The International Parkinson and Movement Disorders Society will include Dean Sutherland MD, PhD's, Case Report entitled "The Effects of Marijuana on Essential Tremor" at it's 20th International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Conference in Berlin, Germany on June 19-23, 2016. Essential tremor is a neurological condition often confused with Parkinson's Disease. It causes involuntary and often debilitating shaking that usually worsens over time. People with Essential Tremor find it especially difficult to do simple tasks like tying their shoelaces, buttoning a shirt or writing a check.
Dr. Sutherland's case study tracked a single patient's handwriting quality at baseline and then following the use of medical marijuana containing only CBD, the non-psychoactive component of the marijuana. The patient's handwriting was also examined on separate occasions after consuming a standardized amount of marijuana containing both CBD and THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana, in an edible form. On another day, the patient consumed two cans of beer and produced handwriting samples for comparison with the others. Both the alcohol and the marijuana containing the psychoactive component (in layman's terms, the part that results in a "high") improved the patient's handwriting. The medical marijuana (minus the psychoactive component) did not.
Dr. Sutherland says this case study addresses several problems. "First, marijuana containing THC may be a reasonable treatment for essential tremor in some patients. Second, medical marijuana (without THC) may not be helpful for essential tremor. Third, there needs to be further study, hopefully including randomized controlled trials (the best type of research), on the use of marijuana for movement disorders like essential tremor and Parkinson's Disease."
Dean Sutherland, MD, PhD is the Founder of the Southeastern Center for Parkinson's Disease in Sarasota, Florida and Medical Director for Neuro Challenge Foundation for Parkinson's, a charity he started with his wife Doreen in 2008. Dr. Sutherland has diagnosed and treated thousands of patients with Parkinson's and related diseases and treats more Parkinson's patients annually than any doctor in America. Learn more at parkinsonsclinic.com or call 941-487-2160.
Dr. Sutherland's case study tracked a single patient's handwriting quality at baseline and then following the use of medical marijuana containing only CBD, the non-psychoactive component of the marijuana. The patient's handwriting was also examined on separate occasions after consuming a standardized amount of marijuana containing both CBD and THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana, in an edible form. On another day, the patient consumed two cans of beer and produced handwriting samples for comparison with the others. Both the alcohol and the marijuana containing the psychoactive component (in layman's terms, the part that results in a "high") improved the patient's handwriting. The medical marijuana (minus the psychoactive component) did not.
Dr. Sutherland says this case study addresses several problems. "First, marijuana containing THC may be a reasonable treatment for essential tremor in some patients. Second, medical marijuana (without THC) may not be helpful for essential tremor. Third, there needs to be further study, hopefully including randomized controlled trials (the best type of research), on the use of marijuana for movement disorders like essential tremor and Parkinson's Disease."
Dean Sutherland, MD, PhD is the Founder of the Southeastern Center for Parkinson's Disease in Sarasota, Florida and Medical Director for Neuro Challenge Foundation for Parkinson's, a charity he started with his wife Doreen in 2008. Dr. Sutherland has diagnosed and treated thousands of patients with Parkinson's and related diseases and treats more Parkinson's patients annually than any doctor in America. Learn more at parkinsonsclinic.com or call 941-487-2160.
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