This time of year, pumpkins
are everywhere! We enjoy them for décor, but
they offer so much more! News of late highlights
the benefits of their leaves to slow disc degeneration
and even possibly support regeneration. That is news
to your Pflugerville chiropractor’s ear…and without doubt to
our Pflugerville back pain and neck pain patients’ ears, too!
THE DISC – Healthy and Degenerated
Many back pain treatment approaches focus on easing the pain and returning function
without consideringa means
to reduce the speed of the degenerative process and/or promote
regeneration. The intervertebral disc is made up of an inner core
(nucleus pulposus) made of proteoglycans and a layered outer rim (annulus
fibrosus) rich in collagen. Combined, these two act
as a shock absorber and stabilizer for the spine. Treatment options
for the degenerated disc come from being aware of the
processes that precede degeneration in order to
help ease discogenic pain more effectively. (1) Your
chiropractor probes these mechanisms a lot!
PUMPKIN LEAVES AND CAROTENOIDS
It's well-known that pumpkin products and
by-products (like leaves!) contain major carotenoids - β-carotene, α-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin – with β-carotene
being the foremost one in most pumpkin types. The
total content of carotenoids rests on a variety of
factors, one being the extraction procedure. Functional
foods are advanced from carotenoids which are said to add
significantly to the numerous health benefits of the foods.
(2) Nutrition can plan a role in disc health. Pumpkin and its by-products shouldn’t just be thrown
away!
PUMPKIN LEAVES AND COLLAGEN AND PROTEINS AND DISC CELLS
A unique way to put pumpkins to work for us is described in a recent study about how
the leaves of pumpkins may help. The acetone extract from Violina pumpkin
(curcurbita moshata) leaves provoked a significant
increase in extracellular matrix components like aggrecan and collagen
type II along with other proteins and stress
response regulators in the degenerated intervertebral disc cells taken
from degenerated disc tissues of spinal surgery patients. Markers indicating
the presence and activity of stem cells were significantly higher as well. This news motivated the researchers to declare
that the hypothesis about how enough stimuli can support
resident cells to repopulate the degenerated discs was thereby sustained.
The report overall concluded that data point
to the breakthrough that molecules may
effectively slow disc degeneration using a part of the pumpkin
that most of us get rid of as waste – the
leaves! (3) Pflugerville Wellness Center bets you’ll look at the
pumpkin leaves differently this season!
CONTACT Pflugerville Wellness Center
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. James Cox on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he
describes how nutrition may slow and possibly
stop degeneration and promote regeneration via ingredients
like chondroitin sulfate based on years of research done
already and how nutrition in combination with The Cox®
Technic System of Spinal Pain Management decrease and control
spine pain. We’ll keep watching the pumpkin leaves’ research as it grows!
Schedule your Pflugerville chiropractic appointment
today to visit us this pumpkin season!
"This information and website content is not intended to diagnose, guarantee results, or recommend specific treatment or activity. It is designed to educate and inform only. Please consult your physician for a thorough examination leading to a diagnosis and well-planned treatment strategy. See more details on the
DISCLAIMER page. Content is reviewed by
Dr. James M. Cox I."