Melatonin info.

[Debra Sutton <nhisimage@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Scott, here is that info on Melatonin that Rob sent.  Like I said, I haven't
tried it myself but the info does sound interesting.
Debra
----- Original Message -----
From: "Schaaf Angus / Meadow Creek Ranch" <sangusr@xxxxxxxx>
To: <nhisimage@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, March 07, 2002 11:23 AM
Subject: Re: Thx for nocturnal responses


> Debra, I get it at walmart pharmacy area... see article below for more
info,
> Happy reading - more info on Vitamins is easy if you would like, but be
> prepared for a lot of material on what is working for me. been off all
meds
> now for  13 months  and feel better without the side effects ......Rob
>
>
****************************************************************************
> **********
>
>
> I've been told that melatonin is beneficial in the treatment of
Parkinson's
> Disease. Is this true?
>
> Melatonin is a chemical substance which is synthesized in the brain within
> the pineal gland. The pineal gland is an interesting organ within the
> central nervous system. It is connected to the visual systems of the brain
> and in certain animals, such as snakes, serves as a heat sensing organ
which
> helps the animal find prey. Centuries ago, the pineal gland was thought to
> have an important role in the activity of the central nervous system, and
> was thought to regulate the flow of fluid within the chambers of the
central
> nervous system and somehow control body activity. For many years the
pineal
> gland was thought to be a "useless" portion of the brain which reflected a
> remnant of the more primitive nervous system from which the human brain
> later developed. In the last 30 years it has been discovered that the
pineal
> gland plays a role in the regulation of cyclic daily activities and
seasonal
> changes in behavior in a variety of animal species. The pineal gland is
> thought to be important in the regulation of mating seasons in various
> animals and in human beings seems to have some role in the reulation of
> sleep and wakefulness as it relates to the cycles of light and dark which
> occur in the environment.
> There is a pathway which begins in the eye and sends information through a
> nonvisual pathway within the nervous system to a group of cells in the
upper
> part of the neck. Cells from this area, the superior cervical ganglia, go
> back into the brain following a course along the major arteries of the
neck.
> These fibers then enter the pineal gland. Numerous studies have identified
> the fact that a specific neurotransmitter substance, norepinephrine, is
used
> as the transmitting substance of these fibers. This neurotransmitter,
which
> is structurally similar to dopamine, appears to "turn on" an enzyme in the
> brain which allows the conversion of chemical compounds into the
melatonin.
> When animals are in a dark environment the amount of melatonin which is
> produced decreases. These observations became important when it was noted
> that individuals who live in a climate which is predominantly dark (such
as
> the northern United States or Scandinavia during the winter months) had a
> much higher incidence of depression. Melatonin levels in these individuals
> were found to be significantly reduced. The relationship between melatonin
> and depression was unclear, but a relationship did seem to exist. Many
> people felt that the reduced amount of norepinephrine being released might
> be the important link in associating mood disturbances with light/dark
> cycles. The use of high intensity light for treating depression was
> suggested as a possible treatment modality and has enjoyed some popularity
> even to this day. The important point is that melatonin itself was not
felt
> to be the significant factor in modulating mood, it merely acted as a
marker
> of activity within a neurotransmitter system in the brain.
> The recent enthusiasm for the use of melatonin in multiple medical
disorders
> is not founded on any clear scientific data. The mere administration of
> melatonin does not appear to have any significant effect on
neurotransmitter
> function. An analogy might be the observation that people who are
depressed
> frequently sleep much longer than normal. Sleeping longer than normal will
> not make you depressed, however. The current enthusiasm for melatonin is
> based to a large degree on the unknown function of melatonin within the
> body. There is a possibility that melatonin has some other effects which
we
> do not clearly recognize. Obviously, this is a topic which requires
further
> study and is certainly worthy of investigation. The wide spectrum of
> problems which melatonin is being used to treat does raise some
suspicions.
> There is no obvious relationship between conditions such as AIDS, the side
> effects of chemotherapy, insomnia, Alzheimer's disease, and a host of
other
> medical illnesses. Another major problem involves the "placebo effect" in
> which therapeutic response to a drug is mediated by the patient's
> expectations of what is going to happen rather than any direct chemical
> activity of the compound.
> We at the Regional Center are certainly open to any observations which you
> may have on the effects of melatonin. We certainly would be willing to
study
> these effects in a scientific manner, if any consistent observations seem
to
> emerge. Before spending a great deal of money on an untested compound,
> however, a word of caution seems indicated. Although we have seen no
adverse
> effects from taking melatonin, we have also not been impressed by any
> obvious benefits. Given the high cost of treatment for Parkinson's disease
> the use of this agent may provide an additional financial burden which
might
> be avoided until better data becomes available.
>
> Karl Hempel, M.D.
> MELATONIN
>
>
> Is melatonin a miracle drug or a myth? This is what I set out to find out
> after several patients of mine mentioned that they were taking melatonin.
At
> the onset of my endeavor I must admit I thought that melatonin is probably
> another one of the numerous "miracle drugs" that ultimately do nothing
more
> than separate one from his or her money. When I was in medical school,
> melatonin was a mystery hormone secreted by an obscure gland called the
> pineal gland. At that time, the function of melatonin was a total enigma.
> Now we know much more about the pineal gland and the amazing hormone it
> secretes. Melatonin is a hormone that is secreted by a small gland in the
> center of the brain called the pineal gland. At birth there is very little
> melatonin secreted by this gland. It is not present until about 3 months
of
> age. At that time, the nighttime peak of melatonin increases dramatically
> and reaches its peak at about 2 to 3 years of age. Then, it gradually
> decreases with age. Melatonin has been shown to promote sleep. Elderly
> people do seem to have a difficult time sleeping and it is hypothesized
that
> this is because of the decreased secretion of melatonin. The melatonin
level
> in the blood decreases rapidly as we wake and are exposed to sunlight in
the
> morning. The melatonin level peaks in the middle of the night.
> I decided to do a literature search and see if there was any legitimate
> literature supporting the assertion of melatonin being a miracle hormone.
To
> my surprise there were over 100 articles written about melatonin that did
> indeed tout the amazing properties of this hormone. Some of the medical
> benefits that are suggested in these articles are:
> 1. Treating insomnia in some individuals.
> 2. A preventative treatment for jet lag.
> 3. Melatonin is the most potent antioxidant known. It protects cells from
> so-called free radical damage.
> 4. Improves the functioning of the immune system.
> 5. Prevents cancer probably by acting as a potent antioxidant as well as
> enhancing the function of the immune system.
> 6. Delays the aging process.
> Unfortunately, most of the research has been performed in laboratory rats.
> The only claims that have any scientific merit in humans are the treatment
> of some forms of insomnia and prevention of jet lag. The other claims are
> totally speculation based on studies done in animals. The results of the
> studies done in rats certainly are tantalizing. In one study, rats lived
25%
> longer when they were given melatonin. The main proponent of melatonin is
a
> scientist by the name of Russell J. Reiter. He is a University of Texas
> cellular biologist who has spent most of his life studying melatonin. He
is
> so sure of the benefits of melatonin that he takes 1 mg of melatonin every
> night.
>
>
> The Antioxidant Effect
>
>
> Antioxidants are compounds that metabolize dangerous molecules in our body
> called free radicals. Free radicals can attack cellular membranes and even
> damage our DNA. Some commonly used antioxidants are Vitamin E,
Beta-carotene
> and Vitamin C. Melatonin has been shown, at least in the lab, to be much
> more potent than any of these well-known antioxidants. Everyone has
> naturally occurring compounds that neutralize free radicals. Dr. Reiter
and
> his colleagues have shown that small doses of melatonin can prevent rats
> from contracting cancer when exposed to certain cancer-causing compounds.
> One such compound is safrole. This compound can cause the production of
free
> radicals that oxidize DNA, thus altering its structure. Damaged DNA can
> promote the development of cancer. When rats received melatonin in
> combination with safrole there was almost no damage to the DNA. Melatonin
> also prevents chemically induced cataracts in rats. Cataracts are formed
by
> free radicals that cause damage to the cells in the lens of the eye. Free
> radical damage is probably involved in the etiology of many diseases such
as
> Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease,
> atherosclerosis and many more. Whether or not treatment with melatonin
will
> be beneficial remains to be seen.
>
>
> Immune Function and Melatonin
>
>
> Research has demonstrated that melatonin has the ability to enhance or
> augment the function of the immune system. It seems to be capable of
> neutralizing the negative effects that stress, drugs and infections have
on
> the function of the immune system. Studies have demonstrated a stimulatory
> effect of melatonin on acquired immunity. Melatonin has been reported to
> increase natural killer cell activity.
>
>
> The Anti-aging Effect
>
>
> This is the most tantalizing assertion that some researchers have made
about
> the benefits of melatonin. The claims are based on a prominent theory of
> aging that suggests that the anatomical and functional degeneration that
> organs undergo during aging is a consequence of accumulated free radical
> damage. If this theory is true, it would follow that prevention of
oxidative
> damage by free radicals would promote longevity. Obviously, this would be
> hard to prove in humans since the life span is so long. On the other hand,
> rats have a much shorter life span and they don't object to being test
> subjects, so much research has been performed on them. Rats that are given
> daily doses of melatonin actually live 25% longer. Another study showed
that
> when the pineal gland of an infant rat is grafted in the body of an old
rat,
> a similar improvement in life span was observed. The older rats became
more
> active and physiologically younger. It was hypothesized that an increased
> production of melatonin is the cause of the improved longevity.
>
>
> Side Effects
>
>
> Fortunately, there have been no significant adverse reactions from taking
> melatonin reported in the literature as far as I can tell. Doses of
> melatonin that are sold in health food stores are much higher than the
doses
> ordinarily used in most studies in humans. Dr. Richard Wurtman of MIT's
> Clinical Research Center is doing studies on humans using melatonin to
> induce sleep. He feels that a more appropriate dose would be in the 0.5
mg.
> range. Dr. Wurtman has urged caution in using the health food store brand
of
> melatonin.
>
>
> A Word of Caution
>
>
> Health food stores market melatonin as a dietary supplement and therefore
it
> is not subject to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations. The
> regulation of the dietary supplement market place is despicable to say the
> least. This category of compounds would include herbs. For the most part
the
> claims made about these products are totally unsupported by legitimate
> medical research. Much of the time these companies do not have any medical
> research supporting their products. They do not have to show that their
> products have any definite positive effects. The products are not
> manufactured according to any set standards. The manufacturers can make
> almost any claims they want as long as they word their claims carefully.
The
> purity of the products is totally unregulated, meaning you may get a
> different concentration of a supplement from one bottle to the next or
from
> one manufacturer to the next. A real-life example of problems related to
the
> "health-food" market place is exemplified by L-tryptophan. It was marketed
> for insomnia several years ago. It caused a condition called the
> eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome that resulted in 38 deaths and over 1500
> reported cases. It was caused by contamination of the product which is a
> direct result of the lack of regulation.
>
>
> Conclusion
>
>
> Nevertheless, melatonin does seem to have some potential. I certainly
don't
> think it would hurt to take melatonin on an occasional basis to try to
> prevent jet lag. On the other hand, I think we need to use caution in
taking
> melatonin until more studies show a definite benefit in humans.
>
>
> References
>
>
> 1. Reiter RJ, et al. A review of the evidence supporting melatonin's role
as
> an antioxidant. J Pineal Res 1995 Jan; 18(1):1-11
> 2. Reiter RJ, et al. Melatonin as a free radical scavenger:implications
for
> aging and age-related diseases. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1994 May 31;719:1-12
> 3. Poon AM, et al. Evidence for a direct action of melatonin on the immune
> system.Biol Signals 1994 Mar-Apr;3(2):107-17
> 4. Herbal Roulette. Consumer Reports November 1995 pg. 698-705
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Debra Sutton" <nhisimage@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <PARKINSN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Thursday, March 07, 2002 9:03 AM
> Subject: Thx for nocturnal responses
>
>
> >
> > Rob,  where do i get this Melatonin?  Can you get it at the health food
> stores.  Anything I need to know before I try it?
> >
> > I wrote down all the names of the Rx drugs that were mentioned.  I'm not
> ready to go there yet, but that day may come!
> >
> > I'll talk to you nightowls later!
> > Debra
> >
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