Natural High, By Psy-23

That being said, over the past year or so I have started to  take  more  notice  of  my  health  as  I’m  not  getting  any younger and a global pandemic has a funny way of bringing health to the forefront of your mind.

Having taken some advice from a close friend with a penchant for personal training, I’ve spent the last few months adjusting my diet and building up my stamina through some gentle cardio and resistance/strength training. It’s been surprisingly easy to get into and it’s highlighted to me how many poor choices we tend to make simply through the preference for convenience.

What surprised me the most was the fact that I am now actually eating more regularly and losing weight (although that is probably mainly down to my hugely reduced alcohol content, but there we are).

My focus has been looking at trying to avoid pre-prepared food where possible in favor of whole foods and home cooking. I have also tried to support my endocannabinoid system (ECS) through a mixture of food choices and the switch to hemp seed oil alongside some additional seeds and nuts.

Despite struggling with aches and pains over the first few weeks, I quickly came to find that my fitness levels increased reasonably quickly. I tried to mix up some basic stretching and resistance band work with a gentle jog/half hour walk at pace, yet I still find it difficult to find the motivation and/or time to stick to a regular training schedule. Regardless of my intermittent effort and focus, I’m making progress and I feel better for it. That’s not something I thought I would ever say (okay, maybe I am a bit lazy).

While I’m hardly likely to become a hardcore gym monkey (the idea of going to a gym still puts me off – I prefer to exercise awkwardly in the comfort of my own home), I have become more interested in how our body utilizes various nutritional content to help maintain a healthy balance with the aim of achieving homeostasis.

Numerous studies have already made connections between endocannabinoids and an overall sense of wellbeing, but I recently became aware of a study linking the ECS to a well-known and much-discussed phenomenon.Even if, like me, you have no real interest in the more grueling physical aspects of life, I would assume that you have heard of the ‘runner’s high’.

For many years, people have assumed that pushing the limits of physical exertion causes the body to produce endorphins, resulting in a sense of euphoria. People who have experienced this claim to feel a relaxing buzz which heightens the mood and vastly reduces anxiety. Incredibly, a recent study from the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf made a fascinating and ground-breaking discovery that turns our understanding of the runner’s high on its head.

By analyzing the levels of various chemical compounds within the body during bouts of exercise on a treadmill, it was discovered that the ‘feel good chemicals’ which have thus far been associated with this sensation seem to have little-to-no association in reality. The methods by which the ECS allows endocannabinoids to pass from the bloodstream to the brain has been found to a key component in how exercise produces these feelings of exhilaration.

Whereas previous hypotheses have held the firm belief that endorphins were solely responsible, this new study instead finds that the structure of endorphins impedes the efficiency of their transference from the bloodstream to the brain.

In order to demonstrate this, half of the patients enrolled in the study were given a dose of a drug that blocks the body’s opioid receptors, thereby eliminating any opportunity for the endorphins to bind and transfer from the blood. The results were very interesting and seem to indicate that the previously held belief is inaccurate.

By testing the chemical levels in the blood of those enrolled in the testing scenarios, the scientists found that the levels of endocannabinoids in the bloodstream increased after running on the treadmill for the required length of time.

Furthermore, the group who were given the blockers demonstrated a greater sense of ease and much reduced anxiety than those in the placebo group. While the study goes on to explain that this is only a stepping stone towards further studies, and also explains that the results are not conclusive due to the laboratory settings, it is certainly an exciting prospect that sports science will soon have an established and proven link between our amazing endocannabinoid system and aspects of stamina and recovery.

Over the coming years, studies like this will pave the way for modern medicine to finally start treating cannabinoids with the respect that they deserve. For far too long, research has been limited by the same tired old arguments about ‘illegal drugs’ and the apparent ills that may befall a society that dares to acknowledge that mankind has evolved alongside cannabis and the whole family of cannabinoids and endocannabinoids.

One can only hope that this is only the beginning of this type of research and it doesn’t seem to be too far-fetched to imagine a not-too-distant future where people are encouraged to understand how the ECS can have a positive impact on their overall health and wellbeing.

That being said, even at this stage there’s a huge number of positives to take away from this. If nothing else, news like this makes me reconsider my own aversion to running – I mean, if I can get ‘high’ for free and get fit at the same time, what’s not to love? If I’m not back next issue, just assume that I’ve gone all Forrest Gump and started running non-stop just for the buzz.Right, I’m off to contemplate my first pair of running shoes.