Fort Wayne 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 links them all in an interesting way. Melatonin – the sleep regulating hormone – promotes sleep which is essential to the body’s ability to recuperate from the day and prepare for the next. Mitophagy stimulates healthy turnover of mitochondria (the energy producers in cells). Mitophagy blocks the build-up of abnormal 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 process that controls cell destruction and creation in the body. When there is cellular stress, autophagy is amplified. (1) Aaron Chiropractic Clinic presents findings that melatonin and light therapy may intervene in this process and help with Fort Wayne back pain relief.
MITOCHONDRIA AND DISC DEGENERATION
Aaron Chiropractic Clinic understands how disc degeneration involves oxidative stress on the cell, mitochondria problems and cell death (aka apoptosis). This is the area researchers imply melatonin may play a beneficial role in the slowing of disc degeneration. Melatonin gets rid of oxygen free radicals, controls 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 Fort Wayne BACK PAIN
In a biological study of melatonin’s effect on intervertebral disc degeneration, melatonin maintained nucleus pulposus cells affected by oxidative stress. Such stress leads to damage of these cells. Melatonin is an vital neuroendocrine hormone with good antioxidant effect that acts 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 decreased pain intensity when moving and resting indicated that melatonin possibly offers pain relieving effect. (4) Melatonin may be another way to treat intervertebral disc degeneration.
LIGHT THERAPY AND BACK PAIN RELIEF
Since melatonin is activated by light and its lack, light treatment helps patients cope with 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 certainly help Fort Wayne back pain sufferers, too! These researchers think 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 extra relief with melatonin and light therapy alongside chiropractic treatment. Mitochondria, mitophagy, autophagy, melatonin and back pain are interestingly linked, are they not?
