Melatonin. Mitochondria. Mitophagy. Autophagy. Oh my! Back pain connects them all in an interesting way.
Melatonin – a hormone secreted by the brain at
night to regulate circadian rhythm – helps 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 prevents
the build-up of abnormal mitochondria in cells that may lead
to cell degeneration. In the case of back pain,
this would prevent such deterioration in the cells of the disc which may precede disc
degeneration. Autophagy is a normal process
that manages cell destruction and creation in the
body. When there is cellular stress, autophagy is amplified.
(1) Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic shares research that melatonin
and light therapy may intervene in this process and help with
Montreal back pain relief.
MITOCHONDRIA AND DISC DEGENERATION
Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic knows how disc degeneration includes cellular oxidative stress, mitochondria problems and cell death (aka
apoptosis). This is the area researchers suggest
melatonin may perform a beneficial 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 help treat disc degeneration. (2)
MELATONIN AND LIGHT FOR DISC DEGENERATION AND Montreal BACK PAIN
In a biological study of melatonin’s effect on intervertebral
disc degeneration, melatonin sustained nucleus
pulposus cells influenced by oxidative stress. Such stress leads
to harm of these cells. Melatonin is an important
neuroendocrine hormone with sound antioxidant effect that functions
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 an analgesic
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 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 Montreal back pain sufferers, too! These researchers suspect
that this light treatment helps the circadian timing of sleep which
is facilitated by melatonin. (5)
CONTACT Dr. Hoang's 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 Montreal chiropractic appointment for
your Montreal back pain. Patients in Montreal with disc degeneration may discover
additional relief with melatonin and light therapy alongside chiropractic treatment. Mitochondria, mitophagy, autophagy,
melatonin and back pain are interestingly connected, are they
not?