COVIDsomnia: Why the Pandemic Is Messing With People's Sleep

“COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the global economy, public health systems and upended industries from tourism to summer camps. Now, doctors from around the world say they’re seeing an influx in patients with disrupted sleep patterns linked to financial anxiety, fears of the virus or a lack of daily routine.” -- CTV News

While it may come as a surprise to some that despite many of the COVID-related restrictions loosening, many people are still suffering from anxiety and insomnia, I can say first-hand that I continue to see these symptoms amongst my own patients. Financial insecurity related to job-loss or a downturn in self-owned business is particularly prevalent. 

We talked about these issues & provided some practical coping strategies from other experts in webisodes two and three of our Lockdown Learning Series earlier this summer. These are available for free on-demand viewing at www.drblakepearson.org/events.  I invite you to have a watch and please let us know if we can offer any additional support.

Read the full CTV article here.

CBD and terpenes show promise for COVID-19 Inflammation

“Early results from an ongoing Israeli study are adding to the chorus of researchers suggesting that cannabis’ ingredients could be a game changing treatment in the fight against Covid-19.”

The ongoing study has found that the combination of CBD with terpenes was three times more effective in treating Covid-19 inflammation than conventional treatments like corticosteroids.

These results still needed to be reviewed and validated by the larger scientific community, but if they prove accurate, they could offer great promise for treating patients who develop the most severe symptoms of Covid-19.

Full article available here: https://www.forbes.com/…/new-research-suggests-terpenes-a…/…

#COVID19 #Coronavirus #Study #Research #DrBlakePearson #GreenlyHealth #PearsonHealth #MedicalCannabis #CannabisIsMedicine #CannabisCures #CBD

Living With Dementia During a Pandemic

I had the privilege of joining @angieseth on @ctvtoronto to further the discussion around living with dementia during the pandemic. Navigating this “new normal” has been challenging for all of us; however, for those living with dementia, the impact has been especially life-changing and in many cases has exacerbated symptoms and the need for increased medications.

To watch the full CTV clip, please click the button below:

Antipsychotic medications are commonly used to treat the Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia; however, many families rightfully have concerns about their side-effect profile. For some individuals, cannabinoid-based medicines can offer an effective alternative that is worth discussing with your care team, as we look ahead to several more months of disrupted routines in long term care and out-patient dementia services. Combined with other non-pharmacological therapies, I have seen positive outcomes in many of my patients – including improved responsive behaviours and reduced side-effects.

If this is an issue that is important to you, check out our latest webisode of The Lockdown Learning Series, which can be viewed here: www.drblakepearson.org/events.

Alzheimer's Disease & Cannabinoid Medicine

An Alzheimer’s diagnosis is life-changing for the person with the disease, as well as their families & friends.

While there are currently no treatments available to slow or stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, there are several medications and non-pharmacological interventions that can temporarily improve the symptoms in some people. There is also a significant amount of research being conducted.

In the first clinical trial to show that a cannabinoid can decrease agitation in Alzheimer’s disease, researchers at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto found: “A robust and significant decrease in agitation during nabilone compared to placebo, a significant overall improvement and a decrease in caregiver distress.”

To read the full article, google search “neurologylive.com + Krista Lanctot.”