Plainville Chiropractic Relief of Back Pain due to Disc Degeneration May Be Boosted by Melatonin and Light Therapy
Melatonin. Mitochondria. Mitophagy. Autophagy. Oh my! Back pain links them all in an interesting way. Melatonin – a hormone secreted by the brain at night to regulate circadian rhythm – manages sleep which is essential to the body’s capability to recuperate from the day and get ready for the next. Mitophagy stimulates healthy turnover of mitochondria (the energy producers in cells). Mitophagy prevents the build-up of abnormal mitochondria in cells that may lead to cell deterioration. In the case of back pain, this would avoid such deterioration in the cells of the disc which could lead to disc degeneration. Autophagy is the normal bodily practice that deals with cell destruction and creation in the body. When there is cellular stress, autophagy is increased. (1) Layden Chiropractic shares research that melatonin and light therapy may intercede in this process and promote Plainville back pain relief.
MITOCHONDRIA AND DISC DEGENERATION
Layden Chiropractic understands how disc degeneration includes oxidative stress on the cell, mitochondria problems and cell death (aka apoptosis). This is where researchers suggest melatonin may perform a beneficial role in the reduction of disc degeneration. Melatonin gets rid of oxygen free radicals, controls mitochondria function and balance, hastens mitrophagy and slows apoptosis (cell death). Melatonin may help treat disc degeneration. (2)
MELATONIN AND LIGHT FOR DISC DEGENERATION AND Plainville BACK PAIN
In a biological study of melatonin’s effect on intervertebral disc degeneration, melatonin maintained nucleus pulposus cells influenced by oxidative stress. Such stress leads to harm of these cells. Melatonin is an vital neuroendocrine hormone with sound antioxidant effect that functions on biological clock regulation. (3) Chronic non-specific low back pain sufferers who included melatonin in their treatment plan experienced a positive increase on the effect of standard treatments on pain, sleep and depression. The reduced pain intensity when moving and resting signified that melatonin potentially offers an analgesic effect. (4) Melatonin may be another way to treat intervertebral disc degeneration.
LIGHT THERAPY AND BACK PAIN RELIEF
Since melatonin is triggered by light and its lack, light treatment assists 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 improved with morning bright light treatment of US veterans with chronic low back pain. (5) Such treatment could surely help Plainville back pain sufferers, too! These researchers suspect that this light treatment regulates the circadian timing of sleep which is facilitated by melatonin. (5)
CONTACT Layden Chiropractic
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 Plainville chiropractic appointment for your Plainville back pain. Patients in Plainville 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?
