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 achieved. Malverne Health & Wellness is always amazed at how the body takes care of itself!
Malverne Health & Wellness sees its Malverne 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 take care of
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 associated with 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 its cellular level
via autophagy, the natural process during which the body’s
cells clean out damaged (ie, by inflammation) or unneeded parts. In
a new study, melatonin enhanced autophagy
and lessened 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. Malverne Health & Wellness is encouraged by this research to see just
how well melatonin can work for Malverne back pain related
to disc degeneration.
MELATONIN AND ITS HEALING WAYS FOR THE DISC
Disc degeneration is a very common condition
seen at Malverne Health & Wellness that positive news of
melatonin’s benefits are quite exciting. A recent
study stated that melatonin could modify
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 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 contribute to
the healing process of intervertebral discs after damage has already been done. (1) Malverne Health & Wellness will keep
following the new research regarding the role inflammation plays
in Malverne 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 growing.
The description of melatonin as a multitasking molecule influencing
mood, immunity, and energy among other mechanisms is quite fitting.
It’s also anti-oxidant, anti-aging, and anti-inflammatory, specifically
by hindering 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 effect on
inflammation and disc degeneration is most attention-getting
to Malverne Health & Wellness and our Malverne back pain patients.
CONTACT Malverne Health & Wellness
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 handles disc
degeneration for relief of chronic low back pain in her patient.
Schedule your Malverne chiropractic appointment with
Malverne Health & Wellness today. We can talk about the role
inflammation plays in your back pain experience and how melatonin may help with the related disc
degeneration.