La Grande Back Pain Related to Inflammation Reduced with Melatonin
Inflammation. Disc Degeneration. There is a connection. Inflammation acts as the body’s response system to harmful stimuli (injury, pathogens, metabolic stress – a disc herniation compressing a nerve!) as it tries to restore itself to normal before the harm was done. Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC is never shocked at how the body takes care of itself! Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC sees its La Grande chiropractic care as the body’s partner in healing especially 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 related 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 via which the body’s cells clear out damaged (ie, by inflammation) or unneeded parts. In a new study, melatonin enhanced 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. Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC is encouraged by this research to see just how well melatonin can work for La Grande back pain linked to disc degeneration.
MELATONIN AND ITS HEALING WAYS FOR THE DISC
Disc degeneration is a very common condition seen at Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC that positive news of melatonin’s benefits are quite rousing. A new study described that melatonin could modify the extracellular matrix of the disc remodeling process started by IL-1 β. Further, melatonin reduced the inflammatory cell collection and decreased the release of connected inflammatory markers IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. With this new finding that melatonin disrupted the IL-1B feedback loop, researchers proposed that melatonin may contribute to the restoration process of intervertebral discs after damage was already present. (1) Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC continues following the new research regarding the role inflammation performs in La Grande disc degeneration and melatonin’s role in combatting 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 apropos. 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 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 interesting to Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC and our La Grande back pain patients.
CONTACT Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC
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 La Grande chiropractic appointment with Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC today. We can talk about how inflammation affects your back pain and how melatonin may help with the related disc degeneration.
