H1N1 ATTACKS THE LUNGS

H1N1 and the Damage It Can Cause

H1N1 ATTACKS THE LUNGS
The respiratory tract.  H1N1 attacks the lungs, which form the major organs of your lower respiratory system.  You may not know that you have the H1N1, which is a particularly pernicious attack on lung tissue. A coworker/friend who had H1N1 said she had a case of bronchitis.  I am sure that is how it was registered.  She said that it was a particularly bad case of bronchitis and that she could not get rid of it.  She said this as she coughed.  

from thehealtsite.

The alarming rate at which swine flu is claiming lives, recovering from the flu is definitely akin to getting a new lease of life. However, most patients who develop the flu and are discharged from the hospital after proper treatment and care, often fear if – life would be the same even after recovery. Read to know if swine flu is completely curable.

ROAD TO RECOVERY

On the surface, there might not be a lot of changes that one needs to deal with after recovery. ‘A normal healthy individual can recover from the symptoms of swine flu within 48 to 75 hours, if proper treatment is given on time, which means soon after developing the symptoms. Even with supportive therapy, like proper ventilation to improve oxygenation of blood, one can recover from the flu within five to seven days. Although, general fatigue, weakness and tiredness can be persistent for about a fortnight, it subsides with rest and proper diet,’ informs Dr Prakash Jiandani, Director of Critical Care Unit, Wockhardt Hospital, South Mumbai. Here is the proper treatment and medicine guide for a swine flu patient.

However, people who suffer from moderate to severe symptoms of swine flu, end up with a suppressed lung function or problems related to the respiratory tract. ‘This is because the progression of swine flu attacks lung function and most deaths or critical cases of swine flu are the ones with respiratory infection or failure. That’s a reason why oxygen therapy, with proper ventilation, becomes a necessity for patients suffering from swine flu in advanced stage,’ says Dr Jiandani.

COMPLICATIONS of SWINE FLU

In most severe cases of swine flu, one develops acute respiratory distress syndrome or ARDS, a life-threatening condition and prime reason for so many lives being lost to the flu. In this condition, the lungs of the patient are damaged to such an extent that there is low level of oxygen in the blood, which interferes with the functioning of other organs. For people with a suppressed immune system, like the ones suffering from diabetes, hypertension, elderly generation, etc., recovery from ARDS is very rare. Here is a complete food guide for people suffering from swine flu.

At its severity, the H1N1 virus, causing the seasonal flu, disrupts the functioning of the lungs to a great extent. If one develops ARDS, it could mean that the air sacs or the alveoli of the lungs are filled with fluid and hence, unable to pump requisite oxygen for proper functioning of the entire body. The symptoms of ARDS include: Shortness of breath, rapid breathing, and low blood pressure.

This detail--that the alveoli could be filled with fluid and "unable to pump requisite oxygen" should be a very serious cause for concern with this particular flu.  Do not mess around with toughing it out or going mild on treatment.  You want to aggressively consume large amounts of Vitamin C, eat whole lemons or drink the juice from them perhaps, but whatever you do be sure to get massive amounts of Vitamin C.  Look, if you've already got a chronic condition or you've got injuries somewhere or you've got arthritis, getting the H1N1 could be life-threatening, so don't play around with this.  Other folks I know, a few years older than me, who contracted H1N1 did not do so well in recovery and probably have been working out of a chronic condition since then [two years ago] and may very well end up fighting that chronic condition for the rest of their lives. It is awful.  And very serious.  A friend of mine in the medical field said that the H1N1 is no more serious than any other flu, joking that there is no flu season, that the flu does not take a vacation the rest of the year and then in the winter it comes back with a vengeance.  

Bill Sardi wrote about the swine flu in the winter of 2014. Lots of people died.  He pointed to the collective depressed immunity brought on by vaccines as the culprit.  Regardless, you need to fight for your life.

However, if recovery takes place with all the requisite treatment modalities, ‘it might end up with a scar formation in the lungs which could lead to a radical sequel of the same in the future. There is quite a bit of chance of recurrence of respiratory problems even after recovering from the flu,’ says Dr Jiandani. Prevent the spread of swine flu following these 10 dos and don’ts.

LIFE AFTER RECOVERY

Although ARDS is a life-threatening condition, if one recovers from it, one might have to live with:

Scarring in the lungs: For most people suffering from ARDS, there develops scar in the lungs and the air sacs thickens, which remain unaltered even after recovery. This stiffening of the lung tissues can make it difficult for proper oxygen dissemination in the bloodstream.

Being prone to infections: ‘With a suppressed immunity and scarring in the lungs, a person might also be prone to bacterial infections and other respiratory tract infections in the future,’ says Dr Jiandani.

Abnormal lung functions: Most people with ARDS recover with their lungs functioning normally. However, in some rare cases, the lungs might need supportive oxygen supplementation for few hours a day or few times in a month to help one breathe to the optimum.

Emotional disturbance: Low levels of oxygen in the blood stream due to an impaired lung function can also lead to memory or cognitive impairment and could lead to depression and emotional imbalances in some survivors.  

FOODS & NUTRIENTS THAT FIGHT H1N1
ANTI-OXIDANTS
Vitamin C, Vitamin C, Vitamin C.  One way not to have to live with ARDS is to treat the flu, any flu you contract, immediately with Vitamin C.  Not sugary Cranberry juice or orange juice or even an orange, though the flavonoids of an orange actually would help.  But instead get a blast of Vitamin C by way of ascorbic acid or buffered capsules with a full panel of bioflavonoids or try one of the synthetic Vitamin Cs that bypass your digestive tract.  You want lots of Vitamin C, for according to this report, anti-oxidants [like Vitamin C] destroy the virus, protect and repair lung tissue.  ". . . this discovery is another reason to drink red wine to your health. Antioxidants may be a weakness of the H1N1 flu virus."

GARLIC

BEEF or CHICKEN BROTH

CAYENNE PEPPER

WHITE FOODS (I am not being racist, I swear)

Radishes, mushrooms, Asian pear, and white fish.  Sounds good.  I am thinking of halibut and perhaps a fish chowder with a buttery cream sauce, not one of those made with a heavy cornstarch.

One food that is hard for me to avoid is dairy.  I love raw milk, cheeses, yogurt, and butter.  I would still recommend some butter during your bout with and recovery from H1N1.  Maybe even yogurt too.  Probiotics help with immunity.  

Direct-pay Medicine

Cristy Beckman, who suffers from chronic pain in her spine and osteoarthritis, spent six hours in a doctor's crowded waiting room in severe pain.

That was enough, the Middletown resident decided. It was time to make a drastic change in how she was treated.

At about the same time, Dr. Christina Bovelsky opened Peachtree Family Medicine in downtown Middletown, Delaware with a unique approach to medicine.

Instead of dealing with traditional insurance, co-pays and deductibles, her patients pay a one-year membership fee that includes an annual physical exam and between two and four office visits. Small procedures such as nebulizer treatments, strep tests and electrocardiograms, are included.

Beckman, 46, became one of Bovelsky's first patients.

"There's an absolute peace of mind that someone is looking after your healthcare," Beckman said. "I don't think there's any way I could do something different."

Bovelsky's patients can pay monthly fees between $65 and $75. Yearly rates for adults vary between $780 and $900, depending on the number of visits a patient wants. Care for children under 18 ranges from $240 to $360. Additional office visits cost $80 each.

Nationally, more health care providers are embracing the direct-pay, or "concierge medicine," model.

A Physicians' Foundation 2014 survey found 7 percent of doctors run a direct-pay practice and another 13 percent plan to transition to some form of direct-pay model.

Most of Bovelsky's patients still have insurance for additional procedures and tests not covered by the doctor's fees, such as vaccines and lab work.

Health care providers say they are transitioning to direct-pay medicine because they are able to spend more time with fewer patients, which allows them to drill down to the cause of a medical issue instead of ordering extra tests. The doctors are also more readily available to patients after hours.

David Wilderman, a longtime physical therapist, decided to sell his physical therapy practice in Pennsylvania and open a new one in Delaware to help patients, like Beckman, who wanted a more personal approach.

"My belief is everyone should receive high-quality health care," he said. "The optimal goal is for my patients is to avoid medication and surgery."

Even with the extra attention, some fear direct pay and concierge medicine will drive up medical costs for individuals. Insurance representatives say consumers should make sure they completely understand a direct fee plan and the cost of treatments from a physician who is not working within a traditional insurance plan network.

Courtney Jay, a spokeswoman for America’s Health Insurance Plans, a national trade association representing the health insurance industry, said in an email that a doctor can charge more for a specific procedure than he or she is typically reimbursed for by an insurance company, which means the patient will pay more for that procedure.

"The out-of-pocket amount for the patient would vary depending on the patient's specific policy within their plan," she said.

Dr. Nick Biasotto, a family doctor and past president of the Medical Society of Delaware, said many doctors are exploring these new business models because they are seeing more patients daily as practices merge and facing higher medical costs with technological advancements.

And, as doctors age, they tend to want to scale back.

At 65, Biasotto, said he found he couldn't keep the pace. He is beginning to transition to a direct-pay practice after becoming frustrated with seeing 45 patients a day. In his 36 years as a doctor, he's seen 4,000 patients.

"It's time for me to slow down. I don’t want to join the hospital system and crank out patient after patient," he said.

Under the direct-pay system, he might see 500 patients in a year and he'll be able to make house calls. He's heard of about eight other doctors pursuing these models.

But he also had to let some employees go and help some patients who couldn't afford monthly fees transition to new providers.

"That was the hardest part of the whole process . . . saying goodbye to patients I've cared for for years," Biasotto said.

A direct-fee model also helps doctors and patients eliminate paperwork such as prior authorizations and filing for reimbursements. Bovelsky said she uses that time saved to focus more on patients.

"The average time a doctor has with a patient is 7 minutes," Bovelsky said. "Here, it is at least 30 to 60 minutes. Sometimes it's 90. When you take the time to sit down, you are going to find the answer to what is going on with them.

"I love what I do and I wanted to spend my time with patients. The way medicine is set up currently ... it really is a revolving door."

"Insurance standards often dictate what services specialists, like physical therapists, can provide and how long they can care for patients," Wilderman said. "Often patients in physical therapy have between 12 to 24 sessions, but the amount of time spent with a therapist is under a half hour.  It's not in the patient's best interest," Wilderman explained.

Under his model, patients only will need four to six visits, for about an hour each, though there are no set number of visits a person must have. An initial assessment appointment is $195 with any additional visit costing $165. Patients can try to get their services reimbursed as well, he said.

"This is helping people get better faster...People don't have to lose valuable time away from work and family," Wilderman said. "I don't have to go by the insurance company saying I'm not going to cover that.

"When you tally everything up, it is cheaper in the long run to do what I'm doing as an out-of-network provider."

Jen Rini can be reached at (302) 324-2386 or jrini@delawreonline.com. Follow @JenRini on Twitter.

Drug Cartel and Counter Culture Take a Hit

Smoking High-Strength Cannabis May Damage Nerve Fibers in Brain 
from The Guardian

Study suggests high levels of skunk use may affect the brain’s white matter, making communication between the right and left hemispheres less efficient

The brain’s white matter seen from the front as obtained by diffusion tensor imaging. Photograph: Institute of Psychiatry

High-strength cannabis may damage nerve fibres that handle the flow of messages across the two halves of the brain, scientists claim. Brain scans of people who regularly smoked strong skunk-like cannabis revealed subtle differences in the white matter that connects the left and right hemispheres and carries signals from one side of the brain to the other.

The changes were not seen in those who never used cannabis or smoked only the less potent forms of the drug, the researchers found.

The study is thought to be the first to look at the effects of cannabis potency on brain structure, and suggests that greater use of skunk may cause more damage to the corpus callosum, making communications across the brain's hemispheres less efficient.

Paola Dazzan, a neurobiologist at the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London, said the effects appeared to be linked to the level of active ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), in cannabis.  While traditional forms of cannabis contain 2 to 4% THC, the more portent varietis (of which there are about 100), can contain 10 to 14% THC, according to the DrugScope charity.

“If you look at the corpus callosum, what we’re seeing is a significant difference in the white matter between those who use high potency cannabis and those who never use the drug, or use the low-potency drug,” said Dazzan. The corpus callosum is rich in cannabinoid receptors, on which the THC chemical acts.

A DTI image of the corpus callosum, as seen from the side, is shown in red on and superimposed on a background MRI image of the brain. Photograph: Institute of Psychiatry

“The difference is there whether you have psychosis or not, and we think this is strictly related to the potency of the cannabis,” she added. Details of the study are reported in the journal Psychological Medicine.

The researchers used two scanning techniques, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), to examine the corpus callosum, the largest region of white matter, in the brains of 56 patients who had reported a first episode of psychosis, and 43 healthy volunteers from the local community.

The scans found that daily users of high-potency cannabis had a slightly greater – by about 2% – “mean diffusivity” in the corpus callosum. “That reflects a problem in the white matter that ultimately makes it less efficient,” Dazzan told the Guardian. “We don’t know exactly what it means for the person, but it suggests there is less efficient transfer of information.”

The study cannot confirm that high levels of THC in cannabis cause changes to white matter. As Dazzan notes, it is may be that people with damaged white matter are more likely to smoke skunk in the first place.

“It is possible that these people already have a different brain and they are more likely to use cannabis. But what we can say is if it’s high potency, and if you smoke frequently, your brain is different from the brain of someone who smokes normal cannabis, and from someone who doesn’t smoke cannabis at all,” she said.

“It is possible that these people already have a different brain and they are more likely to use cannabis. But what we can say is if it’s high potency, and if you smoke frequently, your brain is different from the brain of someone who smokes normal cannabis, and from someone who doesn’t smoke cannabis at all,” she said.

But even with the uncertainty over cause and effect, she urged users and public health workers to change how they think about cannabis use. “When it comes to alcohol, we are used to thinking about how much people drink, and whether they are drinking wine, beer, or whisky. We should think of cannabis in a similar way, in terms of THC and the different contents cannabis can have, and potentially the effects on health will be different,” she said.

“As we have suggested previously, when assessing cannabis use, it is extremely important to gather information on how often and what type of cannabis is being used. These details can help quantify the risk of mental health problems and increase awareness of the type of damage these substances can do to the brain,” she added.

In February, Dazzan and others at the Institute of Psychiatry reported that the ready availability of skunk in south London might be behind a rise in the proportion of new cases of psychosis being attributed to cannabis.

HOSPITALS "ADMIT" YOU SO THEY CAN GET YOU EVEN MORE SICK

". . . this is the way people entering the hospital begin to go downhill and face complications."

It starts like this.

h/t Lew Rockwell

These are my prefacing remarks.  Hospitals get you in, no, maybe I should use their elite professional term of "admit."  Right, hospitals admit you.  You've earned it.  How do they do that?  They have to come up with a diagnosis first.  My mother's ER doctor claimed she had pneumonia.  She didn't. Something else was causing her bleeding. Pneumonia doesn't cause bleeding.  But do you think that anyone in the family knew the difference between pneumonia and the causes of her bleeding?  Do you think that her doctor or anyone of the attending physicians would tell her or the family the truth about pneumonia symptoms?  What, are you crazy?  And is bleeding so bad?  Her ER doctor diagnosed her with pneumonia to give the family a bone to chew on while he admitted her so that the slew of hospital-contracted technicians could roll their holy hardware in and out of her room and get paid.  And why not?  Her health insurance was a veritable ATM machine, like the ones you drive up to, put your card in, press a few keys, and hundred dollar bills come shooting out.  Once inside the hospital, the family expected her to get well and be out in a day or two.  She was in for ten days.  Her conditioned worsened, of course. She was on the anti-biotic, Zosyn, for each of the ten days, a standard anti-biotic.  Insomnia is one of its side effects.  So the doctors ran their tests, one even proving that she had no pneumonia. They just kept pumping her with Zosyn.  But the doctor hemmed and hawed and hedged his bets by keeping her.  The family didn't know their rights.  They accepted the doctor prescription of death.  She was after all 89 years old. You have to love it how doctors, well anybody for that matter, use people's age against them.  Her one immunity resource, her gut flora, was destroyed by the Zosyn.  Se la vie. Remember that hospitals have bills to pay.  Hospitals have things to sell you.  But they don't really give you a choice, since the product is often forced or coerced upon you by a doctor, who operate more like money managers making sure you take and buy their dope.  Don't do it.

Here is Bill Sardi . . . .

I had made it to age 70 without any chronic diseases and no need to take any prescription drugs.  Last Tuesday afternoon that ended.  The mild chest pressure and shortness of breath began Tuesday afternoon while I was driving to my son’s counseling session in Chino, CA.  I began popping vitamin C tablets every few minutes, which is all that I had available in the car. 

I drove to Pomona Valley Hospital emergency room within an hour where I was quickly ushered into a hallway to undergo an immediate electrocardiogram.  It appeared normal on the print out but the technician said he saw an abnormal beat on his screen (a premature ventricular contraction).  I took my pulse.  My heart was skipping a beat every six beats.   I was having real heart trouble.

It took another 40 minutes for emergency room personnel to take me into a treatment room and give me a nitroglycerin tablet to dilate my blood vessels, a blood thinner and an aspirin tablet to halt any clots.  Within 20 minutes my condition was stable; no shortness of breath.

My cardiac enzyme level (troponin level) was 0.6 upon admission (0.3 is normal), 1.5 later in the emergency room and eventually rose to 50.0 the next day.  High troponin levels indicate a heart attack (blockage of circulation in a coronary artery).

I was admitted to the hospital late that afternoon and began dealing with the challenges of hospitalization. 

First, the nurse offered me vaccines for the flu and pneumonia.  I declined, saying I didn’t come to the hospital with a health crisis intending to get injected with two pathological germs, a mycobacterium and a virus.  I said this is the way people entering the hospital begin to go downhill and face complications.

The male nurse acquired personal information for the hospital chart.  He didn’t believe I was 70 years old and had me take my driver’s license out of my wallet to confirm my birthdate. 

The ordeal of staying overnight in a hospital was challenging. Uninterrupted sleep is almost impossible.  Light pollution (I had to cover up 9 lights in my room) and noise pollution (the incessant “beep” of the
heart monitoring  machine directly outside my room) were agonizing.  I got 4 hours of sleep that first night.  (How does anybody get well in an environment like that?)

At 5AM the nurses and technicians began working me up with blood tests and prepping me for an angiogram (dye test of my coronary arteries).  At 7 AM I was being wheeled in my bed to the cardiac cath room on the ground floor.  A humorous moment came when my hospital bed wouldn’t fit into the elevator.   Made you feel like they really planned things well (??).

In the cath lab a team of 5 nurses and technicians were busy moving x-ray machines and monitors into place and setting up instruments.  I informed them I didn’t want to hear the word “oops” during my procedure.

I was offered a pain reliever and a sedative that I once again declined, saying these drugs would induce shallow breathing that could result in pneumonia.  The nurse couldn’t believe I was refusing the medication.

About 40 minutes later the cardiologist had found a single coronary artery that was blocked (blood clots, not cholesterol) and placed a stent (a wire prop).  He kept asking if I felt any pain.  I said no.  The stent was introduced through an artery in my wrist instead of more customary route through the groin. 

I didn’t feel any better after the procedure because my heart circulation had already been re-established with medications.  I had told the cardiologist I didn’t want a stent unless it was absolutely necessary.  I got a stent anyway whether I liked it or not.  Now I have a time bomb in my chest, as stents tend to attract blood platelets that result in clots.  So the very health threat I walked in with is still a present danger that only 8 or 9 months taking blood thinners will avert.  After a few months the tissue covers the stent and then there is nil risk of a clot. 

I would spend another night in the hospital just for monitoring.  My first meal in the hospital was described as a special cardiac lunch.  It was comprised of zero-fat/high sugar carbohydrate foods like soda pop (can you believe?), sugary custard, a sugary jello cup and some sliced beef with noodles. 

I had to call my culinary friends, Tom and Valerie Aruffo, who cater events for me, and they brought me real food to eat (salad greens, meat for protein, etc.) 

By then I had others bring me other dietary supplements: potassium/magnesium capsules; zinc; fish oil; vitamin D; vitamin C, resveratrol.  The nurse allowed me to keep them as long as I hid them from the charge nurse. 

The cardiologist and hospital staff had great difficulty assessing my case.  I had normally low blood pressure (129/69 upon hospital admission), low cholesterol, normal blood sugar (5.5 hemoglobin A1c), and was normal weight (12 pounds over my high school weight) with no history of tobacco use or over-use of alcohol.  Furthermore, to confound everything, I had full heart pumping pressure (ejection fraction) after the event, which means no tissue  damage to the heart muscle.   I didn’t fit the mold. 

This latter phenomenon is explained by my daily intake of resveratrol (Longevinex®), that activates internal antioxidants in the heart tissue prior to a blockage of circulation, which in turn prevents or limits damage to heart muscle.  I explained my case on the telephone to Nate Lebowitz MD, a Ft. Lee, NJ preventive cardiologist, and he believes resveratrol spared me from heart damage. 

What goes unexplained is that the cardiologist who implanted the stents in my coronary artery was not the least bit curious as to why I had no loss of pumping pressure or why I had reached age 70 without any chronic disease.  When I explained I have been taking a resveratrol pill he said he didn’t know what that was.   In fact, the doctor ordered that I cease taking all dietary supplements and continue with the problematic drugs he prescribed.

He had me take an ACE inhibitor (lisinopril), which drove my blood pressure down to 90/40 and I felt mentally fatigued.  I’m holding that drug aside for now.  When blood pressure is that low tissues above the heart (brain, eyes, ears) don’t receive adequate blood circulation.  I also refused to take a statin cholesterol-lowering drug, which the doctor didn’t put up much of a fight over.  Maybe in the back of his mind he knows statins are useless and problematic.

I’m embarking on an accelerated 90-day artery-cleansing regimen of arginine (5000 mg0, chondroitin (5000 mg), vitamin C/lysine-proline, resveratrol.  I’m relying on molecular medicine, not synthetic drugs, to see me through.

For all of my friends who called to offer get-well messages, made me chicken and lentil soup, and provided me support while in the hospital, I am ever grateful.  I’m back home spending time with my 11-year old son Matthew, who helped pa-pa wash the car.  Updates will be provided in due time.

". . . calcium and magnesium may be the best choice for insomnia"

Because of its calcium and magnesium content, dairy is a great food to help you sleep better.

from Nutritional Breakthroughs

According to a recent study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 1.6 million American adults with insomnia have gotten a deeper, more restful night's sleep by using natural and alternative remedies [like food]. The most widely known natural insomnia remedies for sleep are the minerals calcium and magnesium, the herb valerian root, the natural hormone melatonin, and the amino acid tryptophan.

1.6 million is a lot of sufferers from insomnia, but the only one who really matters is you.  I have tried a few herbs to help me sleep.  I've tried melatonin, and that only makes me feel more lethargic when I wake up in the morning.  So no go there.  Many have touted the health benefits of melatonin.  Maybe.  But the road to the benefits are too heavy for me.  I don't like that heavy feeling in the morning.  No thanks.

I have tried magnesium separate from calcium.  It helps.  

I have tried calcium separate from magnesium.  It too helps.

Ah, there's the word "helpful."  Watch out for those side effects.  I've never had nausea or head aches or memory loss, confusion, or dizziness from any of the ones that I've tried.  Like I said, I did experience lethargy when waking up from the smallest doses of melatonin.

The NIH study on Complementary and Alternative Medicine found that "A majority of people who used natural therapies for their insomnia reported they were helpful." Many adults who suffer with sleeplessness would prefer to avoid the side effects of sleep medications such as memory loss, headache, nausea, depression, dizziness, confusion, a hangover effect, and possible addiction.

Though I have tried chamomile tea, I have never tried Valerian root.

In modern herbal medicine, Valerian is the most common herb used for insomnia. Valerian root makes getting to sleep easier and is also used for nervous tension and anxiety. Valerian is often combined with other mildly sedating herbs like chamomile, hops, passion flower and lemon balm. Drowsiness and an inability to remain alert are Valerian*s most common side effects.  It may be unsafe to take while driving or operating heavy machinery and should not be consumed along with alcohol or sedative drugs.  

 Know what to expect from Melatonin.

There is no Melatonin in salmon.  Only a good source of magnesium, potassium, and calcium

Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone produced by the pineal gland, which is located in the center of the brain. At night or in the dark, the pineal gland releases melatonin to regulate the sleep cycle. The body produces less melatonin with advancing age.  While melatonin doesn't require a prescription, it is a potent hormone.  If too much is taken, it can make it more difficult to wake up and may result in daytime grogginess.  It is best used under the supervision of a doctor.

Though I've obviously consumed foods with Tryptophan, like turkey and milk, I have never tried supplementation.  On this be careful too. Read the side effects.  Do you really want any of these?

Tryptophan is an amino acid (a component of protein) that is found in turkey, tuna, bananas, dates, oats and dairy products. It has been used for people with insomnia because it is converted into serotonin, a chemical messenger in the brain that*s involved in mood, appetite and sleep.  

A related compound to tryptopha that occurs naturally in the body is 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), This may also be helpful for insomnia.  Possible side effects with 5-HTP include nausea, stomach upset and decreased sex drive. It should not be used along with antidepressant drugs.

Looks like the combination of calcium and magnesium may be your best bet.

The minerals calcium and magnesium may be the best choice for insomnia.  They are proven natural relaxants and provide many additional health benefits. Calcium is directly related to our cycles of sleep. One study found that calcium levels were higher during some of the deeper levels of sleep, such as the rapid eye movement (REM) phase.  Calcium causes the release of the sleep-inducing amino acid tryptophan.  Magnesium has been successfully used for sleeplessness.  Regarding magnesium, probably no other single deficiency is so responsible for the widespread use of tranquilizers.

Calcium also helps to strengthen bones, lower blood pressure, alleviate symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, and protect against colon cancer. One possible side effect from taking too much calcium or magnesium is diarrhea, at which point less can be used.

 I cannot speak to "other important factors," for I've only tried these minersals separately in capsules.  In food, I am sure there are other factors.  I just couldn't tell you which ones are key.

Digestibility and absorption are important factors in selecting the best forms of calcium and magnesium to use. For example, Sleep Minerals II from Nutrition Breakthroughs is a natural insomnia remedy that contains highly absorbable forms of these minerals. It also contains vitamin D and zinc and is delivered in a softgel form with healthy carrier oils, making it better assimilated than tablets or capsules and providing a deeper, longer-lasting sleep.

But apparently formula from Health Breakthroughs has been helping other individuals.  

Alex R. of Ramseur, North Carolina says: "Sleep Minerals II has been a blessing for me. It has given me the opportunity to withdraw from a highly addictive sleep medication over time, and has allowed me to sleep while going through this most difficult ordeal.  What's great about it is it doesn't lose its effectiveness, which is something that happens with medications.  I am most thankful for this product."

The problem with reporting continues.  Above, the NIH reports 1.6 million insomnia sufferers.  Here in the prose part of the narrative, it states "millions of people."  Are we to take that to mean 1.6 million?  Is that "millions"?  Perhaps.

The NIH study confirms that millions of people are benefiting from natural remedies for insomnia. Indeed, these are far better than putting a drug-based, potentially addictive chemical into your body. One good tip is to seek remedies that not only help you sleep more deeply, but also have additional benefits to your overall health.  

Okay, so now you know which is the best mineral or supplement for insomnia.  Next question is do you shop for supplements or do shop for food sources of these minerals?  I say go with the food remedies.  

FOOD SOURCES OF CALCIUM & MAGNESIUM
Milk, cheese, grassfed beef, wild-caught fish, nuts and seeds.  Brazil nuts may be the most potent source or magnesium, but I would say any nuts will have some in them.  My favorite nuts are cashews and macadamia nuts.  These seem to have a little more fat.  Which is good.  There are other foods that can help your sleep patterns.

Oh, and don't exclude acupuncture.  Acupunturists can needle you to help your body relax and get a very good and deep night's sleep.