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1997-07-15
MORRIS DYE
Acording
to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the hottest new wonder drug
since Prozac is not a drug at all, but a mere "dietary
supplement" with absolutely no proven medical applications. You
can buy it over the counter, inexpensively and without a
prescription. Look for it right next to the vitamin C and Geritol at
your favorite pharmacy.
But for a couple
of years now, ever since a story appeared in Newsweek in August 1995
touting the miraculous effects of melatonin, several outspoken and
oft-quoted researchers with strings of letters after their names have
been circulating some remarkable claims about the stuff in the
popular media. They say that this naturally occurring hormone, which
is secreted by an itsy-bitsy gland set back between your eyeballs,
may be used to treat (among other things) cancer, insomnia, high
blood pressure, osteoporosis, seasonal affective disorder (SAD),
Parkinson's disease and the effects of menopause. They also say it
can boost the immune system, enhance sexual pleasure, act as a
contraceptive, slow the process of aging and allow us to live
healthy, vigorous, sexually active lives well into our second
century. Sound good? There's more: They also tell us it's an
effective cure for jet lag.
Whether or not
you believe those other extraordinary allegations, I am here to
testify -- admittedly with no scientific method to back me up -- that
melatonin does indeed mitigate the effects of airplane travel across
time zones. And so far I've only observed one noticeable side effect:
vivid, unsettling dreams with screenplays by Charles Bukowski and art
direction by Hieronymus Bosch.
I first learned
about melatonin in 1994, when the April issue of Condé Nast
Traveler carried a brief article about what was then a little-known
treatment for jet lag. The article explained how natural secretions
of the hormone produced by the pineal gland regulate our sleep
patterns, with melatonin levels rising before we go to sleep and
dropping before we wake up. The theory was that small doses of
synthetic melatonin taken half an hour before bedtime after arrival
in a new time zone would fool the body into adjusting more quickly to
the change -- without the morning-after grogginess typically
associated with conventional sleeping pills.
It sounded
promising, but at the time, finding the stuff wasn't easy. After
working the phone for half an hour, I tracked down a natural foods
market in Berkeley that had melatonin in stock, and I picked up a
packet of little white pills to take on my next trip to Asia. The
results? Not miraculous, by any means, but melatonin did help me
sleep soundly during my first few nights in Tokyo and the first few
nights after I returned to the States. The pills did not stop me from
feeling dazed and disoriented at times during the day, nor did it
coax my digestive system as easily into sync with my sleep patterns,
so I still got hungry at inappropriate times, but the simple fact of
getting a good night's rest made a noticeable difference in the way I
felt.
Despite the
bizarre nightmares, I have taken melatonin during and after many
subsequent journeys, and now I am thoroughly sold on its
effectiveness as a sleep aid for travelers.
Because of FDA
regulations, melatonin labels make no specific medical claims about
the product, but as a cure for jet lag, most articles and books I've
consulted recommend a dose of around 3-5 milligrams taken before
bedtime for the first few days after you arrive in a new time zone. I
often take a second dose in the night if I wake up and can't get back
to sleep, and I stop taking it altogether three to five days after
flying.
Is it safe? Even
promoters of the drug agree that not enough research has been done to
answer that question definitively, and some experts -- including the
folks at the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research --
say that people shouldn't take it at all until more is known about
its long-term effects. The labels on bottles of melatonin advise
consumers to consult a physician before using it, and warn children,
adolescents, pregnant or lactating women and anyone being treated for
a variety of medical conditions not to take it. Talk to your doctor
if you have any doubts, and do read the warning label on the package.
As for the more
extraordinary health claims made about melatonin, I remain skeptical,
but if you want a more optimistic view, pick up a paperback called
"The Melatonin Miracle: Nature's Age-Reversing,
Disease-Fighting, Sex-Enhancing Hormone" (Pocket Books, .99).
The book was written (with co-author Carol Colman) by Walter
Pierpaoli, M.D., Ph.D., and William Regelson, M.D., a pair of
modern-day Ponce de Leons who seem convinced they have discovered the
Fountain of Youth. The cheesy, condescending format will make you
suspect that Pierpaoli and Regelson own stock in a major manufacturer
of melatonin, but behind the snake-oil sales pitch, the book does
present some intriguing research.
July 15, 1997
Morris Dye is a
travel writer and an editor at San Francisco Sidewalk.
http://www.salon.com/july97/wanderlust/melatonin970715.html
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