Ask the expert: Could fibromyalgia be linked to endocannabinoid system deficiency?

Is it true that hard-to-treat conditions such as fibromyalgia could be linked to a deficiency of the endocannabinoid system (ECS)? An expert explains more.

The ECS is a system built into all animals with nervous and immune systems, which regulates a host of different functions in the body and brain, from pain and inflammation to body temperature and mood.

It was first discovered in the early 1990s by Israeli scientist Raphael Mechoulam, during his research into the effects of the cannabis plant on the brain and body.

Building on Mechoulam’s work, some scientists believe a deficiency of the ECS could be linked to conditions such as fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and migraine, which are typically hard to treat.

Cannabis Health expert, Dr Anthony Ordman, a pain specialist who has experience prescribing cannabis for patients with fibromyalgia, shares his thoughts. 

Q: Is it true that fibromyalgia could be linked to a deficiency of the ECS?

A: The theory of endocannabinoid deficiency was expounded by Dr Ethan Russo, who has done a great deal of scientific research on cannabis and cannabinoids as medicine. 

The ECS is a system built into the nervous systems and immune systems all animals, which seems to be designed to normalise things in the body, to reduce pain, to normalise mood, to be anti-inflammatory, and so on.

Russo postulated that in certain conditions, for example, IBS, there are deficiencies that mean the system is under active, and if you can supplement it with the right blend of molecules from the cannabis plant, that look like the endocannabinoid chemicals which transmit information from one nerve or one cell to another – in other words using phytocannabinoids – then you can help restore normality.

I find it a very helpful hypothesis, both for helping doctors to understand how to use cannabis medicines, but also to help patients to understand what we’re trying to do. In other words, cannabis medicines are not necessarily medicines like morphine that have specific actions in the body; rather, their purpose is in helping the body rebalance itself.

Cannabis can reduce long-term stress, which is often present in fibromyalgia patients, and it can relax muscle tension and normalise sleep, which is always badly affected in fibromyalgia. This concept of rebalancing the body explains how one simple group of chemicals can have so many beneficial effects. It’s not because they’re magic or mystical – it’s because they help bring the body back to normality.

Dr Anthony Ordman is one of the UK’s most experienced specialists in the treatment of pain, having founded the highly respected Chronic Pain Clinic at London’s Royal Free Hospital. He now works in private practice and is an experienced prescriber of medical cannabis.

Got a question or a topic you would like him to discuss? Email us at editor@handwmedia.co.uk or contact us on Twitter @CannabisHNews or Instagram @cannabishealthmag 

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