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Health See other Health Articles Title: Brain Health May Be Key to Avoiding the Most Dreaded Disease Yahoo News Several years ago, the Marist Institute for Public Opinion surveyed Americans about diseases they feared most. Topping the list was not a major life-threatening disease such as cancer or stroke or heart disease. It was Alzheimer's. What terrified people more than death was the prospect of losing memories of life and loved ones. Two-thirds of Americans surveyed said they had a personal experience with someone with Alzheimer's disease or a serious problem with memory loss. Most respondents said they felt unprepared to care for a loved one diagnosed with Alzheimer's, or to care for themselves, should the brain disease strike them. They dreaded becoming a burden. The good news is they do not have to let that happen. There are steps we all can take to protect our memories and strengthen our brain power. Many of the patients I see who have concerns about memory do not actually suffer dementia. Often, they have a family history of Alzheimer's and wish to understand how they can avoid it. Others undergo memory testing and are found to have mild memory loss -- also known as mild cognitive impairment, or MCI. According to the Alzheimer's Association, MCI causes memory changes often related to concentration, attention or mental quickness. These are serious enough to be noticed by people experiencing them or to be noticed by family or friends, but the changes are not severe enough to affect daily life, and MCI does not meet diagnostic guidelines for dementia. Still, there's plenty to worry about. People with mild cognitive impairment have an increased risk of eventually developing Alzheimer's or another type of dementia. It is heartening to know that not all people with MCI get worse, and some eventually get better. How? They work at it. They nourish their brain health. Last year, the Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic launched its Brain Health and Wellness program to begin to address the fears of an aging nation. Designed by Dr. Roxanne Sukol in collaboration with the Neurological Institute at Cleveland Clinic, the program helps people protect their memory and thinking skills and recharge their cognitive abilities. It's targeted at patients with MCI and people diagnosed with normal memory but who have concerns about future memory loss -- perhaps due to family history or another health issue. Common chronic diseases that can affect memory -- the very ones I see every day in clinic -- include menopause, Parkinson's disease, depression and anxiety, diabetes, sleep apnea, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis and alcoholism. But fear not, as there are steps you can take to protect and sharpen your mind. Research shows that a person can build memory and brain power in three simple ways: -- Through deeply engaging and meaningful activities -- With physical activity that enhances the flow of nutrients and oxygen -- By learning new skills that require intense focus and concentration Our Brain Health and Wellness team includes experts in brain health, nutrition, exercise physiology, yoga, meditation and occupational therapy. They meet patients in a group setting, what we call a shared medical appointment. In six sessions spanning 10 weeks, experts introduce memorization tools, mind-stretching games and special activities designed to engage multiple brain domains. We also introduce nutrition education, so students can know differences between real and whole foods versus processed foods and manufactured calories. Relaxation training allows them to discover how imagery, meditation and mindfulness all help reduce stress levels and protect brain function. Not to be forgotten is physical activity. We focus on interval training, balance and posture while simply increasing opportunities to move. In the spring of 2012, my grandmother moved back to Ohio from Florida to be closer to family. Her second husband had passed away, and my dad thought she would be better served -- from a health and social perspective -- if she were surrounded by loved ones. My grandmother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's dementia and the disease was taking its toll on her health and her quality of life. We moved her into an assisted living facility, and I would try and visit with her weekly. With each passing week, her memory faded until her ability to recognize me disappeared. After only four months in Cleveland, my grandmother passed away peacefully, surrounded by family and her caregivers. As difficult as it was to watch her mind and body slip away, I still felt a sense of empowerment. I knew I was not fated to follow her path. Awaiting me were the techniques to preserve and enhance my own memory. Until next time, be well. Poster Comment: Jokes Jeffery, Here is more information. Cannabinoids, the active chemical components of marijuana, can regulate inflammation in the brain and promote neurogenesis — the growth of new neural pathways — even in cells damaged by age or trauma. As more research has indicated that brain inflammation appears to be a cause of several degenerative diseases, marijuana has been getting a closer look as a potential preventive medication. In a 2006 study published in Molecular Pharmaceutics, a team of University of Connecticut researchers reported that THC, the chemical compound responsible for marijuana's high, “could be considerably better at suppressing the abnormal clumping of malformed proteins that is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease than any currently approved prescription.” The research team predicted that cannabinoid-based medications "will be the new breakout medicine treatments of the near future.” Here is another study showing the same thing, Prof. Raphael Mechoulam, a medicinal chemistry expert who discovered marijuana's active component ( called THC ), conducted the study with researchers at the Cajal Institute and Complutense University in Madrid, led by Maria de Ceballos. The study appears in Wednesday's issue of The Journal of Neuroscience, which is published by the Society for Neuroscience, an organization of more than 36,000 basic scientists and clinicians who study the brain and nervous system. To show the preventive effects of cannabinoids on Alzheimer's disease, the team first compared the brain tissue of patients who died from Alzheimer's disease with that of healthy people who had died at a similar age. They looked closely at cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 - proteins to which cannabinoids bind, allowing their effects to be felt - and atmicroglia, which activate the brain s immune response. Micro-glia collect near plaques and, when active, cause inflammation. The researchers found a dramatically reduced functioning of cannabinoid receptors in diseased brain tissue, meaning that patients had lost the capacity to experience cannabinoids' protective effects. In addition, the researchers showed that cannabinoids prevented cognitive decline through rat experiments. They injected either amyloid ( which leads to cognitive decline ) that had been allowed to aggregate or control proteins into the brains of rats for one week. Other rats were injected with a cannabinoid and either amyloid or a control protein. After two months, the researchers trained the rats over five days to find a platform hidden underwater. Rats treated with the control protein - with or without cannabinoids - and those treated with the amyloid protein and cannabinoid were able to find the platform. Rats treated with amyloid protein alone did not learn how to find the platform. Meshoullam said that the discovery was important, since most drugs given for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's are work merely against symptoms and not the cause and essence of the neurodegeneration. It is not necessary to smoke marijuana to conduct trials, but to use the synthetic versions of the active ingredient, he told The Jerusalem Post. and another. Gary Wenk, a professor of neuroscience at Ohio State and an expert on chronic brain inflammation and Alzheimer’s, says that he began studying cannabinoids after other sorts of compounds sent to him for review by pharmaceutical companies consistently failed to reduce inflammation in the brain. In experiments with rats, he says, marijuana has proven to be the most potent brain anti-inflammatory available. Wenk and his team have also surveyed dementia-free older people about their lifestyles and, he says, discovered that "individuals who smoked marijuana in the ‘60s and ‘70s, who are now entering their 60s and 70s, are not getting Alzheimer’s at the rate they should be." Here again Alzheimer’s is a progressive and incurable condition that systematically destroys brain cells in people above the age of 65, but cases of Alzheimer’s have been reported in people even in their mid 20s and 30s. However, these cases seem to be genetic in nature when compared with the protein based degeneration seen in older people. There are certain substances such as alcohol, cocaine, heroin, and nicotine that inhibit and suppress the growth of new brain cells, which worsens the condition. However, research conducted at Scripps Research in San Diego demonstrates that marijuana is a neuronal growth promoter and is a better bet when compared with a number of prescription drugs that are currently administered by medical practitioners and doctors that stifle the growth of these nerve cells. MORE A new study conducted by researchers at the Roskamp Institute in Florida, and published in the journal Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, has found that cannabis can slow the effects of Alzheimer’s Disease, and may in fact be able to halt it entirely. According to Corbin Bachmeier, Ph.D – who’s the lead researcher of the study – Alzheimer’s Disease is “the result of impaired A² [Amyloid-² protein] clearance from the brain”. According to this study, cannabis can solve this problem, making it a potential treatment. Title of the study Effect of marijuana use on outcomes in traumatic brain injury. Abstract Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Several studies have demonstrated neuroprotective effects of cannabinoids. The objective of this study was to establish a relationship between the presence of a positive toxicology screen for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and mortality after TBI. A 3-year retrospective review of registry data at a Level I center of patients sustaining TBI having a toxicology screen was performed. Pediatric patients (younger than 15 years) and patients with a suspected nonsurvivable injury were excluded. The THC(+) group was compared with the THC(-) group with respect to injury mechanism, severity, disposition, and mortality. Logistic regression was used to determine independent associations with mortality. There were 446 cases meeting all inclusion criteria. The incidence of a positive THC screen was 18.4 per cent (82). Overall mortality was 9.9 per cent (44); however, mortality in the THC(+) group (2.4% [two]) was significantly decreased compared with the THC(-) group (11.5% [42]; P = 0.012). After adjusting for differences between the study cohorts on logistic regression, a THC(+) screen was independently associated with survival after TBI (odds ratio, 0.224; 95% confidence interval, 0.051 to 0.991; P = 0.049). A positive THC screen is associated with decreased mortality in adult patients sustaining TBI. Another From PubMed Effects of frequent marijuana use on brain tissue volume and composition Abstract To investigate CNS effects of frequent marijuana use, brain tissue volume and composition were measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 18 current, frequent, young adult marijuana users and 13 comparable, non-using controls. Automated image analysis techniques were used to measure global and regional brain volumes, including, for most regions, separate measures of gray and white matter. The marijuana users showed no evidence of cerebral atrophy or global or regional changes in tissue volumes. Storm 11 hours ago 0 1 (FYI- AChE= acetylcholinesterase speeds the formation of amyloid plaque in your brain; A, = amyloid plaque; donepezil and tacrine = Aricept and Cognex) “It is noteworthy that THC is a considerably more effective inhibitor of AChE-induced A‚ deposition than the approved drugs for Alzheimer’s disease treatment, donepezil and tacrine, which reduced A‚ aggregation by only 22% and 7%,respectively, at twice the concentration used in our studies. Therefore, AChE inhibitors such as THC and its analogues may provide an improved therapeutic for Alzheimer’s disease, augmenting acetylcholine levels by preventing neurotransmitter degradation and reducing A‚ aggregation, thereby simultaneously treating both the symptoms and progression of Alzheimer’s disease.”From “A Molecular Link between the Active Component of Marijuana and Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology” at PubMed. @Jeffrey, Not tricky at all! Just make up a batch of low-dose "hippie brownies" or even better, try a glycerin or alcohol tincture that can be added to grandma's food or beverages. With a tinctures, you have very good dosage control, and they are easy to make at home. Smoking is the least healthy way to use cannabis and is looked on as being somewhat "old-fashioned" in the MEDlCAL MARlJUANA community. 3 Uma Guma He neglected to mention cannabis as a key constituent of brain health. Moderate adult users simply don't succumb to the ravages of Alzheimer's, ever. This fact urgently needs to be disseminated and the reasons for it thoroughly researched. Precious time is wasting. 4-6 juanita Menopause is not a disease. Half of the population, if they are lucky enough to live that long, will pass through menopause. I think the medicalization of menopause as a disease is just a Big Pharma tactic to sell more drugs. They oversold estrogen hormones as a remedy for menopause symptoms, and now thousands of women who took those drugs are getting breast cancer and uterine cancer. 2 http://news.yahoo.com/brain-health-may-key-avoiding-most-dreaded-disease-110000169.html Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
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