Stress, It’s Destructive Effects, & How To Manage

Stress, It’s Destructive Effects, & How To Manage

We all know that stress is bad for us, but what we don’t know is just how bad it actually is for us. We may not even draw the connection to stress and disease, but the medical research shows that 75-90% of disease is stress related, which means we better learn how to manage stress and help the body to restore homeostasis (1). 

The truth is that chronic stress prevents the body from achieving homeostasis, shifting us from this point of balance that the body must be in to function “normally”. We know that the endocannabinoid system is the actual receptor system that controls and maintains homeostasis in the body, so what a better receptor system to use to our advantage than the ECS. Check this out!

You may have heard me say this before, but there is good stress (eustress) and bad stress (no bueno stress (LoL). A few examples of good stress are extreme cold exposure (ice baths) and extreme heat exposure (sauna). The body manages acute stress very well to the point in which it actually improves our health and wellness, allowing us to adapt and become stronger. 

The real problem is chronic stress. Stress that affects us daily for days, weeks, months, and even years. This is the stress that is destructive to our body. This is the stress that contributes to disease, including atherosclerosis (fatty plaque deposition into our vascular system, cholesterol issues, etc.), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), depression, and increasing inflammation from head to toe (systemically) (1). 

Chronic inflammation is a huge problem when it comes to disease, which is exactly what chronic stress does to our body. Chronic inflammation leads to increased cellular oxidation (pro-oxidation), which increases the rate at which we age at a cellular level and can even damage our DNA, increasing our chances for cancer (2).

The problem with stress is that it over engages and activates our sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight). While this is a great thing when used short term (a bear chances us), over activation of our sympathetic nervous system can be detrimental to our health. Over activation of our sympathetic nervous system leads to anxiety and difficulty regulating blood sugar due to the constant release of cortisol (body’s main stress hormone), which is very destructive to our cardiovascular system and overall health long term. All of which CBD was shown to help with from blood sugar regulation to disengaging the sympathetic nervous system and engaging the parasympathetic nervous system. 

One way to reduce stress. Is physical exercise. When we exercise our muscles release happy hormones (endorphins) that combat the damaging effects of stress, making positive chemical changes in our body, including a big help for our mental health. 

The next approach is cannabinoids like CBD and THC. We know that stress shifts the body from homeostasis, so what a better receptor system to use to help restore balance, disengage the sympathetic nervous system, and engage our parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest). Theoretically speaking, this receptor system allows us to address the root cause of stress because the ECS maintains cellular balance in our body, counteracting the effects that long term stress has on our body. Like I said earlier, stress increases oxidation and it just so happens that cannabinoids also have very high antioxidant properties, which also helps reduce the negative pro-oxidation effects that stress has on our cells. Antioxidants protect our cells from increasing the rate at which we age and protect our DNA from cancer (3). 

Cannabinoid medicine is the new and emerging field in medicine and for good reasons. These plant compounds have exquisite properties that contribute to our health and wellness, from helping us face disease to managing the detrimental effects that stress has on our body. Although it is new to the science and research world (due to not having legal access to study for very long, hemp is nothing new to us. We have utilized this plant for thousands of years, from textiles, livestock food, to medicine, cannabis has held and will continue to hold a high therapeutic value for us. 

The best part? It is a safe and effective plant with ZERO negative side effects that put our lives in danger. In a world where medications are the THIRD leading cause of death here in the US, a plant that has ZERO related deaths sounds pretty good.

Cheers to this amazing plant and all that it has to offer mankind. The truth is that we are just starting to scratch the surface of the potential of this plant when it comes to improving how we face disease. With the ability to help address over 200 chronic conditions so far, the future looks very bright (4). 

Bee Well,

Brandon Farless

References

1. Liu, Y. Z., Wang, Y. X., & Jiang, C. L. (2017). Inflammation: The Common Pathway of Stress-Related Diseases. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 11, 316. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00316

2. Reuter, S., Gupta, S. C., Chaturvedi, M. M., & Aggarwal, B. B. (2010). Oxidative stress, inflammation, and cancer: how are they linked?. Free radical biology & medicine, 49(11), 1603–1616. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2010.09.006

3. omko, A. M., Whynot, E. G., Ellis, L. D., & Dupré, D. J. (2020). Anti-Cancer Potential of Cannabinoids, Terpenes, and Flavonoids Present in Cannabis. Cancers, 12(7), 1985. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers12071985

4. Blesching, U. (2022). The cannabis health index: Combining the science of medical marijuana with mindfulness techniques to treat over 200 chronic diseases. Logos/Uwe Blesching.