Of the five years of my chiropractic school study, most of three years were dedicated to studying physiology....cardiovascular, neurological, endocrine, digestive and so on. Since I graduated in 1987, I missed one of the most important medical discoveries of the next decade: the existance of an endocannabinoid system in our body.
What is unique about the ECS is that it is interconnected with almost EVERY bodily function and acts as a regulator for homeostasis (the single most important physiological state we humans have). This system is a network of receptors known as CB1 (primarily in the brain) and CB2 (primarily in the immune system, aka "gut," and peripheral tissue) and scattered about many other tissues and organs. When activated, these receptors serve important and diverse purposes affecting motor function (movement), pain/inflammatory response, memory, immune response, digestion, bone growth, blood pressure and protection of brain cells.
Dysfunction or deficiency of the ECS seems to be involved in the cause of certain lifestyle diseases such as cancer, atherosclerosis, diabetes, Crohn's, dementia, IBD and arthritis, but, my guess is that researchers will also find a correlation to most of the auto-immune diseases such as MS, Hashimoto's, Celiac, RA and even Alzheimer's. Such conditions as seizures, depression/anxiety/PTSD, inflammatory diseases and chronic pain conditions are also being studied. It's simply a matter of funding for the research.
Part 3, next week.
Dr. Esther
drkollars@gmail.com
fixdhealthcare.com
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