Imagine you’re at school and you can’t help but make sudden movements or sounds.
It’s not because you want to, but because you have no control over it.
This condition is known as Tourette Syndrome, and it affects about 1 in every 100 kids in Australia. It’s not a contagious disease, but a neurological disorder, which means it has to do with the brain.
It often starts when kids are young and is four times more likely to happen in boys than girls.
The Problem with Tourette Syndrome
The main problem with Tourette Syndrome is the involuntary movements and sounds, which are known as “tics”.
They can be anything from simple twitching to making a noise that you can’t control.
Because of these tics, Tourette Syndrome can make it hard for kids to do regular things like going to school, hanging out with friends, or even just enjoying their hobbies.
The Usual Treatment
Usually, doctors use different medicines to help control these tics. But the problem is, these medicines don’t work for everyone. Plus, they can sometimes have side effects that are tough to deal with.
The Cannabis Solution
Recently, a team of scientists in Australia decided to see if they could find a new way to help people with Tourette Syndrome.
They had a hunch that a plant called cannabis might do the trick. You might have heard of cannabis before. Some people use it to get a “high” feeling, but it’s also used as medicine for various health problems.
The plant has two main parts that can affect the body: THC, which causes the high, and CBD, which doesn’t.
The Experiment
Dr. Philip Mosley, a researcher, led a team of scientists who worked on a project to test this idea. They got together 22 adults who have severe symptoms of Tourette Syndrome.
In their study, these adults were given medicinal cannabis oil and a fake medicine (called a placebo) for two periods of six weeks.
The Results
After six weeks, the scientists found that the people who took the medicinal cannabis had fewer tics.
Not only that, but they also found that some other symptoms related to Tourette Syndrome, like anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, were reduced as well.
They found a link between how much cannabis was in the patients’ blood and how well the treatment worked.
Professor Iain McGregor, who worked on the study with Dr. Mosley, said, “It shows that medicinal cannabis can reduce tics by a level that makes a life-changing difference for people with Tourette Syndrome and their families.”
What Does This Mean for Kids with Tourette Syndrome?
This is good news for kids with Tourette Syndrome because it might mean a new way to help control their tics. The medicine from the cannabis plant is given as an oil that kids can take several times a day.
It’s important to remember that it’s not the same as the cannabis used for getting high. This medicine has been carefully made and measured to help kids, not harm them.
But there’s one important thing to remember. The medicine from cannabis can sometimes make people feel drowsy or slow down their reaction time.
That means it wouldn’t be safe for them to do things like driving a car or operating heavy machinery.
What’s Next?
The scientists’ findings have been published in a respected journal, so doctors all over the world can read about it and learn from their research.
In the future, more studies will be done to understand better how medicinal cannabis can help kids with Tourette Syndrome.
This research is a big step forward in finding ways to help kids with Tourette Syndrome live a normal life, and it gives hope to many families who are dealing with this condition.
If you care about brain health, please read studies about how the Mediterranean diet could protect your brain health, and blueberry supplements may prevent cognitive decline.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about antioxidants that could help reduce dementia risk, and Coconut oil could help improve cognitive function in Alzheimer’s.
The study was published in NEJM Evidence.
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