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While researching the uses of Vitamin B3 (aka Niacin, and its amide partner Niacinamide) for a friend who is battling high cholesterol, I encountered some very surprising reports on the truly global effect of this remarkable chemical on a wide range of biological functions. It turns out that Niacin has been in use to support addiction recovery for a long time, and it is widely accepted as useful in improving cardiovascular health. Accounts of side effects abound, but it appears that serious effects are pretty rare, and come only with very high doses, in most cases.
Anyway, what grabbed me about Niacin is that it has been used successfully to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, for the reason that this compound seems to antidote the often terrible effects of hypersecretion of adrenaline. Since almost all chronic disease states seem to trigger damaging excessive flow of the adrenal gland hormones through the system, something that all stress does in a human body, it occurred to me that Niacin could be potentially useful in minimizing at least the secondary effects of stress in just about any chronic disease.
We tend to think of B vitamin supplementation as a great way to fight stress, generally, but now I'm beginning to think that we can be more specific in this approach, and can use something like B3/Niacin in a more targeted way. I'm intrigued that some patients report getting relief from chronic pain just by adding Niacin to their diets, and I can't help but be very curious regarding Niacin's affect on the pain and sometimes devastating stress of chronic severe dry eye.
Here is a URL to a site (prepared by a doctor) that is very positive about Niacin (and that seems to endorse Niacinamide as a valid alternative, except where treatment of hypercholesterolemia is involved.) There's lots more on the Internet regarding Niacin, but when encountering conventional M.D.s' warnings about its potential side-effects, please be sure to read countervailing pieces that put these alleged risks in good perspective.:
http://www.doctoryourself.com/hoffer_niacin.html
Anyway, what grabbed me about Niacin is that it has been used successfully to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, for the reason that this compound seems to antidote the often terrible effects of hypersecretion of adrenaline. Since almost all chronic disease states seem to trigger damaging excessive flow of the adrenal gland hormones through the system, something that all stress does in a human body, it occurred to me that Niacin could be potentially useful in minimizing at least the secondary effects of stress in just about any chronic disease.
We tend to think of B vitamin supplementation as a great way to fight stress, generally, but now I'm beginning to think that we can be more specific in this approach, and can use something like B3/Niacin in a more targeted way. I'm intrigued that some patients report getting relief from chronic pain just by adding Niacin to their diets, and I can't help but be very curious regarding Niacin's affect on the pain and sometimes devastating stress of chronic severe dry eye.
Here is a URL to a site (prepared by a doctor) that is very positive about Niacin (and that seems to endorse Niacinamide as a valid alternative, except where treatment of hypercholesterolemia is involved.) There's lots more on the Internet regarding Niacin, but when encountering conventional M.D.s' warnings about its potential side-effects, please be sure to read countervailing pieces that put these alleged risks in good perspective.:
http://www.doctoryourself.com/hoffer_niacin.html