Inflammation. Disc Degeneration. There is a connection.
Inflammation acts as the body’s response system to harmful
stimuli (injury, pathogens, metabolic stress – a disc herniation compressing a nerve!) as it attempts to restore itself to normal
before the harm was achieved. Cross Chiropractic Center is always amazed at what the body can do!
Cross Chiropractic Center sees its Sandy Springs chiropractic care as a partner of
the body’s system in healing especially
when there is spine pain. Chiropractic care uses
many tools like spinal manipulation, exercise, and nutrition to take care of
the body. Melatonin is one nutritional tool that is proving 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 related
to 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 boosted autophagy
and lessened the degradation of the disc’s
extracellular matrix (technically marked by a decrease
in marker LC3B, autophagasomes and autolysosomes and inhibition of the NF-kB
signaling pathway). The end conclusion was that melatonin inhibits
intervertebral disc degeneration by promoting autophagy. (3)
Wow. Cross Chiropractic Center is encouraged by this research to see just
how well melatonin can work for Sandy Springs back pain linked
to disc degeneration.
MELATONIN AND ITS HEALING WAYS FOR THE DISC
Disc degeneration is a very common condition
seen at Cross Chiropractic Center that positive news of
melatonin’s benefits are quite rousing. A new
study explained how melatonin could modulate
the extracellular matrix of the disc remodeling process started
by IL-1 β. Further, melatonin decreased the
inflammatory cell collection and decreased the release of linked
inflammatory markers IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. With this new finding
that melatonin interrupted the IL-1B feedback loop, researchers
proposed that melatonin may contribute to
the restoration process of intervertebral discs after damage was
already present. (1) Cross Chiropractic Center continues
following the new research on the role inflammation plays
in Sandy Springs disc degeneration and melatonin’s role in combatting
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 things is quite fitting.
It’s also anti-oxidant, anti-aging, and anti-inflammatory, specifically
by blocking 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 impacts
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 Cross Chiropractic Center and our Sandy Springs back pain patients.
CONTACT Cross Chiropractic Center
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 describes how The Cox® Technic
System of Spinal Pain Management addresses disc
degeneration for relief of chronic low back pain in her patient.
Schedule your Sandy Springs chiropractic appointment with
Cross Chiropractic Center today. We can talk about the role
inflammation plays in your back pain experience and how melatonin may address the related disc
degeneration.