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 essential to the body’s capability to recover
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 dysfunctional mitochondria in cells that may lead
to cell deterioration. In the case of back pain,
this would prevent such deterioration in the cells of the disc 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 amplified.
(1) Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries shares research that melatonin
and light therapy may intercede in this process and promote
Manchester back pain relief.
MITOCHONDRIA AND DISC DEGENERATION
Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries knows how disc degeneration involves oxidative
stress on the cell, mitochondria issues 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,
normalizes mitochondria function and balance, speeds
up mitrophagy and slows apoptosis (cell death).
Melatonin may help treat disc degeneration. (2)
MELATONIN AND LIGHT FOR DISC DEGENERATION AND Manchester 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 harm of these cells. Melatonin is an vital
neuroendocrine hormone with good antioxidant effect that works
on biological clock regulation. (3) Chronic non-specific low back pain
sufferers who added melatonin to their treatment
plan found it to positively increase 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 assists patients cope 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 surely
help Manchester back pain sufferers, too! These researchers suspect
that this light treatment regulates the circadian timing of sleep which
is facilitated by melatonin. (5)
CONTACT Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries
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 Manchester chiropractic appointment for
your Manchester back pain. Patients in Manchester with disc degeneration may discover
extra relief with melatonin and light therapy together with chiropractic treatment. Mitochondria, mitophagy, autophagy,
melatonin and back pain are interestingly linked, aren’t they?