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 tries to restore itself to normal
before the harm was done. OrthoIllinois Chiropractic is never
shocked at how the body takes care of itself!
OrthoIllinois Chiropractic sees its McHenry chiropractic care as a partner of
the body’s system in healing particularly
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 showing value
in its ability to interrupt 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 controls itself down to its cellular level
via autophagy, the natural process via which the body’s
cells clear out damaged (ie, by inflammation) or unneeded parts. In
a new study, melatonin boosted 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 inhibits
intervertebral disc degeneration by promoting autophagy. (3)
Wow. OrthoIllinois Chiropractic is inspired by this research to see just
how well melatonin can perform for McHenry back pain linked
to disc degeneration.
MELATONIN AND ITS HEALING WAYS FOR THE DISC
Disc degeneration is such a common malady
seen at OrthoIllinois Chiropractic making positive news like this quite rousing. A new
study stated that melatonin could modulate
the extracellular matrix of the disc remodeling process initiated
by IL-1 β. Further, melatonin decreased the
inflammatory cell collection and reduced the release of associated
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 contribute to
the restoration process of intervertebral discs after damage has already been done. (1) OrthoIllinois Chiropractic will keep
following the new research regarding the role inflammation plays
in McHenry disc degeneration and melatonin’s role in combatting
it.
INFLAMMATION AND MELATONIN
The importance of melatonin in assisting
to slow or stop painful conditions due to inflammation is growing.
The description of melatonin as a multitasking molecule affecting
mood, immunity, and energy among other things is quite suitable.
It is 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 interesting
to OrthoIllinois Chiropractic and our McHenry back pain patients.
CONTACT OrthoIllinois 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 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 McHenry chiropractic appointment with
OrthoIllinois Chiropractic now. We can talk about how inflammation affects your
back pain and how melatonin may address the related disc
degeneration.