A Natural Pain Remedy With Brain Entrainment

INTRODUCTION The aim of this article is to present to the reader a brief description of endorphins, how they're produced by the human body, and how brain entrainment can be utilised as a natural pain remedy by releasing endorphins through the use of binaural beats. WHAT ARE ENDORPHINS? Endorphins are 'endogenous opioid peptides' that function as neurotransmitters (1). They are the released by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus during exercise (the 'runner's high'), and are responsible for that post-coitus afterglow. They are also released during moments of pain, in order to reduce discomfort. Endorphins resemble opiates in their ability to produce analgesia and create feelings of well being and euphoria. Without these chemicals, it would have been difficult for man to endure the pains of the prehistoric 'red in tooth and claw' aspect of nature! DISCOVERY Endorphins were first discovered by accident in the 1970s by scientists researching drug addiction. They wondered why the brain contained receptors for the poppy plant, and eventually found out that the brain produces neurochemicals more potent than morphine. HOW DO THEY WORK? Endorphins are known to attach to 'receptors' on the outer surfaces of brain cells, acting like chemical keys which fit into locks. If enough endorphin is inserted into the outer 'keyhole' of a nerve cell, that cell is unlikely to convey pain messages to the conscious part of the brain. (2) CAN BINAURAL BEATS HELP WITH ENDORPHIN RELEASE? As with any activity within the brain, endorphin release relates to specific brainwave-patterns. Binaural beats specialise in creating these wave patterns though the subtle but effective use of an audible stimulus. HOW DO BINAURAL BEATS WORK? Binaural beats work through a process called brain entrainment. With this technology, one frequency is played into each ear. The brain then combines the two frequencies to form a single tone, before altering its own frequency to match that of the tone. This is called a 'frequency following response'. Through this procedure, the brain can be trained to induce a variety of different states beneficial to your mental as well as physical health. AN ALTERNATIVE TO MEDICINE? As our bodies get older, and we become increasingly susceptible to the effects of stress, chronic pain is commonly experienced, even by healthy individuals, and the commonly accepted antidote of medicine is often more debilitating than the pain itself, particularly if utilised in the long term. In my opinion, it would be considered wiser to increase endorphins normally, rather than spend thousands on harmful chemicals which make you simply forget about the pain. (1) Oswald Steward: Functional neuroscience (2000), page 116rn(2) http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/endorphins-449