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Sax: prevention for dementia

11K views 65 replies 26 participants last post by  Mike T 
#1 ·
#42 ·
I'm the OP. I posted this article somewhat tongue-in-cheek, in hopeful agreement with the article, but knowing full well Newton's Third Law of the Internet: for every scientific study one finds online, there will be an equal and opposite scientific study tomorrow. The subsequent discussion has been very interesting. I don't believe in magic cures or preventatives, but I also don't share the skepticism of some.

My Dad had mild dementia which progressed to what one might consider moderate dementia just before he passed away. But looking at other family members, in my case I question the hereditary aspect. Which means I'm happy to do what's helpful in preventing this condition as long as possible. In my middle-age-going-on-old-age I've taken up computer programming, Chinese language and saxophone (though I subsequently stopped the programming after three years; couldn't keep up with the constant changes), and taken up weightlifting, all out of plain stubborn curiosity, lifelong passion for music and languages, and because I don't feel at all old. The idea of staving off dementia is merely an added bonus and adds a small incentive to continue.
 
#43 ·
n 2005, Canadian researchers made a groundbreaking discovery that would forever discredit the myth that marijuana causes brain damage. What they found was an opposite effect. That is, THC – the main chemical in marijuana and the reason why users get ‘high’ – can actually cause new brain cells to grow.

The process of brain growth is called neurogenesis and does not usually improve with drug use. Marijuana use is a different story, explained Xia Zhang, M.D, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of Saskatchewan and lead author of the study:

“Most ‘drugs of abuse’ suppress neurogenesis. Only marijuana promotes neurogenesis.”
 
#44 ·
n 2005, Canadian researchers made a groundbreaking discovery that would forever discredit the myth that marijuana causes brain damage. What they found was an opposite effect. That is, THC - the main chemical in marijuana and the reason why users get 'high' - can actually cause new brain cells to grow.

The process of brain growth is called neurogenesis and does not usually improve with drug use. Marijuana use is a different story, explained Xia Zhang, M.D, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of Saskatchewan and lead author of the study:

"Most 'drugs of abuse' suppress neurogenesis. Only marijuana promotes neurogenesis."
Yes...this study has become a darling of the internet lately...especially on cites like TheTruthaboutPot.com

Interestingly, the quotation you posted...and which is all over the internet...is nowhere to be found in the actual study. The actual study only mentions marijuana a couple of times in the introductory section. It says...

Cannabis (marijuana, hashish, or cannabinoids) has been used for medical and recreational purposes for many centuries and is likely the only medicine or illicit drug that has constantly evoked tremendous interest or controversy within both the public domain and medical research. Cannabinoids appear to be able to modulate pain, nausea, vomiting, epilepsy, ischemic stroke, cerebral trauma, multiple sclerosis, tumors, and other disorders in humans and/or animals (1-7). However, marijuana has been the most commonly used illicit drug in developed countries, producing acute memory impairment and dependence/withdrawal symptoms in chronic users and animal models (6, 8-10).

I found the same quote on the USask website (with no source), which continues this way...

But Zhang cautions that HU-210 is only one of many cannabinoids. His previous work with marijuana shows that while the plant may contain medicinal compounds, they come in the same package as those that cause symptoms such as acute memory impairment, addiction, and withdrawal. Also, the HU-210 used in the study is highly purified.

"This is a very potent cannabinoid oil," Zhang says. "It's not something that would be available on the street."


In other words: this particular study was not done on the plant marijuana. It was done on a synthetic medicinal compound HU-210, which is not found in actual pot. Studies on actual chronic pot use continue to show evidence that it causes brain dysfunction in chronic users.

But hey...if you want to try to improve your brain by smoking dope and eating donuts...fill yer boots!
 
#47 ·
C'mon dude...Twinkies are way worse...so donuts must be good for you...right...it's just science dude...and anyway sugar is brain food...so pass that dutchie and that other dutchie!
 
#58 ·
He still thinks he can play weddings, and offers our services to anyone who even mentions such an affair. Funny thing is, his group never really did that sort of thing regularly. But even when he could play, he never did grasp the fact that Dixieland jazz is not the sort of thing modern brides want played these days. I'd tell him they want popular music of the current day, and he'd never fail to assert that "I can do that". He still maintains this assertion in his current condition, and despite the sadness of said condition, it never fails to make me smile as a reminder of who he was. The Harbor Cats gave him a shot at it once some years ago, when we were the Discount Blues Band. Once...
 
#59 ·
A Washington Post reporter wrote a book called Brain on Fire where she tells of her experience with a rare brain infection. Just as they were getting ready to commit her to a psychiatric ward for having a non-treatable early adulthood schizophrenic break, they did a test and found out she that had an inflamed hemisphere. As she recovered (an ongoing process), she had to go back and review the hospital videos because she had no recollection of what she said and did in the hospital. A lot of information on how the brain works and what happens when the switches start self-triggering. A good read.

Mark
 
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