Your ECS is Like a Phone Operator

I have been wracking my brain for analogies that can be used to describe the endocannabinoid system. Many cannabis scientists and researchers have referred to the ECS as the body’s “supercomputer” because it functions akin to the internet with fiberoptic connections from head to toe, finger to finger.

But, for some of us, imagining the complex functionality of the internet is less accessible. I can’t say that I’m super familiar with how the internet operates “behind the curtain”, so to speak. So, with that, I wanted to share my favorite ECS analogy: The endocannabinoid system is like a phone operator.

By strengthening your endocannabinoid system through cannabis, you are supporting your body’s ability to communicate with itself.

Yep! The endocannabinoid system is like a phone operator. The endocannabinoid system controls the internal messaging systems that allow our different bodily systems and organs to “talk” to one another. So the health of your endocannabinoid system dictates how well your body is communicating with itself. 

And as you may have picked up from your latest therapy session or business conference, communication is essential for a well-functioning system. 

The endocannabinoid system is responsible for regulating balance in the body. When one messaging system is firing unnecessarily, the endocannabinoid system manages and balances the internal messaging. For example, say that your hunger hormones are firing and yet your stomach has just detected that you ate to satiety. When the ECS is functioning well, it enables your body to efficiently regulate your hunger hormones and return the body to homeostasis. But if your endocannabinoid tone is off-kilter, then your body will have a more difficult time returning to balance (wasting energy and taking longer).

For more on how the endocannabinoid system controls hormones and ultimately hunger/metabolism, check out this article.

For my Mad Men fans out there: Sterling Cooper’s ditzy Lois probably could have used some CBD. Maybe it would have helped her reduce her anxiety, set aside the petty gossip, and stop helping those bonehead bozos she works with.

When endocannabinoid tone is suboptimal, the body is less equipt to send messages about what it needs - or wants less of - at any given time. This results in sluggish internal communication that can have negative impacts on the physiological functions managed by the endocannabinoid system (from breathing to eating to reproduction).

Poor endocannabinoid health is akin to a phone operator who showed up to work hungover, lethargic, and prone to making mistakes. 

So, you can do your ECS and your internal phone operator a favor by supplementing endocannabinoid tone through the use of cannabis products or other natural methods. Your ECS will be the new “It Girl” in no time.