Fernandina Beach 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 interestingly. Melatonin – the sleep regulating hormone – manages 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 dysfunctional mitochondria in cells that may lead to 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 process that controls cell destruction and creation in the body. When there is cellular stress, autophagy is amplified. (1) Amelia Chiropractic Clinic presents research that melatonin and light therapy may intervene in this process and help with Fernandina Beach back pain relief.
MITOCHONDRIA AND DISC DEGENERATION
Amelia Chiropractic Clinic knows how disc degeneration includes oxidative stress on the cell, mitochondria issues and cell death (aka apoptosis). This is the area researchers imply melatonin may perform a beneficial role in the reduction of disc degeneration. Melatonin gets rid of oxygen free radicals, adjusts mitochondria function and balance, speeds up mitrophagy and reduces apoptosis (cell death). Melatonin may help treat disc degeneration. (2)
MELATONIN AND LIGHT FOR DISC DEGENERATION AND Fernandina Beach BACK PAIN
In a biological study of melatonin’s effect on intervertebral disc degeneration, melatonin preserved nucleus pulposus cells influenced by oxidative stress. Such stress leads to damage 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 added melatonin to 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 potentially has pain relieving effect. (4) Melatonin may be another treatment of intervertebral disc degeneration.
LIGHT THERAPY AND BACK PAIN RELIEF
Since melatonin is produced 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 bettered with morning bright light treatment of US veterans with chronic low back pain. (5) Such treatment could certainly help Fernandina Beach back pain sufferers, too! These researchers suspect that this light treatment regulates the circadian timing of sleep which is mediated by melatonin. (5)
CONTACT Amelia 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 Fernandina Beach chiropractic appointment for your Fernandina Beach back pain. Patients in Fernandina Beach 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 connected, aren’t they?
