Finally, to her great credit, it was that same doctor who encouraged me to try medical marijuana -- and discontinue the pharmaceutical painkiller.
MAB: What are the benefits of medical marijuana? Why is it better than allopathic alternatives?
NE: Science has an awesome answer to this question! In the 1990s, scientists made an amazing discovery that made it clear why marijuana is one of the most effective super-herbs on the planet. They found that marijuana -- which I also refer to by its scientific name, cannabis -- is a "match" to receptors in the cells of our own bodies.
When we ingest cannabis, the receptors in our cells greet the herb in a synergistic way, assisting the entire system in handling biological functions -- and defending the body from any challenges to those functions.
The scientists honored the plant by naming the body's own newly-discovered, internal counterpart after it. They added the prefix "endo," which means "in, within, inside," to the word "cannabinoid" (one of the types of chemicals in cannabis) to create the word endocannabinoid.
Your body's endocannabinoid system is considered to be the largest neurotransmitter system in your body .
MAB: Wow, that's amazing!
NE: Yes, it's awesome the way Nature has provided us with so many healing botanicals -- and marijuana is certainly one of the most highly effective. The fact that the plant's chemistry is a match to the body's endocannabinoid system makes it unique among botanicals that have medicinal qualities -- and that is believed to be the reason why it is so very healing for so many health symptoms and concerns.
When I first started using medical marijuana about four years ago, I met a couple of medical marijuana experts who were proclaiming their excitement about the endocannabinoid system in the human body. But I didn't really understand what they were saying until I found an article in Scientific American that summarized it this way:
"Research into natural chemicals that mimic marijuana's effects in the brain could help to explain -- and suggest treatments for -- pain, anxiety, eating disorders, phobias and other conditions."
In fact, the title of the article this is excerpted from, "The Brain's Own Marijuana," almost says it all.
Imagine that -- the cells in our own brains contain chemicals that mimic marijuana!
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