health briefs

Don't Ignore the Endocannabinoid System

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) has been neglected by Western medicine for years, despite studies establishing its power to regulate parts of the central nervous system (CNS) and gastrointestinal tract that began around 1992. Perhaps its association with cannabis, a substance banned for so long, is a big part of the reason.

THE NERVOUS SYSTEM, CB1 AND CB2 RECEPTORS

The nervous system drives the way all parts of our body responds to exercise and injury. The Queensland Brain Institute, in Australia, describes the CSN as an electric grid: with the peripheral nervous system as the network of long cables that connect the powerhouse to cities and towns, then send information back about their status.

These messages that motor neurons transmit tell the body to carry out functions like breathing, digesting, salivating and body movement. When we receive sensory input through our five senses, those signals then relay back to the CNS so the brain can encode the appropriate sensations and maintain a state of balance, or homeostasis.

The ECS, comprising a vast network of chemical signals and cellular receptors that are densely packed throughout the brain and body, directs the communication traffic. Cannabinoid receptors in the brain (CB1) outnumber many other types of receptor in the brain, controlling the levels and activity of most other neurotransmitters via immediate feedback, turning up or down the activity of whichever system needs to be adjusted (hunger, temperature, etc.) or alertness.

Cannabinoids, like cannabidiol, are compounds unique to the genus Cannabis. More then 100 have been identified, and they fall into two categories: endocannabinoids (endogenous cannabinoids) are compounds that our bodies make naturally; and phytocannabinoids, compounds derived from cannabis plants.

There are two major cannabinoid receptors in the ECS: CB1 receptors, found mainly in the CNS (spinal cord and brain), associated with memory, cognition, emotion, motor control, appetite stimulation and perception of pain; and CB2 receptors, located mostly in the peripheral nervous system outside of the brain and spinal cord, associated with the immune system, the body’s response to inflammation, pain reduction and relaxation.

The body’s cannabinoid receptors sit on the surface of cells and “listen” to conditions outside the cell, then transmit information about changing conditions and kick-start appropriate cellular responses. When something brings a cell out of its habitable "Goldilocks” zone, the ECS maintains homeostasis. Cannabidiol (CBD) plays a role in bringing us back to homeostasis without affecting normal functioning cells.

SWEPT UNDER THE RUG

Cannabis itself remains a U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency Schedule 1 drug (along with heroin as a drug with no currently accepted medical use, a clear contradiction of certified scientific fact.

Because the ECS works with all other bodily systems, it is time to reassess medical curricula and normalize medical marijuana. Schedule a consultation with a Pennsylvania medical marijuana provider to take control of our collective hemp health.

For more information, call 717-874-8480, email Info@HempfieldBotanicals.com or visitHempfieldApothetique.com or HempfieldBotanicals.com. See ads, pages 23 and 50.

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Sharing Heartbeats with Horses

A horse’s heart beats more slowly than a human’s—28 to 40 times per minute on average, while human hearts beat 60 to 100 times per minute—and that is why they are so calming. Science is now able to understand some of the physiological reasons for that calming connection. Because we are both mammals, our nervous systems, responsible for regulating our heartbeat among other automatic responses in our body and mind, naturally try to synchronize, or “couple” with those around us through co-regulation.

Basically, our nervous systems influence one another and try to match up. Because a horse’s heart rate is so much slower, ours will slow down to couple with theirs, which allows our nervous system to slow down, relax and regulate, giving us that calm feeling. Horse lovers often talk about the connection they feel, and how that connection is soothing. Our breathing and heart rate may slow, our bodies may relax and a feeling of safety, acceptance or belonging settles over us.

Meagan Good, MA, LPC, NLT-2, is the counselor and founder of Take Heart Counseling & Equine Assisted Therapy, located at 699 Wooltown Rd., in Wernersville. For more information, call 717-917-7137 or visit TakeHeartCounseling.com. See ad, page 51.

Mislabeling Found in Some Immunity Supplements

Immunity supplements may not be all they claim to be, iofoto/AdobeStock.com according to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers conducted liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry tests on 30 of the bestselling, four-star-and-up immunity products on Amazon and found that only 13 contained the exact ingredients listed on their labels. Thirteen were missing some of the listed ingredients and nine contained ingredients not listed on the labels. Missing ingredients were mainly plant extracts such as aloe vera, astragalus, eleuthero, ginger root and slippery elm. Added ingredients included black rice seed in elderberry extracts and pantothenic acid.

Longevity Diet Involves Fasting, Too

After reviewing hundreds of studies on nutrition, diseases and longevity in laboratory animals and humans, the optimal diet for longevity has “lots of legumes, whole grains and vegetables; some fish; no red meat or processed meat and very low white meat; low sugar and refined grains; good levels of nuts and olive oil, and some dark chocolate,” reports University of Southern California gerontology professor Valter Longo. According to the literature review he and others authored for Cell,a day’s meals should ideally occur within a window of 11 to 12 hours, allowing for a daily period of fasting. A five-day fast or fast-mimicking diet every three to four months was also suggested to help reduce insulin resistance, blood pressure and other risk factors for those with increased disease risks.

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