Easley Back Pain Related to Inflammation Reduced with Melatonin
Inflammation. Disc Degeneration. There is a connection. Inflammation acts as the body’s response system to damaging stimuli (injury, pathogens, metabolic stress – a disc herniation pushing on a nerve!) as it attempts to repair itself before the harm was done. Young Chiropractic is always amazed at how the body takes care of itself! Young Chiropractic sees its Easley chiropractic care as the body’s partner 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 brings about pain relief: back, neck, spine-related.
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 regulates itself down to its cellular level via autophagy, the natural process during which the body’s cells clean out damaged (ie, by inflammation) or unneeded parts. In a recent study, melatonin boosted autophagy and decreased the degradation of the disc’s extracellular matrix (technically indicated by a decline in marker LC3B, autophagasomes and autolysosomes and inhibition of the NF-kB signaling pathway). The final conclusion was that melatonin inhibits intervertebral disc degeneration by promoting autophagy. (3) Wow. Young Chiropractic is inspired by this research to see just how well melatonin can work for Easley back pain linked to disc degeneration.
MELATONIN AND ITS HEALING WAYS FOR THE DISC
Disc degeneration is quite a common condition seen at Young Chiropractic that positive news of melatonin’s benefits are quite rousing. A recent study described that melatonin could modulate the extracellular matrix of the disc remodeling process started by IL-1 β. Additionally, melatonin reduced the inflammatory cell collection and reduced the release of connected inflammatory markers IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. With this new discovery that melatonin interrupted the IL-1B feedback loop, researchers proposed that melatonin may provide the restoration process of intervertebral discs after damage has already been done. (1) Young Chiropractic will keep following the new research regarding the role inflammation plays in Easley disc degeneration and melatonin’s role in reducing it.
INFLAMMATION AND MELATONIN
The importance of melatonin in helping to slow or stop painful conditions due to inflammation is increasing. The description of melatonin as a multitasking molecule affecting mood, immunity, and energy among other mechanisms is quite appropriate. It’s 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 influences the body’s aging, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptosis (cell death), and autophagy (cell-cleanout) processes. (1) Melatonin’s specific effect on inflammation and disc degeneration is most attention-getting to Young Chiropractic and our Easley back pain patients.
CONTACT Young Chiropractic
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 illustrates how The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management addresses disc degeneration for relief of chronic low back pain in her patient.
Schedule your Easley chiropractic appointment with Young Chiropractic now. We can talk about how inflammation affects your back pain and how melatonin may address the related disc degeneration.
