Chemicals that you produce naturally in your brain that are powerful pain relievers
By Paul Bolger. Chartered Physiotherapist at Nano Physiotherapy, Kilkenny (www.nanophysio.ie).
There is a drug cabinet in your brain. Within this drug cabinet is one of the most powerful pain-relieving drugs of them all – and you have the power to make use of all its natural pain-relieving capabilities.
Let’s explore this amazing drug cabinet, starting with one of the most potent pain relievers we know of.
Endorphins
Endorphins are a family of neurotransmitters in our brain (a neurotransmitter is a chemical messenger that nerve cells produce and use to communicate with one another). The name ‘endorphin’ tells us a lot about what these amazing chemicals do.
‘Endo’ stands for endogenous – which means we produce this substance in our own body (exogenous means it comes from outside of the body). ‘-orphin’ is a shortened version of morphine – the powerful opioid drug that is used for the most severe pain experiences.
Endorphins were discovered by neuroscientists in the 1970s. These scientists figured out that morphine worked by binding to special receptors in different areas of the central nervous system. They thought that there must already be a substance in the brain just like morphine – otherwise those receptors would not have been there in the first place. This led to the discovery of endorphins and other similar self-made opioids in the brain.
Positive Side Effects
Unlike many opioid medications (which can cause constipation, grogginess and in some cases addiction), the side effects of these natural neurotransmitters are positive – like stress regulation, improved mood and social bonding.
Give Yourself a Regular Endorphin Boost
So, if you want to make the most of the pain relieving, mood boosting, stress busting benefits of endorphins, here are some things that you can do.
Social experiences enhance endorphin production. Time with friends, hugging, physical touch, group activities and laughter all drive up endorphin release.
Exercise is another fantastic way to boost endorphin production. The “runner’s high” that long-distance runners experience is likely related to this rise in endorphins. Exercising for longer durations seems to work best to get an endorphin kick, but any exercise is better than none!
Listening intently to beautiful music, getting deeply into a creative ‘flow’ state, eating a little dark chocolate, intimacy, and cold-water emersion are other fantastic ways increase the flow of endorphins through these magnificent brains of ours.
Your Physiotherapy Prescription
As a physiotherapist I work with people suffering from ongoing pain issues on a weekly basis. People expect a physiotherapist to prescribe exercises or maybe offer some temporary pain relief with hands-on treatment – which we certainly can provide.
But, for many of us who suffer from ongoing pain issues, a prescription of time with friends, laughter, intimacy, physical contact with loved ones, listening to music or getting back in touch with our creative side might be just what the doctor ordered.
