Re: Melatonin, mast cells and histamine

rccoc1977 — Sat, 25 Feb 2017 18:26:47 -0000

Melatonin decreases insulin release and impairs glucose tolerance. This is not a problem at night when most people are sleeping and not eating. But if melatonin is still around the next day after supplementation the night before of a large amount or a sustained release formulation, then glucose levels may still by higher after eating in the morning. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.go... ; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.go... ; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.go...

Re: 9. Contact / Comment

rccoc1977 — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:12:40 -0000

Hello, Dr. Vijay,
Unfortunately, people will do the easiest, cheapest way, being as busy and stressed as they are--no time to buy and cook healthy meals with jobs so hard or being out of work and the economy in the hole. Also the first thing most doctors prescribe for people with many life-style caused chronic illness is pills, which makes eating healthy a secondary matter. The pills still work to a point, but the underlying problem is not being addressed so healing can begin. When doctors do prescribe life style changes first, these often don't work because the society at large defeats any attempts by making unhealthy choices much more attractive. Marketers know human nature very well. It is their job. They know exactly what stressed-out humans crave--sugar, fat, salt, alcohol, sitting in front of the TV to receive more commercials about unhealthy products. In the case of high sodium in restaurant and processed food, people don't even know it's there and slowly killing them.
How to address these issues?
All you can do right now is awareness. But that is a start.
1--Doctors must start prescribing low salt diets for prehypertension. When people see there isn't much out there they can eat, except for healthy food they cook themselves, then things might change because they will send a message by not buying the processed junk that passes for food.
2- For the stress component of hypertension. Doctors must prescribe regular sleep and exercise . Sleep is a healer. Exercise is too. But how do you get people away from the 24-7 business of stressed living. TV, computers, video games etc, etc. Have a mass burning? Really what is needed is less of an emphasis on buying things and the busy, dizzy life and increasing economic growth, and more of an emphasis on living a low stress, balanced, healthy yet a productive life, also. Maybe now is the time for this, with the economy in the hole because of too much risk and so many trying to live beyond their means. Maybe it is ok to slow down, to appreciate what we do have, take a breather and gather our strength--understand that we must do a good job, make things to last, add value to our work.
For any change to a slower, more sustainable economy, the country would have to be convinced to change. This would take advertising, by whom? No one with money or wanted to make more money would want to do this. Of course people could just stop buying the unnessary stuff, which our homes are filled with stuff, we buy and never use. One would need a "social movement" for change.
3- Doctors must tell their patients to stop smoking. But this isn't enough, government intervention is needed to raise the price of cigarettes steadily. Also, people in the tobacco industry must start training their people for life after cigarettes. At least they should not be allowed to hire new people. If the government is paying for healthcare then a habit which causes bad health should be banned. I'm sorry, draconian measures are needed. Smoking is stupid. (All smokers have that rattle from the mucous gathering in their chests when they cough). Everyone knows it, even the smokers.
4. Doctors must tell their patients to severely limit alcohol consumption. I know that a question about alcohol consumption is on all patient questionaires. But do doctors plainly say that men should severly limit its use- one drink or less per day-- and women should probably not drink at all or at most 1 or 2 drinks a week. All this advertising on tv about health benefits of moderate drinking of alcohol provides encouragement for people to drink, which causes car accidents, poor sleep quality and a general feeling of toxicity that is obscured by the mental fog it causes.
5. Most children have poor posture. So do a lot of adults. People are told to stand up straight by parents. they can see their posture in pictures. There is actually a way to train people to have good posture. Certain muscles need to be strenthened. Just telling someone to stand and sit straight doesn't work. I went to orthopedists, spine doctors and many physical therapists for neck and back pain. One showed me how to stabilize the shoulder blades in the back, how to stengthen the upper back muscles. He showed me this for shoulder problems and it ended up helping my neck and back problems. He was the only one to make a difference for me. If I had known this when I was young, I believe I wouldn't have as bad, the neck and back arthritis I have today. BAck and neck pain is rampant in the Western world. I understand why now. When we slouch we put too much stress on the intervertebral discs in front, which wears them out. When the discs degenerate and lose height, the facet joints in the back become arthritic. That's all it takes for back and neck pain, spurring and stenosis to start.
6. Many doctors do not follow best practices when it comes to diagnosing illness. Tests ordered are scattershot. A computer aide, where symptoms are inputted by the patient with doctor's or nurses help. Then the output with most common diagnoses first. Then all the way to least common. I had post-viral gastroparesis. I didn't need ct scan and barium swallow and EGD. At least the barium swallow could have been eliminated and most likely the ct scan also. The EGD and then a gastric emptying study. THat's all. Half the cost could be avoided. I myself made the post-viral diagnosis. The doctor never asked me about family members recently having stomach flu. All she concentrated on was the heartburn and fullness. Also she prescribed to me a medicine that made my muscles twitch, gave me depression and suicidal impulses. This med is called Reglan or metoclopramide, which is the main drug approved for gastroparesis in the US. I had to import for myself a med called domperidone, which is not FDA appoved, to help myself or I would have been on feeding tubes because of extreme weight loss. Doctors did not help me. I had to become my own doctor. Doctors don't want their patients treating themselves, but when doctors don't help then that is what patients must do. To that end, people need reliable medical information--not the advertising that is on the internet and tv. RELIABLE INFORMATION LIKE ON WEB-MD IS A MUST.

Sorry I have rambled on enough. A multi-pronged approach is necessary in the fight for health. Government intervention to raise the price of cigarettes and stop shoring up cheap unhealthy food.,Subsidies for vegetables and fruits --especially organic. Limiting advertising of unhealthy food and alcohol on tv. No smoking on tv or movies or other mass media. THIS IS SERIOUS STUFF!
Better doctor education about preventing chronic lifestyle disease with low sodium diets, lower animal protein, and use of expert diagnostic computer programs. End overreliance on pharmaceuticals (antibiotics and mood altering meds in particular and diabetic and hykpertensive meds without really giving lifestyle changes a real go at it--not half-hearted attempts.
Patient education and use of realiable medical information. The patient is the one who must change. The patient is really in charge, not the doctor. The doctor doesn't know everything and can't know everything about any individual patient. The patient needs to take control. The doctor helps and tries not to hinder. But also the doctor must be firm in his/her message of no smoking and dangers of alcohol and advice on sleep, low salt diet and exercise. Doctors must tread a find line, risking anger of the patient, but if all doctors had the same message, people would get the idea. (and isn't their message going to be the same as far as smoking, alcohol and healthy eating. If not they should get it straight) Their education must be to that end.

Rochelle Cocco

Re: 9. Contact / Comment

rccoc1977 — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:47:45 -0000

Make smoking more expensive--at some point smokers will give up. Require sodium levels to be reduced for all restaurant and processed foods (most people will never miss the extra sodium) and high blood pressure will never be a problem if instituted in childhood. Make healthy food (vegetables, whole grains, nuts, low fat dairy) less expensive and unhealthy food (almost all processed food) and animal protein more expensive. Educate people that high animal protein is not healthy. Low protein, high vegetable and grain is the way.
Improve posture and core strength in children through physical education. This will stand them in good stead through their entire lives. Neck and back problems will be greatly reduced.
Doctors need a computer program that will help them with diagnosis. I have had several uncommon illnesses, as well as very good health insurance. My doctors used a brute force method --throw every test at the patient, when a very few relatively inexpensive tests would have been more than adequate.
These doctors have abused my health insurance and at the same time would not really listen to me. They just had some idea in their head that took a lot of money to get out of their heads. A computer would have been better.

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Re: Melatonin, mast cells and histamine

Re: 9. Contact / Comment

Re: 9. Contact / Comment