Let's do an experiment together...
If you have heartburn, reflux or indigestion...I have an idea.
For those who have read some of my work on heartburn/reflux, you may recall that there seems to be a miracle supplement which many people have used to successfully treat their heartburn symptoms.
Most recently, my wife had a strong bout of indigestion & heartburn that wouldn’t seem to subside. So, she took 6mg of melatonin.
Soon after, her symptoms went away.
For a long time I have been thinking about how we can use this knowledge about the mechanism of melatonin, without the need for supplementing with exogenous synthesized formulations.
I am not concerned with supplementing with melatonin once in a blue moon.
I am concerned about repeat chronic use - almost a dependence on exogenous melatonin.
There are many reasons for this including the feedback effect on natural production, and also the long-term consequences which have been speculated in the medical literature for quite some time. Some of which concern cancer.
There is a protocol that one can adopt to make sure they have regular and robust natural production of melatonin, and this should definitely be pursued for overall health and vitality.
However, there still remains the question of what to do in the event that you experience heartburn or indigestion.
Citizen-Scientist Hypothesis Testing
The literature on the approach I am about to share is limited.
Limited enough that I want to generate first-hand empirical evidence to see if it works, how it works, and under what conditions.
My hypothesis is rather simple.
In the event of indigestion or heartburn:
Stop eating/drinking
Expose your abdomen (at & just below the navel) to infrared/near-infrared light
Keep the light panel as close to your skin as possible
Maintain for period of time varying from 15-30 minutes
re-evaluate symptoms
This may seem a bit strange at first, but here’s why I think it will work.
We know that melatonin is produced in our mitochondria. We also know that more melatonin is produced in our gut than probably anywhere else in the body.
Finally, we know that in the presence of red/near-infrared/infrared wavelengths melatonin production is ramped up.
You can read more about that here:
Join The Experiment
I am putting together a complete protocol to test this hypothesis, including the type of light panel to use, how long to use it, and so on.
I will be doing this experiment on myself and my family.
There is no need for any prescriptions or supplements.
The only catch is…well you need a red-light panel, which can be expensive.
However, based on the research I have done…there is a quality red-light panel retailer that doesn’t break the bank.
I have one of these panels myself.
Maybe…just maybe, if there are enough of us interested in conducting this experiment, we can speak with the retailer for a group discount.
In any case, if you want to try this out and at the same time help us advance our understanding with a good cohort of data…let me know!
This is the kind of citizen-science that we need to bring back.
Without a scalpel. Without a prescription.
If you want to try out this protocol or participate, shoot me an e-mail at:
refluxrmd@pm.me
Interesting! It occurs to me that two homeopathic medicines used for indigestion/heartburn (Arsenicum album and Nux vomica) can also be used for insomnia. Perhaps there is a melatonin connection.
Near infrared light is one of the most potent medicines around - especially in its incandescent form.