Insomnia: Sleeping Pills Kill 500,000 People a Year

An absolutely astounding study published in the British Medical Journal showed that just four sleeping pills a year will triple your risk of dying!And the study pointed out that certain medications are worse than others, with Ambien® boosting the risk of an early death by 5.7 times, and Restoril® by 6.6 times. That means that sleeping pills are killing 500,000 Americans annually – just slightly below the numbers for heart disease and cancer!

Talk about a shocker! We have always maintained that medicine is the number one cause of death in America. In fact, sleeping pills alone are close to the number one cause. And it is probably not the pill itself. Rather, it is the treatment of the symptom (insomnia) with sleeping pills that is the culprit. Insomnia is often an early warning symptom of other deadly diseases. These can go unrecognized if your insomnia is artificially “cured” with drugs.

So quite honestly you must toss all your Ambien, Restoril, Lunesta®, Alluna®, Sonata®, and the rest of the “sleepers.” Scared? I don’t blame you. Millions cannot sleep a wink without help. And endless nights of insomnia can make you wish you were dead. But for most people, you can get the sleep you need without sleeping pills.

First, lots of insomnia is caused by “nerves.” “Nervous insomnia, like many other conditions directly related to a lack of vitamins and minerals, has been considered a result of the high speed of modem civilization. It is quite true that overwork, worry, mental stress, etc., aggravate the ailment. But the real cause is lowered resistance to stresses, lowered stamina, and increased nervous irritability because of deficient nutrition.”

That little treatise, written by a top physician of his time, seems very true today because it addresses the stresses of a modern society. It seems almost comical that it was written in 1934! Although a high-speed society of 1934 is actually low-speed by today’s standards, the people then perceived their lives as high-
speed and stressful, much the same as today.

And stress, especially nutritional stress, lowered resistance to stress, lowered stamina, and increased nervous irritability – which can all cause insomnia – often have their origins in nutritional deficiencies. And here is where you need to start with your insomnia protocol. Nervous irritability occurs routinely in a state of vitamin and mineral deficiency. In fact, animals deprived of proper minerals will suffer from insomnia and even die in convulsions at the slightest disturbance. Taking 18 pills a year will quadruple your risk of death!

So before embarking on all kinds of high-tech tests and prescription drugs, by all means test the nutritional connection first. This is easily done with two products from Standard Process: Catalyn and Min-Tran. Simply take Catalyn (2 tablets) and Min-Tran (6 tablets) at bedtime. Catalyn has an almost 80-year track record, and Min-Tran has a 52-year track record. Do not take more than 2 Catalyn as that will defeat the purpose of inducing sleep because Catalyn can eliminate fatigue. Try this protocol for a few months and see if you can end your insomnia problems easily and naturally.

Other Forms of Relief

Many people seem to get some relief by taking melatonin at bedtime. It is best to take .3 mg (3/10 of a milligram) or less, because higher doses are generally less effective. Many more use deep breathing at bedtime to help them fall asleep. A side benefit of deep breathing is that it helps you relax and can help lower your blood pressure. Deep breathing instructions are available from Dr. Kimberly.

Finally, the latest studies show that sleep centers and counseling are extremely helpful in overcoming insomnia. Do not overlook this possibility if all else fails in your case. High percentages of seniors get much better sleep after just a few counseling sessions at a sleep center.

NOTES

1 Kripke, D. F., Langer, R. D., Kline, L. E .. “Hypnotics’ association with mortality or cancer: A matched cohort study.” BMJ Open, 2012.

Published 27 February 2011.

2 “Insomnia caused by nerves,” Health Alert, Vol. 23, No. 12.

HEALTH ALERT

October 2012, Volume 29, Issue 10