melatonin

When we think of melatonin we think of sleep. And rightfully so.

The effects of melatonin as it relates to sleep, pineal gland levels and its direct effect on a restful night sleep are not unproven.

What may surprise you are the benefits of melatonin on immunity and especially cancer. Who knew?! And thanks to this new discovery from Dr. Nasha Winters in her book The Metabolic Approach to Cancer, it’s too good not to share! Here is what she has to say:

“Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland, located in the brain. The pineal gland is generally inactive during the day but when the sun sets, it switches on and begins to produce melatonin. Melatonin levels in the blood normally stay elevated for about 12 hours, or all through the night, while cortisol levels are low.

Melatonin triggers tumor suppressor genes, suppresses tumor angiogenesis and works as a powerful anticarcinogenic antioxidant that can cross the blood-brain barrier. An ample amount of melatonin secretion is also vital to the immune system.

Melatonin alone or in combination with chemotherapy improves tumor regression outcomes and reduces side effects.”

Say what?!?! Sign me up!

She actually recommends high does melatonin for oncology patients – dosing 20-40mg a day – and has seen much success in her patients over the years.  While low does (.5-3 mg / day) support sleep cycles, dosing >10mg especially at 20-40mg / day – impact circadian cycles and angiogenesis, act as a natural aromatase inhibitor, enhance many chemo agents, sensitive cancer cells to radiation ALL while protecting healthy cells and protect them from chemo toxicity.

Certainly melatonin (and any supplementation) are only one piece of the pie. It’s critical diet and lifestyle complement your effects. You can’t “pill pop” your way to health but if you combine it with a healthy lifestyle, the benefits are endless.

Also be sure to buy QUALITY melatonin - not your run-of-the-mill Amazon purchase. This is critical.

Know someone who could use this information? Don't hesitate to share. This one is worth spreading the word about.

 

p.s. I also ran this by my Hopkins oncology team and my Naturopath and they approve! Check out this really enlightening clinical summary by Memorial Hospital’s cancer center. https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/melatonin Personally, I’ve been dosing at 20mg for the past 2 months, even during an active chemo cycle. And…..feeling great! Hmmmmmm…..

*photo cred goes to https://www.sleepscore.com/3-ways-to-boost-immunity-and-sleep/

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