CBD: The Missing Key

Do you know there's a system in your body that naturally produces cannabis-like substances? And this same system is an essential part of the body's healthy day-to-day functioning. It can influence everything from the pain & anxiety you feel to gut & reproductive health. It may be the missing link as to why CBD can have such a profound effect on people. It's called the endocannabinoid system (ECS).

The Endocannabinoid System: A Simple Intro

What's ECS? It's a biological system that helps regulate and balance the crucial functions in our body. Not unique just to humans, it's a system found in the bodies of almost all mammals.

The system is made up of:

• naturally occurring endocannabinoids
• receptors
• enzymes that break down the endocannabinoids
   

The ECS plays a big part in the healthy functioning of our central nervous and immune systems. If the ECS is working well, then so is our ability to eat, sleep, relax and remember.

The more we understand the system, the better. There's the possibility to optimise our bodies and make everything run even smoother — also plenty of healing potential.

There's a unique & fascinating relationship between our ECS and cannabis, the chemicals found in cannabis interact with the system as if they were made for each other. When CBD or THC enters our system, they interact with our receptors like lock and key. With our receptors, the lock and cannabinoids, the key.

Once the two bind together, it starts a process that can slow down the nerve signals. Cannabinoids act in a similar way to a dimmer on a light switch. Of course, when this process happens naturally, our ECS switches on with perfect precision, only when it needs to and to restore balance back into the body.

Research shows that the ECS helps regulate 15 major bodily functions:

Appetite/Digestion	Motor Control	Bone Growth	Cardiovascular System
Muscle Formation	Inflammation	Pain Regulation	Immune Responses
Reproductive System	Learning/Memory	Skin and Nerve Stress	Liver
Sleep	Metabolism		Mood

Deficiency Causes Illness

We have learned that deficiencies of specific vitamins or minerals can cause damage to the body and eventually cause disease. For example, a lack of Vitamin C causes scurvy, which could even cause death if we don't correct the imbalance.

Similarly, when we don't replenish our ECS by doing things that help it naturally produce cannabinoids, like exercise, the system becomes deficient and stops functioning as it should.

An Unhealthy ECS

ECS helps your body stay in homeostasis, in harmony. The aim is to keep your internal environment balanced regardless of what's happening outside of the body. If it's not in the optimal range, the ECS is activated to fix the error.

Hence when the ECS is dysregulated, it can create a diverse range of severe problems. Issues with sleep, managing stress, increases in pain, motor function problems and IBS type symptoms could all be signs of an unhealthy ECS.

Tips To Maintain a Healthy ECS

You can keep your endocannabinoid system healthy in a few ways. For example, pay closer attention to what you're eating, watch your gut health, exercise, and do stress-relieving activities like meditation or yoga.

If that's still not helping, there's a second way to boost your ECS, supplement with exogenous plant cannabinoids (Phytocannabinoids via cannabis). The two best-known Phytocannabinoids are delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD).

How Can You Access CBD in Australia?

Before trying anything thoroughly, research the product and consult with a professional.

Australia's regulations are very strict when it comes to the legal manufacture, supply, and consumption of medicinal cannabis.

Fortunately, clinics like NectarTek make accessing medical cannabis-based products easy by connecting patients with doctors that specialise in Medicinal Cannabis and CBD.

Image credit: Nectartrek