QUICK FACTS – THE PINEAL GLAND AND MELATONIN

 

 

  1. Melatonin is a natural hormone produced mainly by the pineal gland in the brain, although some has recently been found in the bone marrow where it appears to be linked with white cell formation.

 

  1. Little was known about the pineal gland in Western Medicine until 1958 where Lerner reported that it secreted melatonin. However, the Greeks described it as the Realm of Thought; Descartes called it the Seat of the Soul. In Eastern medicine it has long been associated with the ‘Third Eye’ and intuition, and it is linked to an important energy chakra.

 

  1. The pineal has also been shown to be the link between the nervous system and the ‘Limbic System’ of the brain. It is thus truly linked to perception and is activated (and turned down) by energetic and magnetic frequencies. These may be your own natural ones or external EMFs.

 

  1. Science has now shown that it is linked to circadian rhythms and to seasonal sleeping and breeding habits. Recent research carried in Cancer Watch suggested that circadian rhythms might even control the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs and the time of day they should be taken.

 

  1. Philadelphia University have shown that areas of the brain are deactivated during meditation and during nuns praying.

 

  1. In meditation, the pineal gland and the pituitary have been shown to vibrate in unison. Monks and Yogis can even control their internal energy systems and temperature during meditation.

 

  1. Melatonin is produced about 90 minutes after falling asleep and pushes you into a deeper sleep. Production is light sensitive and regulatory ‘sensors’ have been found in the retina.

 

  1. Several studies (e.g. The Boston Nurses Study, Scandinavian Airlines) have shown that irregular sleeping habits lower production of the hormone and are also associated with higher breast cancer levels. One function of melatonin is to regulate excess oestrogen levels.

 

  1. Recently the discovery of melatonin in the bone marrow and its reduction by EMFs has spawned debate about its role in prevention of leukaemia and especially child leukaemia.

 

  1. There are nearly a thousand studies showing that melatonin supplementation has important oncostatic effects: both in cancer prevention and also during chemotherapy, where it cuts down the side effects.

 

  1. Melatonin levels decline with age and melatonin supplements have been shown to have anti-aging benefits. Supplementation is now used by night shift workers, nurses, long-haul flyers and a number of top oncology and anti-aging professors on both sides of the Atlantic.

 

  1. Supplements of 3-6 mgs of melatonin are commonly taken about 30 minutes before going to bed. Levels above 10mgs have been thought to cause vivid dreams and hallucination, but there is little scientific evidence. The hormone is freely available over the counter in many countries from Thailand to the USA. But not in the UK. Recently it was found that melatonin acts far better when plant derived than synthetic.

 


Also: The Secret of Sleep and The Truth about Supplements