Melatonin. Mitochondria. Mitophagy. Autophagy. Oh my! Back pain links them all interestingly.
Melatonin – a hormone secreted by the brain at
night to regulate circadian rhythm – promotes sleep which
is vital to the body’s ability to recover
from the day and prepare for the next. Mitophagy promotes healthy
turnover of mitochondria (the energy producers in cells). Mitophagy blocks
the build-up of dysfunctional 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 may precede disc
degeneration. Autophagy is the normal bodily procedure
that manages cell destruction and creation in the
body. When there is cellular stress, autophagy is augmented.
(1) Vancouver Disc Centers shares research that melatonin
and light therapy may intercede in this process and promote
Vancouver back pain relief.
MITOCHONDRIA AND DISC DEGENERATION
Vancouver Disc Centers knows how disc degeneration includes cellular oxidative stress, mitochondria problems and cell death (aka
apoptosis). This is the area researchers suggest
melatonin may play a beneficial role in the reduction
of disc degeneration. Melatonin rids 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 Vancouver 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 impairment of these cells. Melatonin is an significant
neuroendocrine hormone with sound antioxidant effect that acts
on biological clock regulation. (3) Chronic non-specific low back pain
sufferers who included melatonin in their treatment
plan found it to positively increase the
effect of standard treatments on pain, sleep and depression. The reduced
pain intensity when moving and resting indicated that melatonin
possibly offers pain relieving
effect. (4) Melatonin may be another treatment of intervertebral disc degeneration.
LIGHT THERAPY AND BACK PAIN RELIEF
Since melatonin is triggered
by light and its lack, light treatment assists 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 improved with morning bright light treatment of US
veterans with chronic low back pain. (5) Such treatment could certainly
help Vancouver back pain sufferers, too! These researchers believe
that this light treatment helps the circadian timing of sleep which
is mediated by melatonin. (5)
CONTACT Vancouver Disc Centers
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 Vancouver chiropractic appointment for
your Vancouver back pain. Patients in Vancouver 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?