Want to get a good night’s sleep but just can’t seem to settle into a relaxed state of mind?  The problem may be low Melatonin (the sleep hormone).  Melatonin is produced in the pineal gland located in the center of the brain.  Levels of this hormone slowly increase throughout the day a pique around bedtime.

Production is influenced by light coming in through the eyes, serotonin levels (joy neurotransmitter), methylation and several other aspects of metabolism.  This is key to our conversation – - I will come back to this.

Melatonin is a powerful antioxidant, helps set our circadian rhythm, influences the immune systems, libido, REM sleep, and dreaming among other things.

Sound like great stuff, right?  Well it is as long as Melatonin is balanced against another hormone “cortisol” and it stays in normal ranges.

Problems can occur when Melatonin is taken as a supplement to help with sleep.  There may be a “honeymoon” period when the supplement helps restore sleep patterns but long term (overuse) can get you into trouble. 

You body has receptors for all the hormones it uses.  These receptors have a fail safe switch which gets activated if there is too much hormone present for too long a time period.  Hormonal Resistance caused the receptors to become less active when exposed to higher levels of hormone.

So you can imagine what happens when you take Melatonin supplements.  By overriding the normal control mechanisms and adding high levels of Melatonin you receptors may become less responsive.  This means it takes more and more hormone just to get a response.  So over time the supplementation doesn’t work as well.

There is more to this vicious cycle…

Melatonin is counterbalanced with another hormone…Cortisol.  High levels of Melatonin can suppress cortisol output causing potential low blood sugar while you sleep.  Your brain isn’t going to stand for low blood sugar very long.  The brain uses about 50% of all the blood sugar available and when levels get low the alarms start going off.

The brain will send messages to the adrenal glands to release adrenaline.  This is your brains effort to wake you up so you can eat something.  Repeated exposure this abnormal hormonal stew can leave you with less than ideal sleep.

I come from the standpoint that correcting the underlying issue shouldn’t cause more harm to the body.

So how can we improve Melatonin production without dumping Melatonin into the system?

The answer comes from looking at the production of Melatonin from a different perspective.  Two important things are needed for Melatonin production – - the neurotransmitter serotonin and methylation.  Give the brain these building blocks and production of Melatonin can occur in a mild natural way.

There are products available that support both these pathways for a gentle more controlled balancing of Melatonin.

If you have questions on serotonin and methylation support please talk with me at the office.  I can steer you in the right direction about how to accomplish this so you too can have a good night’s sleep.

Scary stuff.  Check out my facebook post to read about this subject.  To join go to www.facebook.com/neuroplus.  You’ll stay current on the latest scientific breakthroughs.

Imagine a single nutrient that could replace your daily aspirin for blood thinning, lower your cholesterol and melt away existing arterial plaques.

Sound too goo to be true?  Maybe not…

I belong to an online physician training course called Functional Medicine University.  They recently posted information on policosanol.  I give them credit for the information below.  Too important not to pass along to my patients.

The nutritional product policosanol not only dramatically slows down the progression of arterial narrowing, but actually reverses plaque. And it is safer, cheaper, and has additional biochemical benefits that the statins do not.

Policosanol makes blood less likely to abnormally form clots by lowering fibrinogen (decreases platelet aggregation), something that statins do not do.

In one study, 10 mg twice a day of policosanol worked better than 100 mg of aspirin. In another study it lowered the cholesterol as well as the prescription statin drugs do.

Policosanol also surpassed the statin drugs in effectiveness by lowering the LDL; bad cholesterol) better than the statin drugs did, while in addition it raised the (good cholesterol) HDL 31%. The statin drugs don’t touch HDL! Remember, having a high HDL is so protective that there are many people who have had serious heart problems who never had high cholesterol, but only had a low HDL.

Most importantly policosanol can actually dissolve away existing arterial plaque. In one study of policosanol given twice a day, not only did they stop getting worse and adding to their plaque, but there was regression of ischemia or melting away of plaque.

References:

Janikula M. Policosanol: a new treatment for cardiovascular disease? Altern Med Rev. 2002 Jun;7(3):203-17

Gouni-Berthold I, Berthold HK Policosanol: clinical pharmacology and therapeutic significance of a new lipid-lowering agent. Am Heart J. 2002 Feb;143(2):356-65.

Castaño G, Más R, Arruzazabala ML, Noa M, Illnait J, Fernández JC, Molina V, Menéndez A., Effects of policosanol and pravastatin on lipid profile, platelet aggregation and endothelemia in older hypercholesterolemic patients. Int J Clin Pharmacol Res. 1999;19(4):105-16.

Hi Everyone,

I’m often explaining to patient’s how to eat a diet that will help them recover from chronic illnesses and stay healthy.  The conversation usually starts with me recalling the familiar USDA food pyramid and how they would do well to remove the bottom (grains) and start over.  A diet rich in grains many be full of fiber, “B” vitamins and plenty of carbohydrates but it doesn’t necessarily equate with being healthy.

Grains (wheat, rye, barley, oats) are mostly carbohydrates (sugars) and can play havoc with blood sugar levels.  Consumption of grains can also lead to inflammation and food sensitivities in some people.  We’ve been so conditioned to think we cannot survive or be healthy without grains as the basis of our diet.  This simply isn’t true.  You can live perfectly well and probably have greater health by eliminating or minimizing grain consumption.

The basis of my food pyramid is protein and vegetables.  Protein’s are the building blocks of life.  They literally provide the 2×4′s for construction of cells, hormones, neurotransmitters, DNA, etc.  Eating protein increases our metabolic rate by up to 10% (for a short time) after consumption, can stabilize blood sugar (this is especially true while sleeping) and is required to keep muscle mass stable.

Vegetables provide plenty of nutrients (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals) and non-soluble fiber (bulk).  Go for less starchy vegetables like greens, asparagus, broccoli, cucumbers, etc and shy away from sugary carrots or potatoes.  And just so you know corn is not a vegetable; it’s a grain.  Not sure why it got put into the vegetable category???  Variety, organic and rich colors are what you should look at when making choices.  Don’t get into a rut.

Healthy fats and oils are essentials too; we just need less of them because they are calorie dense.  Coconut oil and grape seed oil both do well at high temperatures.  They don’t smoke, change into transfats (bad stuff) and don’t burn.  They are favor neutral and coconut oil has been shown to improve cholesterol levels.  Interestingly, coconut oil acts like a carbohydrate in that it is easily used for fuel by the body but it does not rise blood sugar.  How nice is that?  Great for diabetics!!!

Fruit is a higher up on the pyramid because it is too easy to consume too much.  Fruit is high in fructose (fruit sugar) which can make you hungry for more sugar if you consume too many servings.  Go for berries (blueberries, raspberries, etc.) as they have a low sugar to fiber ratio and are packed with numerous benefits.  Blueberries are great for the brain and memory.  Give your kids a serving before a test and watch them shine.  Pitted fruits are good too (plums, apricots, peaches, etc.); just don’t eat the fruit dried or you’ll be in the high sugar category again.  Stay clear of high sugar fruits like bananas, watermelon, papaya and the like.

I also removed diary products (milk/cheese/ice cream) from the pyramid because people often have issue processing dairy.  Children prone to ear infections and/or sinus drainage should refrain from dairy.  Problems with dairy go beyond just lactose intolerance.  Lactose is the sugar and some people have difficulty digesting causing gas and bloating.  Casein is a protein found in dairy that can cause digestive sensitivities in some people.