Health, Endorphins, Adrenaline & The Endocrine System

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Discussion #24 - Health, Endorphins, & The Endocrine System

Many different emotions, stimuli & activities cause endorphins to be produced & secreted into the bloodstream. Listening to (or playing) music, watching an exciting movie. Eating a good meal, socializing. Playing in sports, going shopping. A leisurely walk with our pet, laughing at a good joke. Being ambitious, working hard, etc. The old-fashioned idea that you had to be running for miles, having sex, eating spicy food (or chocolate), meditating, giving birth, etc. is absolute rubbish! While these activities do indeed cause endorphins to be created, any activity/emotion/stimuli that creates pleasure, excitement, or a sense of satisfaction will also do the trick.

The biggest mistake in the common way of thinking, is the belief that stress, fear, anxiety & anger are the primary causes of endorphin production. While these emotions do cause the creation of (sometimes massive amounts of) adrenaline (or epinephrine), there is nothing remotely pleasant about them. (Short bursts do produce a euphoric sensation, but not if sustained for very long).

These two chemicals are constantly being mistaken for each other, & yet they are really polar opposite. Adrenaline was designed for quick, intense bursts of energy (fight & flight), not to be secreted steadily from long periods of extreme stress/anger/anxiety. Adrenaline causes an increase in heart rate & blood pressure, endorphins cause them to decrease. Adrenaline is produced in the adrenal glands, endorphins are produced primarily in the pituitary & hypothalamus glands. They also have powerful natural pain-control capabilities, & there are over 20 different types.

Activities such as riding roller coasters, bungie jumping, race-car driving, or running with the bulls in Spain, etc., are all good examples of short burst adrenaline-rush-producing activities. The scientific reason why, is the extreme nature of these activities affect our subconscious knowledge of how dangerous they can be.

This causes the fight-and-flight chemical production to kick into high gear, but because of the short duration, these hormones are actually healthy for us, especially if we can immediately burn off these chemicals (which also tend to produce super-human strength). They were really designed, initially, for us to out-run a wild animal, or possibly chase a wild animal. In the modern world, we may need to lift something heavy off of someone who is injured.

The main difference between these two main families of natural chemicals, are that we can never get too many endorphins. They can literally be pumped into our bloodstream continuously (forever), and this will just make us healthier. The adrenaline family is a completely different story however, and after the initial burst, it's all downhill from there. If you're really paying attention to how your body feels during different situations in life, you can easily tell the difference.

Using our God-given will-power to seek out an endorphin, or short-burst adrenaline-producing lifestyle, will slow down the aging process, greatly reduce chance of disease, & increase overall health & happiness. The adrenaline rush requires far more risk than the endorphin rush, but both will achieve the same goal. Choosing a lifestyle of excessive stress, anger, fear, or anxiety will cause the opposite. Enjoyment, excitement, ambition & hard work eat stress & anxiety for breakfast!

The endocrine system produces both of these neuro-chemicals (& more than 20 others), most of which the body produces automatically in appropriate doses, to achieve & maintain homeostasis. Adrenaline, endorphins (& a few others), are far more controllable (with human will). Prolonged periods of excessive adrenaline production, can destroy a human body in a surprisingly short amount of time.

We have far more control over our health, than many believe. These powerful hormones (produced in our own internal chemical factory), are by far the biggest factor. Many health issues are genetic, accidental, or unavoidable. Many more are within our control, & completely preventable. We must all choose, & be responsible for our attitudes & lifestyle, we only get one healthy lifespan.

Another good example of a great endorphin-producing activity is simple people-watching. Not in a creepy voyeuristic manner, but in a community-building, "you may just bump into someone you know", or "you may just meet someone new and strike up a conversation" manner. Many are literally petrified at the thought of spending even a bit of time alone in a public place, for fear of being labelled "lonely". While chronic loneliness is indeed a serious problem for a large percentage of people, (in every country on Earth), there is a massive and important difference between quality time spent alone, and chronic loneliness.

Myself personally, I have a ton of people in my life who I adore, so am therefore not even remotely lonely, but I still absolutely love spending time IN PUBLIC alone! I love to casually people-watch, while reading the paper or surfing the net, and may say hi to someone I recognize, or even chat with someone I've never met before in my life! It's actually one of the most enjoyable and relaxing activities I've ever experienced in this life, and therefore, for me & I'm sure many others, a huge endorphin-producer!

Even a simple thought that brings a smile to your face, is all that it takes for healthy endorphins to be created. If you focus on how it feels (a gentle to intense euphoric sensation, especially in the muscles), you will get to know when & roughly how much of these chemicals are present in your body at all times. If you learn to control your thoughts & emotions (to a large degree), then you also learn to control adrenaline & endorphin production, & that is a powerful thing.

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