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 pushing
on a nerve!) as it attempts to restore itself to normal
before the harm was achieved. Amelia Chiropractic Clinic is always amazed at how the body takes care of itself!
Amelia Chiropractic Clinic sees its Fernandina Beach chiropractic care as a partner of
the body’s system in healing especially
when spine pain is an issue. Chiropractic care utilizes
many tools like spinal manipulation, exercise, and nutrition to help
the body. Melatonin is one nutritional tool that is proving value
by interrupting 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 linked to intervertebral disc degeneration. (1) IL-1 β in fact 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 during which the body’s
cells clean out damaged (ie, by inflammation) or unneeded parts. In
a recent study, melatonin increased autophagy
and lessened 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 end conclusion was that melatonin inhibits
intervertebral disc degeneration by promoting autophagy. (3)
Wow. Amelia Chiropractic Clinic is inspired by this research to see just
how well melatonin can work for Fernandina Beach back pain related
to disc degeneration.
MELATONIN AND ITS HEALING WAYS FOR THE DISC
Disc degeneration is a very common condition
seen at Amelia Chiropractic Clinic making positive news like this quite rousing. A new
study explained how melatonin could modulate
the extracellular matrix of the disc remodeling process started
by IL-1 β. Additionally, melatonin decreased the
inflammatory cell collection and decreased the release of associated
inflammatory markers IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. With this new finding
that melatonin disrupted the IL-1B feedback loop, researchers
postulated that melatonin may provide
the restoration process of intervertebral discs after damage has already been done. (1) Amelia Chiropractic Clinic continues
following the new research on the role inflammation plays
in Fernandina Beach disc degeneration and melatonin’s role in reducing
it.
INFLAMMATION AND MELATONIN
The importance of melatonin in helping
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 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 attention-getting
to Amelia Chiropractic Clinic and our Fernandina Beach back pain patients.
CONTACT Amelia Chiropractic Clinic
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 manages disc
degeneration for relief of chronic low back pain in her patient.
Schedule your Fernandina Beach chiropractic appointment with
Amelia Chiropractic Clinic today. We can discuss the role
inflammation plays in your back pain experience and how melatonin may help with the related disc
degeneration.