Ashburn and Herndon 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 in an interesting way. Melatonin – the sleep regulating hormone – promotes sleep which is essential to the body’s capability 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 dysfunctional mitochondria in cells that may precede cell deterioration. In the case of back pain, this would avoid such disc cell deterioration which may lead to disc degeneration. Autophagy is a normal procedure that deals with cell destruction and creation in the body. When there is cellular stress, autophagy is amplified. (1) Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn shares findings that melatonin and light therapy may intervene in this process and help with Ashburn and Herndon back pain relief.
MITOCHONDRIA AND DISC DEGENERATION
Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn understands how disc degeneration includes oxidative stress on the cell, mitochondria issues and cell death (aka apoptosis). This is the area researchers suggest melatonin may perform a beneficial role in the slowing of disc degeneration. Melatonin rids oxygen free radicals, adjusts 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 Ashburn and Herndon 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 impairment of these cells. Melatonin is an essential neuroendocrine hormone with sound antioxidant effect that acts on biological clock regulation. (3) Chronic non-specific low back pain sufferers who included melatonin in 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 possibly has an analgesic effect. (4) Melatonin may be another method 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 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 certainly help Ashburn and Herndon back pain sufferers, too! These researchers think that this light treatment helps the circadian timing of sleep which is facilitated by melatonin. (5)
CONTACT Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn
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 Ashburn and Herndon chiropractic appointment for your Ashburn and Herndon back pain. Patients in Ashburn and Herndon with disc degeneration may discover additional relief with melatonin and light therapy alongside chiropractic treatment. Mitochondria, mitophagy, autophagy, melatonin and back pain are interestingly linked, aren’t they?
