Benefit for Murfreesboro Degenerated Discs from Pumpkin Leaves

This time of year, pumpkins are all over the place! We enjoy them for décor, but they offer so much more! Recent news focuses on the benefits of their leaves to slow disc degeneration and even possibly encourage regeneration. That is news to your Murfreesboro chiropractor’s ear…and surely to our Murfreesboro back pain and neck pain patients’ ears, too!

THE DISC – Healthy and Degenerated

Most treatments of back pain focus on easing the pain and returning function without consideringa way to reduce the speed of the degenerative process and/or promote regeneration. The intervertebral disc has an inner core (nucleus pulposus) made of proteoglycans and a layered outer rim (annulus fibrosus) rich in collagen. Together, these two work as a shock absorber and stabilizer for the spine. Treatment choices for the degenerated disc come from understanding the processes that precede degeneration in order to help alleviate discogenic pain more effectively. (1) Your chiropractor reads about these mechanisms all the time!

PUMPKIN LEAVES AND CAROTENOIDS

It's recognized that pumpkin products and by-products (like leaves!) contain major carotenoids - β-carotene, α-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin – with β-carotene being the main one in most pumpkin varieties. The total content of carotenoids depends on several factors, one being the extraction process. Functional foods are developed from carotenoids which are said to add significantly to the numerous health benefits of the foods. (2) Nutrition can plan a role in disc health. Pumpkin and its by-products shouldn’t just be thrown away!

PUMPKIN LEAVES AND COLLAGEN AND PROTEINS AND DISC CELLS

A unique way to put pumpkins to work for us is well explained in a recent study about how the leaves of pumpkins may help. The acetone extract from Violina pumpkin (curcurbita moshata) leaves brought about a significant rise in extracellular matrix components like aggrecan and collagen type II as well as other proteins and stress response regulators in the degenerated intervertebral disc cells removed from degenerated disc tissues of spinal surgery patients. Markers noting the presence and activity of stem cells were significantly increased as well. This news motivated the researchers to state that the hypothesis about how adequate stimuli can support resident cells to repopulate the degenerated discs was thus sustained. The report overall concluded that data point to the discovery of molecules that may effectively slow disc degeneration using a part of the pumpkin that most of us get rid of as waste – the leaves! (3) Most Chiropractic Clinic bets you will look at the pumpkin leaves differently this season!

CONTACT Most Chiropractic Clinic

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. James Cox on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes how nutrition may slow and possibly avert degeneration and promote regeneration via ingredients like chondroitin sulfate based on years of research done already and how nutrition combined with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management reduce and manage spine pain. We’ll keep watching the pumpkin leaves’ research as it grows!

Make your Murfreesboro chiropractic appointment soon to see us this pumpkin season!