Minster Chiropractic Relief of Back Pain due to Disc Degeneration May Be Boosted by Melatonin and Light Therapy
Melatonin. Mitochondria. Mitophagy. Autophagy. Oh my! Back pain connects them all interestingly. Melatonin – the sleep regulating hormone – manages sleep which is essential to the body’s ability to recuperate from the day and get ready for the next. Mitophagy stimulates healthy turnover of mitochondria (the energy producers in cells). Mitophagy blocks the build-up of dysfunctional mitochondria in cells that may precede cell deterioration. In the case of back pain, this would avoid such disc cell deterioration which could precede disc degeneration. Autophagy is the normal bodily procedure that deals with cell destruction and creation in the body. When there is cellular stress, autophagy is amplified. (1) Minster Chiropractic Center presents research that melatonin and light therapy may intercede in this process and help with Minster back pain relief.
MITOCHONDRIA AND DISC DEGENERATION
Minster Chiropractic Center understands how disc degeneration includes oxidative stress on the cell, mitochondria problems and cell death (aka apoptosis). This is the area researchers suggest 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 Minster 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 impairment of these cells. Melatonin is an essential neuroendocrine hormone with good 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 reduced pain intensity when moving and resting signified that melatonin possibly has pain relieving effect. (4) Melatonin may be another way to treat intervertebral disc degeneration.
LIGHT THERAPY AND BACK PAIN RELIEF
In so much as melatonin is triggered by light and its lack, light treatment helps patients handle 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 Minster back pain sufferers, too! These researchers think that this light treatment regulates the circadian timing of sleep which is facilitated by melatonin. (5)
CONTACT Minster 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 Minster chiropractic appointment for your Minster back pain. Patients in Minster with disc degeneration may find additional relief with melatonin and light therapy alongside chiropractic treatment. Mitochondria, mitophagy, autophagy, melatonin and back pain are interestingly connected, are they not?
