In this book two of the world's leading medical researchers explains how melatonin works. It already prevents jet-lag and research suggests it controls the aging process, fights disease, boosts the immune system, lowers cholesterol & relieves stress.

This work is a guidebook for clinicians who are involved in treating depressive patients and also serves the research scientists who are working on the psychopharmacological mechanisms of antidepressant actions and psychopathological mechanisms underlying mood disorders. Mood disorders such as major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder (BPD) and seasonal affective disorder (SAD) are the most disabling disorders that are among the most expensive of all medical illnesses. The pathophysiology of mood disorders is very complex and involves many mechanisms like circadian rhythm disruption, sleep abnormalities, melatonin rhythm abnormalities and alterations in melatonin receptor mechanisms, abnormalities in monoaminergic neurotransmitter mechanisms, glutamatergic release mechanisms, hippocampal neurogenesis, and abnormal immune and cytokine release mechanisms. Many antidepressants that are in clinical use today including the recently introduced novel agents like agomelatine or other antidepressants cause clinical remission by resynchronizing disrupted circadian rhythms and melatonin receptor functions, enhancing monoaminergic neurotransmission, promoting hippocampal neurogenesis, and regulating immune mechanisms. This book explains various etiological factors that are involved in the pathogenesis of mood disorders and the mechanisms of therapeutic actions of antidepressants including the recently introduced agomelatine and other antidepressants that exhibit rapid onset of action with greater efficacy and fewer side effects. .

Would you believe that something could: Extend your youth by more than ten years? Boost your immune system in two weeks' time? Help prevent heart disease, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, diabetes, and cataracts? Cut your recovery time from jet lag in half? Offer not just cancer prevention but a key to a cure? All in a widely available non-prescription capsule? It's true--and it's called melatonin. This remarkable book represents a major breakthrough in human health and life extension studies. It reveals cutting-edge research on melatonin--a natural hormone produced deep within the brain--that is revolutionizing our understanding of life. Melatonin helps determine how fast we age, how effectively we fight off disease and toxins, and how well we sleep. Melatonin is the most comprehensive, up-to-date, and authoritative book available about this amazing substance. Dr. Russel J. Reiter is one of the world's leading experts in the field. During more than thirty years of pioneering research, he has uncovered many of melatonin's unique properties-- including its role as the most powerful antioxidant in the body. In this book he reveals what he and other scientists around the world have only recently discovered about melatonin's remarkable potential to: Increase immune response dramatically Greatly improve existing treatments for cancer and AIDS Lower cholesterol and blood pressure Put you to sleep as effectively as a prescription drug--without side effects Improve mood and reduce symptoms of PMS Prevent the free radical damage that underlies aging Neutralize the dangerous side effects of mammograms, X-rays, and surgery In Melatonin, Reiter offers a complete, three-phase program to help you take advantage of this new information right now. First, he helps you pinpoint the habits, hidden environmental hazards, and common medications that may be diminishing your natural supply of melatonin. Next, he explains how you can naturally stimulate your production of this life-giving hormone. Finally, he provides a complete guide to melatonin supplements, including safe and effective doses, the best kind to buy, and when and how to take them. With all the suspense of a medical detective story, Melatonin reveals clue by tantalizing clue all of the amazing properties of this "hidden" wonder hormone, much the way they presented themselves to Dr. Reiter and his colleagues. The result is a book that only an insider could write--a book as exciting to read as it is vital to your health and the health of those you love.

Melatonin is a powerful hormone and antioxidant with numerous effects on the metabolism and the health of humans. Available as a dietary supplement in the United States since 1993, it is one of the most popular over-the-counter alternative remedies available. Comprising contributions from researchers who have studied the role of melatonin in various disease and physiological states, Melatonin in the Promotion of Health, Second Edition provides a wide variety of expert reviews on the biology of melatonin relevant to health. Beginning with a history of melatonin and its relation to circadian rhythms, the book examines its use in a host of applications, including: Gut motility and gastrointestinal diseases Anesthesia and surgery Bone health Breast cancer Cardiovascular diseases Diabetes Age-related macular degeneration and uveitis Melanoma, solar skin damage, and collagen synthesis The prevention of DNA damage Mental disorders, sleep, and issues related to jet lag and shift work The data gathered from a large number of carefully controlled animal and human studies have clearly implicated melatonin in the control mechanisms of a wide variety of physiological and psychological activities, making it a potent candidate for therapeutic use in the treatment of a diverse range of diseases. This volume demonstrates that continued studies of this molecule raise the exciting prospect of providing new avenues of treating numerous diseases more effectively and with less side-effects than those found in conventional treatment modalities.

This volume provides the reader with an overview of an intriguing and interdisciplinary field of research. For the first time the mammalian pineal gland, its mode of action and its physiological effects are discussed in a comprehensive, single-authored work.

This volume contains the proceedings of the Ninth Meeting of the "International Study Group for Tryptophan Research" (lSTRY), held at the University of Hamburg, Germany, from October 10 to 14, 1998. At this meeting the recent developments in the field of tryptophan research were presented by leading researchers from all over the world in 81 oral and 48 poster contri butions. Research on tryptophan and its derivatives provides an inexhaustible subject. At the conference we tried to compose a multifacetted picture of the recent investiga tions through contributions from the major disciplines involved. Thus, we tried to strike a balance between basic research topics and clinical, nutritional or industrial applica tions. We offered workshops on tryptophan (in sleep and mood), melatonjn, IDO-acti vation and the eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome (EMS) as a platform for intensive discussion for the participants. In these proceedings many contributions are multidisciplinary and have practical or theoretical implications for different research fields. Hence, we have organized this volume in nine main chapters according to basic disciplines and subjects. We are aware that this classification is artificial, but we hope that it is the best compromise for contributors and readers.