The Hidden Depths of Melatonin in Spinal Health

The Hidden Depths of Melatonin in Spinal Health / Update 10/23/23

To add further corroboration to the idea that melatonin helps to promote healing of spinal cord injury, this new study (10/23/23) shows various methods that melatonin utilizes to do this :

https://www.ibroneuroscience.org/article/S0306-4522(23)00460-8/fulltext

Here is a relevant quote from the study :

' SCIs were simulated in mice by inducing cord contusion at the T9-T10 vertebrae and causing inflammation in primary spinal neurons using lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The findings of our study demonstrated that Mel treatment effectively promoted neuromotor recovery through multiple mechanisms, including the reduction of neuronal death, suppression of astrocyte and microglia activation, and attenuation of neuroinflammation. Moreover, Mel therapy significantly upregulated the expression of SIRT1 in both spinal cord tissues and spinal neurons of mice. Additionally, Mel exhibited the potential to mitigate neuronal mitochondrial dysfunction by modulating the levels of Drp1 and TOMM20, thereby addressing the underlying factors contributing to this dysfunction. Furthermore, when SIRT1 was downregulated, it reversed the positive effects of Mel. Overall, our present study suggests that Mel has the capacity to modulate the SIRT1/Drp1 pathway, thereby ameliorating mitochondrial dysfunction, attenuating inflammation and apoptosis, and enhancing neural function subsequent to SCIs. '

Art

Hi Judith,

For the spine and joints, for myself personally, I would use melatonin lotion because it allows you to reach much higher local concentrations than higher dose oral melatonin is able to reach. I have even more friends that are using it now and all are reporting very good results. Here is a story about 3 of them and how they made their own melatonin lotion at home :

https://www.earthclinic.com/supplements/topical-melatonin-pain-relief-success-stories.html

Art

Art, this was am amazing article. Thank you!

I have been following Doris Loh, a researcher of high dose melatonin. She has said that every cell has a melatonin receptor. You can google her name, and many of her studies are readable for free. She also has some videos on youtube. Doris Loh - Melatonin and Phase Separation - YouTube

Hi Sharon,

Thank you for the additional input regarding melatonin and Doris Loh. I have seen some of her studies. It is thought that every mitochondria produces melatonin which ultimately benefits the cell. Even red blood cells which have no mitochondria produce melatonin. The body is loaded with mitochondria and melatonin receptors.

Art

Hi Sammy,

You're welcome!

I have not tried any oils, so I do not know how they will work, but it may require shaking very well before each use if you choose to go in that direction. If you decide to try an oil, please let us know how it works out. There are many lotions which do not contain vitamin C that you can consider. A typical example where you can see the ingredient list:

https://www.dove.com/us/en/p/body-love-restoring-care-body-lotion.html/00011111030954

If you're trying to use a product with less, "other ingredients", you can consider a basic aloe vera gel product which I have found effective and it can potentially have transdermal penetration enhancing effects as discussed here :

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282176713_Aloe_Vera_as_Penetration_Enhancer

Art

I am fascinated by your melatonin research. Until covid, I had little knowledge of melatonin but Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt recommended it and as I've followed him for several decades, my husband and I started taking 10 mg a night. If one tolerates it well, is there a dose you recommend for generally maintaining a healthy spine? I'm also planning to try it for pre-cancerous spots on my face as I read a post on EC about success using melatonin and coconut oil. Blessings, judith

Hermes,

As far as dosing by age, I generally would avoid melatonin in people under 25 except for specific health conditions such as Covid-19, sleep problems or cancer as a few examples. I think it is healthful to at least dose minimally once the age of 30 is reached because there is a positive correlation between melatonin decline and age related diseases and for the most part, melatonin has shown benefit in many age related diseases. By age 35, melatonin level has declined significantly and it is around age 35 that age related diseases just start to appear in people and that appearance becomes clearly evident by the early forties.

In the alternative, getting melatonin and vitamin D from the sun is how humans evolved and that seems to work well in general, but as we age, we spend more and more time indoors and less and less time outdoors and I think that we should try and spend more time in the sun, similarly to when we were children in order to continue to get all of the benefits that the sun has to offer us.

Sun exposure also improves mitochondrial function which in turn reduces excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) and increases ATP production to supply energy to the cell where the mitochondria reside. Excessive ROS is thought to increase the aging process. Melatonin reduces ROS in the mitochondria and melatonin is also produced in the mitochondria and if mitochondrial levels of melatonin decline too much, the mitochondria can draw melatonin in from outside the mitochondria, but this is not optimal because melatonin produced inside the mitochondria can rapidly neutralize ROS, but if melatonin has to be drawn into mitochondria from outside of the mitochondria, the neutralization of ROS may be slightly delayed, allowing ROS to possibly damage the mitochondria or reduce its operating efficiency.

I take high dose melatonin to try and reduce the effects of declining melatonin levels on the body as we age. Dosing seems to vary by the individual. I don't think one size fits all.

Art

Hi Dee,

Thoracic back pain is a general term. Do you have a specific diagnosis for the cause of the pain? I ask because while I have definitely seen melatonin lotion help pain in the area of the thoracic spine, if the pain is caused by something like degenerative disc disease, the following maybe a longer term treatment option :

https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/ddd-art-solbrig.html

I highly recommend that you consult your doctor for an actual diagnosis of your spinal related pain and your doctor can then tell you if the melatonin lotion will be appropriate or not for your specific diagnosis.

If your doctor approves, then melatonin lotion may be a place to start. You can start with one application sparingly applied per day in the later afternoon. If more relief is needed, you can try an additional application at bed time. Please let us know how you get on with melatonin lotion if you decide to try it. If you experience tiredness, you will have to make the application lighter or use less melatonin powder in your mix. The reason for this is that some people seem to be more sensitive to melatonin and require less melatonin than others to achieve benefit.

Art

Frances,

That is kind of limiting. If 3 mg is what you can get, then that is where you should start. Also add in the sun exposure that I discussed. Most importantly, consider this:

https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/ddd-art-solbrig.html

These two should be quite synergistic for DDD!

Art

Toni,

To be honest, I don't know if it would help your situation, but melatonin has a very good safety profile and it is good for the body in general.

Art

Art I would love to replace the cetaphil with a lotion that doesn't contain citric acid as I have a terrible reaction to it. Would I be able to replace Cetaphil with an oil, such as castor oil, coconut oil, or almond oil?

Thank you for sharing your recipe and your knowledge.

Hi Art,

How many mg do you recommend to start with and how far to go up to, in other words dosing. I have the cream that goes up to 200 mg in 1/2 tsp. Thanks, Edy

Hi Frances,

You should be able to find 10mg melatonin on eBay, Amazon or wherever with a more specific search string. Just now, when I did a search on Ebay using "melatonin 10mg" as my search string, I managed to obtain quite a long list of 10mg melatonin items. And I obtained the same successful result when I searched for "melatonin 10mg" on Amazon.

List of 10gm Melatonin Available on Ebay

It really helps if you use specific search criteria as well. For instance, if you specifically wanted fast dissolve 10mg melatonin then you should type in "melatonin 10mg fast dissolve" into the Ebay or Amazon search box.

Hi Rose, I buy a product from Zeptil. You can find them here. https://www.zetpilnutrition.com/ I get the cream, not the suppositories.

I would just like to know if there is any study on thoracic pain and will Melatonin help?

All I really want to know with all the great information you've provided on melatonin and osteoporosis for postmenopausal women is what dosage is beneficial? I've read all the information I can stand to read with my aching back and just want a dosage please?......

Melatonin degenerated discs, spine

Art, what dose melatonin do you suggest for those who can take the supplement? In some countries like Australia, one needs a doctor's prescription to obtain melatonin; sometimes up to 3mg can be found on eBay.

Hello Art,

Do you know the melatonin dose recommended by age group?

Hi Art,

The doctor told me my spine arches out like ). The coccyx is like a "shelf" because of this. He blamed this on the way I sit. I sleep on my back and must find the right "spot" to lay to prevent pain in the coccyx. Would the melatonin help me?

Re: Topical melatonin for DDD

What brand of topical melatonin does Art Solbrig recommend?

Looking forward to what the mixture is! I have powdered melatonin and just couldn't figure out a way to make it topical.