Toronto 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 links them all in an interesting way. Melatonin – a hormone secreted by the brain at night to regulate circadian rhythm – manages sleep which is vital to the body’s capability to recuperate from the day and prepare for the next. Mitophagy promotes healthy turnover of mitochondria (the energy producers in cells). Mitophagy prevents the build-up of dysfunctional mitochondria in cells that may precede cell deterioration. In the case of back pain, this would avoid such deterioration in the cells of the disc which may lead to disc degeneration. Autophagy is the normal bodily procedure that deals with cell destruction and creation in the body. When there is cellular stress, autophagy is increased. (1) Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre shares findings that melatonin and light therapy may intercede in this process and help with Toronto back pain relief.
MITOCHONDRIA AND DISC DEGENERATION
Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre knows how disc degeneration includes cellular oxidative stress, mitochondria issues and cell death (aka apoptosis). This is the area researchers imply melatonin may play a beneficial role in the slowing of disc degeneration. Melatonin rids oxygen free radicals, controls mitochondria function and balance, speeds up mitrophagy and reduces apoptosis (cell death). Melatonin may assist in the treatment of disc degeneration. (2)
MELATONIN AND LIGHT FOR DISC DEGENERATION AND Toronto BACK PAIN
In a biological study of melatonin’s effect on intervertebral disc degeneration, melatonin maintained nucleus pulposus cells affected by oxidative stress. Such stress leads to harm of these cells. Melatonin is an important neuroendocrine hormone with sound antioxidant effect that acts 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 reduced pain intensity when moving and resting indicated that melatonin possibly offers an analgesic effect. (4) Melatonin may be another way to treat intervertebral disc degeneration.
LIGHT THERAPY AND BACK PAIN RELIEF
In so much as melatonin is activated 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 Toronto back pain sufferers, too! These researchers suspect that this light treatment regulates the circadian timing of sleep which is mediated by melatonin. (5)
CONTACT Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre
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 Toronto chiropractic appointment for your Toronto back pain. Patients in Toronto with disc degeneration may discover additional relief with melatonin and light therapy together with chiropractic treatment. Mitochondria, mitophagy, autophagy, melatonin and back pain are interestingly connected, are they not?
