Natural and Artificial Painkillers

Endorphins and enkephalins are the body’s natural painkillers. When a person is injured, pain impulses travel up the spinal cord to the brain. The brain then releases endorphins and enkephalins. Enkephalins block pain signals in the spinal cord. Endorphins are thought to block pain principally at the brain stem. Chiropractors for decades have been telling people to have their upper cervical spine, at the base of the brain stem, checked for misalignment adjustments. You don’t want any interference in this critical pathway. Both endorphins and enkephalins are morphine-like substances whose functions are similar to those of opium-based drugs. Today, the word “endorphin” is used generically to describe both groups of painkillers. These naturally occurring opiates include enkephalins (methionine and leucine), endorphins (alpha, beta, gamma, and delta) and a growing number of synthetic (artificial) compounds.
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