I take melatonin nightly to help me sleep. I never knew I was protecting myself from cancer as well.

I don't recommend this. Supplementing yourself with anything, teaches your body to adapt to it, and depend on the supplement being 'there' and not having to produce it itself.

Like somebody going on antidepressants, finding out their body balance has adjusted to it, and becoming a lifelong dependant on them.

You could instead research the body's natural circumstances which produces melatonin, and adjust your patterns to be more encouraging of these circumstances.

I've done a bit of amateur research on this... Thank you OP for posting these extra links, they are illuminating!

I'd like to add some more info to the previous post...

Melatonin supplements are animal-farmed (human farming of melatonin is obviously illegal) so you're pretty much giving yourself animal hormones.

Also, the few simple steps to maximise personal melatonin production are :

1. sleep in absolute darkness - light inhibits melatonin production (the third eye illuminates in the dark - the mythology hole is deep here)

2. limit your ultraviolet light intake during the day if your melatonin's particularly low

3. tryptophan is an essential ingredient for the synthesis of melatonin by the body - if your melatonin's low, you may not be supplying yourself with enough to produce it.

https://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/high-tryptophan-foods.php

1. A calcified pineal gland, reduces the production of all hormones - you can take steps to reverse this, if needed. Iodine intake is the simplest way. (Also cut down on fluoride intake)

You're right, it's just a short-term crutch.

be sure to check out /r/NoMoreFluoride/

The calcite microcrystals in the pineal gland could generate a piezoelectric effect upon stimulation. And so our pineal gland becomes an antenna to help expand our bandwidths of consciousness.

Bingo. Anyone interested see /r/pinealgland

In the health section of the website of the state government where I live, it says : "Many water utilities also fluoridate the water to protect against tooth decay"

It is proven, and there are numerous cases to show this fact, that fluoride in toothpaste/water causes fluorosis (google that if you have never seen what that is). I, myself, have some mild level of fluorosis. Most people do.

It was published recently in some medical review, that fluoride has brain damage effects.

So, why does the state gov still states that fluoride in public water is necessary, and help to prevent tooth decay ? It may help tooth decay (I don't know enough about this), but it causes fluorosis, which is some kind of tooth decay beyond a certain point.

Is there no alternative way of protecting against tooth decay ? Is the gov lying to us ? Are their studies on health impacts limited to what they want to tell us ? Do the water analysis specialists have not studied the full spectrum of health impacts ?

A dentist told me once (mindlessly let it slip) that saliva production is really low in most people. Most people are dehydrated. If their mouths produced enough saliva, there would be no need for anything else (is what I gathered from what he said). As for your claim that flouride was recently found to do brain damage, this is not specific enough. A big university study recently found that Flouride is properly classified as a neurotoxin. I want to say Harvard but I can't remember.

Does anyone know the story of why they (the US fed) originally started flouridating the water? It's a shady ass story. It's in the wiki. A native tribe in Colorado had a breakout of massive amounts of flouride (flourine?) In their water supply. They all (the tribespeople) all suffered extreme flourosis of the teeth (probably of the liver also). So the government got everyone afraid of this, and to combat this from happening enacted the regulation of the entire nations water, ot merely to monitor for traces of flouride, but actually, to add flouride to everyone's water. They (scientists) decided on the right amount of flouride. Years later they upped that amount slightly. I still have no idea why they think it is good for you. Oh that's right they don't. They say it fights tooth decay. Maybe it does, but so does saliva, if everyone werent so terminally dehydrated..

As a side note, for all those who have late nights on the computer, blue light inhibits the pineal gland from releasing melatonin. That's why we wake up when the sun comes out. Though the introduction of lights and screens at night "tricks" the pineal gland to thinking it is day outside.

Using f.lux and other programs at night help cut down the blue light, I personally bought some cheap glasses online that completely cut out blue light (it does make everything look weird).

I know this is a different issue than fluoridation, but I found it to help with my sleep.