Melatonin and Blood Pressure

Interesting article.

One thing most people fail to grasp regarding melatonin, TIMING IS EVERYTHING. The average joe off the street will read about the benefits of melatonin, and "just figure" that if a little bit is good, a WHOLE LOT must be better. WRONG!

Notice in the study the participants took a relatively small dose, and it was in the evening. By taking too much melatonin or including it in your morning pill regimen you will obliterate the natural sleep signals that melatonin modulates, which are normally influenced by the pineal gland and the retina, which are sensitive to ambient light. A relatively small dose in the evening can potentially enhance this signal. Too much and it actually confuses the natural circadian rhythms. Not good.

For those who will continue to guzzle megadoses of melatonin no matter what, at least it's relatively non-toxic. It won't help you sleep, but it doesn't cause warts either.

Interesting article, thanks for sharing that. Good information.

Just a quick word of wisdom. Melatonin will cause impotence in men. My husband started taking melatonin and then began having symptoms of erectile dysfunction. We took him to see the family doctor who enlightened us on this little quirk. Hubby stopped taking the melatonin and within 2 weeks was back to normal.

I tried melatonin years several years back and got major headaches every single time I took it. Finally realized the melatonin was the cause, as I don't get headaches...especially the kind that feel like an anvil is pressing on your skull! YOWZA!!!! As far as the hypertension issue I am completely off meds after 27 yrs on them....what has been the cure?

I juice one glass a day (more if my bp seems to be raising from something Ive eaten) of cabbage/garlic/celery/carrot (sometimes I put in a radish but not necessary). Along w/that, I drink a glass of water immediately following the juice and adequate water throughout the day. I eat only the following foods because anything else, even in minute amounts makes my bp spike: low carb veggies (raw/steamed/stirfried in olive oil or a little butter) and protein in the form of animal/fish and raw nuts and seeds, also some lower carb raw fruits. NO SALT, SUGAR, GRAINS, COMPLEX CARBS OR SIMPLE CARBS IN THE FORM OF POTATOES, OATS, BROWN RICE, PASTAS, BREADS, ETC...., NO "FRANKEN FOODS" INCLUDING FAKE SUGARS OR NITRATES, NO DAIRY OUTSIDE OF A LITTLE BUTTER NOW AND THEN.

That's it....is it easy to stick to? Not initially, but I'm learning that if I want to be healthy and not throw money away on meds that give me bad side effects, it is defiitely worth the self dontrol to do this. My bp was about 200+/120 at its highest (on meds)/then 180/110 when I went off this way of eating and shared pizza and english muffins w/my dh (ditto when I eat even a smidge of salt or other food that seems poison to my particular body's needs!) and now tends to settle anywhere from 117/64 to 124/76 Terry

Hey, Terry! How are you? Sounds like you're doing very, very well. That is wonderful how you've gotten off your BP meds and are able to regulate it by diet. I think the water may be key, too, not that raw vegetables are not golden foods. Did you used to drink this much water while you were taking the meds. you used to be on for the BP?

By the way, did you experience major weight loss, too? I think from the sounds of what you're eating, that would have been another positive side effect. Congratulations on your will power and your success.

Flower51 Terry wrote:I juice one glass a day (more if my bp seems to be raising from something Ive eaten) of cabbage/garlic/celery/carrot...

WOW! you are a walking V-8 commercial

Tell me more. Is there a book? website? Is this your own invention? I have a friend who does something similar, but not for blood pressure. Usually for stress and allergies. And she's too bashful to share many more details. PM me if you must. That is very cool what you have come up with, and the results. Thanks for sharing that !

Hi Sleepless old friend! Hi Ric!

When I began eating this way I dropped some weight pretty quickly (in the scheme of things quickly....since then I've fallen off and gotten back on the "eating what God showed me" wagon and so I'm still trying to lose what I had gained back. I lost about 25 pounds in 3 years doing low carb (yep my metabolism is slow as a turtle) and then in a matter of just a month or two lost another 25 by doing the kind of eating I detailed here.

Yep Sleepless, I've always drunk a good amount of water.

Ric what I do is pretty close to whats detailed in a book by Audette called "Neanderthin" also known as "hunter/gatherers" or "paleo"
My version tends to be a lower carb version when I'm doing it for bp and weight loss purposes...which means not as many raw fruits as some may eat. Some people who do paleo try to eat everything raw including meats and fish...I'm not there and not going to be there! And also try to eat free range and organic products which I can't afford.

The main things God led me to do was the one glass of freshly juiced veggies (not something a hunter gatherer would have access to). This is NOT a v8 thing Ricster....you need to juice it fresh and drink it immediately after juicing followed by some water. Why? Because the veggies lose some of their nutrients by sitting around after being juiced and also the cabbage stinks to high heaven soon after juicing. Again its: cabbage, celery, carrot, garlic (and if you like, throw in a radish and some cucumber but its not necessary just a little different). To make one glass I use about 1/4 of a large green cabbage, or 1/2 of a little one, 1 to 2 carrots, 2 to 3 stalks of celery (magnesium is really good to bring bp in balance), 2 cloves of garlic....Yep this will keep vampires away!!!! And really stinks up the cpap hose so do it in the morning so it disappates by nightime!!!!

An easy way to remember whats ok to eat: Eat anything you could pick and eat "as it is" (ie. no prep and lay off the really sweet and starchy fruits because our ancestors were limited to things like berries and the more sour kinds of apples that weren't developed to be sweet by man's intervention)
such as green leafys, raw nuts and anything you could have hunted w/a stick. No or minimal salt (sea salt). I also use olive oil and butter. Some do ok on eggs....I'm still trying to determine if that causes my bp and weight to rise.

That's it! Ric I'm sure you can find something on the web if you type in "paleo" etc... I check in now and then on something called "Active Low Carber Forums" under the Neander/Paleo message boards....I'm Flower there too. Warning though...some there don't follow true neander and eat other stuff so if you are serious about it don't follow their lead! I have very little wiggle room....Today I decided to lay off the apples slices w/peanut butter because its prob why my weight has stalled (peanuts aren't considered nuts anyway...they are legumes so don't eat them!) I'm prob the only one on that site thats talked about bp. Pretty sure most on their who have been following this wol have good bp stats and cholesterol too.
Also in the past when I was just beginning neanderthin I detailed things on a message board I reached by typing in "lowcarb retreat" which I think has since become "lowcarb christians"...I was Flowergirl there....its been awhile but I think i detailed what i ate in a journal there...cool thing is w/this wol I'm not obsessive about what to eat because its such a simple plan....

Also if you type in "Gold standard Low Carb" or "KISS Low carb" you may find similar info, although this veggie drink combined w/this type of eating is something God really gave me directly to help me w/my bp so its prob not out there apart from what I've written here.
bye!!! Terry

Terry,

I am not normally one who believes in the "fads" of what Hollywood or the "beautiful people" are doing to stay in shape diet-wise each week, but the new thought in eating well to stay slim and keep healthy is to eat only raw foods. If it has to be cooked, stay away from it. Nuts, berries, fruits, vegetables, legumes, etc., are thought to be the way to go. Not far off from what you're doing. I believe, though, fish and poultry have to be included for a great source of protein, and fish for other reasons, too.

I am just about ready to give that a try. I've never been a "cake" person and I love all of the above that I mentioned. Garlic? I could put it on my Rice Krispies (only kidding), I love it so much. Only problem is the after effects it comes with. But it is supposedly a very healthy element to include in the diet, too. I have friends who just take the garlic tablets every day, but then you miss out of the flavor! Why would anyone want to do that? Oh, yeah, their breath...

It was nice to hear from you, Terry, and I'm so glad you're doing well.

Hi Sis! I know what you mean...I love garlic too...my poor dh though...!!!!

Legumes are beans which means they'd need to be cooked or sprouted to eat...also they have enough starch in them that, except for the long green beans they'd make my bp go up.

As far as eating raw being best....I thought that too but after doing some research, found that certain foods, such as carrots when cooked are better as far as your body being able to absorb the nutrients they provide. A surprise to me!!!!

Terry

Thanks, Terry, for the education. You're never too old to learn something new (I just did). Besides, beans can do a number on the old digestive tract, too.

So cook my carrots??? I love cooked carrots.

Flower51Terry wrote:Ric what I do is pretty close to whats detailed in a book by Audette called "Neanderthin" also known as "hunter/gatherers" or "paleo". Cabbage, celery, carrot, garlic (and if you like, throw in some M&Ms and a chocolate chip cookie, but its not necessary just a little different).

THANKS! Terry for your detailed reply. I have ordered the book, and I'm shopping for a good juicer (needed an excuse to get one anyway). Until that gets here I may just club them to a pulp, or use a large stone. Will that fit the motif? And plus I can practice my Tarzan yell whilst thusly engaged. I can see it's not a V8 thing, you didn't mention "a cup of salt".

If this works out and I can stick to the regimen long enough to lower my BP significantly I'm sure we can be rich and famous! Yes, "WE". Here's my plan: I'll be RICH, and you can be FAMOUS! Deal? Until then, I will be happy to just get off a few of the stoooopid meds I take to keep the BEEP under control. And I will be duly grateful.

(Was Euel Gibbons a "paleo"? I remember he died rich AND famous. And HEALTHY! I think he choked on a pine cone???)