The brilliant, slightly crazy, fringe Dr. John Lieurance is back! You may have originally heard him in the highly popular episode “The Crazy Future Of Medical Biohacking: Skull Resets, Suppositories, Nasal Sprays, Nebulizers, Sound Therapy & More With Dr. John Lieurance.“, in which we delved into everything from Amazonian herbal rapé nasal spray to nebulizing glutathione to NAD suppositories and a whole lot more.
Today’s episode promises to be just as riveting, but is focused around one molecule in particular that John has been intensively studying and is now releasing a groundbreaking book about: melatonin. We’ll answer questions about and also take a deep dive into the science behind melatonin topics such as:
Should you consider melatonin supplementation?
How much is too much?
Does melatonin lower your own endogenous production?
What delivery mechanism of melatonin is best?
Is melatonin good for anything besides sleep?
Should anyone not take melatonin?
Can you “reset” your circadian rhythm with high-dose melatonin supplementation?
So who is John (just in case you didn’t hear my first podcast with him)?
Dr. John Lieurance is a naturopathic physician, chiropractic neurologist, and all-around expert in medical biohacking who has been in private practice in Florida for 25 years.
He is the chief scientific advisor of Glutagenic™ and Advanced Biome Corp™ and heads up Advanced Rejuvenation, a multi-disciplinary clinic with a focus on treating chronic diseases, regenerative medicine, functional neurology, functional medicine, and stem cell research.
Dr. Lieurance has spent most of his career focused on finding solutions for hearing loss, balance disorders, tinnitus, degenerative neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, autoimmune disease, chronic Lyme, Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS), and mold illness and has suffered from chronic Lyme and mold illness himself for many years. From his treatments, he has seen the same success and ability to recover and regain a normal life—free from the chronic inflammation and pain associated with those disorders—for himself as well as his patients.
During this discussion, you’ll discover:
-How the godfather of ozone research and medicine got John keen on melatonin…7:30
- Dr. Frank Shallenberger
- John met Dr. Shallenberger at a brain rejuvenation conference
- Recommended John take melatonin during the day (won’t get sleepy if you have sunlight exposure)
- Typical dose for melatonin supplementation is 0.3-3 mg
- Frank recommended a 200 mg dose
- Sandman melatonin suppository by MitoZen (John Lieurance’s product)
- Super physiological dosing: doses that are far higher than what the body produces naturally
-Melatonin: the “hormone of darkness”…12:45
- John’s upcoming book Melatonin: The Miracle Molecule, coming out mid-to-late 2021 (ebook available now)
- Melatonin is a primary protector from stress
- Compared to the electromagnetic field around the Earth
- Original melatonin researchers reported no benefits for its use (on general health)
- Mice exposed to stress and took melatonin showed greater longevity and health than mice who did not take melatonin
- Melatonin regulates melanin pigmentation
- Melanotan peptide was used by bodybuilders to get tans; side effect was priapism
- Dr. Jack Kruse
- Podcasts with Dr. Jack Kruse:
- Ben and John avoid the use of sunglasses because of how they affect melatonin production (tan instead of burn if you don’t wear them)
-How melatonin supplementation affects endogenous melatonin production…18:40
- Supplemental melatonin doesn’t have negative feedback on endogenous production as do other hormone supplements
- John’s 3-month self-experiment:
- 800 mg melatonin supplementation per night
- Suppository and liposomal
- Thought he got COVID after doing this the first few nights
- Ceased taking melatonin after a few weeks; didn’t affect circadian rhythm or sleep patterns
- Oura ring scores were a little bit better with the higher dose
- Daytime blue light desk lamp
- Re-Timer glasses
- HumanCharger (use code BEN20 to save 20%)
- JOOVV
- Ben did a high-dose melatonin supplementation protocol for 30 days (300-400 mg per night)
- Reset the circadian rhythm, sleep patterns, etc.
- Quit cold turkey; body learned to sleep based on the protocol
- Heart rate variability (HRV) didn’t change much based on melatonin intake (improved with better sleep in general)
- HRV is a response to stress
-Why melatonin supplementation may not be effective for regulating sleep unless taken in large doses…25:30
-Effects of melatonin on the mitochondria…34:00
- Stressors: chemical, physical, electromagnetic, infections, etc.
- Hormesis: Ability to respond to stressors
- Mitochondria is at the core of our ability to handle stress; overtraining a result of exceeding the mitochondria’s ability to handle the stress; cancer is a core mitochondrial problem
- COVID, immune system shuts down; cytokine storm results in acute respiratory syndrome, is a mitochondrial problem
- Cytokines are inflammation at the cellular level
- Cells take in glucose, convert it into pyruvate
- Pyruvate is shuffled into the mitochondria, converted into Acetyl-CoA
- Cytokine shift causes us to produce 10% of the energy we normally make
- Warburg Effect
- Inflammation, the result of all the stresses, shuts down our ability to make energy by 9 out of 10; immune cells have no energy in someone with COVID
- Melatonin is produced by the mitochondria to quench enzymes, to make energy normally through the Krebs cycle
-The effects of melatonin on cardiovascular and/or heart disease…38:15
- Brain and heart are the two most metabolically demanding organs in the body
- Mitochondria efficiently making energy (stressors affect mitochondrial function)
- Melatonin supports the mitochondria, which is at the core of making the body’s energy
- The autonomic nervous system, athletic performance declines with poor sleep
- Body repairs itself with deep, restful sleep; supporting the parasympathetic nervous system
-The impact of melatonin on the immune system, particularly killer cells…42:55
-How to hack the circadian rhythm with high-dose melatonin supplementation…48:15
- Morning grogginess after a high-dose melatonin supplementation is offset almost immediately with sunlight exposure after waking up
- We live in a different world today than decades ago
- Negative effects of EMF may be related to the squashing of melatonin
- Pineal gland actually perceives EMF as light and decreases melatonin production
- There is evidence that melatonin suppresses cancer; what is not clear is that is it the carcinogenic effects of EMF because it’s lowering melatonin that is causing cancer
-Anti-aging uses of melatonin…50:10
- Melatonin is the primary buffer against oxidation in the skin; skin is like the lining of the gut
- Studies have shown people with exogenous melatonin have improved skin, collagen, etc.
- Apply melatonin to skin via face cream (John is beta testing skin creams)
-Other compounds that stack well with melatonin…52:45
-Ben’s plant medicine cleanse protocol…1:00:30
And much more!
Resources from this episode:
– Dr. John Lieurance:
– Podcasts And Articles:
– Gear And Supplements:
– Other Resources:
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