Melatonin. Mitochondria. Mitophagy. Autophagy. Oh my! Back pain links them all interestingly.
Melatonin – the sleep regulating hormone – helps sleep which
is essential to the body’s ability to recuperate
from the day and prepare for the next. Mitophagy promotes healthy
turnover of mitochondria (the energy producers in cells). Mitophagy prevents
the build-up of dysfunctional mitochondria in cells that may lead
to cell degeneration. In the case of back pain,
this would prevent such disc
cell deterioration 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 augmented.
(1) Chiropractic Solutions shares findings that melatonin
and light therapy may intercede in this process and help with
San Jose back pain relief.
MITOCHONDRIA AND DISC DEGENERATION
Chiropractic Solutions understands how disc degeneration includes cellular oxidative stress, 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 rids oxygen free radicals,
adjusts mitochondria function and balance, hastens mitrophagy and reduces apoptosis (cell death).
Melatonin may assist in the treatment of disc degeneration. (2)
MELATONIN AND LIGHT FOR DISC DEGENERATION AND San Jose BACK PAIN
In a biological study of melatonin’s effect on intervertebral
disc degeneration, melatonin preserved nucleus
pulposus cells affected by oxidative stress. Such stress leads
to damage of these cells. Melatonin is an important
neuroendocrine hormone with sound antioxidant effect that acts
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 decreased
pain intensity when moving and resting indicated that melatonin
possibly has pain relieving
effect. (4) Melatonin may be another method to
treat intervertebral disc degeneration.
LIGHT THERAPY AND BACK PAIN RELIEF
Since melatonin is activated
by light and its lack, light treatment assists patients deal
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 certainly
help San Jose back pain sufferers, too! These researchers think
that this light treatment regulates the circadian timing of sleep which
is facilitated by melatonin. (5)
CONTACT Chiropractic Solutions
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 San Jose chiropractic appointment for
your San Jose back pain. Patients in San Jose 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?