Portland, OR

If so, Portland should have the lowest rate of Alzheimer’s patients in the country, right?

I ran across this at Alternet.org, but that site pulled it off of Miller-McCune.com. And all I can say is that I hope, hope, hope it is true.

At a November meeting of the Society of Neuroscience in Washington, D.C., researchers from Ohio State University reported that THC, the main psychoactive substance in the cannabis plant, may reduce inflammation in the brain and even stimulate the formation of new brain cells.

Meanwhile, in the Nov. 21 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, neurologist David Teplow of the University of California, Los Angeles reported that polyphenols — naturally occurring components of red wine — block the formation of proteins that build the toxic plaques thought to destroy brain cells. In addition, these substances can reduce the toxicity of existing plaques, thus reducing cognitive deterioration.

Together, the studies suggest scientists are gaining a clearer understanding of the mechanics of memory deterioration and discovering some promising approaches to prevention.

So, in a polyphenol-rich nutshell, the polyphenols in nutshells (and some berries) and grapes that make red wine won’t allow the Alzheimer’s-related proteins to bind together, and if they are not binding, they are not creating the plaque that shuts down the brain, robbing a person of their memories and personality, as in the case of those who suffer from this terrible disease.

In the case of marijuana helping combat Alzheimer’s, the link is not exclusive to Alzheimer’s treatment, and perhaps can be used in treating anyone suffering from memory damage or loss. The study shows that pot or weed or grass or whatever it is your particular generation calls it can reduce inflammation in the short-term memory area of the brain, known as the hippocampus, and stimulate cell growth in the brain. The study used older lab rats and put them through some memory tests. Rats given synthetic THC did better at the tests.

This “breakthrough” would be a boon to the medical marijuana movement, and perhaps would finally get pot decriminalized…yeah, right. This would simply be a new market for pharmaceutical companies to sell synthetic THC. But if Americans take a drug in pill form, it’s alright. Grown in your backyard and smoked, not alright.

Still, as an avid red wine consumer, this news couldn’t be better. Add to that a family history of Alzheimer’s and I am literally opening a bottle of wine as I typ-mj//[zsik00uuj-e.

Alzheimers, Portland, Alzheimer’s , red wine, marijuana, pot, drugs, disease, treatment, study, research, polyphenols, THC