Everyone knows the feel-good rush that comes with exercising, a good belly laugh, fun with friends, meditation, or a good massage. These are examples of things that release endorphins, the body’s chemicals that give us a natural high. But endorphins do more that make us feel good; endorphins are necessary for proper immune function.
If you have an autoimmune disease, chronic pain, or chronic illness, boosting your endorphins could help you better manage your health. Endorphins are endogenously produced opioids important for modulating the immune system. In fact some have argued that autoimmune disease can no longer be explained using the battlefield model of tissue attack that we’ve relied on but that the proper diagnosis is instead endorphin deficiency.
Most immune cells have receptors for endorphins and need endorphins to function properly. A review article Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain, published in the New England Journal of Medicine reported on Opioid-Induced Immune Modulation: …. “Preclinical evidence indicates overwhelmingly that opioids alter the development, differentiation, and function of immune cells, and that both innate and adaptive systems are affected. Bone marrow progenitor cells, macrophages, natural killer cells, immature thymocytes and T cells, and B cells are all involved. The identification of opioid-related receptors on immune cells makes it even more likely that opioids have direct effects on your immune system.”
Although many factors are linked with autoimmunity, including environmental triggers like food and leaky gut, endorphins are not to be overlooked. Some studies have looked at endorphin gene variations, called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP’s), which predispose some people to the very things that low endorphin production is exacerbated by namely alcoholism, drug abuse, anxiety, depression, and chronic psychological stress, all factors that can tip the immune system out of balance. Knowing how to boost the production of endorphins go a long way to providing immune balance. Here are some endorphin-boosting tips:
- Exercise
- Acupuncture
- Massage therapy
- Music
- Sex
- Meditation
- Laughter
- Time with friends
- Play
- LDN therapy (Low-dose naltrexone is a therapy using low doses of the opiate-blocking drug naltrexone to stimulate the body’s own production of endorphins)
Managing autoimmunity and chronic illness is a multi-faceted approach
Endorphins are but one factor to consider when managing autoimmune disease or another chronic condition. Other things to consider include gluten sensitivity, food intolerances, chemical intolerances, quality of diet, leaky gut, inflammation, nutritional status, brain health, and more.
