Melatonin. Mitochondria. Mitophagy. Autophagy. Oh my! Back pain connects them all interestingly.
Melatonin – the sleep regulating hormone – promotes sleep which
is essential to the body’s ability to recover
from the day and prepare 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 precede cell deterioration. In the case of back pain,
this would avoid such deterioration in the cells of the disc which may precede 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 amplified.
(1) Spinal Care Clinic presents research that melatonin
and light therapy may intercede in this process and promote
Burlington and Hamilton back pain relief.
MITOCHONDRIA AND DISC DEGENERATION
Spinal Care Clinic knows how disc degeneration includes oxidative
stress on the cell, mitochondria issues and cell death (aka
apoptosis). This is the area researchers suggest
melatonin may perform a beneficial role in the slowing
of disc degeneration. Melatonin gets rid of oxygen free radicals,
adjusts 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 Burlington and Hamilton BACK PAIN
In a biological study of melatonin’s effect on intervertebral
disc degeneration, melatonin sustained nucleus
pulposus cells influenced by oxidative stress. Such stress leads
to harm of these cells. Melatonin is an essential
neuroendocrine hormone with good antioxidant effect that functions
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 reduced
pain intensity when moving and resting signified that melatonin
possibly offers pain relieving
effect. (4) Melatonin may be another method to
treat intervertebral disc degeneration.
LIGHT THERAPY AND BACK PAIN RELIEF
In so much as melatonin is produced
by light and its lack, light treatment assists patients handle chronic low back pain, its pain intensity, behavior, and
threshold. It also helps
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 Burlington and Hamilton back pain sufferers, too! These researchers believe
that this light treatment regulates the circadian timing of sleep which
is mediated by melatonin. (5)
CONTACT Spinal Care Clinic
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 Burlington and Hamilton chiropractic appointment for
your Burlington and Hamilton back pain. Patients in Burlington and Hamilton with disc degeneration may discover
extra relief with melatonin and light therapy together with chiropractic treatment. Mitochondria, mitophagy, autophagy,
melatonin and back pain are interestingly linked, are they
not?