Thanks for this. The ideal formulation and dosing is not clear.However, it is exceeding safe. Dr reiter the world expert on melatonin takes 100mg at night.. i dont know. I use sublingual as it may increase absorption. I use blue light in the morning and red light at night. Ideally one should get sunlight during the day.
Blue light use leads to mitochondrial slowdown.. our eyes/bodies are built for full spectrum sunlight. ( led full spectrum is not full spectrum), a simple incandescent light bulb is full spectrum, if you live or work under led lights just add a desk lamp with old fashioned bulb to restore mitochondrial function.
Yes, a simple incandescent light bulb desk light will revert your mitochondria back to normal efficiency. The LED are not harmful, they just lack the full spectrum of the sun that your mitochondria are waiting for for.
Full spectrum LED fi “NOT” work, you would need 100’s of maybe 1,000’s of individual led lights each at a different colour temperature to produce a full spectrum, tje led full spectrum they sell are garbage.
During the worst part of the COVID pandemic, my 82-year-old neighbor had an oxygen saturation of 85 along with other symptoms. He visited the ER the day before and refused to go again. I gave him a 12mg melatonin tablet because I read that melatonin can improve blood oxygen saturation. It worked, and his oxygen saturation improved into the low 90s. My ER Doctor son was skeptical about the reason why the oxygen levels improved. The neighbor made a full recovery over time.
Thanks, Dr. Marik. The thought came after reading through all of your post, “we are (indeed) fearfully and wonderfully made.” Amazing. I was a 7p-7a CVICU nurse for 15 years. It definitely is not how we were made to live. I also had DUCI hormone driven which has a 0 classification during that time period. However, I was treated like a full blown cancer patient. I don’t regret now but it was a journey! Of course, there were no alternatives or anything to be added to radiation and the 5 year medication. I believe there is more hope now adding what the studies are showing to work. Keep pushing what you are finding to help people with the “C word in their daily lives to live better.
Yes. This happens if you start of using melatonin at a high dose. Start at 1mg at night or even 0.75mg ..then increase the dose slowly. It causes hyper REM sleep
Thank you for this clear and timely piece. The emphasis on darkness as the driver of pineal melatonin, the IARC classification of circadian disruption, and the multiple anticancer pathways is well-supported. I particularly appreciated the mention of mitochondrial melatonin production under near-infrared irradiation and the references to Tan et al. (2023) and Yeager et al. (2007).
A few questions arise when reading this alongside broader literature on circadian-metabolic coupling and mitochondrial optimization:
1. Melatonin formulations and bioavailability — The article recommends ~20 mg nightly based on older adjunctive trials. Given oral melatonin’s low and variable bioavailability (~15% or lower) due to first-pass metabolism, and known quality issues with many OTC products, do you favor pharmaceutical-grade, USP-verified, or prolonged/sustained-release formulations over immediate-release? Would liposomal or sublingual delivery offer meaningful advantages for consistent tissue delivery or mitochondrial support in metabolic protocols?
2. Daytime light exposure and full circadian hygiene — The piece focuses strongly on darkness and light-at-night harm. Robust nocturnal melatonin amplitude also depends on proper daytime entrainment via bright morning light through ipRGCs. Have you considered combining darkness protocols with deliberate daytime sunlight exposure? Northern latitudes or modern indoor living often create chronically low daytime light amplitude and minimal UVB exposure for many months of the year. Do these factors meaningfully affect melatonin rhythms and overall terrain support, or would full-spectrum indoor lighting (or separate strategies including UVB lights) be worth considering in such regions?
3. Indoor lighting specifics — Beyond avoiding light at night, spectral quality matters. Cool LEDs with high blue content (~460–480 nm) can suppress melatonin even at moderate intensities, while warm/red-dominant sources are more protective in the evening. I’ve read about tunable CCT smart lighting systems that automatically shift from high-melanopic daylight spectra during the day to warm/red-dominant in the evening. Do you have thoughts on these approaches, or recommendations for high-CRI full-spectrum bulbs versus simpler warm lighting + blue-blocking strategies?
4. Red/NIR photobiomodulation and mitochondrial melatonin — Given the growing PBM literature in oncology supportive care, could you expand on practical parameters (preferred wavelengths ~810–850 nm, fluence ranges, session frequency) and how exogenous melatonin and NIR/PBM might be sequenced or combined to support host mitochondrial optimization and metabolic reprogramming (e.g., enhancing OXPHOS competence in normal cells)?
5. Terrain/metabolic framing — The mechanisms you outline align well with metabolic approaches to cancer. How do you see optimized light hygiene + properly formulated melatonin + targeted red/NIR fitting into a broader host-terrain protocol alongside diet, fasting, or repurposed agents? Are there specific cancer types or patient populations where these circadian and photobiology levers show the strongest signals?
Your work highlights accessible, multi-target interventions that support the host. Clarifying these practical and mechanistic details might be very helpful for those implementing these ideas within metabolic/terrain frameworks.
Thanks for this. The ideal formulation and dosing is not clear.However, it is exceeding safe. Dr reiter the world expert on melatonin takes 100mg at night.. i dont know. I use sublingual as it may increase absorption. I use blue light in the morning and red light at night. Ideally one should get sunlight during the day.
Blue light use leads to mitochondrial slowdown.. our eyes/bodies are built for full spectrum sunlight. ( led full spectrum is not full spectrum), a simple incandescent light bulb is full spectrum, if you live or work under led lights just add a desk lamp with old fashioned bulb to restore mitochondrial function.
What if the lights overhead are led and you can’t shut them off. Could you counteract with full spectrum
Yes, a simple incandescent light bulb desk light will revert your mitochondria back to normal efficiency. The LED are not harmful, they just lack the full spectrum of the sun that your mitochondria are waiting for for.
Full spectrum LED fi “NOT” work, you would need 100’s of maybe 1,000’s of individual led lights each at a different colour temperature to produce a full spectrum, tje led full spectrum they sell are garbage.
My functional chiropractor advises 1 mg for each year of your age.
Very cool. Thanks for sharing.
During the worst part of the COVID pandemic, my 82-year-old neighbor had an oxygen saturation of 85 along with other symptoms. He visited the ER the day before and refused to go again. I gave him a 12mg melatonin tablet because I read that melatonin can improve blood oxygen saturation. It worked, and his oxygen saturation improved into the low 90s. My ER Doctor son was skeptical about the reason why the oxygen levels improved. The neighbor made a full recovery over time.
Thanks for your comments...
Sounds good.. I have been told that Ivermectin makes your testicles and penis grow.. who knows??
Thats a good question. Not sure this has been studied. I would take it before you go to sleep. Sleep in a dark room.
Thanks, Dr. Marik. The thought came after reading through all of your post, “we are (indeed) fearfully and wonderfully made.” Amazing. I was a 7p-7a CVICU nurse for 15 years. It definitely is not how we were made to live. I also had DUCI hormone driven which has a 0 classification during that time period. However, I was treated like a full blown cancer patient. I don’t regret now but it was a journey! Of course, there were no alternatives or anything to be added to radiation and the 5 year medication. I believe there is more hope now adding what the studies are showing to work. Keep pushing what you are finding to help people with the “C word in their daily lives to live better.
No lights at night when sleeping. Else use an eye mask to filter out the light.
Okay. Thanks.
Yes.. Thats fine.
Yes. This happens if you start of using melatonin at a high dose. Start at 1mg at night or even 0.75mg ..then increase the dose slowly. It causes hyper REM sleep
Yes, I agree.
I have not heard of this before. I suppose you can try and increase the dose slowly.
No. Its very safe.
Dr. Marik,
Thank you for this clear and timely piece. The emphasis on darkness as the driver of pineal melatonin, the IARC classification of circadian disruption, and the multiple anticancer pathways is well-supported. I particularly appreciated the mention of mitochondrial melatonin production under near-infrared irradiation and the references to Tan et al. (2023) and Yeager et al. (2007).
A few questions arise when reading this alongside broader literature on circadian-metabolic coupling and mitochondrial optimization:
1. Melatonin formulations and bioavailability — The article recommends ~20 mg nightly based on older adjunctive trials. Given oral melatonin’s low and variable bioavailability (~15% or lower) due to first-pass metabolism, and known quality issues with many OTC products, do you favor pharmaceutical-grade, USP-verified, or prolonged/sustained-release formulations over immediate-release? Would liposomal or sublingual delivery offer meaningful advantages for consistent tissue delivery or mitochondrial support in metabolic protocols?
2. Daytime light exposure and full circadian hygiene — The piece focuses strongly on darkness and light-at-night harm. Robust nocturnal melatonin amplitude also depends on proper daytime entrainment via bright morning light through ipRGCs. Have you considered combining darkness protocols with deliberate daytime sunlight exposure? Northern latitudes or modern indoor living often create chronically low daytime light amplitude and minimal UVB exposure for many months of the year. Do these factors meaningfully affect melatonin rhythms and overall terrain support, or would full-spectrum indoor lighting (or separate strategies including UVB lights) be worth considering in such regions?
3. Indoor lighting specifics — Beyond avoiding light at night, spectral quality matters. Cool LEDs with high blue content (~460–480 nm) can suppress melatonin even at moderate intensities, while warm/red-dominant sources are more protective in the evening. I’ve read about tunable CCT smart lighting systems that automatically shift from high-melanopic daylight spectra during the day to warm/red-dominant in the evening. Do you have thoughts on these approaches, or recommendations for high-CRI full-spectrum bulbs versus simpler warm lighting + blue-blocking strategies?
4. Red/NIR photobiomodulation and mitochondrial melatonin — Given the growing PBM literature in oncology supportive care, could you expand on practical parameters (preferred wavelengths ~810–850 nm, fluence ranges, session frequency) and how exogenous melatonin and NIR/PBM might be sequenced or combined to support host mitochondrial optimization and metabolic reprogramming (e.g., enhancing OXPHOS competence in normal cells)?
5. Terrain/metabolic framing — The mechanisms you outline align well with metabolic approaches to cancer. How do you see optimized light hygiene + properly formulated melatonin + targeted red/NIR fitting into a broader host-terrain protocol alongside diet, fasting, or repurposed agents? Are there specific cancer types or patient populations where these circadian and photobiology levers show the strongest signals?
Your work highlights accessible, multi-target interventions that support the host. Clarifying these practical and mechanistic details might be very helpful for those implementing these ideas within metabolic/terrain frameworks.
Well done Dr. Marik. Interesting are the references to melatonin and cardiac effects/benefits in patients with sepsis!