La Grande 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 connects them all in an interesting way. Melatonin – the sleep regulating hormone – helps sleep which is vital to the body’s capability to recover from the day and prepare for the next. Mitophagy stimulates healthy turnover of mitochondria (the energy producers in cells). Mitophagy blocks the build-up of abnormal mitochondria in cells that may lead to cell degeneration. In the case of back pain, this would prevent such disc cell deterioration which could precede disc degeneration. Autophagy is the normal bodily procedure that manages cell destruction and creation in the body. When there is cellular stress, autophagy is amplified. (1) Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC shares findings that melatonin and light therapy may intercede in this process and promote La Grande back pain relief.
MITOCHONDRIA AND DISC DEGENERATION
Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC understands how disc degeneration includes oxidative stress on the cell, mitochondria issues 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, normalizes mitochondria function and balance, hastens mitrophagy and slows apoptosis (cell death). Melatonin may assist in the treatment of disc degeneration. (2)
MELATONIN AND LIGHT FOR DISC DEGENERATION AND La Grande BACK PAIN
In a biological study of melatonin’s effect on intervertebral disc degeneration, melatonin preserved nucleus pulposus cells influenced by oxidative stress. Such stress leads to damage of these cells. Melatonin is an vital 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 potentially offers an analgesic effect. (4) Melatonin may be another method to treat intervertebral disc degeneration.
LIGHT THERAPY AND BACK PAIN RELIEF
In so much as melatonin is produced by light and its lack, light treatment assists patients deal 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 La Grande back pain sufferers, too! These researchers think that this light treatment helps the circadian timing of sleep which is mediated by melatonin. (5)
CONTACT Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC
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 La Grande chiropractic appointment for your La Grande back pain. Patients in La Grande with disc degeneration may discover extra relief with melatonin and light therapy alongside chiropractic treatment. Mitochondria, mitophagy, autophagy, melatonin and back pain are interestingly connected, are they not?
