Wellness.com
Wellness.com  The Healthy Living Community
HomeWellnessCommunityFind ExpertsHealth Information
   
HOT TOPICS: JUST FOR MEN | JUST FOR WOMEN | RELATIONSHIPS | ENVIRONMENT | FAMILY | PETS | MORE >>
FREE Wellness e-NEWS
First name: 
E-mail: 
privacy policy
Will Menopause Be A Thing Of The Past?
by SuperHumanRadio
StumbleUpon Toolbar Stumble It!
Posted 4/17/2008 2:43:14 PM
Italy is known for it’s food and fashion but who would have guessed they’d also have the jump on helping women potentially eliminate menopause and it’s associate symptoms using a common over-the-counter supplement – melatonin.

This is great news for all women, and a huge relief to those trying to decide which side effects to gamble on as a result of only knowing about traditional prescription drug therapies.

A six month study conducted by the Menopause Center at the Madonna Del Grazie Health Institute in Rome Italy, identified a clear relationship between nocturnal melatonin production, a hormone that makes us sleepy, and menopause.

Female subjects between the ages of 42 and 62 were given either a melatonin supplement or a placebo each night for six months. The subjects were either in the stages of perimenopause and experiencing missed menstrual cycles or post menopause and their menstrual cycles had ceased entirely.

Over the course of the six-month study an amazing thing occurred. The subjects who received the daily melatonin supplement resumed menstrual cyclicity. Yes even the women who were post menopausal regained their menstrual cycles.

Symptoms typically associated with menopause such as depression, sleep disorders, hot flushes, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, appetite disorders and tremors related to anxiety and depression were remarkably reversed or significantly improved.

Natural hormone levels were restored to youthful levels and the women receiving the melatonin became fertile again.

These results are nothing short of remarkable. While this is just a single study and should be viewed with that in mind, the potential ramifications are profound. If in fact the chicken-and-egg relationship between the onset of menopause and melatonin are the opposite as previously thought – that it is the reduction in melatonin that heralds the onset of menopause and not the reverse – then by simply supplementing with melatonin may completely reverse menopause. At least that is what the results of this study are pointing to.

This would most likely eliminate the need for hormone replacement therapy entirely as a transitional step to menopause since women would continue to produce youthful levels of hormones on their own. It would also greatly impact several segments of the pharmaceutical industry – anti-depressants, anti-anxiety and non-hormonal osteoporosis drugs that are now being hawked by celebrities like Sally Fields.

Imagine a world where women no longer have to fear fragile bones, or that their careers will be interrupted by the lack of energy or mental clarity suffered during menopause. How about mothers regularly giving birth at 75? Perhaps this will be a reality in the near future. We’ll just have to wait and see.

While this is a single study and should be viewed as such, it will be interesting to see how physicians handle this news. This study was published in December of 2005. Will it be repressed or discounted? Remember, melatonin is an over-the-counter sleep aid and doesn’t require a prescription. The pharmaceutical industry wont profit from this potentially wonderful discovery. That is unless they address it as they did the cholesterol-lowering effects of the common B vitamin - Niacin. They created an extended release version of an already perfect over-the-counter supplement called NiaSpan™ so that physicians would have something to prescribe. Most physicians are reluctant to recommend over-the-counter supplements citing purity is not guaranteed.

You’ll have to educate yourself about your options when addressing menopause. Melatonin may prove to be a valuable aid for some women and may be worth examining for those of you beginning to see the symptoms of menopause.


* NiaSPan is a Registered Trademark of the KOS Pharmaceutical Company
About the Author



SuperHumanRadio
View profile

Louisville,  KY

Interests: fitness, health, anti aging, hormones, testosterone, growth hormone, klotho, science, nutrition, regenerative medicine, preventative medicine, strength training, endurance training


Technorati Del.icio.us Digg This Add to Google Add to My Yahoo Add to My AOL
This blog is written by an individual Wellness.com forum member and does not necessarily state the views of Wellness.com Incorporated or any of its affiliates.
Community Comments

lauraadkins   4/30/2008 4:09:33 AM  
I'm amazed by the power of melatonin as described here. I'd like to know the dosage used. I researched the topic and found a good article that provides further information at www.dsib.org/melatonin. Could be a great help...
BethRosenshein   5/4/2008 7:00:14 AM  
I'm glad to see this research being done. This area of medicine is exciting because it acknowledges the interweaving of the processes in the body.

This article highlighted that melatonin can significantly improve thyroid function and help restore normal menstrual cycling. The article also states that some of the menopausal women (1 to 2 years without cycles) had regained normal cycling. The most likely reason is that their ovaries weren't cycling for reasons other than complete ovarian failure - which is menopause. What this highlights is a need to define menopause by something other than no period for 12 months. Medically, menopause means the ovaries have completely failed.

My husband and I have created a medical foundation to fund the research needed to delay ovarian failure thus delaying menopause. We are also looking for healthy, physiologic ovarian replacement regimens for women who have suffered complete ovarian failure at any age, not just women under 40 years old.

With this type of research the future is brighter for all women.
Post a Comment:

Please sign in or join now to post a comment.

RECENT BLOG COMMENTS
5 Secret Qualities of Happy Peopl...
Yes! You've learned that it ultimately comes from an internal - vs...  -lisakift

I Wish Skinny People Would Shut U...
Charles-Wise words, and very true.After living both sides of a prob...  -MeAtLast

5 Secret Qualities of Happy Peopl...
Yes, we all seek happiness. I've been on a path to healing myself ...  -raszz19

Sacred Lomi Lomi
check out: http://www.youtube.com/user/sacredlomi  -mmcdrama

I Wish Skinny People Would Shut U...
You tell 'em Steve! I agree. And on that note, I'd like for the Jac...  -ewilson

Dr Shahid's Six Principles of Hea...
Sorry, but I disagree that one should not take any prescribed subst...  -BlueCat

Will Menopause Be A Thing Of The ...
I'm glad to see this research being done. This area of medicine is ...  -BethRosenshein

I Wish Skinny People Would Shut U...
I can certainly understand where you are coming form. I've always h...  -charles7strod

A Woman without a voice
Nice post  -anna01

Home  |  About Wellness.com  |  Community  |  Find Experts  |  Health Information  |  Site Map  |  Professional Center  |  Privacy Policy  |  Advertise With Us