Natural Morphines

Since I am a dancer, I have grown quite accustomed to a few bruises here and there. I have never noticed I injured myself until after discovering the damage it has done.

This week, due to the beautiful weather, I decided to play some tennis with my friend outdoors. It was refreshing to feel the sun warming us all over. I could never wait for spring to arrive, and now that it finally has I had to take advantage of the beautiful outdoors.

We started hitting the ball back and forth and getting deep into concentration while at it. As my friend plunged for the ball, she tripped and fell to the ground. I yelled to make sure she was okay; as usual she got back on her feet and continued playing. After a few minutes, I noticed that her knee was bleeding. I immediately ran to her to see the damage.

Her knee was bleeding from a large cut that must have happened when she fell. The cut did not hurt her until after we had stopped the game. It is were not for me, we would have continued playing until she herself had noticed or the game had ended. She was so deeply concentrated that she was not even able to feel the cut until it was pointed out.

Our bodies release many different chemicals that help us cope with stressful situations. Endorphins are one of them. The word "endorphins" comes from combining two words meaning "endogenous" and "morphine." In other words, endorphins are our own natural morphine-like drugs that reduce pain. Pain during times of stress may distract an animal and prevent it from dealing with the situation by escaping or fighting. The endorphins act to reduce pain until the stressful situation is over. That's what happened to my friend: even though she was injured, she continued playing the game and did not even notice that she was injured.

The most extreme case is a gunshot victim. That’s why they search their clothing for bloodstains to confirm whether or not they have been shot.