An Overview of Parkinson's Disease and the Cannabinoid System and Possible Benefits of Cannabinoid-Based Treatments
Isabel Lastres-Becker and Javier Fernández-Ruiz, "An overview of Parkinson's disease and the cannabinoid system and possible benefits of cannabinoid-based treatments," Current Medicinal Chemistry 13, issue 30 (2006): 3705-3718.
Can medical marijuana help patients suffering from Parkinson's disease? While science hasn't yet provided a definitive answer, this review article explains the reasons why marijuana may be helpful. Cannabinoids protect nerve cells from many kinds of damage, including damage from several of the mechanisms seemingly present in Parkinson's. And a synthetic cannabinoid called nabilone provided significant relief for the unwanted movements (dyskinesia) caused by levodopa, a standard treatment for Parkinson's disease.
Free abstract and full text for a fee are available at
http://www.bentham.org/cmc/contabs/cmc13-30.htm.
