Helen Garvy: Cannabis (Medical Marijuana) and Parkinson's Disease

Helen Garvy is a Parkinson's advocate and a care partner whose husband, Robert Pardun, has had Parkinson's for 24 years. Long interested in medical science, she has been researching PD for much of that time.
She is the author of several books, including "Coping with Illness and the Immune System: Your Magic Doctor: and has also worked as a teacher, family therapist, and filmmaker.
Helen has chosen to research cannabis not particularly to promote cannabis, but because it is an area that is woefully understudied -- and it appears to have some benefits and should be seen as a potentially useful tool in the [PD] toolbox. She has spoken about cannabis to various PD groups around Northern California.
Over the decades, pharmaceutical treatments have been considered as the main therapy to treat symptoms of Parkinson's. Nevertheless, there has been an ongoing quest to find alternative, non-pharmaceutical treatments to alleviate symptoms of this disease. For some with Parkinson's, cannabis is an effective adjunct therapy to classical pharmaceutics. It may be especially useful for anxiety, sleep (both of which may improve motor symptoms), pain, and REM Sleep Behavior Disorder. It may also be neuroprotective.
Find out more at the November meeting of the Santa Cruz County Parkinson's Support Group.