Melatonin. Mitochondria. Mitophagy. Autophagy. Oh my! Back pain links them all interestingly.
Melatonin – a hormone secreted by the brain at
night to regulate circadian rhythm – promotes sleep which
is vital to the body’s capability to recuperate
from the day and prepare for the next. Mitophagy stimulates healthy
turnover of mitochondria (the energy producers in cells). Mitophagy blocks
the build-up of dysfunctional mitochondria in cells that may precede cell degeneration. In the case of back pain,
this would avoid such disc
cell deterioration which may precede disc
degeneration. Autophagy is a normal procedure
that controls cell destruction and creation in the
body. When there is cellular stress, autophagy is amplified.
(1) Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc shares research that melatonin
and light therapy may intervene in this process and promote
Fort Wayne back pain relief.
MITOCHONDRIA AND DISC DEGENERATION
Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc knows how disc degeneration includes cellular oxidative stress, mitochondria issues and cell death (aka
apoptosis). This is the area researchers imply
melatonin may perform a beneficial role in the slowing
of disc degeneration. Melatonin rids oxygen free radicals,
controls mitochondria function and balance, speeds
up mitrophagy and slows apoptosis (cell death).
Melatonin may assist in the treatment of disc degeneration. (2)
MELATONIN AND LIGHT FOR DISC DEGENERATION AND Fort Wayne BACK PAIN
In a biological study of melatonin’s effect on intervertebral
disc degeneration, melatonin sustained nucleus
pulposus cells affected by oxidative stress. Such stress leads
to impairment of these cells. Melatonin is an vital
neuroendocrine hormone with good antioxidant effect that works
on biological clock regulation. (3) Chronic non-specific low back pain
sufferers who added melatonin to their treatment
plan experienced a positive increase on the
effect of standard treatments on pain, sleep and depression. The decreased
pain intensity when moving and resting signified that melatonin
possibly has pain relieving
effect. (4) Melatonin may be another way to treat intervertebral disc degeneration.
LIGHT THERAPY AND BACK PAIN RELIEF
In so much as melatonin is activated
by light and its lack, light treatment helps patients cope with chronic low back pain, its pain intensity, behavior, and
threshold. It also assists
with post-traumatic stress disorders symptomatology and quality of sleep. All
these were bettered with morning bright light treatment of US
veterans with chronic low back pain. (5) Such treatment could certainly
help Fort Wayne back pain sufferers, too! These researchers think
that this light treatment helps the circadian timing of sleep which
is mediated by melatonin. (5)
CONTACT Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc
Listen to the PODCAST
with Dr. Chris DeVeau on the Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael
Johnson. A patient struggling with neck pain and arm pain found
difficulty with sleep and relief with Cox® Technic.
Schedule a Fort Wayne chiropractic appointment for
your Fort Wayne back pain. Patients in Fort Wayne with disc degeneration may discover
additional relief with melatonin and light therapy together with chiropractic treatment. Mitochondria, mitophagy, autophagy,
melatonin and back pain are interestingly connected, are they
not?