Inflammation. Disc Degeneration. There is a relationship.
Inflammation is the body’s response to harmful
stimuli (injury, pathogens, metabolic stress – a disc herniation compressing a nerve!) as it attempts to restore itself to normal
before the harm was done. Pflugerville Wellness Center is always amazed at how the body takes care of itself!
Pflugerville Wellness Center sees its Pflugerville chiropractic care as a partner of
the body’s system in healing particularly
when spine pain is an issue. Chiropractic care uses
many tools like spinal manipulation, exercise, and nutrition to take care of
the body. Melatonin is one nutritional tool that is proving value
in its ability to interrupt the inflammatory process
related disc herniation that results
in back pain, neck pain and other spine related pain.
DISC DEGENERATION AND INFLAMMATION AND 'AUTOPHAGY'
Inflammatory markers interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6
(IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) are linked to intervertebral disc degeneration. (1) IL-1 β in fact promotes
itself, its own expression, by upregulating NLRP3 inflammasome activation. (2)
The body controls itself down to the cellular level
via autophagy, the natural process via which the body’s
cells clear out damaged (ie, by inflammation) or unneeded parts. In
a new study, melatonin boosted autophagy
and decreased the degradation of the disc’s
extracellular matrix (technically marked by a decrease
in marker LC3B, autophagasomes and autolysosomes and inhibition of the NF-kB
signaling pathway). The end conclusion was that melatonin prevents
intervertebral disc degeneration by stimulating autophagy. (3)
Wow. Pflugerville Wellness Center is inspired by this research to see just
how well melatonin can work for Pflugerville back pain linked
to disc degeneration.
MELATONIN AND ITS HEALING WAYS FOR THE DISC
Disc degeneration is a very common condition
seen at Pflugerville Wellness Center that positive news of
melatonin’s benefits are quite rousing. A new
study described that melatonin could modulate
the extracellular matrix of the disc remodeling process initiated
by IL-1 β. Additionally, melatonin decreased the
inflammatory cell collection and decreased the release of linked
inflammatory markers IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. With this new finding
that melatonin disrupted the IL-1B feedback loop, researchers
postulated that melatonin may contribute to
the healing process of intervertebral discs after damage has already been done. (1) Pflugerville Wellness Center will keep
following the new research regarding the role inflammation has
in Pflugerville disc degeneration and melatonin’s role in reducing
it.
INFLAMMATION AND MELATONIN
The importance of melatonin in assisting
to slow or stop painful conditions due to inflammation is increasing.
The description of melatonin as a multitasking molecule influencing
mood, immunity, and energy among other mechanisms is quite appropriate.
It is also anti-oxidant, anti-aging, and anti-inflammatory, specifically
by blocking the activation of inflammasomes (4) Melatonin’s
formal chemical name is as about as long as its list of tasks: N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine.
The pineal gland produces melatonin naturally. Melatonin impacts
the body’s aging, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptosis (cell death), and autophagy
(cell-cleanout) activities. (1) Melatonin’s specific influence on
inflammation and disc degeneration is most attention-getting
to Pflugerville Wellness Center and our Pflugerville back pain patients.
CONTACT Pflugerville Wellness Center
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Hrefna Sylvia based in Iceland where back pain isn’t much different
from any other country on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr.
Michael Johnson as she describes how The Cox® Technic
System of Spinal Pain Management handles disc
degeneration for relief of chronic low back pain in her patient.
Schedule your Pflugerville chiropractic appointment with
Pflugerville Wellness Center now. We can discuss how inflammation affects your
back pain and how melatonin may help with the related disc
degeneration.