Morning everyone!
Welcome to another edition of the Doctor’s Note, where we talk about what’s on our minds when it comes to your health.
This week we’re going to talk about another supplement that helps you stay young, energetic, and healthy.
We’re all familiar with it, and recently it has come to light that it may help combat COVID-19.
We’re talking about Melatonin. It’s a part of my protocol for prevention and treatment of COVID-19 along with Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Quercetin and Zinc.
When you think of Melatonin, you probably think sleep. It is in fact the sleep hormone.
A recent study at The Cleveland Clinic showed that it can also be helpful with COVID-19.
Melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone.
A hormone is a chemical messenger that sends a signal out for another part of the body to start producing another substance. It has an affect on another part of your body. A lot of times it has an affect on many parts of your body.
Melatonin acts as a:
Antioxidant
Anti Inflammatory
Immune Modulator
COVID-19 attacks all of these things.
Melatonin also impairs the complications of COVID-19 as well.
The Sleep Hormone
We used to use Melatonin just to help you sleep at night. We would use it for jet lag and shift worker syndrome.
A lot of studies show that it’s as effective as Ambien for sleep, and it’s much safer.
I used to have trouble sleeping. I even took Lunesta for a short time. I decided I didn’t want to depend on that, and I wanted to be on something more natural. Now I just take Melatonin, and have practiced better sleep habits. I’m able to monitor my sleep through an Oura Ring.
Melatonin is the sleep hormone. As we get older, less of it is produced. This is why older Americans don’t sleep as well as they used to. Less Melatonin is secreted by the pineal gland in the brain.
When it gets dark outside this gland starts secreting Melatonin. If you have lights on in the room from a TV or computer, you won’t produce much Melatonin. Therefore you won’t sleep as well.
Ask any older adult, they don’t sleep like they used to. They don’t produce enough Melatonin naturally.
This Cleveland Clinic study I’ve been mentioning found that when you use Melatonin there is a 30% decreased likelihood of testing positive for COVID-19. It goes to a 52% decrease of testing positive for COVID-19 if you’re an African American. People with dark skin do a lot worse with COVID-19, and it’s most likely because of Vitamin D deficiencies as well as Melatonin.
Melatonin also helps:
Migraines and cluster headaches
Decreases cancer rates. They are even using high doses of Melatonin for prevention of recurrences for breast cancer.
Alzheimer’s Disease
Ringing in the ears
Probably decreases blood pressure
How to take Melatonin:
Take 1-2 hours before you go to sleep. It takes this long to work, and know that it might make you drowsy.
Don’t take with alcohol. This will decrease the effectiveness of Melatonin.
1-5 mg is the average dose. I’ve found that it’s most effective at 2-3 mg.
You can try with kids who have ADHD, as it might help with that. For kids, 0.5 mg.
Melatonin could be called a “new” wonder supplement, as it’s been highlighted in this new COVID-19 study.
Add this to your protective regimen for COVID-19 prophylaxis.
And if you’re not sleeping well, definitely consider taking Melatonin as well as other good sleep hygiene.
