Tag: ecs

Does endocannabinoid deficiency play a role in these common illnesses?

Published on by megglesworthLeave a comment

Meg Hartley by Leafly
Published on June 7, 2019 • Last updated July 28, 2020

For many suffering from chronic illness, cannabis is a godsend. From those dealing with the wrath of inflamed digestive systems, to the ones combating global musculoskeletal pain, and the millions who report that the agony in their heads is just the beginning of their symptoms—cannabis can help these fighters with their load of physical woes.

The ECS is present in every major bodily system, which is how its dysfunction can theoretically cause such a variety of conditions—and how cannabis manages to treat them.

But why? To explain, we need to back up a bit. You probably know that cannabinoids (like the popular CBD and THC) interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS), and that our bodies produce natural endocannabinoids that work with the ECS receptors to maintain health in all the other bodily systems. But do you know what happens when we don’t produce enough  of these endocannabinoids?

Neither does science; not really, anyways. But Ethan Russo M.D., Director of Research and Development of the International Cannabis and Cannabinoids Institute has theorized that clinical endocannabinoid deficiency could be the cause behind irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, migraine, and other treatment-resistant syndromes. The ECS is present in every major bodily system, which is how its dysfunction can theoretically cause such a variety of conditions—and how cannabis manages to treat them.

These conditions, along with others that fall into this realm, are generally thought to be incurable and chronic, usually lasting for the rest of the sufferer’s life. I spoke with Dr. Russo about this matter, and he offered hope for chronic illness fighters, saying that since these conditions are generally acquired (rather than congenital, from birth), it seems to suggest an ECS disturbance is behind the illness. So hopefully it can be reversed in some fashion.

What is clinical endocannabinoid deficiency?

The theory of Clinical Endocannabinoid Deficiency (CED) explains that these health conditions are due to a deficiency in endocannabinoid levels, akin to the way neurotransmitter deficiencies are behind other illnesses—like serotonin deficiency in depression. In other words, the theory posits that the cause of these syndromes is an insufficient amount of endocannabinoids functioning in the ECS.

The theory was first posed by Dr. Russo in 2001. Since then, he’s published several more well-cited papers on the topic.

“The vast majority of physicians just have no background in the ECS. It’s just not being taught.”

Dr. Russo’s 2016 paper, Clinical Endocannabinoid Deficiency Reconsidered, revisited this issue after substantial evidence for the theory was recorded. Firstly, statistically significant differences of the endocannabinoid anandamide were recorded in the cerebrospinal fluid of migraine sufferers. (Similar results have also been found in fibromyalgia fighters.) Decreased ECS function was found in another condition thought to fall into the CED rubric, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). And clinical data has shown that cannabinoid treatment and lifestyle changes aimed to promote the health of the ECS produced evidence for decreased pain, improved sleep, and other benefits in fighters—yet more evidence linking ECS dysfunction to these conditions.

From the paper: “If endocannabinoid function were decreased, it follows that a lowered pain threshold would be operative, along with derangements of digestion, mood, and sleep among the almost universal physiological systems subserved by the endocannabinoid system (ECS).”

The CED theory also posits that such deficiencies could be present due to genetic reasons or be the result of a disease or injury.

The study primarily focuses on IBS, migraine, and fibromyalgia—all of which involve increased pain sensations in the affected areas—but disorders that may fall under the CED rubric include: PTSD, glaucoma, cystic fibrosis, types of neuropathy, phantom limb pain, neonatal failure to thrive, infantile colic, menstrual pain, repetitive miscarriages, hyperemesis gravidarum, bipolar disease, and many others. Many of these diseases are little understood and remain treatment resistant.

How to improve ECS “tone”

Unfortunately, there’s no magic-pill solution here, but there are methods to improve your ECS “tone,” which is the term used to describe the functioning of this little-understood system. Dr. Russo had some advice on the matter—and it’s all about taking good care of yourself to help ensure that the ECS doesn’t get out of balance. Here’s some tips gleaned from his wisdom:

  • Heal your gut: There is increasing evidence that the gut microbiome, and the levels of bacteria within it, are a major regulator of the ECS. People should avoid unnecessary antibiotics, as these damage the natural microbiome balance in the gut. Also try pro- and prebiotics to get that biome in shape.
  • Eat right: Pro-inflammatory foods, such as fried foods with trans-fats, or too many calories in general are bad for the ECS. It’s also important to cultivate consciousness about what you’re eating—how you were taught might not be best what’s best for your body now.
  • Exercise: Sedentary behavior is harmful to the ECS, and exercise is essential to improving tone. However, many fighters of chronic illness will experience a flare in symptoms if they push it, so a low-impact aerobic program is recommended for many.
  • Look at family health: ECS dysfunction isn’t genetic like eye color, but there are genetic tendencies, so be extra careful if there are others in your family who are fighters of chronic illness. Also be mindful about unhealthy habits you may share.
  • Sleep well and stress less: The ECS loves balance, and a body that’s stressed out and unrested is great at throwing all kinds of systems out-of-whack. So get those eight hours and get real about managing stress.

Dr. Russo says that there’s no “cure” for these conditions, but following these guidelines offers the opportunity for a major intervention in symptoms—which can look a whole lot like a cure.

Looking forward

As for what’s next, Dr. Russo is working on getting studies funded and running to provide further information on this topic, especially in relation to ECS and the gut’s microbiome. He’s also working on a diagnostic test for fibromyalgia sufferers—something that would be life-changing for those searching for a diagnosis, or who need to prove that they really have it.

And for now, he says that there needs to be more awareness about the ECS.

“The vast majority of physicians just have no background in the ECS,” he said. “Despite it being discovered almost 30 years ago, there’s been very little uptake of it in med school curricula—it’s just not being taught, and whether that’s an unfortunate association with the word ‘cannabis’ is unclear. But clearly we have a knowledge deficit in regard to it, and until we rectify that we won’t have the ability to treat our patients more effectively.”

So the next time you’re at the doctor, whether you suffer from a chronic illness, or not—think about asking your doctor what you can do to improve the health of your endocannabinoid system, just to see if they know what it is. (And maybe put some pressure on them to find out.)

How Breathing + Cold Exposure Can Improve Your Life

Published on by megglesworthLeave a comment

The Wim Hof method activates the mighty endocannabinoid system, the body’s wellness regulator.

Meg HartleyNov 10 · 4 min read

Photo via Instagram

This article was orignally published on ILLUMINATION, I very much appreciate claps (you can do 50!) and follows over @ Medium! 

There are lots of bizarre-sounding health fads out there, and many of them aren’t as effective as they are attention-catching, but I can say from personal experience that the Wim Hof Method (WHM) is one that actually works.

It’s just breathing exercises plus cold exposure, but it’s been hailed for improving, or even curing, all kinds of health conditions, as well as improving general health and well-being — and there’s a science to back it up.

Here’s a list of benes: More energy, boost the immune system, anti-inflammatory, better sleep, increase sports performance, workout recovery, autoimmune disease relief, arthritis relief, post-treatment Lyme relief, COPD management, migraine relief, MS management, asthma management, lower blood pressure, improve metabolism, and relief from fibromyalgia symptoms.

I’m in it mostly for that last one: helping ease the hellacious pain that is fibromyalgia.

I can’t report that I’m totally healed, but after 3–4 months of doing their daily breathing + cold shower technique, my pain decreased immensely. I’m unable to do the cold shower portion in the winter due to bone pain, but just the breathing alone still keeps fibro pain below a 3, when it was 8’s and up prior winters. And in the warmer months when I can do the cold shower portion, I don’t even think about fibromyalgia! It’s been a godsend.

Though this exercise is great for anyone with a body, I especially recommend that my fellow fibro-fighters and spoonies of all kinds — including mental health warriors and the neurodiverse — keep reading, even if your condition wasn’t listed this could help.

The breathing exercise also just feels great, delivering pleasant tingling sensations throughout your body; it’s both invigorating and relaxing, plus my back and neck usually pop with ease afterward.

The Science
Photo by Mathew Schwartz on Unsplash

The reason the WHM is so effective is that it activates the endocannabinoid system (ECS) which is best known for being the bodily system that works with cannabis, but it’s so much more.

The ECS is in charge of regulating virtually all of the other systems in our body, so it’s big deal, and it’s criminal that doctors don’t study it in school. Science has shown that atypical endocannabinoid levels are associated with many chronic illnesses, several of which are listed above, as well as forms of neurodiversity — like Autism, ADHD, Tourette’s, and others.

In 2018 researchers studied the WHM on Wim Hof himself, finding increased activity in the areas of the brain that are “associated with brain mechanisms for the control of sensory pain and is thought to implement this control through the release of opioids and [endo]cannabinoids.”

In other words, the breathing exercises and the cold exposure cause an increase in ECS activity, allowing it to better regulate the body’s functions and get unbalanced aspects in check.

Again from the study, “The practice of the Wim Hof Method may lead to tonic changes in autonomous brain mechanisms, a speculation that has implications for managing medical conditions ranging from diseases of the immune system to more intriguingly psychiatric conditions such as mood and anxiety disorders.”

How to do the Wim Hof Method
Photo by Tim Goedhart on Unsplash

Completing the WHM should take 15–20 minutes, all you need is this free video and a functional shower (or another form of cold exposure). The video will guide you through a 3-part breathing exercise, which will be repeated 3 times.

Here’s how it goes:

  • The first element involves circular breathing, which is simply breathing into your belly, letting it extend, then pulling that breath into your chest, then releasing. The video will take you through 30 reps, showing you an orange bubble that inflates and deflates with you to help keep time.
  • In the second bit, Hof will tell you to let all of your breath out and to refrain from breathing in for as long as you can. It’ll give you 60 seconds, then 1:25 as goals — but don’t feel pressured, just fast-forward the video when you need to breathe in, or pause if you can hold out longer.
  • The third portion will have you do the opposite, breathing in as much as you can, then holding the air in for 15 seconds before releasing — if you haven’t felt the great bodily feelings yet, they’ll come for that part.

Then it’s time to hop in a freezing cold shower! It’s hard at first, but they became refreshing for me after a few weeks — you’ll adjust to the cold temperatures too, you really will. (Which expands options for outdoor swimming fun…)

In the meantime, if the cold water is just too cold, try starting it at normal temps and then moving to cold. Start out with whatever your body can handle, and work up to 2–3 minutes.

Happy Hoff’ing!

Why isn’t the endocannabinoid system taught in medical schools?

Published on by megglesworthLeave a comment

Meg Hartley for Leafly
Published on January 10, 2020· Last updated July 28, 2020

I am currently dependent on medical cannabis, and despite loving the plant, I’m kinda bitter about this fact. And it’s not the usual lamenting of “Why me?” that so often goes with illness; it’s because the medical professionals I encounter have little to offer about the origin and treatment of my disease, fibromyalgia. A major reason that they’re at a loss with it—and so many chronic illnesses like it—is because it may be sourced in the endocannabinoid system (ECS).

As a Leafly reader, you might already know that the ECS is a bodily system made of receptors located throughout the body and that it works with all other systems to maintain homeostasis, or optimal functionality.

But did you know that this vital system isn’t covered in medical school despite the fact that studies worldwide have been articulating its prowess since 1992?

Medical schools are “too full” for additional information

And do you know what their primary reason is? Because they say they “don’t have time to teach it.” That’s right—med schools are apparently no longer open to integrating new science into their curriculums. We reached out to many medical schools for comment, but repeated emails went without response.

“The typical response is, ‘What will we eliminate?’ However, that ignores the importance of this system and its fundamental role in regulating physiology in every aspect.”

According to Dr. Ethan Russo, board-certified neurologist and psychopharmacology researcher, the common response is that they’d have to remove something else from the curriculum to make room for it.

According to Dr. Russo, “The medical curriculum is just jam-packed. I went to med school back in the ‘70s, and even at that point there was just no slack in the schedule. What one has to cram into particularly the first couple years of basic science, is rather astounding. And now there’s been an additional 40 years of scientific discovery that also has to be incorporated. Administrators are always going to be defensive about that. The typical response is, ‘What will we eliminate?’ However, that ignores the scientific importance of this system and its fundamental role in regulating physiology in every aspect.”

One would hope that the response to realizing there is a vital bodily system missing from medical school curriculum would be something thoughtful, like, “This system works with all of the other bodily systems and is essential to maintaining health in the body—maybe it’s time to reassess and reorganize.”

But, alas, the party-line solution is actually to just not teach another piece of medicine, which would remove it from practice. It’s as if medicine goes into a tool belt, and rather than reconfiguring a more suitable tool belt when full—they’d instead just toss aside an irreplaceable tool.

The ECS is integral to the function of all the “major” systems

Dr. Russo says that the idea of not educating doctors on the ECS is incomprehensible because it is fundamental to how our bodies work.“A prime example is that there are more cannabinoid receptors in the brain than there are for all of the neurotransmitters put together,” he said.

“One could easily argue that you can’t understand how neurotransmitters in the brain work without knowledge of the endocannabinoid system.”

As you’ve probably ascertained, this is a fact with significant implications. He continues, “One could easily argue that you can’t understand how neurotransmitters in the brain work without knowledge of the ECS.” Additionally, he confirmed this could also imply that there are more opportunities for cannabis to work with the body than pharmaceuticals.

The ECS is also responsible for maintaining the homeostasis of all of the other bodily systems—which is a fancy way of saying that it keeps balance in the other systems, ensuring that they are functioning optimally. It’s also often described simply as the way the brain communicates with the body. Or, as Russo put it in our interview, “Everything in the body is connected, and this is the glue.”

Because the ECS appears to regulate actually recognized bodily systems, many things go awry when it doesn’t function correctly. Endocannabinoids have been observed to directly and indirectly influence a variety of physiological systems that control appetite, pain, inflammation, thermoregulation, intraocular pressure, sensation, muscle control, energy balance, metabolism, sleep health, stress responses, motivation/reward, mood, and memory.

These functions are not minor details—if you were to lose even a single one of these abilities, it could significantly alter your daily life. Chronic illnesses, which last three months or longer and are generally considered “incurable,” affect 40% of Americans. Why is it that so many of our bodies are afflicted with conditions that modern medicine cannot do anything to absolve?

Could it be that we’re missing a crucial piece of the puzzle? Surely, there must be something else going on.

What do cannabis and pharmaceuticals have to do with it?

When asked why the ECS isn’t being taught in medical schools, another common response was that there are presently very few medications that interact with it—but how will there ever be if the medical community doesn’t even regard it in the first place? And why does it matter, anyways—do doctors only need to know about bodily systems that can be treated via the pharmaceutical industry? (And even the answer there is a plutocratic ‘yes,’ then do the available synthetic cannabinoids not count?)

These are apparently not questions that are often discussed in the medical community. The basic consensus seems to be that though medical students ought to be taught about all illnesses—not just those that there are presently pharmaceuticals for—that’s simply not how it works.

Another factor is, of course, the federally-illegal status of the plant that works so adeptly with the ECS; still holding its ancient and never-been-true title of ”Schedule I–Drug with no currently accepted medical use.” But since the ECS generally functions without the help of cannabis (thanks to our naturally occurring endogenous cannabinoids), one wonders why this is show-stoppingly relevant—again, shouldn’t doctors need to know about bodily systems that don’t already have viable medications? Isn’t that all the more reason they should be trained in what we do know about the ECS, so they may help patients keep the vulnerable system unharmed?

This next revelation will not surprise you: According to Russo, stigma around cannabis and a lack of funding as a result also appear to play a role in this reckless and willful knowledge gap, “One has to imagine that a prejudice against cannabis, fear of cannabis, and lack of funding is spilling over into a pejorative effect on education about the endocannabinoid system.”

Hope and change

Even though Russo says that grad students rarely want him as a mentor, some colleges are hedging their bets that tomorrow’s generation will have a different take. The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy is one such school, now offering a Master of Science (MS) in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics. Leafly talked with Andrew Coop, PhD, their Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, who seems hopeful that logical changes in this area are on the way.

“The reason we started the program was because so few programs focus on the health benefits of marijuana,” Coop said, “the pluses, the minuses, the strengths, where further research needs to go, where the indications have good strong evidence, where there is no strong evidence. We are teaching 150 students at the master’s level to understand all aspects—but also to be able to critically assess what the current state of the art says and doesn’t say, and what further studies need to be formed so that we can move forward in a systematic manner.”

Their twelve courses cover a comprehensive range of topics, from an introduction to the history and culture of cannabis, to the highly technical “Genomics and Pharmacognosy,” to “Expert Seminars and Case Studies” where students identify knowledge gaps in the science and design an educational intervention.

Coop is looking forward to more sweeping changes in policy and legislation. “To me, the bottom line is that we need change at the federal level, such as the MORE Act, before we’ll see more med schools include it in their curriculum,” he said. “Once we get things such as the decriminalization of marjiuana, I predict more schools will include it. There is a want and a need for education in all aspects of marijuana.”

Until that day, those of us with diseases suspected to be sourced in ECS malfunction must wait. One day, researchers like Dr. Russo will have the resources to provide necessities like a diagnostic test for fibromyalgia, something he’s waiting on funding to get rolling on—a development that could change the lives of millions.

As Dr. Russo told us, “This failure to address ECS education appropriately is in unforgivable breach of scientific trust and a major disservice to the public health.” 

Cannabis pioneer launches company to unlock the potentials of the endocannabinoid system

Published on by megglesworthLeave a comment

Meg Hartley for Leafly
Published on June 29, 2020· Last updated July 28, 2020

Scientists have been articulating the prowess of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) since the ‘80s, yet nearly four decades later, the ECS is hardly covered in medical schools, despite dysfunction of the system being linked to many illnesses. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a system of neurotransmitters and receptors that enables our bodies to benefit from cannabis, and even though medical cannabis is legal in most states, there are only a couple pharmaceuticals on the market that make use of it.

Cannabis has been studied for even longer than the ECS, but we still use the plant rather simplistically. Even though there are many components to cannabis—cannabinoids, terpenes, terpenoids, flavonoids, oh my!—the industry mostly focuses on the cannabinoids THC and CBD, when over 100 compounds have been discovered in the plant.

Luckily, there are people on a mission to elevate this state of affairs. Acclaimed endocannabinoid scientist Ethan Russo has partnered with business aficionado Nishi Whiteley to create CReDO Science, and they’re off to a running start. Their research focuses on how to apply cannabis to balance the health of the ECS and help treat disease, and by creating market-disrupting technologies that utilize this research to create solutions and products (five examples coming up).

CReDO’s mission

As a Leafly reader, you may be familiar with the work of Ethan Russo, as he has been featured in many of our articles (he’s a bit of an ECS rock star). He’s nearing 25 years of experience researching the ECS and cannabis and is also a board-certified neurologist.

The mission of his new company CReDO is, “To commercialize patented products generated from our investigation of the cannabis plant and the endocannabinoid system (ECS), making cannabis safer and better.” According to the company’s website, their moniker reflects the philosophy of innovation as well: “In Latin, CReDO means ‘I believe.’ We maintain that ‘the proof is out there’ for cannabis/hemp-based solutions for better living.”

Talking about the stigma of cannabis and not taking advantage of its potential, Russo said: “What we’re doing is trying to treat disease with at least one of our hands behind our back. It’s a situation where we’re not applying the requisite knowledge to the problems at hand.”

He also went on to say: “It really points out how politics interfere with science and the public good; in this instance, because we’ve really denied ourselves the full benefits of a plant that has so much to offer medically, nutritionally, and as an aid to better living.”

Russo is joined by Nishi Whiteley, a cannabis author and educator with 30 years of business development experience. In addition to stunning business credentials, she is an advocate for cannabis law reform and sits on the board of the Foundation for an Informed Texas, a cannabis advocacy organization.

Products for the endocannabinoid system

The initial efforts of CReDO Science will concentrate in a few areas for which provisional patents are in progress. Russo shared they cannot get too specific when describing most of the products, as they’re still in development: “We’ve got a lot of convergent evolution in science—that’s a fancy way of saying that you can’t have an original idea for long before somebody else will think of the same thing.” But they were able to give us some general scoops.

Here’s what they can reveal:

Disinfectant that works on coronavirus

This product is a disinfectant that’s efficacious enough to kill coronavirus, a great example of using cannabis in a novel fashion, taking advantage of its antibiotic, antiviral, and antifungal properties in an industrial way. “I personally don’t like Clorox, the smell gives me headaches. But there are products that can be made with cannabis in the disinfectant area that would be, I think, aesthetically nicer and potentially even organic,” said Russo.

Diagnostics for diseases of the ECS

CReDO is working on two projects that would diagnose medical conditions related to the ECS. “If there is the potential for products or treatments or profit down the road, that’s nice, but that’s not what keeps me up at night thinking about things; it’s ideas that could help explain what ails us, and what to do about it,” said Russo.

Canna nutritional line

Another product of theirs is a line of cannabis-derived nutritional products (think nutritional bars and capsules) expected to have broad anti-inflammatory effects. The ingredients remain a proprietary secret for now, but they hope to be on the market with full disclosure in the next two to three years. “These would be products that should be saleable anywhere in the US and internationally because they won’t involve the inclusion of nasty [he laughs] THC or anything,” said Russo.

Extraction technique

They’re also working on cannabis extraction hardware that will use a technique to keep more aspects of the plant. “I’m a big proponent of the entourage effect, which requires synergy of terpenoids and cannabinoid components. And yet, many of the extraction techniques really end up wasting, particularly the terpenoid fraction,” said Russo.

This technique would create cannabis products that take advantage of the full power and spectrum of cannabis’ value, allowing us to benefit from terpenes, underutilized cannabinoids, and other components.

Over-the-counter medicine

They had to stay pretty tight-lipped about this one, but according to Russo: “There is a really, really common condition where current products are either toxic or not very effective. We think that we’ve got an effective approach with a cannabis-based product that’s not going to be psychoactive, not subject to any abuse potential.”

Can orgasms help your endocannabinoid system?

Published on by megglesworthLeave a comment

Meg Hartley for Leafly
Published on May 12, 2020 • Last updated July 28, 2020

What if sufferers of certain health conditions having to do with endocannabinoid deficiency were able to heal through the power of orgasm? That question has been on my mind since reading a 2017 study which hypothesizes that endocannabinoids can play an important role in the sexual response cycle.

Endocannabinoids are cannabinoids that the body produces which bind to and activate cannabinoid receptors, much like THC and CBD in cannabis. Specifically, the above study showed significant increases in the body’s levels of the endocannabinoid 2-AG post-orgasm—which could help contribute to the delightful experience we colloquially refer to as “post-coital bliss.”

So, if you’re trying to improve the functioning of your endocannabinoid system (ECS) and thereby related health issues, should you be prioritizing regular orgasms in your self-care routine? I delved into this question with a couple cannabis experts to find out.

Getting down to raise endocannabinoid levels

Dr. Genester Wilson-King, MD, obstetrician, gynecologist, and cannabis advocate, was also intrigued by the 2-AG study mentioned above. “Endocannabinoids … might play a very important role in the sexual response cycle, leading to maybe a better understanding and treatment of sexual dysfunction,” she said.

When asked if regular orgasms could help ECS function, Dr. Dustin Sulak, D.O., said: “There’s a little bit of evidence supporting this theory, not conclusive; but the ECS does well with similar stimuli that create a short-term strong production of cannabinoids, like exercise.”

I asked Sulak if orgasms could be a “double-whammy” since they stimulate the ECS by both being an enjoyable exercise as well as directly boosting endocannabinoid levels: “Absolutely. Sex [with orgasm] is the double-whammy for sure. It’s a triple or quadruple whammy. It involves touch. In animals, touch and social grooming are strong ways to stimulate endocannabinoid release. I think many people don’t have enough social grooming activities or physically touch each other on a daily basis, but feel better when they do.”

Doc’s orders

So how often should one be taking advantage of these benefits? According to Dr. Sulak, “I would suggest at least once a day doing something that strongly stimulates endocannabinoid activity. And so, perhaps if it’s a day when somebody didn’t have a chance to exercise, or dance, or sing, and the day’s winding down, and they realize, well, it’s time for a different type of practice, I would say go for it.”

Women could actually benefit from more than one orgasm per day. “I think experts in the orgasm field would recommend, especially for women, to have several per day for optimal health. And you know, typically for women, one orgasm can follow the next. And so there’s not a good reason for stopping at one,” he said.

Dr. Wilson-King noted that cannabis can potentially help bring back multiples for some women: “I don’t know that it can help a person who is not multi-orgasmic, but a person who has had multiple orgasms in the past, certainly using cannabis can enhance that.”

But it’s different for the fellas. “What a lot of men don’t realize is that they can absolutely have orgasms without ejaculating,” said Dr. Sulak. “The practice is essentially to approach orgasm very slowly and cautiously, then wait in that space that leads up to orgasm. It starts out feeling like a very narrow space where they kind of get right up to the edge and then fall over. With enough practice that edge can become miles long, and they can remain at the edge and have all sorts of orgasmic feelings and actual contractions in their body without ejaculation.”

Self-lovin’ and wellness

The aforementioned study on 2-AG studied masturbation, and both Drs. Sulak and Wilson-King stressed that one does not need to be partnered to enjoy the benefits regular orgasms can have for the endocannabinoid system.

Dr. Sulak elaborates, saying “I really want to encourage people to not feel like they need a partner to achieve the health benefits. So many people think, what am I going to do right now? Oh, I’ll either jog or maybe I’ll meditate or something. And the idea of a sexual health practice probably doesn’t even occur to most of the readers.”

So, the next time you’ve got a free hour to engage in some wellness, remember Dr. Sulak’s words: “Meditation, running, and masturbation can all produce increased endocannabinoid levels and states of euphoria and mental clarity.”

Cannabis can help release endocannabinoids

While Dr. Wilson-King doesn’t recommend cannabis first for help in getting to orgasm, she said it absolutely can help for some: “Cannabis is a libido enhancer. It helps you to relax, helps you to have maybe more body awareness and sensitivity … Pharmaceuticals are usually single molecular substances that have one effect, whereas cannabis is multifactorial, such that it affects the brain, it affects the body, it affects the vaginal tissue, it affects the sensitivity. The advantage of cannabis is its multi-pronged approach.”

She also noted that cannabis can do wonders for women who deal with painful sex, saying, “It can relax the vaginal muscles, relax the mind, and has the patient focus more on her partner and her body as opposed to worrying about pain.”

As for how much to use, she said, “Using cannabis for sex is generally dose-related, especially for men—lower doses really help, whereas higher doses, you get too stimulated and can’t focus and may have difficulty, men more than women, but low doses are effective for both.”

Dr. Sulak is on the same page. “The goal I think for someone that is really wanting to use this information for health would be to consider using a little THC at a low dose to help them kind of change their gears and compartmentalize the rest of their day, creating a sacred space and a new mindset as they approach the practice. But not to use so much THC that they’re very intoxicated. Rather, they should be trying to use their own equipment—to get high on their own supply,” he said, referencing tapping into one’s own endocannabinoids.

The stoner’s guide to the Wim Hof Method

Published on by megglesworthLeave a comment

By Meg Hartley
Published on April 23, 2020 • Last updated July 28, 2020

Have you heard of the Wim Hof Method (WHM)? It’s a wellness practice that involves concentrated breathing exercises followed by exposure to extremely cold temperatures, and it’s said to result in all kinds of health benefits. It has also led to Hof himself breaking many world records for cold temperature exposure. 

This is pretty cool on its own, but it also turns out that WHM can raise the levels of your body’s natural cannabinoids, or endocannabinoids.

Like many, I was introduced to the eccentrically delightful Wim Hof—often called “The Iceman”—via the recent Netflix documentary, which features a group of Goop Lab staffers doing an ice-cold plunge after breathing exercises. That week, a doctor I interviewed for a Leafly article coincidentally brought up WHM too, suggesting it might help me manage fibromyalgia symptoms because it raises natural cannabinoid levels. 

As you might know, endocannabinoids are the body’s version of the cannabinoids in cannabis; they interact with the receptors in our endocannabinoid system (ECS) in our bodies to regulate a large variety of functions and help keep the body in balance, so all kinds of things can go awry when your body isn’t making enough of them. It seems that breathing exercises, plus freezing water, can help.

The science of The Iceman

Professors at Wayne State University published a study on how The Iceman’s brain responds during controlled whole-body cold-temperature exposure. They studied Hof and found stunning differences in how he reacted to cold exposure compared to other healthy adults.

They expected him to show significant brain activations where the brain’s higher thermoregulatory centers are located, but instead they observed differences located in his upper brainstem. “This area is associated with brain mechanisms for the control of sensory pain and is thought to implement this control through the release of opioids and cannabinoids,” said Otto Muzik, PhD, one of the authors of the study, in a statement. 

The study explains that the release of endocannabinoids due to WHM leads to a state of relaxed, euphoric well-being: “This mechanism might mediate the release of endogenous opioids/cannabinoids in both the periphery (via the descending pain/cold suppression pathway) and the CNS … leading to a feeling of euphoria, anxiolysis [decreased anxiety] and a sense of well-being, which further promotes an attentionally focused (mindful) state that augments the analgesic effect of endocannabinoids.” 

Unfortunately, for those of us hoping to get ECS perks with the breathing exercises minus the freezing temperatures, the study says that the freezing element is needed to really get the ECS pumping: “Our results agree with earlier studies showing that aversive stimuli to the skin (thermal, mechanical or chemical) are particularly potent in activating endocannabinoid anti-nociception [blocking the detection of painful stimuli] in higher cognitive areas.” 

The study also relates the boost to the ECS as a hope for healing autoimmune disease: “Moreover, endocannabinoids inhibit oedema [swelling] and inflammation … which agrees well with previous reports that describe a decreased immune response associated with WHM practice.” 

This is why that doctor suggested WHM could help me manage fibromyalgia, as well as other diseases thought to be centered around the autoimmune response.

How to do the Wim Hof Method

Reaping the benefits of the Wim Hof Method is pretty darn simple. All you need to do is get comfortable, sitting or lying down, and follow the instructions in this 11-minute video: 

Take 30 deep breaths, doing something called wave breathing: fill your stomach fully with air, then your lungs, then release through your mouth.

After the 30th breath, breathe out all air and try to hold it for one minute. When the minute is up, breathe in and spend fifteen seconds with your lungs filled to capacity, then release—this is the glorious time when I start to feel those endocannabinoids roll in. 

Just as what happens with herb, my fibromyalgia pain is lessened in a whooooosh that causes such relief, it’s euphoric. With WHM, this moment’s relief is also accompanied by an intoxicating sensation that I rarely get from cannabis (as a full-time medical user).

And then you start again. The second and third rounds have you hold your breath out for 90 seconds, but it’s important to not push it, and take a breath if you need to. I’ve noticed that the pleasurable sensations tend to increase with each round, which is fun. 

After the third round comes the cold shower. I like to do a dry brush before mine, which helps detoxify the body and also feels really nice after all that tingly-making breathwork. 

Let’s get Hoffy

So, it’s been one month of daily Wim Hoffing it up, and I must say: I still do not like cold showers. However, I do already see the benefits of taking them, as they leave my energy stores a bit rejuvenated and my skin feeling weirdly awesome for the rest of the day. 

I started with just barely making it through a minute-long cold shower, and now my longest time is a little over three minutes—I’m digging the self-competition element to WHM as well.

And the team at Wim Hof actually put out a free Quarantine Challenge just for the current situation, which takes this exercise through 40 days, ending in 5 rounds of breathing and a two-minute cold shower. Hey, what else are you gonna do? Plus, what better time to boost your immune system?

Best wishes on this journey, and as Hof says, “enjoy getting high on your own supply.”  

Does cannabis make you poo?

Published on by megglesworthLeave a comment

By Meg Hartley
Published on April 13, 2020 • Last updated July 28, 2020

Have you ever sat down for a nice session but after a few tokes suddenly have to get up to hit the bathroom? I noticed a connection so I asked the internet, which provided abundant anecdotal evidence, proving I wasn’t alone in my pondering. After I started peeking into what science had to say on the matter, my curiosity only increased.

I did a deep dive into studies on the subject, as well as consulted a couple experts, and it turns out the connection between smoking a bowl and going #2 is no coincidence. Between cannabis calming our nerves, its effect on the gut’s microbiome, and the endocannabinoid system being involved in the activity in this department, it looks like weed can, indeed, make us doodie.

Too stressed to go

I spoke with medical cannabis expert and integrative medicine physician Dustin Sulak, D.O. “Endocannabinoids absolutely do affect motility, both directly and indirectly. The most powerful way in which cannabis could help a person defecate is by helping them to relax and get into a more parasympathetic state,” said Sulak.

Another way to think of a parasympathetic state is “rest and digest,” with defecation being part of the digest aspect. This is opposed to the sympathetic nervous system, which prepares the body to act quickly. There is an evolutionary reason for not being able to poo while in a fight-or-flight state enacted by the sympathetic nervous system: “If we’re escaping from a bear attacking us, we don’t want to have to defecate,” said Sulak.

He continued, “Conversely, when it’s time to relax and empty our bowels, we don’t want to feel threatened. That has to happen in a place where we feel comfortable. But, unfortunately, a lot of people are taking their stressors around with them, even into the bathroom, with their phones or just in their minds, remaining stressed out, feeling threatened in some way.” 

But cannabis, and endocannabinoids that our bodies produce, can help. “Our inner pharmacy’s version of cannabis, the endocannabinoids, and herbal cannabis, have the ability to suppress this excessive sympathetic activity. So if the fight-or-flight response is turned on too strongly, the right dose of cannabis can suppress it. This is obvious to people who use cannabis to help them relax and find relief from anxiety. The same mechanism would allow someone to shift into rest and digest, or parasympathetic dominance, and get the job done,” he said.

The Goldilocks zone

Endocannabinoids help keep the body in balance. One of those endocannabinoids, 2-AG, is an important physiologic regulator of gastrointestinal motility—i.e., pooping—and behaves like THC. “That’s one of our body’s signaling molecules that mimics THC, or THC mimics it. 2-AG is active in regulating the sympathetic and parasympathetic influence on the gut, and in the gut itself, where it suppresses excessive activity and brings the system into balance,” said Sulak. 

So in this way, cannabis could lead to a deuce by helping keep our nervous system and our gut in the “Goldilocks zone,” or the healthy range of activity.

Cannabis can also help someone get into the needed relaxed state by relieving pain. “When people are in chronic pain, even if it has nothing to do with the rectum—if it’s their foot or their leg or their head—that still creates a kind of threatening internal state. So it can be hard when in pain or feeling anxiety to relax enough to use the bathroom. Cannabis can be very useful for that,” said Sulak.

Dr. Sulak concluded with a word of caution: “For people with constipation not related to stress or pain, cannabis could potentially worsen the issue because it can suppress muscular contractions and secretion in the colon, the same ways in which it can help with diarrhea.”

More on cannabis and BMs

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is also integral to the brain-gut axis, which modulates activity in this realm, including helping people poop. This 2016 study says that the ECS is “An important physiologic regulator of gastrointestinal motility,” meaning bowel movements.

Foremost psychopharmacology researcher Ethan Russo, M.D., also told us, “A lot of people note easier bowel movements after cannabis. This can alleviate both constipation or diarrhea associated with irritable bowel syndrome, a presumptive clinical endocannabinoid deficiency syndrome. THC also positively alters the gut microbiome and this effect should not be discredited.”

Additionally, a 2019 study found that cannabis consumption was associated with a 30% decrease in constipation. 

So, if you’ve ever wondered if there’s a connection between enjoying herb and needing to head for a #2—‘tis not in your imagination. Next time you need a little help, maybe try sparking up a doobie so you can dookie. 

Stay regular, friends.

Endometriosis is painful as hell. At least there’s cannabis

Published on by megglesworthLeave a comment

Meg Hartley for Leafly

Published on September 23, 2019 • Last updated July 28, 2020

One night in 2014, intense menstrual cramping had driven me home from a dinner out with a friend, leading to full-on sobbing by the time I got back to my apartment. It wasn’t the first time I’d experienced severe endometriosis symptoms, I’d been diagnosed long ago, but I usually kept the pain from complete meltdown levels with cannabis. Unfortunately, this was pre-legalization, and “my guy” was dry.

As I Googled to see how much Ibuprofen I could take before endangering myself, the pain shot up again. Twenty minutes later, I’d broken out in hives, and waves of darkness flooded the corners of my vision. I prayed I’d lose consciousness, to no avail. It was a very, very long night.

When endometriosis pain gets like that, it feels like barbed wire has been looped all over your guts, and some jerk is slowly, yet fiercely, twisting the wire—pulling on the entangled tissues and organs, threatening to rip them apart. (And then someone dares to say, “It’s just your period,” and you claw their face off!)

It’s actually bodily tissue looped all over your guts

Unfortunately, what endometriosis feels like is actually pretty accurate to what it is.

A woman’s period is a result of the shedding of endometrial tissue built up from the hormonal cycle. But in endometriosis, this tissue grows outside of the womb, where it’s unable to shed. This tissue is often described as looking like a web, wrapping itself over organs outside of the womb, and even connecting them. (In extreme cases, the organs actually become fused together, called “frozen pelvis.”)

Because this tissue becomes trapped in the body, when it’s time for the body to do its monthly thing—it really freakin’ hurts. But endometriosis doesn’t stop there. In addition to “severe menstrual cramps” (an infuriatingly minimizing description), this wandering tissue also leads to chronic lower-back, abdominal, and pelvic pain; painful intercourse; painful urination and/or bowel movements; IBS symptoms; and infertility. Endo fighters—an estimated 11% of women—also have increased rates of ovarian cancer.

The treatment options offered to fighters are paltry. Hormonal birth control is usually the first thing recommended, but many women react adversely to it. Painkillers are the next line of defense, from stomach-damaging NSAIDS to life-ruining opioids—none of which a great option for decades of ongoing use. Other fighters get the endometriosis tissue surgically removed, which obviously has substantial side effects, as well as doing nothing to keep it from growing right back.

Luckily, we have cannabis.

From cannabis concern to convert

Foria is a cannabis company that specifically targets female health concerns, like endometriosis, offering innovative products like suppositories—an invention that’s arguably better than anything the pharmaceutical industry has offered sufferers in decades.

We spoke with Kiana Reeves, Director of Education at Foria, to see how their efforts are faring—and so far, so great. These sales are accompanied by thank you notes that serve as a testament to the power of cannabis to treat endo’s symptoms.

One such testimonial comes from Ashley, who was raised to fear cannabis, but worked her way to it from general herbal medicine after years of negative experiences trying to combat endo with pharmaceuticals. In addition to bringing back her sex life, cannabis treatment led to less endometrial tissue needing to be removed in surgery—to say the least, she’s now a convert. Her initial fears about cannabis were further compounded as a mother, but she now has a non-intoxicating arsenal of CBD and low-dose/topical THC tools at her disposal.

The science on endometriosis and cannabis

Traditional methods of endometriosis treatment merely attempt to mitigate symptoms, but there’s evidence that cannabis can potentially treat the actual condition. Cannabis and the endocannabinoid system (ECS) work together to fight aspects of endo in many ways—and, for once, the science on why cannabis is so successful at treating endometriosis is (relatively) abundant.

Migration and growth

Since the source of endometriosis is cells being where they shouldn’t be, tapping into the ways they migrate will be crucial in understanding, and eventually curing, endometriosis. The most promising development in regard to this area is how cannabis interacts with the N-arachidonyl glycine receptor (NAGly receptor), more commonly referred to as the GPR18 receptor, which works with the cannabinoids in cannabis as well as the body’s natural endocannabinoids.

The name of the game with the ECS is all about balance, and endometriosis is no exception to the rule. While the cannabinoid CBD blocks the activation of the GPR18 receptor, which can stop endometrial cells from migrating, there’s also evidence pointing to THC causing the migration of cells by activating this receptor. Because of this, it might be wise to counteract pain-relieving THC with CBD for treating endometriosis. Endometrial cells multiply, like cancer, and there’s also evidence that cannabinoids can also stop these cells from this proliferation.

Painkiller

The pain involved with endometriosis is the most impactful aspect of the disease for most women. As described above, this literally “gut wrenching” pain is often completely debilitating—and for many women it lasts a whole lot longer 2-7 days, with pain extending outside of menses or a longer menses duration. But cannabis comes to the rescue again, fighting pain in several ways.

THC does its pain-squashing magic not by merely distracting from symptoms—which sure doesn’t hurt—but by deactivating nerves in endometrial cells via endocannabinoid receptors. CBD also has its own super power, desensitizing the pain receptor TRPV1. And cannabis has one more pain-fighting weapon in CBD with its ability to take down inflammation, which leads to less irritated nerves, thereby, less pain.

Improving the tone of the endocannabinoid system

There’s mounting evidence to show that imbalances in the endocannabinoid system (ECS) are the force behind many common chronic illnesses, and while endometriosis isn’t in the disease rubric, dysmenorrhea (painful periods) is—and the rubric isn’t thought to be comprehensive. The fact that cannabis is able to interact with the endocannabinoid system to help fight symptoms is another sign that a negatively impacted ECS could be the cause of endo, but more research is needed.

Tamás Bíró, Professor and Director General of the Hungarian Center of Excellence for Molecular Medicine and Director of Applied Research for Phytecs told me via email that reaching optimal ECS tone (to balance endocannabinoid levels) is a balancing act of its own.

“The most important thing you can do to keep the ECS healthy is to avoid the extremes—to name a few examples: avoid extreme and chronic stress, avoid being overweight, control alcohol consumption, and try to curtail dependencies in general,” he said.

Though simply taking full-spectrum CBD may also help boost tone, all-in-all, getting a healthy ECS is all about living a healthy lifestyle. Other frequent advice on the matter entails eating right for your body (elimination diets are a great help here) and getting regular exercise. If that were the whole “cure” of endometriosis, we’d have a lot more cured patients out there. But, to this fighter anyways, it’s nice to know science might at least be close to the origin of this disease.

And in the meantime, at least there’s cannabis.

Are we turning CBD into snake oil?

Published on by megglesworthLeave a comment

Meg Hartley

Published on August 1, 2019 • Last updated July 28, 2020

B12 deficiency nearly caused my death in 2015; did you have any idea that’s even something to worry about? Like me four years ago, you probably didn’t—and it’s largely due to a fellow known as “Dr. Feelgood.” This charlatan popularized B12 in the 1960s, administering it in a decidedly not-medical fashion, giving it to those without a deficiency because of the energy boost it offered, often combining it with intoxicants and other substances.

CBD has become a trend before scientists have even fully figured out how it works with our bodies.

This eventually led to it culturally being thought of as a “snake oil,” or basically worthless and unnecessary medicine—which had unfortunate and severe effects on how it’s now treated by the medical community at large. And this happened despite the 1934 Nobel Prize in Medicine being awarded to the man who stopped the formerly frequent deaths of the deficiency, then known as pernicious anemia.

In our culture, we like things simple. Even though B12 deficiency was an extremely common cause of death a mere century ago, doctors are now hardly taught about it; they’re not even taught to screen for it correctly, and often not testing even serum levels unless they see anemia, a late-stage symptom that doesn’t happen in everyone.

Let’s talk about what this means for cannabis. CBD, or cannabidiol, is trendy. So trendy, it’s showing up at dinner parties, high-end juice bars, even Carl’s Jr.—and it’s at risk of falling into the same fate as B12.

The Big Deal

Within each and every one of us is a system of receptors that interact with cannabis, allowing us to experience its pleasurable and therapeutic effects. It’s called the endocannabinoid system, or ECS for short. Yet most doctors haven’t been taught about the endocannabinoid system at all, ever.

Despite the willful ignorance of the medical field in this regard, experts have been studying the ECS for nearly 30 years, understanding that it acts as a balancing force in all of the other bodily systems. Put simply, the ECS is an important biological network that medical professionals have yet to fully understand.

What if the result of CBD-mania could be that the medical prowess of the ECS, and the cannabinoids that interact with it, aren’t ever taken seriously?

Because it interacts with the other bodily systems to help achieve homeostasis (or balance), when the ECS isn’t functioning properly, it may affect the body in a multitude of ways, and often in a severe manner.

This is also why cannabinoids like CBD are such medical powerhouses—because they can help the ECS function when it can’t produce enough endocannabinoids (the cannabinoid-like compounds our body naturally produces) to run properly. Different cannabinoids in cannabis work with the ECS in a multitude of ways, empowering it to aid the cacophony of symptoms that can be caused by ECS imbalance.

The “Dr. Feelgoods” of CBD

By way of its effects on the ECS, CBD is a serious subject, and the way it’s regarded has very real implications. All of us need to start treating it appropriately, but especially medical professionals and those profiting from CBD.Since the passing of the Farm Bill, CBD has completed saturated our culture—and the pyramid schemes, ice cream flavors, and sketchy (untested!) products from random websites are affecting the way CBD is viewed.

The stigma around cannabis has already led to a major bodily system being largely ignored by the people who are responsible for protecting our health. CBD has become a trend before scientists have even fully figured out how it works with our bodies.

In our culture, if people think something is irrelevant, history has shown that it will be treated as so, regardless of overwhelming facts to the contrary. Even though the ECS was discovered in the early 90’s, its relation to a stigmatized plant means that it’s been ignored. Our nation has been swept up in the miraculous power of a cannabinoid without even really knowing what it is, or that there’s many more of them waiting to be studied and benefited from.

CBD has already proven to be an important medicine for serious conditions. But if we keep treating CBD with all the relevance of a fidget spinner, it’s hard to imagine that the dinosaur pace of cannabis science will hasten. This means that the lack of an even rudimentary test for endocannabinoid deficiency or dysfunction will persist, and people will continue to be diagnosed with “incurable” and misunderstood diseases—and still suffer the symptoms.

The ECS and Endocannabinoids: Are We Made for Cannabis? 

Published on by megglesworthLeave a comment

Originally published in the now-defunct but beloved Civilized, in early 2019.

Let me ask you a cringe-worthy question, “Have you heard of CBD?”

Of course you have. (It’s already got its own pyramid schemes, for crying out loud.) You’ve probably also heard of THC, three letters cherished throughout the world for the euphoric effects it brings. And you might even know that they are both cannabinoids, active compounds of the cannabis plant, and that there are many many others. 

But did you know that your body makes its own versions of cannabinoids?

True story. They’re called endocannabinoids, and they’ve got a big responsibility. We’ll share how to keep them at their best, but first let’s explore the system that they’re a part of.

The Endocannabinoid System is what Makes Cannabis so Powerful

There’s a network of receptors located throughout your body called the endocannabinoid system (ECS), and it’s how the cannabinoids in cannabis work their magic. This crucial system was discovered back in 1988; but, in large part due to the illegality and stigma surrounding the plant that it interacts with, it’s tragically understudied and hardly covered in medical school. 

The cannabinoids in cannabis interact with receptors all over the ECS, causing various effects in the system they are located within – and they’re located everywhere. 

We spoke with self-described ‘cannabinoidologist’ Tamás Bíró MD, PhD, DSc, Professor, Director General of the Hungarian Center of Excellence for Molecular Medicine and Director of Applied Research, Phytecs, Inc. who explained, “The ECS is a central player in maintaining and controlling the homeostasis of the human body. As of today, we know that the ECS is functionally active in all organs of the body and controls most of its physiological processes.” 

You read that right, the ECS is active in all organs of the body and controls most of the processes that keep us alive and functioning. It’s global presence in the body is how cannabinoids, like the now-ubiquitous CBD, are able to help treat all kinds of ailments.

But We Also Make Endocannabinoids

It might seem like our bodies were made for weed, but it’s not quite a stoner fantasy of that level. (Still pretty cool though.) Our bodies create molecules called endocannabinoids, the prefix endo– being short for endogenous, that also interact with this system, helping it to promote healthy function throughout the body. 

Though several more have been discovered, two main endocannabinoids are presently being studied. Anandamide was the first to be discovered, named for the Sanskrit word for ‘bliss’. The second main endocannabinoid is 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG); whose moniker may not have a charming origin, but has been scientifically linked to feelings of bliss as well; 2-AG’s plasma levels have been found to be elevated after orgasm in both men and women. 

A more well-known byproduct of elevated endocannabinoid levels is the phenomenon of peaceful euphoria often experienced by athletes during intense exercise. As explained to us by Nicholas V. DiPatrizio, Ph.D., University of California, Riverside School of Medicine, “Levels of endocannabinoids are elevated in blood during running, which may contribute – at least in part – to ‘runner’s high’.”

When Endocannabinoids Can’t do Their Thing, Trouble Arises

The ECS helps promote health throughout the body by encouraging balance in its various functions. Much like we prefer not to be too hot or too cold, the systems in our bodies have “Goldilocks zones” that they perform best at. The endocannabinoids and receptors that make up the ECS help adjust functions so they are just right.

And when this system isn’t able to its job, health can go very awry. As Dr. Bíró puts it, “For the body to stay healthy, it requires a healthy ECS. However, like all equations, ‘healthy ECS = healthy body’ is also valid from the other direction.” He continues talking about the impacts of an unhealthy ECS, “As a consequence; the ECS will be unable to regulate homeostasis, which in turn impairs key physiological functions.” 

So, if you want to get a healthy body – you need to get a healthy ECS.

What Can I do to Improve my ECS Health?

1) Maintain Balance: It makes sense that practicing harmony in one’s lifestyle is the way to keep this system of balance in order. Dr. Bíró continues, “The most important thing you can do to keep the ECS healthy is to avoid the extremes. To name a few examples: avoid extreme and chronic stress, avoid being overweight, control alcohol consumption, and try to curtail dependencies, in general.”

2) …Even When it Comes to Cannabis: Dr. Bíró also notes that while overconsumption of non-endogenous cannabinoids (like those in cannabis) can lead to ECS dysfunction, conversely they can also be used to treat the symptoms that it causes. “One can use carefully selected and properly dosed cannabinoids to substitute for endocannabinoids if their production levels are low.” He also noted that some ratios were more beneficial than others, drawing importance to the use of multiple cannabinoids (not just, say, CBD) as well as why there’s discrepancy among pertinent studies.  

3)  Eat Right and Get Moving: We also spoke with Ethan Russo, MD. of the International Cannabis and Cannabinoids Institute, who shared, “Lifestyle approaches can be integral to fostering a healthy ECS. These include regular aerobic exercise and following an anti-inflammatory diet; such as a Mediterranean diet, with emphasis on olive oil, fish, seeds and nuts,” also suggesting pro- and prebiotics. He added, “Sedentary behavior is harmful to the ECS, as are foods that are pro-inflammatory, such as fried foods with trans-fats, or too many calories in general.”

To Feel Good, Get Right with Your ECS

The ECS not only makes cannabis so powerful, it’s the system responsible for keeping all the other systems in line. It’s a big deal, even if your doctor isn’t privy to it. 

Dr. Russo continues, “Boosting endocannabinoid tone offers many advantages, by balancing neurotransmitter function in the brain, regulating digestion, and positively influencing overall homeostasis in virtually every physiological system of the body.” He also noted how personal advocacy is important, “People should be encouraged to educate themselves and their doctors on the role of the endocannabinoid system in overall health and its maintenance.”

So if you’re feeling off, consider how balanced your approaches to activities and wellness are; maybe your ECS needs a little TLC. And while you’re restoring balance, a bit of THC, CBD, CBN, or any of the many other cannabinoids out there – just might ease the journey.