McHenry Back Pain Related to Inflammation Reduced with Melatonin
Inflammation. Disc Degeneration. There is a relationship. Inflammation is the body’s response to harmful stimuli (injury, pathogens, metabolic stress – a disc herniation pushing on a nerve!) as it tries to repair itself before the harm was achieved. OrthoIllinois Chiropractic is always amazed at what the body can do! OrthoIllinois Chiropractic sees its McHenry chiropractic care as the body’s partner in healing particularly when there is spine pain. Chiropractic care utilizes 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 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 in fact 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 recent study, melatonin boosted autophagy and lessened the degradation of the disc’s extracellular matrix (technically indicated 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. OrthoIllinois Chiropractic is inspired by this research to see just how well melatonin can work for McHenry back pain related to disc degeneration.
MELATONIN AND ITS HEALING WAYS FOR THE DISC
Disc degeneration is a very common condition seen at OrthoIllinois Chiropractic that positive news of melatonin’s benefits are quite rousing. A recent study explained how melatonin could modify the extracellular matrix of the disc remodeling process started by IL-1 β. Additionally, melatonin decreased the inflammatory cell collection and reduced the release of linked inflammatory markers IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. With this new finding that melatonin interrupted the IL-1B feedback loop, researchers proposed that melatonin may contribute to the healing process of intervertebral discs after damage has already been done. (1) OrthoIllinois Chiropractic continues following the new research regarding the role inflammation has in McHenry 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 mechanisms is quite appropriate. 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 secretes melatonin naturally. Melatonin impacts the body’s aging, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptosis (cell death), and autophagy (cell-cleanout) processes. (1) Melatonin’s specific effect 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 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 McHenry chiropractic appointment with OrthoIllinois Chiropractic today. We can talk about the role inflammation plays in your back pain experience and how melatonin may address the related disc degeneration.
