Petty Medical Clinic
114 Harrison Ave
Suite C
Lowell, AR 72745
ph: 479-254-1005
fax: 479-668-4003
alt: 479-770-0219
Melatonin is produced in the dark, while we sleep, and wanes upon daybreak: bright light signals the production cycle to shut down. It is secreted by the pineal gland, a small organ set behind and between the eyes. The pineal is called the "third eye," a reference to our evolutionary heritage-a time when the pineal may have extended the sensory capacities. The pineal gland serves as the timekeeper of the brain, helping to govern the sleep-wake cycle and, in animals, seasonal rhythms of migration, mating, and hibernation. In the human population, melatonin levels are highest in children.
Melatonin is made from an amino acid called tryptophan. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid-we can get it only from the foods that we ingest. The tryptophan we consume during the day is converted into serotonin, a brain chemical involved with mood. Serotonin, in turn, is converted into melatonin.
WHAT MELATONIN DOES
Although research on melatonin has been ongoing since its discovery in 1958, it is only recently it has attracted high interest. Why? Research breakthroughs over the past decade have revealed some startling properties of this amazing substance:
Studies conducted by pioneering University of Texas melatonin researcher Dr. Russel Reiter show melatonin to be the most potent scavenger of free radicals-unstable molecules that promote cancer and heart disease by damaging DNA, cells, and tissue.
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Petty Medical Clinic
114 Harrison Ave
Suite C
Lowell, AR 72745
ph: 479-254-1005
fax: 479-668-4003
alt: 479-770-0219