of those in relationship with dementia through care gap training and plant-based education. They specialize in private Zoom/phone coaching as well as provide a Community Intensive featuring the Virtual Dementia Tour all over Southern California, until COVID-19 put in person learning on hold. You can find them on all the socials @AlzNotes
Study: Seniors with Chronic Conditions See Improved Quality of Life with Medical Cannabis
Researchers affiliated with Concordia University, Center for Gerontology in Illinois conducted a qualitative inquiry of state-registered medical cannabis patients 64 and older who reported that cannabis therapy improves their quality of life and reduces their use of pharmaceutical medications.
However, many of the subjects were frustrated with the lack of guidance on medical cannabis provided by their primary care physician. Whether due to lack of formal training on the subject or the fear of the Schedule 1 status of the plant, doctors and other healthcare providers are often hesitant to speak to their patients about cannabis therapy.
According to the data published in the journal Clinical Gerontologist the majority of the study’s participants “reported satisfaction with being able to use medical cannabis to manage symptoms, get relief from pain, and have an improved quality of life all while lessening their dependence on pharmaceutical drugs.”
From the report:
“Most of our participants were retired, unemployed, or receiving disability benefits due to a chronic condition, yet they did note improvements in their ability to manage symptoms and productivity. Pain control was consistently described as one of the most important outcomes of medical cannabis use, and this must be considered in relation to public policy, medical symptom management, and long-term care regulations.”
According to the clinical implications of the research findings:
Older adults need better information and assistance from clinicians about the use of medical cannabis (including products, packaging, use of dispensary).
Physicians must be prepared to understand how medical cannabis use impacts current treatment protocols and document use accordingly in the medical record.
Physicians should counsel on variability of quality and concentration of medical cannabis and related dosing and potential drug interactions (e.g., delayed time to effect after ingestion of oral cannabis).
Farmacann is providing solutions for clinicians to recommend cannabis in California
Since 2011, Farmacann has been working with doctors and other healthcare providers trained and experienced with cannabis medicine in California’s North Bay area, developing products with the most effective ratios and dosages to give seniors the relief they are looking for, including, according to this study: “to manage symptoms, get relief from pain, and have an improved quality of life all while lessening their dependence on pharmaceutical drugs.”
Farmacann clients, caregivers and their nursing staff consistently report on the efficacy of our products in managing chronic conditions, achieving pain relief and creating a general sense of well being; all with a significant reduction in polypharmacy, which is now a requirement in all facilities in California.
Farmacann is dedicated to the education of patients, health care providers and care facilities on the benefits as well as the precautions associated with cannabis therapy and will be launching the first of a series of free webinars on cannabis medicine.
Sign-Up here and learn how you or a loved senior in your life can benefit from cannabis medicine at home or in a care facility RIGHT NOW in California’s North Bay area, and soon in all of California.
Did you know the U.S. Department of Health has held a patent on cannabis since 1998 as “…neuroprotectants, for example in limiting neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke and trauma, or in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease…” patent #6630507B1.
A simple Pub-Med search reveals study after study after study that cannabis eases the terrible symptoms of dementia better than anything else available on the market. A documentary called “The Scientist” shows that every nursing home in Israel uses cannabis medicine for their elderly. Mainstream media sources show that there are a few facilities in Northern California and New York state that are also currently using full-spectrum cannabis oil with people living with dementia. 33 State Departments of Health list Alzheimer’s Disease or other neurodegenerative diseases on their qualifying conditions for medical cannabis, with more states coming on board every year.
By far, the most effective treatment for Mom’s Alzheimer’s was a 1:1 ratio of balanced, full spectrum Cannabis oil – and we tried everything available on the market since 2010: Zyprexa, Ativan, Seroquel, Depakote, Trazadone, aricept and namenda! There’s NO known risk of sudden death or risk of organ failure, like the other meds used (mostly off label) to treat Alzheimer’s (and/or related dementias) symptoms!
Full-spectrum Hemp oil naturally void of the psychoactive ingredient some are looking to avoid, is known to be helpful for some people, in some cases. But for people living with dementia, researchers and clinicians in the field seem to agree that people living with brain change need some THC in their medicine. As explained by Dr. Ethan Russo in an interview we did with him in 2018:
“CANNABIS THERAPEUTICS AND THE FUTURE OF NEUROLOGY”
October 18, 2018
[FTA]”…Initial trials of herbal cannabis for AD have begun sporadically, with a more focused effort in a California nursing home (Hergenrather, 2017). Patients were treated with a variety of preparations: THC-predominant (2.5–30 mg/dose), CBD predominant, and THCA, mainly in tinctures and confections. Marked benefit was reported on neuroleptic drug sparing, decreased agitation, increased appetite, aggression, sleep quality, objective mood, nursing care demands, self-mutilation and pain control.
Based on its pharmacology (Russo and Marcu, 2017), cannabis components may provide myriad benefits on target symptoms in this complex disorder:
“Thus, an extract of a Type II chemovar of cannabis (THC/CBD) with a sufficient pinene fraction would seem to be an excellent candidate for clinical trials” (Lewis et al., 2018)…”
Dr. Russo was also recently interviewed for Forbes
“Cannabis For Parkinson’s And Alzheimer’s Diseases – An Interview With Dr. Ethan Russo”
February 26, 2019
[FTA] “…The best results in PD were reported in a Czech study in 2004, in which patients ate raw leaves of cannabis for as much as three months and reported significant improvement in overall function, tremor, bradykinesia and rigidity, with few side effects…
The story in AD is even more intriguing. Both THC and CBD have been shown to interfere with the production of abnormal toxic matter in the brain of such patients. This is quite exciting, inasmuch as synthetic drugs designed for similar purposes have yet to advance in the clinic. Both THC and particularly CBD are known neuroprotective agents that hold the potential to slow or perhaps even halt the degenerative process. On the symptom side, THC as a single agent has proven beneficial in AD patients in reducing nocturnal agitation, improving sleep and appetite. Observations of nursing home patients in California with dementia have produced similar benefits as well as reducing the need for nursing intervention and amounts of other drugs…”
Dr. Jeffrey Hergenrather is successfully using cannabis medicine in three RCFEs in the Santa Rosa, CA area and was recently interviewed for Next Avenue:
Can Medical Marijuana Help with Dementia?
SOME STUDIES, AND FAMILIES, SAY YES; SOME EXPERTS EMPHASIZE CAUTION
“Dr. Jeffrey Hergenrather, a general practice physician based in Sebastopol, Calif., and recent past president of the Society of Cannabis Practitioners, has been consulting on cannabis medicine since 1997. During that time, he says he has helped hundreds of patients with dementia improve their quality of life with cannabis.
“Typically, I’ll get a call from a family after the nursing home staff has gotten to a point where a patient’s inappropriate behaviors are too difficult to handle, and they are in agreement about administering a cannabis medicine. I’ll do the evaluation and, as needed, give this as an order to the staff to dispense,” Hergenrather says.
The scientific literature lists 29 agitated behaviors – such as yelling, repeated questions and violent behaviors – all of which, unlike other conventional medicines, are very well-managed with cannabis, Hergenrather says.
“It really is quite impressive to utilize cannabis and then see the patients actually push away from their other medicines. They know what the other medicines do for them and they’ll say that they don’t want to take them. But they will take the cannabis because they feel relaxed and happy and calm, and maybe even a little euphoric,” he says.
“It’s been kind of a lifesaver,” Hergenrather continues. “The patients are happier, the families are happier and it greatly helps the staff because the behaviors are so much easier to manage.”
Cannabis gave Mom clarity, calm, joy & a laissez faire attitude about losing her mind!
Cannabis made her “now” more satisfying and helped her communicate with us more easily. It helped us focus on the skills that mom still had remaining, and to make the best of what was happening.
Cannabis oil for behavioral issues. You can put it in food, a cookie, etc.
Israel has been researching cannabis for 50 years. They use cannabis in all of their nursing homes.
