Endocannabinoid System – I have one of those?
You’ve heard of the digestive system, the circulatory system and the respiratory system, but have you heard of the endocannabinoid system? It turns out its REALLY IMPORTANT and yes, you have one of those.
Knowledge of the endocannabinoid system is relatively new. In 1988 during a government study, it was discovered that the brain has receptors that respond to compounds found in cannabis. These receptors, now called cannabinoid receptors, are the most abundant neurotransmitter receptors in the brain. A few years later, scientists came across a previously unknown molecular signaling system within the body that is involved in regulating a wide range of biological functions. This system was aptly named the Endocannabinoid system (ECS). The main goal of the ECS is to maintain a stable internal environment despite fluctuations in the external environment. It is this system that creates homeostasis (balance or equilibrium) within the body. When an imbalance is detected within our internal environment, the body synthesizes endocannabinoids that interact with the cannabinoid receptors to bring the internal processes back to homeostasis.
Regardless of the lack of knowledge about how the endocannabinoid system works, why it may be activated or inhibited, or what effects it may have, recent evidence suggests that an understanding of the endocannabinoid system could be extremely important in preventing, managing, or even treating certain chronic conditions. An inadequate understanding of many neurological disorders leads to poor health outcomes for many individuals due to a lack of effective therapies for treating disorders that are complex and poorly understood. As more knowledge is gained about the endocannabinoid system, more therapies that treat symptoms and may even reverse some conditions are developed, but many uses of the endocannabinoid system are only theories at this time.
Supporting all of the cannabinoids in this system is crucial to good health and wellness.