The Sticking Point

[Guest guest]

" HSI - Jenny Thompson " <HSIResearch

 

 

HSI e-Alert - The Sticking Point

Tue, 19 Apr 2005 09:01:53 -0400

HSI e-Alert - The Sticking Point

 

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

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April 19, 2005

 

Dear Reader,

 

" Stabbing headache " - that name tells you everything you need to know

about the specific pain associated with this unique type of headache.

 

They're also known as " ice-pick headaches, " " cluster headaches " and

even " suicide headaches. " As these names painfully suggest, this

variety of headache causes sharp pains that are isolated in specific

points on the head. Although the headache is usually brief, it

sometimes recurs throughout the day and in the worst cases may cause

short-term disability.

 

An article in the journal Neurology shows that supplements of the

hormone melatonin may provide relief for stabbing headaches while also

helping users get a good night's sleep without feeling dazed and

confused the next day. But while this supplement offers a variety of

benefits, it comes with an important warning.

 

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When the meds won't do

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The typical preventive treatment for stabbing headaches is a

nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) called indomethacin. As

with all NSAIDs, indomethacin may cause digestive problems,

accompanied by dizziness and even headaches. In the three case studies

examined in Neurology, two of the subjects were unable to use

indomethacin.

 

In case number one, a woman who couldn't tolerate indomethacin

experienced as many as 10 stabbing headaches each day. After she began

taking 12 mg of melatonin each day just before bedtime, her headaches

subsided and she was pain-free when followed up at two months.

 

Indomathacin was also not an option for the second case: A woman who

suffered two stabbing headaches every day began taking a daily

melatonin dose of 9 mg and reported complete relief within 24 hours.

Followed up after four months, she reported that no headaches had

returned.

 

In the third case, a woman who was relieved from stabbing headaches

with indomethacin use found that 3 mg of melatonin taken before bed

each evening prevented the headaches as well as the drug did. She was

pain-free at a two-month follow up.

 

As reported by Todd D. Rozen, M.D., of the Michigan Head-Pain and

Neurological Institute, these three case studies indicate that

controlled trials should be conducted to confirm the effectiveness of

melatonin supplements as an alternative to indomethacin.

 

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Fooling Mother Nature

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Melatonin helps regulate the sleep/wake circadian rhythm that

(ideally) remains consistent from night to night. Which is one of the

reasons it's effective as a sleep-aid. In addition, studies have shown

that melatonin may even play a role in the body's natural defenses

against cancer.

 

But because melatonin is a hormone (produced in the brain by the

pineal gland), I asked HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., if it's wise

to boost levels with a supplement. Dr. Spreen agreed that some caution

should be taken.

 

Dr. Spreen: " Many people use melatonin for sleep, and keep going up on

the dose until it works (and it does). I would use tryptophan that

way, continuing up on the dose each night until the patient fell

asleep (and he will).

 

" However, I'm more cautious with melatonin. I don't recommend it for

anyone under 40, except when addressing jet lag, for which it works

well. The idea there is that you take a pretty decent dose at the

destination bedtime to more quickly condition your body to the new

diurnal rhythm.

 

" As we age, melatonin production decreases, so I'm not as nervous for

someone over age 40 using it as a 'youth'-type agent, and I think

there's something to it. The substance is well researched to be both

an antioxidant, and a nutrient of considerable worth in other areas.

The cautious types talk about 1.5 mg at bedtime (never anytime but

bedtime), for ages 40 to 50, then 3 milligrams for people over age 50.

I to that. Those who take lots more I think are swimming in

uncharted waters - nobody has any real data that it's bad (or that

it's not). "

 

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Eat & sleep

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If you're not sleeping well, or if you're experiencing stabbing

headaches, you might try increasing your intake of foods that contain

melatonin before resorting to a supplement. Melatonin-rich foods

include: bananas, cherries, ginger, tomatoes, corn, cucumber, beets

and rice. And always turn off the lights - and TV - when you turn in

for the night. Your body's natural production of melatonin may be

inhibited by sleeping with the lights on.

 

If melatonin foods don't do the trick, talk to your M.D. or

naturopathic doctor before starting a nightly regimen of melatonin

supplements.

 

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....and another thing

 

You are what you eat. And that goes for baboons too.

 

A study of baboons published in the American Journal of Clinical

Nutrition shows that vitamin E's anti-inflammatory effects may be

increased when a CoQ10 supplement is added.

 

Researchers at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research in

Texas used 21 baboons to test levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) - a

reliable marker for heart disease risk associated with inflammation.

After feeding the baboons a diet designed to increase their CRP (more

on that in a moment), researchers found that vitamin E alone reduced

CRP by more than 50 percent, but when CoQ10 was added, CRP was reduced

by an additional 20 percent.

 

What makes this result even more remarkable is the fact that the

baboons didn't even have elevated levels of CRP. But it wasn't for

lack of trying.

 

As many mainstream doctors will tell you, heart disease risk will rise

when a diet contains lots of fats and cholesterol. Or that's the

mainstream mantra anyway. So the Texas researchers fed their baboons a

low-fat, low-cholesterol diet for three months, followed by a

seven-week diet of high-fat and high-cholesterol. This was designed to

crank up the CRP level in preparation for the CoQ10/vitamin E test.

 

But a funny thing happened. According to the study: " The serum

C-reactive protein concentrations did not change. "

 

Huh! Imagine that!

 

I suppose the researchers were a little perplexed and probably

disappointed that the CRP wasn't elevated. But they went ahead with

their study anyway.

 

Here's my suggestion for the Texas team: Next time, feed your baboons

fruits, vegetables, fish and whole grains for three months, and then

switch to a seven-week diet that's heavy on poor nutrition and simple,

refined carbohydrates - processed baked goods, chips, soda pop,

fast-food hamburgers, French fries, white bread, etc. - and then hang

on to your hats while the CRP levels zoom upward!

 

Of course, the baboons might be too intelligent to eat food like that.

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

Health Sciences Institute

 

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Sources:

 

" Melatonin as Treatment for Idiopathic Stabbing Headache " Neurology,

Vol. 61, No. 6, 9/23/03, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

" Melatonin Relieves Stabbing Headaches " Maureen Williams, ND,

Healthnotes Newswire, 2/26/04, pccnaturalmarkets.com

" Cosupplementation with Vitamin E and Coenzyme Q10 Reduces Circulating

Markers of Inflammation in Baboons " American Journal of Clinical

Nutrition, Vol. 80, No. 3, September 2004, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

" CoQ10 Boosts Vitamin E's Anti-Inflammatory Action " NutraIngredients,

9/8/04, nutraingredients.com

 

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