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" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> 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" <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]> > 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 > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > mailto:[log in to unmask] > > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn