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Parkinson's Disease

Presented by Dr Facundo Alvarez, MD

About this module:

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a devastating and progressive neurological condition for which western medicine has no known cure. It is the second most common age-related neurodegenerative disorder, after Alzheimer’s Disease. Dr Facundo Alvarez, medical doctor and cannabis expert in Argentina explains how various neurotransmitters and the endocannabinoid system are involved in neurological disorders, and in the pathogenesis of PD. He explores the scientific evidence that cannabinoids may be able to assist in treatment of symptoms and signs of PD, including case reports, and open-label studies. Dr Alvarez provides prescribing advice for clinicians, including how to evaluate response and some of the factors that need to be considered in treating with medicinal cannabis.
This presentation is suitable for healthcare practitioners and those with a background in biomedical sciences. It assumes a knowledge of the endocannabinoid system and medicinal cannabis pharmacodynamics.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module, learners will be able to:

  • Describe the symptoms and signs associated with Parkinson’s Disease.
  • Explain how the endocannabinoid system is altered in neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson’s Disease.
  • Justify the use of medicinal cannabis in the treatment of signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease based on scientific evidence of its actions and efficacy. 
  • Argue the scientific evidence that supports the use of medicinal cannabis in the treatment of signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease. 
  • Formulate a treatment strategy for treatment of symptoms and signs associated with Parkinson’s Disease.
MEET THE PRESENTER

Dr Facundo Alvarez, MD

Facundo has strong academic and clinical experience in the fields of integrative medicine, medical cannabis, and drug policy. After finishing his career as a clinically oriented physician, he decided to dedicate himself fully to clinical care and education based on natural substances, completing an internship in Drug Policy in 2017 and taking a leading role in the NGO Latinoamerica Reforma (Santiago de Chile). He completed the first postgraduate degree in Latin America in Endocannabinology and Cannabic Therapeutics at the National University of La Plata (UNLP) in 2017.

Due to the growing public demand for medical advice on cannabis, ANANDAMED was inaugurated at the beginning of 2018, one of the first institutes in the Latin America region dedicated exclusively to cannabis medical care. He co-founded CANNAMERICA in 2018, a Latin American organization aimed at promoting education and disseminating information on harm reduction and public policies with a focus on human rights. He is currently serving as its Vice President. At the beginning of 2020, he was appointed Scientific Director of the Maria Moñitos Foundation (Bogotá Colombia), where he is in charge of conducting education and research projects with several universities. He also joined the Advisory Board of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians, Latin America Chapter.

Facundo is an internationally recognised expert in Medical Cannabis, has presented on medicinal cannabis as well as drug policy and has participated in numerous panels in several Latin Americian countries. He currently participates as a teacher in educational platforms in Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, United States, Mexico and Peru, and conducts research in the área of public health policy.

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