Melatonin. Mitochondria. Mitophagy. Autophagy. Oh my! Back pain links them all in an interesting way.
Melatonin – the sleep regulating hormone – helps sleep which
is essential to the body’s ability to recover
from the day and get ready for the next. Mitophagy stimulates healthy
turnover of mitochondria (the energy producers in cells). Mitophagy prevents
the build-up of abnormal mitochondria in cells that may precede cell deterioration. In the case of back pain,
this would prevent such disc
cell deterioration which may precede disc
degeneration. Autophagy is a normal procedure
that manages cell destruction and creation in the
body. When there is cellular stress, autophagy is increased.
(1) Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka shares findings that melatonin
and light therapy may intercede in this process and help with
Sitka back pain relief.
MITOCHONDRIA AND DISC DEGENERATION
Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka understands how disc degeneration includes oxidative
stress on the cell, mitochondria issues and cell death (aka
apoptosis). This is where researchers imply
melatonin may play a positive 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 Sitka BACK PAIN
In a biological study of melatonin’s effect on intervertebral
disc degeneration, melatonin maintained nucleus
pulposus cells influenced by oxidative stress. Such stress leads
to harm of these cells. Melatonin is an significant
neuroendocrine hormone with good antioxidant effect that functions
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 reduced
pain intensity when moving and resting signified that melatonin
potentially has an analgesic
effect. (4) Melatonin may be another treatment of intervertebral disc degeneration.
LIGHT THERAPY AND BACK PAIN RELIEF
In so much as melatonin is triggered
by light and its lack, light treatment assists patients handle 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 surely
help Sitka back pain sufferers, too! These researchers believe
that this light treatment regulates the circadian timing of sleep which
is mediated by melatonin. (5)
CONTACT Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka
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 Sitka chiropractic appointment for
your Sitka back pain. Patients in Sitka 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 linked, are they
not?