Medical Cannabis Eases Agitation from Advanced Dementia

But first, as our nation’s 250th birthday brings along the question of whether or not the country will ever embrace democracy again, Americans from all over shared stories of how they’re maintaining hope and community.

Medical cannabis shows promise as treatment for agitation in adults with advanced dementia

Medical cannabis could become what the doctor orders to ease one of dementia’s most painful and challenging symptoms: agitation. It doesn’t involve pops or meemaw handling rolling papers or getting high, either. Dennys Gonzalez told the New York Times he was initially worried about how his 87-year-old father, Emilio, would respond to a clinical trial treating his dementia with a combination of THC and CBD, the two main psychoactive components in cannabis. Almost immediately, Dennys noticed an improvement in his father’s behavior, easing his distress.

Emilio was among the majority of study participants who improved thanks to the therapy. “My dad would actually get aggressive if you would try to help him with something,” Gonzalez said. “While he was on this treatment, all that changed. His behavior improved, his level of tolerance dealing with other people improved and he would allow you to help him better in tasks like putting on his shoes.”

Researchers recently presented the preliminary results of that clinical trial involving 120 patients with advanced dementia near the end of their lives at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in London. Most patients receiving the THC/CBD treatment showed similar improvement, with nearly 90% experiencing reduced agitation after 12 weeks. Fewer than 25% of participants who received a placebo showed less agitation. Though the study has yet to be peer reviewed or published, medical experts say the results suggest that a thoughtfully formulated and administered cannabinoid treatment could help relieve agitation in advanced dementia patients.

“I was thrilled to see that because there’s a lot of suffering that’s happening,” said Elizabeth Edgerly, a licensed clinical psychologist and the Vice President of Care and Support at the Alzheimer’s Association. While noting the need for the findings to be replicated in larger trials, she also added that the current results “look really promising.” 

It’s also a ray of light for patients and their caregivers, as agitation affects roughly half of the population with advanced dementia near the end of life. Dementia-induced agitation can look like vocal outbursts, hostility, moaning, hitting, scratching or pushing — exhausting and frightening behavior for patients and caregivers alike. Many people are currently treated with antipsychotics, anti-anxiety medications or opioids, drugs that often fall short and can bring serious risks of their own. Against that backdrop, the cannabinoid treatment, thus far, appears effective, safer and a significant shift from the current standard of care.

Experts are clear that this isn’t a green light for families to prescribe and administer cannabis on their own. All patients in the clinical trial consumed what researchers know was “a purified, biologically active compound” in strict, consistent amounts via digestible oil under medical supervision. It’s also not a treatment researchers issued as a first resort, nor should it be, said Dr. Ryan Vandrey, a psychiatrist and professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Though uninvolved with the current trial, its findings confirm the results of a previous study he co-authored which measured the effectiveness of using THC to treat Alzheimer’s patients with agitation.

Can’t sleep? Blame your stone-age brain and consider these expert tips for rest.

That “wired yet tired” feeling many of us experience when our bodies feel ready to rest but our brains won’t allow it has a biological explanation. Though incredibly frustrating in modern times, the refusal of our brains to wind down in a digital world filled with constant notifications and pressure to respond quickly to every demand indicates a nervous system responding exactly as it was designed. Only now, as University of Bristol Professor of Anatomy Michelle Spear notes in her column for The Conversation, our brains are treating the constant “plugged in” nature of our lives like a sabre-toothed tiger that isn’t there but never leaves.

Plainly, the human stress response was built for short, sharp, clear and present dangers, akin to the aforementioned tiger, which we either have to fight or flee. When the amygdala — which governs our fight-or-flight response — detects a threat, it floods the body with adrenaline and cortisol, sharpening attention and diverting energy toward survival. The issue is that modern stressors like overflowing email inboxes, nonstop smartphone notifications and financial pressure don’t resolve like a predator encounter. They linger, so the brain’s alarm system remains activated for hours, even though the body desperately wants to power down. To fall into restorative sleep, the brain and body must both be primed for rest.

It all leads to a rough feedback loop. The chronic stress under which we operate keeps our brains stuck in overdrive and, for many of us, leaves space for rumination. We aren’t only constantly scanning for genuine threats, but also mentally simulating all of the worst possible scenarios. Chronic sleep deprivation also ramps up amygdala reactivity while reducing our prefrontal cortex’s calming powers. In sum: the more depleted you are, the louder your anxieties can feel.

The good news is that behavioral changes can help. We tend to understand the benefit of sleep routines with young children, but the fact is that they help all of us, especially since our brains link rest with safety. Consistent routines offer predictability, laying the groundwork for nighttime calm. In addition, solid daylight exposure, regular exercise and instituting strict screentime boundaries for evening scrolling are all techniques that work. People with persistent insomnia may also benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy. And finally, Spear says, if you’ve been struggling for a while with this, cut yourself some slack. It’s not proof that you or your brain are the problem, but rather a culture that rarely gives us permission to relax.

The benefits of blue-space nature therapy for veterans with PTSD

Dave Phillips was at the peak of despair. The former British army corporal had been struggling with untreated post-traumatic stress disorder from combat and deep grief and depression after losing several loved ones in quick succession, he told The Guardian. Standing on a cliff’s edge in Cornwall, feeling out of options, only his late partner’s voice in his head kept him from making the leap. Better yet, the moment pushed Phillips to seek professional help, which led him to Turn to Starboard, a UK nonprofit helping veterans process trauma through sailing. “It [the sea] takes me away from all the stresses and strains of life. It’s got the power of calmness,” he said. These days, Philips serves among the crew sailing the UK on two tall ships to raise funds for the organization – proof, he says, that he’s got his excitement for life back.

Phillips’ story reflects a wider movement built around what researchers call “blue-space therapy,” an idea popularized by marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols’ book Blue Mind which posits that being in, on or near water carries real neurological and psychological benefits. Though still in early stages, “research from ecotherapy shows us that nature, but particularly water, gives us this feeling of calm that we don’t get in other spaces,” geographer Catherine Kelly says. “A lot of our daily lives are spent on very focused attention … often on screens, unfortunately, and that makes our brain quite tired. “Yet when we go to the water, our shoulders drop, our eyes and face soften. We start breathing more slowly. We’re concentrating but we’re not concentrating … we’re in a state of drift.”

Since 2022, programs like Turn to Starboard have doubled worldwide, from 50 similar organizations to more than 100 today. Practices even extend to freediving and scuba, where practitioners say the sensation of weightlessness can help calm an overactive nervous system.

See also: MindSite News’ article  The healing powers of nature for mental health affirmed in new study 

In other news…

China’s “emotional value” market: In China, young people anxious about a shaky economy are, ironically, fueling a nearly $400 billion “emotional value” industry that’s creating some unconventional jobs. The New York Times introduces viewers to Lu Zhaoyu, a 20-year-old college student who charges $100 to guide — and sometimes carry — clients up Mount Tai, complete with fresh fruit and champagne along the way. A Lang, a 30-year-old cosplayer, transforms into a video game warrior for theme park visitors chasing a moment of joy. Both say the work is physically and emotionally exhausting, with Zhaoyu adding he sometimes feels like a therapist, but it’s on trend with things for which one group of young adults is willing to pay. Click here to watch the 4-minute video.