Melatonin - Nature's Wonder Drug

Melatonin:  Dreams of Health

How Our Bodies Communicate

Food and nutrition is information.  When we eat we transmit that information to our cells.

Food is the method we use to instruct our bodies how to behave.   If we eat correctly we communicate health.  If we eat incorrectly we communicate sickness.  Wellness is not based on medicines to make you well.  It is based on choosing to communicate our well being.  On the other hand we may also communicate that we are not okay by the foods we eat, the air we breathe, the water we drink and the stress we live under. 

When we communicate to the body that we are thriving and not under attack either physically, emotionally, psychologically or spiritually we will be healthy.  When we communicate that we are under assault the body will breakdown and we become ill.

Poisons, artificial substances and fake foods all drive us into a fight or flight mode, "survival".  There are also natural substances such as Melatonin which communicate to the body that we are well.  In such cases the body moves from survival mode to thrive mode.  At the survival mode we store energy as fat.  We stop digesting our food.  Blood flow is restricted to vital organs. The physiology of the body responds with faster heartbeat, higher blood pressure, dilated pupils, slower brain function and more sugar in the blood.

In thrive mode the body relaxes, blood flow increases to the extremities, pupils are at the normal size and the brain functions at a faster, higher level. 

In fact, during the middle ages women used to deliberately enhance their beauty by taking Bella Dona, which means "beautiful woman".  Bella  Dona makes the skin flush,  the heart to beat faster and  most importantly the pupils of the eyes to dilate which was thought to make the woman more beautiful.

Melatonin As A Commercial Product

The human body needs 90 essential natural nutrients.  These nutrients can not be manufactured or synthesized.  They must come from nature to be effective.  Melatonin is the most amazing nutrient.  It is made by the body and can accomplish so much for people who want to optimize health and reverse the aging process.  Yet this wonder nutrient is not appreciated and can not fit easily into a 3 minute sound bite.

There are several strikes against melatonin as a commercially viable product.  The biggest strike is that it is very cheap.  For about $3 to $4 per month you can achieve ultimate health.  Perhaps this is why melatonin is not talked about very much.  It is one of those substances that makes too  much sense and not enough profit for the big producers.  It flies in the face of ridiculous and expensive drugs and treatments which don't actually work.

Anti-hypertensive medications for instance do not actually work.  They mimic a cure by hiding the symptoms of high blood pressure while overlooking the true cause.  Indeed all drugs do the same.  Health is the reflection of the body's environment.  It is not the result of a chemical trick that misleads the body and interferes with how the body communicates through nutrition.   Just as cigarette smoking seems to calm the nerves and alcohol makes a person seem uninhibited.  In reality these drugs poison or block the body's natural processes.  The body is put into survival mode as it must now deal with a toxic environment.     That is the second strike against melatonin.  Rather than placing the  body in a survival condition it returns the body to the rest and repair, relax and heal condition, the thrive condition.  This is death to a drug manufacturer who's business model is based on illness and false beliefs.

The fact that melatonin is made by the human body is strike three.  If the body can make its own melatonin then how can the drug companies make money?  Sort of like suggesting that mother's milk is not as good for baby as powdered formula.  Or that GMO's are better than real food.  This is completely unnatural and alien to the human body.

Melatonin is made in the gut primarily.  That is strike number four.  If you can get all that you need by choosing to eat healthily you will have no trouble making melatonin.  If melatonin were exclusively made in the brain then people would have less control over their melatonin production  and that would put the food and drug companies in the driver's seat where they like to be when it comes to profit making.  But actually if you have a complete healthy diet you will make melatonin and not need them.

Reduced Melatonin Production

As we age the amount of melatonin made in the body is reduced.  That means that we must pay close attention to what we eat and nowadays we must supplement..  Paying attention and supplementing are the last things that a food and drug company would want.  They want you totally oblivious as to how the body works and not knowing how to keep it functioning without them.

Givens

But what exactly does melatonin do besides put food and drug companies out of business?  Before we can answer this question we have to understand a few important facts:

1. The average American consumes a third of a pound of fructose per day in the form of manufactured food.
2. The average American eats about 80 to 100 pounds of fructose in processed foods per year.
3. All chronic disease is caused by cellular inflammation and micro-inflammation.
4. The medical establishment tells us that there are 12,000 diseases; everything from acne to arthritis to cardiovascular disease to autoimmune diseases.  In reality there is only one actual disease.  All the rest are symptoms of the same problem.
5. Chronic disease is the other side of immune system activation.
6. The main source of a defense immune activation is food.
7. The body is a self-healing mechanism not like a car which is prone to breakdown with use and must be fixed.  The body repairs itself if it has the nutrients to work with
8. No drug can repair the body. 
9. In order to be healthy the body must not be in a survival posture but a posture which promotes healing and health.  A posture of safety.  A posture of rest and relaxation.
10. The human body responds to threat or attack with the fight or flight response.  Healing takes place in the rest and relax mode.  Obesity, disease, breakdown and other chronic conditions are the result of the body being placed in the fight or flight response mode.

Melatonin's Role

If you can accept these concepts then you will understand the importance that melatonin plays.

The single most important anti-aging biochemical process in the body is to get a good night's rest.  In the rest and repair cycle the body heals and repairs itself.  It is also at this time that the body digests and absorbs food.  And it is food where we get our sustenance.  Without a good nights rest it may indicate any number of health conditions.  This may be caused be deficiencies in:

• zinc
• magnesium
• enzymes
• calcium
• amino acids
• seratonin
• folic acid
• protein
• vitamin
• and a host of other deficiencies

Deficiencies in vital nutrients lead to all of the diseases known to mankind.  Melatonin not only assures you get a good night's sleep but it also acts as an anti-inflammatory and aids in the absorption of Tryptophan which slows the aging process,  It is important for mental health and it acts as an anti-oxidant. 

At night the body is making melatonin.  Also at night the body is using melatonin.  People should take it as a supplement before going to bed.  Not only will you sleep well but you will have great dreams.  Melatonin helps in the production of Tryptophan and Tryptophan is necessary in the production of melantonin.  This implies that an interruption in the melatonin cycle can result a cascading decline of mental and physical health.  Older people are much more at risk as their bodies produce less and less melatonin with time.

Any kind of intestinal or gut problem will reduce the absorption of Tryptophan and this will results in melatonin deficiency. That means more inflammation, more aging, more breakdown, more mental problems and trouble sleeping. 

The Other Roles of Melatonin

Most people know that melatonin is supportive  in the brain for sleep.  But few realize the important role it plays in gastrointestinal and digestive health.  It is a very important  nutritional supplement for digestive inflammation, heartburn or gerd.  The esophagus is important as is the whole gastrointestinal tract in the production of melatonin.  500 times more melatonin is produced in the intestinal tract than the pineal gland.  

There are 40  Million Americans,  today who are dealing with acid reflux disease.  If they go to the doctor they are more than likely going to be prescribed a PPI (proton pump inhibitor) drug like Prylosec or Nexium which suppresses acid production.   Acid reflux is not caused by too much acid.  Heartburn is not caused by too much acid.  According to Dr. Johnathan Rice in his book "Why Stomach Acid Is Good For You" or Dr. Sherry Roger's book, "No More Heartburn".

Acid Reflux disease is caused by a breakdown in the chemistry of the stomach and the connection between the stomach and the esophagus called the sphincter.  Too little stomach acid can cause the food to stay in the stomach too long where it can ferment and cause the sphincter to become weak.  Further, acid is necessary for the absorption of nutrients such as zinc.  If you have gerd most likely you are eating the wrong foods especially sugars and especially fructose. 

A quick easy remedy for heartburn is Apple Cider Vinegar with meals, we recommend Braggs, or the "Ultimate Enzymes" from Youngevity, Glucogel Caps also from Youngevity or Betane, HCL,.  Acidify the stomach and you can use melatonin supplementation.  Melatonin can help with Alzheimer's disease, it can help you think more clearly and it is good for the brain, cardiovascular system digestive system, sugar management system and blood pressure.   It is an anti-anxiety and  other emotional stress. 

Melatonin and PTSD

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) -  Means Anxiety Disorder.  It comes after you have been involved in some sort of traumatic stress experience. There are three main categories of the disease:

1, Reliving the event

2. Avoiding things like people, places and things, showing less of your moods

3. Jittery or aroused, trouble concentrating startled easily, trouble falling asleep and  staying asleep

The latest medical questionable practice is called a Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB).  SGB is a surgical procedure where the brain's connection to the body is cut. 

Anxiety is triggered when a certain area of the brain interprets the body's chemistry  as evidence that it is under some kind of an attack.   The brain is constantly reading the body.   There is an  area of the  brain called the Amygdala which is the anger center.  When the Amydala sees that there is physiological stress, if you are holding your body in a certain position stress chemicals can rise in the Amygdala which will trigger a stress response.  An SGB  will physically disconnect the body from the Amygdala.  The brain will partially be cut off from the body at that point.  If you have anxiety problems a person may be better off using melatonin instead of drugs or surgery.

One of the contributing factors in PTSD is deficiencies in the raw materials for making melatonin.  People with PTSD are notoriously deficient in Tryptophan and have trouble with digestive issues.   Many people with PTSD have problems with insomnia.  Therefore, if  you take melantonin it can help you deal with PTSD, naturally . 

Melatonin and the Immune System

Melatonin is very important for the immune system.  All diseas has underlying breakdown.  Chronic disease is about inflammation and all inflammation is an immune or defense response.  So any thing we can do to improve our immune health is going to positively effect an of the 12,000 different diseases.    Some researchers feel that aging itself is a breakdown in the immune system.

Rather than taking vaccines for flu season you may want to use melatonin.  Make sure  you are eating properly. make sure you are getting the essential Amino Acids including the precursors to melatonin such as Tryptophan and high protein foods.

Melatonin is one of the best supplements you can take to build your immune system.  The use of melatonin is much more effective than the usual prescribed medications of Valium and Zanex which are technically called Benzodiazopin's.  They work by keeping brain chemicals locked into place.  Basically, they poison the receptors of nerve cells so that  the nerve cells are forced into relaxing.  Melatonin actually does the same thing except it does not poison the nerve cells.  This is the difference between supplements and drugs.

Taking melatonin may add years to your lfie.  Melatonin tells the body that it is safe and secure.  When the brain thinks that things are good the thriving systems begins and healing and repairing can start.  But the brain has to get the biochemical message that the body is safe. 

The body is either in stess mode or it is in relaxation mode.  Stress mode is great for survival.  It is represented by by the fight or flight response.  This arrousal neverous system is called the "Sympathetic" nervous system.   The stress nervous system accelerates your heartbeat.  It dilates the pupils.  Shuts down the digestive system. Stimulates adrenal hormones,   It stimulates the release of sugar from the liver.  Prepares you to run away from a threat like a Saber Tooth Tiger.  But it has it's limits.  Life is substantially shortened as the body can not heal, repair or digest.

By Contrast, in the rest and relax mode digestion takes place.  Healing takes place.  This system is called the "Parasympathetic" nervous system.

One Reason Why We Are Sick

Behind all breakdown there is one reason why the body breaksdown.  One reason why the body becomes inflammed.  One reason why the cells become starved.  One reason why cells suffocate.  One reason why cells become toxic.  And one reason that we have tremendous rates of illness in the Western World.  Lack of oxygen and nutrition.

The relaxation nevous system is for thriving.  It is called the parasympathetic nervous system. The stress nervous system is called the sympathetic nervous system

The parasympathetic nervous system relaxes the body, contracts the pupils, slows down the heart turns on the digestive absorption system.  It relaxes the blood pressure, turns on the gall bladder and allows blood to flow into the sex organs.  Growth and repair only take place when the body is in a relaxed mode.

The rest and relax mode is the key to anti-aging.  It is the key to health and wellness..  For all the talk about inflammation and the immune system, starvation, suffocation, toxification, the breakdown process and the degenerative process,  as the causes of disease it is a lack of blood flow carrying vital nutrients and oxygen which is behind it all and that is because our bodies are in survival mode much of the time.

Weight Loss

The secret to instant weight loss is to activate the relaxation nervous system.  Activate the rest and digest nervous system.  Eleminate phystical assauts like synthetic foods.  Eliminate psychological and mental assaults.  Eliminate emotional and spiritual assaults.  Eliminate anything that activates the stress response system.  Breathe, supplement, drink more water.  Take melatonin every night and you will lose weight.  Obesity is caused by triggering the fight or flight nervous system.

Conclusion

Micro nutrients tell the body that all is well.  Melatonin has been shown to activate the rest and relax system and allows the body to function normally.  Of course you have to be fully nutrified with natural nutrients and oxygen.  You must also have the fully function circulation.

It is plain to see that health is not about expensive phamaceuticals and procedures.  Simple sleep and relaxation with deep breathing and proper absorbable supplementation will allow the body to do what it was designed to do.  Melatonin is truly a broadspectrum natural substance without which health would be seriously compromised. 

Stay tuned for the next article about Cell Health.

Kyani "Nitro Fx" for Optimum Circulation and Health