I'm Joe Gradyton and I'm Terry Grady. Welcome to this podcast of the People's Pharmacy.

You can find previous podcasts and more information on a range of health topics at people's pharmacy.com.

Most of us are familiar with the idea of fight or flight.

That's called an adrenaline rush.

What's the counterbalance? This is the People's Pharmacy

with Terry and Joe Grayden.

Most of us don't know much about the parasympathetic nervous system that features

rest and digest instead of fight or flight. What should we know about the Vegas nerve that connects the brain, the heart, and the digestive tract?

Is there a way to support our parasympathetic nervous system

for controlling pain and reducing inflammation.

Why are breathing exercises so helpful in calming us down when we're under stress?

Coming up on the People's Pharmacy, harnessing the power of the Vegas nerve for better health. In the People's Pharmacy Health Headlines, Melatonin Gummies have become a popular way for people to take this supplement.

A small study published in Jama shows

that doses of this hormone taken as a sleep aid may vary widely from the

labeled amount. Of 25 products tested, most had more than the listed dose, including

one product that was 347 percent higher. A few of the products add less melatonin than stated, including one product that had no

melatonin detected at all.

Even a gummy with exactly 3 milligrams as labeled offers about a thousand times more of the hormone than our

brains naturally produce.

That's why some experts question whether it even makes sense for adults to take this supplement

as a sleep aid.

The authors of the study emphasize the hazards for children.

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