Inflammation. Disc Degeneration. There is a connection.
Inflammation acts as the body’s response system to damaging
stimuli (injury, pathogens, metabolic stress – a disc herniation compressing a nerve!) as it tries to restore itself to normal
before the harm was done. Spinal Care Clinic is always amazed at what the body can do!
Spinal Care Clinic sees its Burlington and Hamilton chiropractic care as a partner of
the body’s system in healing especially
when spine pain is an issue. Chiropractic care utilizes
many tools like spinal manipulation, exercise, and nutrition to help
the body. Melatonin is one nutritional tool that is showing value
by interrupting the inflammatory process
related disc herniation that brings about pain relief: back, neck, spine-related.
DISC DEGENERATION AND INFLAMMATION AND 'AUTOPHAGY'
Inflammatory markers interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6
(IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) are associated with intervertebral disc degeneration. (1) IL-1 β actually promotes
itself, its own expression, by upregulating NLRP3 inflammasome activation. (2)
The body regulates itself down to the cellular level
via autophagy, the natural process via which the body’s
cells clean out damaged (ie, by inflammation) or unneeded parts. In
a recent study, melatonin increased autophagy
and reduced the degradation of the disc’s
extracellular matrix (technically indicated by a decrease
in marker LC3B, autophagasomes and autolysosomes and inhibition of the NF-kB
signaling pathway). The end conclusion was that melatonin prevents
intervertebral disc degeneration by promoting autophagy. (3)
Wow. Spinal Care Clinic is encouraged by this research to see just
how well melatonin can work for Burlington and Hamilton back pain linked
to disc degeneration.
MELATONIN AND ITS HEALING WAYS FOR THE DISC
Disc degeneration is a very common condition
seen at Spinal Care Clinic making positive news like this quite rousing. A new
study explained how melatonin could modify
the extracellular matrix of the disc remodeling process started
by IL-1 β. Additionally, melatonin reduced the
inflammatory cell collection and decreased the release of associated
inflammatory markers IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. With this new discovery
that melatonin disrupted the IL-1B feedback loop, researchers
suggested that melatonin may contribute to
the restoration process of intervertebral discs after damage has already been done. (1) Spinal Care Clinic will keep
following the new research on the role inflammation performs
in Burlington and Hamilton disc degeneration and melatonin’s role in tackling
it.
INFLAMMATION AND MELATONIN
The significance of melatonin in assisting
to slow or stop painful conditions due to inflammation is rising.
The description of melatonin as a multitasking molecule influencing
mood, immunity, and energy among other mechanisms is quite apropos.
It’s also anti-oxidant, anti-aging, and anti-inflammatory, specifically
by hindering the activation of inflammasomes (4) Melatonin’s
formal chemical name is as about as long as its list of tasks: N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine.
The pineal gland secretes melatonin naturally. Melatonin influences
the body’s aging, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptosis (cell death), and autophagy
(cell-cleanout) activities. (1) Melatonin’s specific influence on
inflammation and disc degeneration is most interesting
to Spinal Care Clinic and our Burlington and Hamilton back pain patients.
CONTACT Spinal Care Clinic
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Hrefna Sylvia based in Iceland where back pain isn’t much different
from any other country on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr.
Michael Johnson as she illustrates how The Cox® Technic
System of Spinal Pain Management handles disc
degeneration for relief of chronic low back pain in her patient.
Schedule your Burlington and Hamilton chiropractic appointment with
Spinal Care Clinic today. We can talk about the role
inflammation plays in your back pain experience and how melatonin may address the related disc
degeneration.