Melatonin. Mitochondria. Mitophagy. Autophagy. Oh my! Back pain connects them all interestingly.
Melatonin – a hormone secreted by the brain at
night to regulate circadian rhythm – manages sleep which
is essential to the body’s ability to recover
from the day and get ready 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 prevent such deterioration in the cells of the disc which could lead to disc
degeneration. Autophagy is the normal bodily process
that manages cell destruction and creation in the
body. When there is cellular stress, autophagy is increased.
(1) Aaron Chiropractic Clinic shares research that melatonin
and light therapy may intercede in this process and promote
Fort Wayne back pain relief.
MITOCHONDRIA AND DISC DEGENERATION
Aaron Chiropractic Clinic knows how disc degeneration involves cellular oxidative stress, mitochondria problems and cell death (aka
apoptosis). This is where researchers suggest
melatonin may play a positive role in the reduction
of disc degeneration. Melatonin gets rid of oxygen free radicals,
normalizes mitochondria function and balance, hastens mitrophagy and slows apoptosis (cell death).
Melatonin may assist in the treatment of disc degeneration. (2)
MELATONIN AND LIGHT FOR DISC DEGENERATION AND Fort Wayne 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 damage of these cells. Melatonin is an essential
neuroendocrine hormone with sound 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
possibly offers an analgesic
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 helps 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 Fort Wayne back pain sufferers, too! These researchers suspect
that this light treatment helps the circadian timing of sleep which
is mediated by melatonin. (5)
CONTACT Aaron Chiropractic Clinic
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 Fort Wayne chiropractic appointment for
your Fort Wayne back pain. Patients in Fort Wayne with disc degeneration may find
additional relief with melatonin and light therapy together with chiropractic treatment. Mitochondria, mitophagy, autophagy,
melatonin and back pain are interestingly linked, are they
not?