Guest guest Posted June 3, 2004 Report Share Posted June 3, 2004 Wed, 2 Jun 2004 16:17:26 -0500 HSI - Jenny Thompson Hormone Helper Hormone Helper Health Sciences Institute e-Alert June 2, 2004 ************************************************************** Dear Reader, If you've ever had trouble sleeping and wanted to avoid sleep-aid medications that can make you feel like a dazed zombie the next day, you might have tried supplements of the hormone melatonin, which many people find very effective. Now a new report in the journal Neurology shows that melatonin may also provide relief for a specific type of headache. But while this supplement offers a variety of benefits, it comes with an important warning. ----------------------------- Pick, pick, pick... ----------------------------- The Neurology article examines case studies of three subjects who suffered from headaches known as " stabbing headaches, " or " ice-pick headaches. " As the names painfully suggest, these headaches cause sharp pains, isolated in specific points on the head. Although this type of headache is usually brief, it sometimes recurs throughout the day, and in the worst cases may cause short-term disability. The typical preventive treatment for stabbing headaches is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) called indomethacin. As with all NSAIDs, indomethacin may cause digestive problems, accompanied by dizziness and even headaches. In the three case studies examined in Neurology, two of the subjects were unable to use indomethacin. In case number one, a woman who couldn't tolerate indomethacin experienced as many as 10 stabbing headaches each day. After she began taking 12 mg of melatonin each day just before bedtime, her headaches subsided and she was pain- free when followed up at two months. Indomathacin was also not an option for the second case: A woman who suffered two stabbing headaches every day began taking a daily melatonin dose of 9 mg and reported complete relief within 24 hours. Followed up after four months, she reported that no headaches had returned. In the third case, a woman who was relieved from stabbing headaches with indomethacin use found that 3 mg of melatonin taken before bed each evening prevented the headaches as well as the drug did. She was pain-free at a two-month follow up. As reported by Todd D. Rozen, M.D., of the Michigan Head- Pain and Neurological Institute, these three case studies indicate that controlled trials should be conducted to confirm the effectiveness of melatonin supplements as an alternative to indomethacin. ----------------------------- Fooling Mother Nature ----------------------------- Melatonin helps regulate the sleep/wake circadian rhythm that (ideally) remains consistent from night to night. Which is one of the reasons it's effective as a sleep-aid. In addition, studies have shown that melatonin may even play a role in the body's natural defenses against cancer. But because melatonin is a hormone (produced in the brain by the pineal gland), I asked HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., if it's wise to boost levels with a supplement. Dr. Spreen agreed that some caution should be taken. Dr. Spreen: " Many people use melatonin for sleep, and keep going up on the dose until it works (and it does). I would use tryptophan that way, continuing up on the dose each night until the patient fell asleep (and he will). " However, I'm more cautious with melatonin. I don't recommend it for anyone under 40, except when addressing jet lag, for which it works well. The idea there is that you take a pretty decent dose at the destination bedtime to more quickly condition your body to the new diurnal rhythm. " As we age, melatonin production decreases, so I'm not as nervous for someone over age 40 using it as a 'youth'-type agent, and I think there's something to it. The substance is well researched to be both an antioxidant, and a nutrient of considerable worth in other areas. The cautious types talk about 1.5 mg at bedtime (never anytime but bedtime), for ages 40 to 50, then 3 milligrams for people over age 50. I to that. Those who take lots more I think are swimming in uncharted waters - nobody has any real data that it's bad (nor that it's not). " ----------------------------- Eat & sleep ----------------------------- If you're not sleeping well, or if you're experiencing stabbing headaches, you might try increasing your intake of foods that contain melatonin before resorting to a supplement. Melatonin-rich foods include: bananas, cherries, ginger, tomatoes, corn, cucumber, beets and rice. And always turn off the lights - and TV - when you turn in for the night. Your body's natural production of melatonin may be inhibited by sleeping with the lights on or the TV flashing. If melatonin foods don't do the trick, talk to your M.D. or naturopathic doctor before starting a nightly regimen of melatonin supplements. ************************************************************** To start receiving your own copy of the HSI e-Alert, visit: http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealert/freecopy.html Or forward this e-mail to a friend so they can sign-up to receive their own copy of the HSI e-Alert. ************************************************************** ... and another thing Call it the Rodney Dangerfield diet: It gets no respect. I'm talking about the low-carbohydrate diet, of course. And this time it's NBC News chief health and science correspondent, Robert Bazell, M.D., who decided not to cut a break for low-carb diets. In a recent MSNBC report headlined, " Study Casts Doubt on Advantages of Atkins Diet, " Dr. Bazell describes a one-year study in which 132 obese subjects followed either a low-fat or a low-carb diet. At six months the low-carb group had lost more weight, but at one year both groups showed about the same amount of weight loss. In other words, the low-carb diet was successful, it just wasn't any more successful than the low-fat diet. Or was it? When weight loss is the only factor considered, then, yes, the two diets just about broke even. But weight loss is only one goal of a diet. Improved health is another. And according to the authors of the study (writing in the Annals of Internal Medicine last month), " For persons on the low- carbohydrate diet, triglyceride levels decreased more... and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels decreased less. " Does that sound like the study " cast doubt " on the low-carb diet? The study also states: " Participants on a low-carbohydrate diet had more favorable overall outcomes at 1 year than did those on a conventional diet. Weight loss was similar between groups, but effects on glycemic control were still more favorable with a low-carbohydrate diet. " And glycemic control - which can help prevent type 2 diabetes - is one of the most important reasons to follow a low-carb diet. These details were not hard to find in the study, and yet Dr. Bazell somehow managed to overlook them, even though he interviewed the lead author of the study for his report. And for the record, another study - which was also reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine last month - evaluated 120 overweight subjects for six months as they followed either a low-fat or a low-carb diet. In that study, researchers also found that triglyceride levels dropped as HDL levels increased more in the low-carb diet compared to the low-fat diet. Come on, Dr. Bazell. What does a low-carb diet have to do to get some respect around here? To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson Health Sciences Institute To start receiving your own copy of the HSI e-Alert, visit: http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealert/freecopya.html Or forward this e-mail to a friend so they can sign-up to receive their own copy of the HSI e-Alert. ************************************************************** Sources: " Melatonin as Treatment for Idiopathic Stabbing Headache " Neurology, Vol. 61, No. 6, 9/23/03, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov " Melatonin Relieves Stabbing Headaches " Maureen Williams, ND, Healthnotes Newswire, 2/26/04, pccnaturalmarkets.com " Study Casts Doubt on Advantages of Atkins Diet " Robert Bazell, M.D., NBC News, 5/17/04, msnbc.com " The Effects of Low-Carbohydrate versus Conventional Weight Loss Diets in Severely Obese Adults: One-Year Follow-up of a Randomized Trial " Annals of Internal Medicine, Vol. 140, No. 10, 5/18/04, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov " A Low-Carbohydrate, Ketogenic Diet versus a Low-Fat Diet To Treat Obesity and Hyperlipidemia: A Randomized, Controlled Trial. " Annals of Internal Medicine, Vol. 140, No. 10, 5/18/04, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Copyright ©1997-2004 by www.hsibaltimore.com, L.L.C. The e-Alert may not be posted on commercial sites without written permission. Before you hit reply to send us a question or request, please visit here http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealert/questions.html ************************************************************** If you'd like to participate in the HSI Forum, search past e-Alerts and products or you're an HSI member and would like to search past articles, visit http://www.hsibaltimore.com ************************************************************** Friends. Fun. Try the all-new Messenger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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