Inflammation. Disc Degeneration. There is a relationship. Inflammation is the body’s response to harmful stimuli (injury, pathogens, metabolic stress – a disc herniation compressing a nerve!) as it attempts to repair itself before the harm was done. New Hampshire Spine and Sport is never shocked at how the body takes care of itself! New Hampshire Spine and Sport sees its Southern New Hampshire chiropractic care as the body’s partner in healing particularly when there is spine pain. Chiropractic care uses many tools like spinal manipulation, exercise, and nutrition to help the body. Melatonin is one nutritional tool that is showing value by interrupting 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 linked to intervertebral disc degeneration. (1) IL-1 β actually promotes itself, its own expression, by upregulating NLRP3 inflammasome activation. (2) The body regulates itself down to the cellular level via autophagy, the natural process during which the body’s cells clear out damaged (ie, by inflammation) or unneeded parts. In a new study, melatonin increased autophagy and reduced 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 stimulating autophagy. (3) Wow. New Hampshire Spine and Sport is inspired by this research to see just how well melatonin can work for Southern New Hampshire back pain linked to disc degeneration.
MELATONIN AND ITS HEALING WAYS FOR THE DISC
Disc degeneration is quite a common condition seen at New Hampshire Spine and Sport making positive news like this quite rousing. A recent study explained how melatonin could modify the extracellular matrix of the disc remodeling process started by IL-1 β. Further, 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 postulated that melatonin may provide the restoration process of intervertebral discs after damage was already present. (1) New Hampshire Spine and Sport continues following the new research regarding the role inflammation plays in Southern New Hampshire disc degeneration and melatonin’s role in combatting it.
INFLAMMATION AND MELATONIN
The significance of melatonin in assisting to slow or stop painful conditions due to inflammation is increasing. The description of melatonin as a multitasking molecule influencing mood, immunity, and energy among other things 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 secretes melatonin naturally. Melatonin influences 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 interesting to New Hampshire Spine and Sport and our Southern New Hampshire back pain patients.
CONTACT New Hampshire Spine and Sport
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 manages disc degeneration for relief of chronic low back pain in her patient.
Schedule your Southern New Hampshire chiropractic appointment with New Hampshire Spine and Sport today. We can discuss the role inflammation plays in your back pain experience and how melatonin may address the related disc degeneration.