CBD Oil for Vascular Dementia: What the Research Says

Most people use the term “dementia” broadly to refer to the signs and symptoms associated with the progressive deterioration of cognitive functions. Such symptoms include memory loss, difficulty solving problems, speaking and thinking, mood changes, and changes in behavior, perception and personality. This broad reference often assumes that a person has Alzheimer’s dementia, but there are actually five other, less common, types of dementia. One of those types is vascular dementia.

Vascular Dementia

As of 2018, 50 million people live with dementia worldwide. While Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, vascular dementia is the second most common, with prevalence rates increasing with an aging population. Unlike with Alzheimer’s disease, which is thought to occur because of unusual activity in the brain, vascular dementia is the result of reduced blood supply to the brain due to damaged blood vessels. When the blood cells in the brain do not receive enough oxygen, they begin to die, thereby resulting in the familiar symptoms of dementia, including problems with thinking, remembering and reasoning.

CBD Oil and Dementia

Unfortunately, there is no way to alter the course of dementia or to undo the damage that has already occurred. However, research has revealed ways to manage the neuropsychiatric symptoms of the disease so that patients can lead as fulfilling lives as possible, for as long as possible. When used in combination with other forms of treatment, such as therapeutic and pharmacological, cannabis for dementia shows some promise.

CBD Oil Manages Behavioural Symptoms of Dementia

Though there is lack of research for CBD for Alzheimer’s, what evidence is available suggests that patients may be able to use CBD for mood swings, agitation, irritability, aggression and other behavioural symptoms associated with vascular dementia. Additionally, though there is limited evidence that shows that cannabis use can help to improve patients’ cognitive scores, researchers did notice a marked improvement in disinhibition, aberrant motor behavior, aberrant vocalization, nocturnal behavior and resting care.

CBD Oil To Improve Blood Flow

The evidence is certainly shaky when it comes to the use of cannabis for improving cognitive function. However, a 2016 study found that activating the cannabinoid receptors in the brains of animals helped to improve blood flow to that region. What’s more amazing is that reducing oxygen buildup helped to increase brain activity while simultaneously reducing the damage that occurred to cells. Of course, there is still a lot of research that needs to be done on the phenomenon, but the initial findings were promising.

Research is revealing multiple positive health benefits of using CBD oil. Managing the symptoms of dementia is just one of them, which is why patients who live in Canada can access prescriptions for cannabis to manage neuropsychiatric symptoms. If you know someone who lives with vascular dementia, or if you yourself have begun to develop symptoms, look into CBD oil as a solution today.