I just read an article on endorphins, from a different perspective. I need to find the article (from a book). Like you, I have my doubts, no,
scratch this, I am quite sure, that releasing [Edit]
excessive [Edit] "endorphins" either by exercising or chemical means, is counterproductive.
There is a shift in consciousness of athletes for the last 20 years (now more main stream) to incorporate Eastern approaches to breathing, diet and exercises, rather than boosting energy by chemical means, or releasing "endorphins." In retrospect, the methods we use in the West to boost athletic performance, is very misguided.... Going for the endorphin "rush", is totally unhealthy, based on my own personal experience, confirmed by recent reading.
If it causes dopamine release as postulated, and is GABA exictory, as no wonder it lead to a type of addiction to this type of exercise rush. Healthy? NOT.
In anycase, there are other theories, such as with the anandamide as well as admittance that there are other unknown chemicals we are producing during the exercise "rush"
Most of us since our ADRs, feel unable to cope with any type of strong emotions, excitement, and external stimuli. Its damaging causing even more free radicals and oxidization of good hormones... Any activities that leads to surges or upsurge in chemical balance, will lead to imbalances and health dysufumction.
First article is easy read, over simplified, second article is for scientists out there..
Yin-Yang Fitness: The Best of Both WorldsMany fitness enthusiasts and athletes are now blending Eastern and Western exercise techniques for better results, including mind-body health. Find out why this fusion works so well — and how you can create a harmonious fitness mix for yourself.
By Andrew Heffernan, CSCS / July-August 2011
Features,
In Chinese culture, the yin-yang symbol represents the interaction between two opposing forces: dark and light, cold and hot, soft and hard, feminine and masculine. Almost everything, from food to environments to individuals, can be described as having both yin and yang properties, and exercise is no exception.
If you start each day with restorative yoga, stretching and sun-saluting to your heart-chakra’s content, chances are you lean toward “yin” exercise. If, on the other hand, you prefer to run several miles a day, lift weights multiple times a week, and have a shelf of workout logs dating back to 1998, you’re probably more a “yang” exercise type.
To the yin-style exerciser, working out is a cup of chamomile tea. To the yang, it’s a triple espresso. Neither approach is wrong: Exercise can stimulate you as well as relax you, and wind you up as well as calm you down. The problem is that, in isolation, both approaches have their limitations. Without some fire and force in his program, the super-yin yoga junkie can wind up lacking in muscular and cardiovascular endurance. Without some flow, ease and recovery time, the super-yang fitness nut is bound to get injured, burned out — or both.
“The body responds best to a balance between ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ types of activity,” says Gray Cook, MSPT, OCS, CSCS, author of Athletic Body in Balance (Human Kinetics, 2003) and Movement: Functional Movement Systems (On Target Publications, 2010). “In our culture, we love to specialize, but there’s a dance of opposites occurring in any natural system, and it’s to our advantage to get in step with it."
experiencelife.com/issues/july-august-2011/fit-body/yin-yang-fitness-the-best-of-both-worlds.phpEffects of beta-endorphin on endothelial/monocytic endothelin-1 and nitric oxide release mediated by mu1-opioid receptors: a potential link between stress and endothelial dysfunction?Wilbert-Lampen U, Trapp A, Barth S, Plasse A, Leistner D.
Source
Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik I, Klinikum Grosshadern, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377 Munich, Germany. uwilbert@med.uni-muenchen.de
Abstract
Observations have been made linking the presence of psychosocial factors associated with elevated beta-endorphin concentrations with atherosclerosis. In this study, the authors assume an important role of the stress hormone beta-endorphin in several mechanisms that contribute to a dysbalance of human endothelial and monocytic endothelin (ET)-1 and nitric oxide (NO) release, mediated by mu1-opioid receptors. ET-1 and NO release were quantified via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or fluorometrically. mu1-Opioid receptors were identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) after stimulation with beta-endorphin. beta-Endorphin significantly increased endothelial and monocytic ET-1 release. The effect was mediated by mu1-opioid receptors and abolished by naloxonazine, a selective mu1-opioid receptor antagonist. In contrast, NO release was decreased under the influence of beta-endorphin. mu1-Opioid receptors on human monocytes and endothelial cells mediated a beta-endorphin-induced stimulation of ET-1 release, whereas NO release was decreased. Thus, the authors hypothesize a role of beta-Endorphin in the pathogenesis of stress-induced endothelial dysfunction through peripherally circulating beta-endorphin, which may offset the balance of vasoactive mediators, leading to an unopposed vasoconstriction. The data may also provide a new concept of mu1-opioid receptor antagonists, preventing beta-endorphin-induced disorders of vascular biology.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17497362