Cancer/writing Journal #86

 A while back, the New York Times had an article on whether there was a danger of developing a dependency on Melatonin.  I decided that I had something to say on that subject.  I wrote them a letter.  Here it is:


Charlie Schaefer
Chippewa Falls WiSept. 17

I have been diagnosed with Stage IV Prostate Cancer. One of the therapies advised by the Riordan Clinic. a medical facility focusing on complimentary medicine, is to take high dose Melatonin. And by high dose, they mean high dose. I take 180 mgs every night before going to bed and another 60 in the morning It is reported to have remarkable antioxidant qualities, indeed much better ones than whatever is in second place. I am also advised to take 300 mgs an hour or two before undergoing x-ray procedures to serve as a protective agent against the harmful effects of x-ray. I've been doing this for well over a year. My PSA numbers during that time have dropped to a level that is undetectable. Who knows what, if any, role high dose Melatonin has in this. I do some other complimentary medicine stuff too along with the standard medical treatment. There have been no adverse effects that I can tell. My wife is tired of hearing me joke that a side effect doing high dose Melatonin is that I feel profoundly rested when I get up in the morning. Dependency/addiction? Pfuff. I have a really serious dependency on water. I go 12 hours or so without it and it starts having significant impact on me. I just have to have it.

1 REPLY


I may have been a little too cute in my response to whether you can develop a dependency. I really didn't think the article provided a good reason not to take Melatonin regularly. Maybe I should have said that. My talk of my dependency on water just invites people to say, "Well, that's different." and while my point was that for the purposes of what we are talking about here, it really isn't, it still invites that argument.

I put some thought into whether I spelled "pfuff" correctly. I think I did.

Comments

  1. Jan CSeptember 27, 2022 at 8:32 AM

    I am very glad it is working for you! I can't take it: even a tiny bit gives me wild dreams.
    But you make a good point: what is dependency? Is it a thin line or not?

    Is "pfuff" (spelled correctly, I'm sure!) different than "pshaw"? :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. charlieschaeferSeptember 28, 2022 at 4:21 AM

      Bad dreams is a common complaint. They have never troubled me.

      I believe "pshaw" and "pfuff" have about the same meaning. "Pfuff" is perhaps more dismissive, unworthy of consideration; "pshaw" an emphatic expression of disagreement. I do know that I much prefer saying "pfuff" over "pshaw". "Pshaw" takes some effort to go from the "P" sound to the "Sh" sound. ""Pfuff" comes off the tongue very easily and is actually kind of pleasant to say. Maybe there's a kind of onomatopoeia going on there.

      Delete
    2. Jan CSeptember 28, 2022 at 7:11 AM

      Ha! You crack me up, Charlie, though you do make a convincing argument. :)

      Delete

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