ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

How Our Brains Manufacture Morphine-Like Chemicals Called Endorphins

Updated on August 12, 2016
copywriter31 profile image

James Ranka, more widely known online as Copywriter31, earned two BA's—one in Mass Communications and the other in Music Performance.

When I Discovered Morphine Ecstacy

During my sophomore year in college, a problem developed inside my esophagus . . . I had difficulty swallowing food. The problem became more severe as the year progressed and I admitted myself to a hospital for tests.

Because my food intake was physically limited, I skipped meals and that led to debilitating headaches—one of which I developed the first night of my two-day stay in the hospital.

The head pain was so severe, a nurse came in to my room and poked me with a needle. I had no idea what the medicine was named, and I was in too much pain to ask.

Following the needle jab, I immediately felt an all-encompassing warmth. Within mere seconds, my headache pain was totally relieved.

I then experienced the most incredible feeling of well-being, safety, and relaxation accompanied with euphoria beyond description.

For what seemed an eternity, these feelings intensified, until I finally and peacefully felt the sandman's sleep-inducing gold dust cover my being. I later discovered the shot contained a hefty dose of morphine.

Upon awakening, my first thought was, "I now see how people get hooked on this stuff."

The Search for Natural Euphoria

No, I was never a morphine addict—nor did I have any desire to do drugs. Rather, I began researching ways the human body could naturally manufacture its own "morphine", aka endorphins.

Following my hospital stay, where I was pronounced very healthy, (diagnosis--stress) I became a true health nut:

  • I eliminated sugar, white flour and processed foods.
  • I began running 6-10 miles/day.
  • I began a weightlifting routine.
  • And I voraciously read any and all books I could find relating to human health and well-being.

Once the sugar withdrawals and the exercise soreness went away, I noticed that I was always in a good mood, despite occasional and normal life setbacks. My energy levels skyrocketed and I slept like a 7 year-old kid with no need, nor desire for pills.

I continued on this healthy path for many years . . . well into my late forties, and
then. ...

Tragedy Strikes

Imagine, as a parent, the worst possible scenario that could involve your child's welfare. If the picture of death came to your mind, in my opinion, you are 100% correct. Nothing compares with the helpless, hopeless and mind-boggling depths of despair a parent feels upon hearing the news of a son or daughter's early, untimely death . . . and I was no different!

My beautiful daughter, Kasey, was 29 years old when she left this world for an eternal place on November 5, 2008.

Approximately 6 months later, my younger brother died.

Following these events, I sank into a deep, inconsolable depression lasting years.

  • The search for endorphins ended
  • The exercise stopped
  • The feelings of well-being halted
  • Life held no meaning for me

I turned to unnatural substances for false comfort. This unfortunate choice nearly corrupted my health and ruined my professional career.

I became an overweight, out-of-shape, very irritable and unfriendly person. I suffered with these unhealthy conditions for 3 solid years.

Father Time to the Rescue

The adage, "Time heals all wounds," contains partial truth. I am witness to that fact, because in November of 2011, I could sense the overwhelming waves of darkness begin flowing to a mythical ocean, drowning my depression under the healing, outgoing tides.

I remembered the books, the research and the physical activity that once soaked my brain with endorphin baths. Very slowly, yet faithfully, I eased back into exercise mode.

  1. I joined a local gym and began using that facility on a daily basis.
  2. I revisited my trusty and healthy food choices.
  3. I returned to life as the endorphin highs overtook the stagnant, depression-causing chemicals that had set up unwanted residence in my brain!

What Does This Mean For You?

The formula for achieving the natural endorphin high is a simple one:
Regular exercise + healthy eating choices = endorphin nirvana.

That's it.
That's all.

Most any relatively healthy man or woman can enjoy a solid state endorphin flow by simply following the above mentioned formula.

The diet industry has ingrained the false belief that YOU NEED THEM!

Collectively, these diet scams rake in BILLIONS of dollars convincing you that losing weight and enjoying the intense pleasures that endorphins give as you exercise on a regular basis is impossible.

Read closely: ALL TV diets are a waste of time and will do nothing but cost you a ton of money.

Move!

The living organism [ . . .] is alive because it moves.
ALEXANDER LOWEN, "Pleasure"

You think too much!
Get up and move!

Movement makes you feel alive and is a contributor to endorphin creation.

Movement:

  1. Strengthens the most vital muscle in your body--the heart.
  2. Produces deep breathing and clears your lungs.
  3. Sharpens your thinking skills.
  4. Stimulates the endocrine glands.
  5. Produces energy and a feeling of well-being called the endorphin high.
  6. Gives you the natural ability to relax.

So, on what are you waiting? You have reached the end of this Hub now, so get off your duff and MOVE! If you've been sedentary for a long period of time, start slowly and build up gradually.

Learn how to feel.

At first, you will need to force movement, but eventually, your body will tell you when to move. Listen to your body, feel the joy of movement and feast on the pleasures that natural endorphins will bring so long as you stay the movement course right for you.


© 2012 James Ranka

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)