Montreal 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 – a hormone secreted by the brain at night to regulate circadian rhythm – helps sleep which is essential to the body’s ability to recover 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 dysfunctional mitochondria in cells that may precede cell degeneration. In the case of back pain, this would prevent such disc cell deterioration which could precede disc degeneration. Autophagy is a normal procedure that controls cell destruction and creation in the body. When there is cellular stress, autophagy is augmented. (1) Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic shares research that melatonin and light therapy may intercede in this process and help with Montreal back pain relief.
MITOCHONDRIA AND DISC DEGENERATION
Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic understands how disc degeneration includes cellular oxidative stress, mitochondria problems and cell death (aka apoptosis). This is where researchers suggest melatonin may play a beneficial role in the reduction of disc degeneration. Melatonin gets rid of oxygen free radicals, normalizes 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 Montreal 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 harm of these cells. Melatonin is an significant neuroendocrine hormone with sound antioxidant effect that works 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 has an analgesic effect. (4) Melatonin may be another method to treat intervertebral disc degeneration.
LIGHT THERAPY AND BACK PAIN RELIEF
Since melatonin is produced by light and its lack, light treatment assists 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 bettered 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 regulates the circadian timing of sleep which is mediated 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 find extra relief with melatonin and light therapy together with chiropractic treatment. Mitochondria, mitophagy, autophagy, melatonin and back pain are interestingly connected, aren’t they?
