A brief summary of the condition, it’s causes,
common symptoms and treatment pathways
and how Medical Cannabis could help.
A brief summary of the condition, it’s causes,
common symptoms, treatment plans
and how Medical Cannabis can help.
Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disease of the brain, that causes progressively worsening symptoms. These can range from tremors, stiffness of limbs (rigidity) and slowing of movement, to balance problems, nerve pain and swallowing difficulties.
Parkinson’s disease can also cause incontinence, sleep disturbances, and dementia.
Parkinson’s disease is thought to affect around 1 in 500 people. This means there are around 127,000 people with this condition in the UK.
Parkinson’s disease is caused by a loss of nerve cells in the brain that are responsible for producing a chemical called dopamine. Dopamine contributes towards motor function (movement and co-ordination), mood and the feeling of happiness, concentration and memory.
It is not known what causes the destruction of the nerve cells, but it is thought that the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease start to appear when around 50% of the nerve cells are lost.
Current treatments for Parkinson’s disease begin with physiotherapy and supportive measures, that help relieve muscle stiffness and joint pain. Speech and language therapy can also help with swallowing difficulties.
As symptoms progress, medicines can be prescribed that reduce symptoms such as tremors / rigidity.
A medicine called levodopa is often prescribed, as it is absorbed by the nerve cells in the brain and converted into dopamine, which usually improves movement problems. However, higher doses of this medicine can cause side effects such as nausea, tiredness, hallucinations and confusion.
Medical cannabis, particularly cannabinoids like THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol), may offer therapeutic benefits for some symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Although medical cannabis won’t halt the progression of the disease, it may help alleviate both motor and non-motor symptoms, improving quality of life for patients.
Two of the key symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are resting tremors and rigidity. THC interacts with CB1 receptors in the brain, which are involved in the regulation of movement. By altering the neurotransmission in areas of the brain, cannabinoids can help reduce tremor severity and alleviate rigidity.
Medical cannabis can also help with different sorts of pain associated with Parkinson’s disease. Chronic pain from muscle stiffness / cramps, or neuropathic pain due to nerve damage, can be eased by both THC and CBD, which work on the CB1 and CB2 receptors.
Medical cannabis can also help with sleep, due to it’s sedative effect promoting a deeper sleep. This then helps with the common sleep disorders and vivid dreams Parkinson’s disease patients suffer with.
As with other chronic illnesses, Parkinson’s disease patients frequently suffer from anxiety and depression due to the impact of the disease on daily life. Medical cannabis, particularly CBD interacts with serotonin receptors in the brain, which can help stabilise mood and balance the emotional toll of such a progressive illness.
One of the later stage symptoms of Parkinson’s disease is dyskinesia (involuntary movements / jerks), often caused by long-term use of medications such as levodopa. Cannabinoids can enhance dopamine levels and reduce the over-activity of certain brain circuits that cause dyskinesia. By interacting with CB1 receptors in areas related to movement, cannabis could help smoothen motor function.
We’re offering the first year of consultations free of charge to patients switching from another medical cannabis clinic.
Our consultants are dedicated to improving the lives of their patients. This includes offering a service that is fair and affordable so that patients suffering with severe chronic conditions are not prevented from accessing the care that they need.
We’re proud to have been recognised as the most affordable medical cannabis clinic in the UK, according to MedBud.wiki’s comparison of UK clinics. It’s an accolade that we will strive to maintain whilst continuing to offer a premium healthcare service.
CB1 Medical was established by a specialist team of consultant clinicians at the largest NHS primary care service in the Midlands, an award-winning practice which is currently serving over 65,000 patients.
Our experienced team has continued to receive overwhelmingly positive feedback and we find it so rewarding to hear about your stories and your experience with medical cannabis. We now have the most reviews and the highest overall rating on Google out of all the cannabis clinics in the UK.
CB1 Medical is unique in being able to access your medical records instantly upon receiving your consent. This saves you the frustration of having to wait for weeks to get access to our service and begin your treatment.
With all other private cannabis clinics, patients must supply a Summary Care Record and a list of prescriptions before they can be offered treatment. These can only be obtained from a GP and some patients can wait up to 2 months to receive their records.
We are proud of our care and the impact it has on the lives of our patients, it is so rewarding to hear your stories and learn about your experiences with medical cannabis.
May 2024
Where do I start?! I have to admit I was very nervous, considering I have tried numerous treatments for my fibromyalgia and EDS and had a medical prescription 3 pages long and really complex medical issues. I was in an awfully high level of pain, even with all that.
Every single staff member from reception, nurses, pharmacy and my lovely Dr Vanessa Hutchinson have been consistently friendly, professional, helpful and incredibly fast in progressing me from initial online enquiry to receiving my prescription (just under 2 weeks and we had the Easter 4 day break in-between!).
In this very short time, my pain levels have reduced significantly (as have my other medications!). I cannot recommend this clinic enough. Thanks CB1 MEDICAL 🙂
March 2024
Staff really nice, and keep in touch to monitor my progress and any questions I may have. I feel very comfortable talking about my situation as no judgement or negative feedback. I feel like my life, health and symptoms are being taken seriously but with care.
Follow up appointment over the telephone was relaxed, no rushing, he answered all the questions about my medication and progress without prejudice, sarcasm and was so easy and a breath of fresh air. I can say that if you are thinking of treatment and support like nowhere else then you will be in very caring and professional hands that really do make you feel that you are important and heard with respect and understanding. 5 stars are not enough.
October 2024
My life has been transformed since starting medical cannabis with CB1 Medical.
Dr Richard Pertwee was friendly and so knowledgeable. The relief I’ve experienced has been nothing short of miraculous. The quality of life I now have is something I never thought possible, started to smell the roses eg I’m incredibly grateful to you all.
Highly recommend it to anyone who is struggling or has ineffective medication.
April 2024
I know when you pay for an appointment, you expect a different service, but honestly, this is beyond what I expected. The appointments were scheduled quickly, and happened within days, mostly late evenings to fit around my work. The doctors listen and I didn’t feel like I was being judged as just a junkie after pain meds. That’s how I feel in an NHS appointment.
The meds were delivered quickly and I got to using them right away. In the last 11 days, I’ve used painkillers once, and only paracetamol. This is down from multiple painkillers multiple times every single day. And I sleep so much better as well.
