Melatonin. Mitochondria. Mitophagy. Autophagy. Oh my! Back pain connects them all in an interesting way.
Melatonin – the sleep regulating hormone – helps sleep which
is essential to the body’s ability to recuperate
from the day and get ready for the next. Mitophagy promotes 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 precede disc
degeneration. Autophagy is the normal bodily process
that controls cell destruction and creation in the
body. When there is cellular stress, autophagy is amplified.
(1) Cross Chiropractic Center presents findings that melatonin
and light therapy may intervene in this process and promote
Sandy Springs back pain relief.
MITOCHONDRIA AND DISC DEGENERATION
Cross Chiropractic Center knows how disc degeneration includes oxidative
stress on the cell, mitochondria problems and cell death (aka
apoptosis). This is the area researchers imply
melatonin may perform a beneficial role in the slowing
of disc degeneration. Melatonin gets rid of oxygen free radicals,
adjusts 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 Sandy Springs 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 important
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 decreased
pain intensity when moving and resting signified that melatonin
potentially has an analgesic
effect. (4) Melatonin may be another way 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 helps patients deal
with 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 bettered with morning bright light treatment of US
veterans with chronic low back pain. (5) Such treatment could certainly
help Sandy Springs back pain sufferers, too! These researchers suspect
that this light treatment regulates the circadian timing of sleep which
is mediated by melatonin. (5)
CONTACT Cross Chiropractic Center
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 Sandy Springs chiropractic appointment for
your Sandy Springs back pain. Patients in Sandy Springs with disc degeneration may discover
extra relief with melatonin and light therapy alongside chiropractic treatment. Mitochondria, mitophagy, autophagy,
melatonin and back pain are interestingly connected, aren’t they?