“Oct. 27, 2004 — No longer a pipe dream, new animal research now indicates that marijuana-like compounds can aid a bevy of debilitating conditions, ranging from brain disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinson’s disease, to pain and obesity.

Research from California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco points to the promise of marijuana-like treatments for those with the fatal brain disorder ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

“Our research indicates that select marijuana compounds, including THC, significantly slow the disease process and extend the life of mice with ALS,” says study author Mary Abood, PhD.

The study extends earlier work from Abood’s group that found that THC also can alleviate some ALS symptoms, like muscle spasms, in patients.

ALS wreaks its havoc by harming nerve cells that control muscles. As a consequence of the damage, an estimated 5,000 Americans afflicted annually experience progressive muscle weakness that can hinder movement, speech, even swallowing and breathing. New treatments for ALS are desperately needed…

“For the first time, our research shows the neuroprotective value of marijuana-like compounds in a well-established animal model of Parkinson’s disease,” says study author Andrea Giuffrida, PhD, of the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.

Parkinson’s afflicts some 1 million Americans. Symptoms include slowness of movement, muscle stiffness, and shaky tremors, which can harm a person’s ability to walk, talk, write, and eat. This havoc results from the death or injury of brain cells that produce the chemical dopamine.

“There are therapies that can help replenish depleted levels of dopamine and provide symptomatic relief, but none can reverse, prevent, or delay the progression of Parkinson’s disease,” says Giuffrida. “Our research shows that marijuana-like compounds may be able to answer this need.””

Read more: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/10/041027102621.htm