Posted 12/6/2009 11:14 PM (GMT 0)
Hi everyone.
Found this interesting newer research about Melatonin, a natural substance produced by your body to regulate sleep. You may have heard that people who do a lot of world travel can take Melatonin to reset their 'body clock'. A research scientist in France did a clinical double blind study in which melatonin plus a number of other vitamins and compounds were administered to GERD patients. Some patients also took placebo and omeprazole. Virtually 100% of patients taking the Melatonin got relief from GERD versus 89% in the case of the omeprazole.
Melatonin is known to inhibit gastric acid secretion and the making of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide acts to temporarily relax the lower esophageal. Interestingly, when you look at the chemical composition and structure of melatonin it is very similar to the PPI omeprazole (aka Prilosec). Others compounds in the formula display anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. Melatonin is produced by the body when we are in complete darkness and a rest. Even a little bit of little bit of light (televisions, bright night lights, desktop lamps left on, etc.) can inhibit our bodies from producing melatonin. Could it be that our natural ability to guard against GERD is being compromised by advances in technology and artificial lighting? Interesting stuff. Somewhere it is suggested to start at 3mg and work up to 6mg. Do a search under melatonin and GERD or have a look at the links below.
MM
http://www.lanutrition.fr/Dr-Ricardo-De-Souza-Pereira-la-m%C3%A9latonine-pour-traiter-le-reflux-gastro-oesophagien-a-1425.html (get Google to translate for you)
http://www.denvernaturopathic.com/MelatoninandGERD.htm