Help sleeping.

Photo knows what he is talking about. APAP is very safe when used wisely. One cannot built a "tolerance" to it (although, occasionally, a headache patient can develop "rebound" headaches from daily use of pain remedies, however this is NOT tolerance.) Taking MORE won't help.

There is plenty of room for both "Natual" and standard medical information on this forum.

 

i agree that there's room for both allopathic and natural healing information on these boards.

I know you've probably read thru the PDR, PhotoGra1. Half of the book is comprised of the side effects of pharmaceuticals. i've seen some very sick people who were sick because of the side effects of the meds they were on. natural medicine has been around for millenia. there's no monetary incentive for the board members of the pharmaceutical corporations to put money into researching natural healing methods because they cant be patented. that doesnt mean that they're dangerous. au contraire. if something's been used for thousands of years because it's effective and doesnt cause harm, i'd rather use that than something that's been created in a lab so that some billionaire can make another billion. allopathic medicine looks at treating symptoms; natural medicine cures. Somethign you'll never hear about in allopathic medicine are "side benefits", but i experience side benefits all the time from the natural aides that i use.

back on topic...

http://alive.com/home/index.php?page_type=article&topic_id=1001162&site_id=27&article_id=7534&go_id=2&take_id=6

 

The problem is the lack of quality assurance with "natural" products, and the lack of understanding of chemistry and the lack of documentation throughout the millenia. By the way, "natural" cures are often created in the lab. For example, there are no natural stores of natual vitamin E laying around. It has to be extracted. Once you do that, it is no longer a natural product. Melatonin, by the way, is almost exclusively synthesized in labs now. It is much cheaper and easier to standardize the tablets with synthesized melatonin, than it is to standardize tablets made from bovine and porcine pineal glands, which is the natural source. If you desire natural melatonin, eat fried pork brains.

 

mmmMMMmm yummm! only if they're biodynamic range pork. I think you've hit on one of the big problems right there. We no longer eat the same way that we (the human race as a whole) used to eat. Maybe we should start eating fried pork brains. We (big we again) rely so much on things that are processed that we end up needing all of these crazy lab-created supplements.

btw, what's the difference between natural and synthetic vite E, if they're both created in a lab?

 

The sources of the vitamin E are different, the end result is the same. There is absolutely no chemical difference between a natural chemical and a synthesized one(if it is the same chemical), other than the sources (a water molecule in the ocean is H2O, very natural indeed. A water molecule created from chemical reactions in an internal combustion engine is still H2O, but it is not created "naturally"). A lot of media has suggested that natural vitamin E is more potent. The d-alpha tocopherol is more potent than the dl-alpha tocopherol. D-alpha tocopherol is the form of vitamin E extracted from natural sourced, but d-alpha tocopherol can also be synthesized. To consume 400IU of vit-E from a natural source, wheat germ, you would have to consume massive amounts. The "natural" vitamin companies will take a natural source, such as wheat germ, and extract the vitamin E from it. Also, if you want to get really vague, since matter can neither be created nor destroyed, only converted from one form to another, I suppose that everything can be traced back to nature, at least in theory.

I agree with you about diet/nutrition, and about side effects of drugs. We would not need so many cures if we were not so far removed from a nutritious diet. I am certaintly not suggesting that drugs are always the best option, or always safe. One benefit to drugs, however, is the quality assurance. That is the main thing missing from natural remedies making them dangerous. Also, much of the evidence supporting the claims is only anecdotal. I am not, in any way, shape, or form against natural remedies. I am all for research in natural remedies, and published results. Then we can make educated decisions. If drug companies won't do it, universities or the government should do some testing. The research would be very helpful.

Another interesting point, many prescription drugs have plant origins. For one example, the Fox Glove plant is where digoxin originated, though it is now synthesized in the lab so that we get predictable doses. Digoxin has improved quality of life and provided a longer life for thousands of heart patients. Digoxin, however, is also dangerously toxic. Does that illustrate my point any better. Imagine if Fox Glove was recently discovered and sold as a dietary supplement for "general well being," or "male enhancement" etc. Without any checks and balances in the system, many people would be poisoned, harmed, or dead because of it. Certaintly, not all of the natural remedies on the market have been used for millenia, nor have all of them been popular enough to document severe reactions. Another problem, without much regulation, toxic heavy metals and pesticides are often found in natural remedies. Even if the label on an herb says it is standardized and organic, there is no guarantee. No one is checking up on most of these products, and businessmen are making most of the decisions.

 

I just listen to music until I feel sleepy.

 

Yeah, music is good.

 

No doubt!

I wish it would make me sleep...