Richmond 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 repair itself before the harm was achieved. Johnson Chiropractic is never shocked at what the body can do! Johnson Chiropractic sees its Richmond chiropractic care as a partner of the body’s system in healing especially when there is spine pain. Chiropractic care utilizes 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 related to intervertebral disc degeneration. (1) IL-1 β actually 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 recent study, melatonin enhanced autophagy and decreased the degradation of the disc’s extracellular matrix (technically marked by a decline in marker LC3B, autophagasomes and autolysosomes and inhibition of the NF-kB signaling pathway). The final conclusion was that melatonin prevents intervertebral disc degeneration by stimulating autophagy. (3) Wow. Johnson Chiropractic is inspired by this research to see just how well melatonin can work for Richmond back pain related to disc degeneration.
MELATONIN AND ITS HEALING WAYS FOR THE DISC
Disc degeneration is a very common condition seen at Johnson Chiropractic that positive news of melatonin’s benefits are quite rousing. A recent study described that melatonin could modify the extracellular matrix of the disc remodeling process initiated by IL-1 β. Additionally, melatonin reduced the inflammatory cell collection and decreased the release of connected inflammatory markers IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. With this new discovery that melatonin disrupted the IL-1B feedback loop, researchers proposed that melatonin may provide the healing process of intervertebral discs after damage was already present. (1) Johnson Chiropractic will keep following the new research on the role inflammation has in Richmond disc degeneration and melatonin’s role in tackling it.
INFLAMMATION AND MELATONIN
The significance of melatonin in assisting to slow or stop painful conditions due to inflammation is rising. The description of melatonin as a multitasking molecule influencing mood, immunity, and energy among other things 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 impacts the body’s aging, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptosis (cell death), and autophagy (cell-cleanout) processes. (1) Melatonin’s specific influence on inflammation and disc degeneration is most attention-getting to Johnson Chiropractic and our Richmond back pain patients.
CONTACT Johnson 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 Richmond chiropractic appointment with Johnson Chiropractic today. We can discuss the role inflammation plays in your back pain experience and how melatonin may help with the related disc degeneration.
