Page 18 - Winter2008

is critical to maintaining blood and tissue levels of calcium. Calcium is a will the cell open the calcium channels that will
central regulator of arachidonic acid metabolism in virtually every type let this mineral come flooding in. Obviously, if
18
of cell, making vitamin D essential for proper handling of this nutrient. calcium is not present, due to deficiency of either
Vitamin D is present in large amounts in fatty fish and cod liver oil and calcium or vitamin D, there will be no influx
in small amounts in the fats of land animals. We also obtain vitamin D of calcium into the cell to initiate the conver-
when we are exposed to sunshine in the ultraviolet-B range, which at most sion of arachidonic acid to endocannabinoids.
latitudes is available only during the summer months. About half of all Calcium must therefore be obtained in the diet,
Americans and over 80 percent of African Americans have blood levels and vitamin D is necessary to absorb this vital
of vitamin D below the level needed to maximize calcium absorption. 16 mineral so that it can be transported through the
blood and into the brain. It is also possible that
THE ENDOCANNABINOIDS the brain uses vitamin D as the direct chemi-
Arachidonic acid is the direct precursor to the endocannabinoids, the cal signal to open the calcium channels since a
natural compounds made within the body that activate the cannabinoid number of other cell types use vitamin D in a
receptors. These compounds and their receptors are named after Canna- similar way. 19
bis sativa, also known as marijuana. The active component of marijuana, Endocannabinoids regulate the adrenal
THC, activates the same receptors, although since it is a pharmacological response to stress, mediated primarily by the
agent provided at unnaturally high doses, it has many undesirable effects hormone cortisol, which is responsible for the
that the natural activators derived from arachidonic acid do not have. “fight-or-flight” response; they also regulate the
A brain cell will only convert arachidonic acid into endocannabinoids production of dopamine in the brain, which is
in response to a rapid influx of calcium into the cell. This influx is tightly responsible for the motivation to sustain goal-
17
controlled: the cell deliberately keeps the concentration of calcium outside oriented effort over time. By curbing the excess
its boundaries ten thousand-fold higher than the concentration of calcium production of cortisol and supporting adequate
within its boundaries; only when told to do so by another chemical signal production of dopamine, endocannabinoids

THE BIG PICTURE: ENDOCANNABINOIDS, ADRENAL HORMONES, AND THYROID HORMONE
A number of lectures at this year’s Wise Traditions conference covered the interactions between endocrine hormones
and their relationship to disease. In the lecture on which this article is based, I discussed the ability of endocannabinoids
derived from arachidonic acid with the help of vitamins A and D to prevent excess cortisol production and to protect
brain cells from glutamate toxicity. Jack Samuels, conversely, discussed the ability of MSG, a form of glutamate, to increase
cortisol production.
In the iodine track, Janet Lang discussed the effects of excess cortisol production on thyroid hormone status. Since
cortisol shifts the body into a catabolic state in which it will break down tissues, the body will react by decreasing thy-
roid hormone output and thus slowing metabolism in order to prevent excessive breakdown of important tissues. Since
cholesterol is required to make cortisol as well as the sex hormones, excess cortisol production also “steals” cholesterol
away from sex hormone production.
David Brownstein discussed the importance of thyroid hormone in preventing heart disease. In the cholesterol-fed
rabbit model, massive doses of cholesterol produce atherosclerosis, but if the cholesterol is fed with iodine or thyroid
hormone, it does not.
In my article “Cholesterol and Heart Disease: Myth or Truth?” on Cholesterol-And-Health.com, I cover the impor-
tance of thyroid hormone for the functioning of the LDL receptor. In the presence of adequate thyroid hormone, the
LDL receptor brings cholesterol-containing LDL into tissues such as the liver for recycling, the adrenal gland for cortisol
production, or the testes and ovaries for sex hormone production. When LDL spends too much time in the blood instead
of delivering cholesterol and fat-soluble vitamins to these tissues, the polyunsaturated fatty acids in its membrane oxidize
and it drives the inflammatory process of atherosclerosis in the arterial wall.
These lectures demonstrate the interrelationship between endocrine hormones and the importance of vitamins,
minerals and natural foods for balancing and stabilizing the entire system. By avoiding excess glutamate and other excito-
toxins, by obtaining adequate arachidonic acid and fat-soluble vitamins for endocannabinoid production, and by avoiding
fluoride and bromine and obtaining adequate iodine for thyroid function, we can support the proper functioning of our
endocrine system and make sure our cholesterol and fat-soluble nutrients are used for health-promoting purposes rather
than left to the ravages of the oxidative degeneration that characterizes toxin-loaded, nutrient-poor modern diets.

18 Wise Traditions WINTER 2008