More than a month ago, I traveled on the East Coast with three college classmates and our wife. My classmate from Taiwan asked me about my opinion on the use of melatonin to prevent (or even reverse) bone relaxation. During the conversation, I could feel that she was quite convinced and seemed to be interested in buying some and sending them to her friends. (Note: Melatonin is a prescription drug in the UK, the EU, Australia, and Taiwan. It may be possible to get in the country. Please see the Food and Drug Administration 1 and Food and Drug Administration 2)
She sent two information from our travel group LINE. One is Osteoporosis published by Mount Sinai: As melatonin levels decrease with age, melatonin may be related to the occurrence of osteoporosis. More research is needed.
Another information is the video released on June 8, 2024. The title is: [Bone-increasing Secret] This trick is to strengthen bones and sleep well [feat. Doctor Jiang Shoushan | Health anchor Zheng Kaiyun].
The comments below the video are almost all thanks to Dr. Jiang, but one comment is:
Once I took melatonin and couldn't sleep all night. As a result, I started driving the next day and after half an hour, I was so sleepy that I had to find a place to stop and sleep, so I would never eat this thing again.I searched the Internet for Chinese information about melatonin's anti-bone relaxation, and all I found were promotions by Dr. Jiang in various media. It turned out that he published a book on melatonin on 2023-11-27. The content introduction is: (1) One of the most amazing discoveries in the modern scientific community: melatonin, (2) Scientific evidence, the body has enough melatonin to resist diabetic kidney disease, obesity and kidney disease, prevent aging of the aging caused by flattening of the vertebrae, and reduce uric acid.
In fact, I published the melatonin miracle method six years ago (2018), criticizing a book published in Taiwan that year (the original English book was published in 1996), encouraging everyone to take melatonin. I pointed out:
1. Melatonin is called to be cured by Ebola virus.2. Other melatonin treatment targets include hypertension, cancer, Alzheimer, memory decline, Parkinson's, toxicity, cardiovascular disease, parasitic aphrodisiac, diabetes, psychosis, eye disease, stomatitis, pancreatitis, periodontal disease, liver disease, bacterial infection, media, obesity, head pain, etc.
3. However, it is certainly the most certain "insomnia treatment" at present, and not everyone is effective. Also, the well-known "time difference adjustment" also differs from person to person.
4. The so-called "melatonin miracle method" is indeed a miracle. Especially the so-called "advancement ability". Think about it, after taking melatonin, will you feel drowsy, and when you are drowsy, do you still want to have sex?
5. In other words, melatonin seems to be able to cure any disease, but it seems to be unable to cure any disease. Everything seems to be there and is unpredictable.
6. As for "no side effects", of course it is also a big deal. The confirmed side effects are head, disgust, vomiting, drowsiness, anxiety, etc. In addition, melatonin can also affect the effects of other drugs, such as anticoagulants (aspirin), immunosuppressive agents, diabetes drugs, contraceptive drugs, etc.
7. Almost all the foods we eat contain melatonin. Especially grainy (corn, purple rice), the content is even higher (see Dietary Sources and Bioactivities of Melatonin). However, even though you eat it every day, you don’t know at all and don’t feel anything, right? So, this is "has all functions, but nothing functions."
I published the use of melatonin two years ago (2022), and reported that the American Medical Association journal JAMA published a medical news Climbing Melatonin Use for Insomnia Raises Safety Concerns (the continuous rise in melatonin use for treatment of insomnia Raises Safety Concerns). The following points are:
1. Melatonin sales have more than doubled in just three years, from $339 million in 2017 to $821 million in 2020. It is expected that sales of melatonin will continue to grow due to greater sleep problems faced by aging population and increasingly busy lifestyles that may lead to anxiety and sleep disorders.2. The melatonin content of melatonin supplements will be nearly five times higher than the content shown on the label, and may vary greatly between batches. Eight of the 31 products tested contain serotonin, a melatonin-breaking product with potential health risks.
3. The melatonin released by our brain pineal gland is measured on picogram (1 picogram is equivalent to one million part milligram), and the dosage (about half a milligram) used to treat night disorders is also far lower than the dosage of many commercially available products (almost 10 mg).
4. Melatonin supplements are usually safe, but not at all without risks. Adverse reactions include headache, fatigue, headache, vomiting, and daytime sleepiness. Small study also recorded potentially more severe consequences, including reduced glucose tolerance and increased blood pressure and heart rate in patients taking melatonin and antihypertensive drugs at the same time.
5. We know very little about the long-term safety of melatonin. (Moderator notes: Have you ever thought about why melatonin is a prescription drug in many countries, including Taiwan?)
Although there are indeed many studies on this, there is currently no formal medical institution that recommends using melatonin to prevent or treat bone dysfunction. Neither the International Bone Relief Foundation nor the National Bone Relief Guidelines Group has such advice.
Taiwan's Bone Relief Association first published the "Clinical Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Bone Relief Disease" in 2002, and will be updated every two years. In the latest 2022 update article, the word melatonin has never appeared once.
Regardless of whether melatonin can really resist bone relief, it is certain that calling it a "miracle" or "the most amazing discovery" is a marketing technique that is contrary to medical ethics.