ALS Case Studies

ALS, also called Lou Gehrig’s disease, typically affects people in the age group of 40 to 70 years. It is a degenerative motor neuron disorder that according to the ALS Association, “affects the motor neuron cells in the brain and the spinal cord.” Once the motor neurons die, the brain will no longer be able to initiate or control the movement of muscles.
Around 5600 people are diagnosed with ALS per year and 30,000 Americans reportedly suffer from ALS at any given time. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge that went viral in 2014 helped to raise more than $50 million for research on this dreadful disease. However, till date there are hardly any pharmaceuticals that provide good relief to the ALS patients and there is no remedy to slowing down or stop the development of the disorder.
Does cannabis help ALS patients?
As recorded in the U.S federal government’s patent on this plant, cannabis or marijuana is an anti-oxidant and a neuroprotectant. This is significant for ALS disease as the neuroprotectant and anti-oxidant properties of cannabis can help in slowing down the progress of the disease. It protects the motor neurons that the disease attacks and kills (as mentioned in Gregory T. Carter 201). The anti-oxidant properties of cannabis also help in reducing the oxidative stress at a cellular level that leads to
This research is yet to be conducted in clinical experiments on human beings but a study by Dr. Mary Abood did earlier show that symptomatic respite was recorded with regards to appetite, insomnia and spasticity in ALS patients. Both these studies and a comprehensive collection of scientific work that has been conducted before authenticate the safety of cannabis. This in turn warrants additional investigation of cannabis and cannabinoids to treat ALS