Posted on 09/03/2021 9:55:21 AM PDT by ConservativeMind
Chronic back pain affects upwards of 15 million adults in the US, racking up billions in healthcare costs and lost work days. Degeneration of the discs that cushion and support vertebrae, a common occurrence of aging, is a major contributor to low back pain. Although a widespread condition, few treatments are available.
The findings show how a novel approach to preventing age-related disc degeneration may pave the way for treating chronic back pain.
"Once intervertebral discs start to degenerate, there is very little regeneration that happens," says Dr. Risbud. "But our results show that it is possible to mitigate the disc degeneration that happens with aging."
With age, every tissue in the body accumulates senescent cells. Senescent cells secrete destructive enzymes and inflammatory proteins that affect nearby healthy cells. Senolytic drugs remove these deteriorating cells, leaving room for new cells to replace them.
Recent research has shown that to be the case. Two senolytic drugs, dasatinib and quercetin, have shown enough promise to treat scarring in lung tissue that they are now in clinical trials.
To find out whether senolytics could improve aging-related disc degeneration, Emanuele Novais and colleagues gave young, middle-aged and elderly mice a cocktail of the senolytic drugs, dasatinib and quercetin, every week.
The weekly injections mitigated disc generation, but not in the way that Dr. Risbud and his team had expected. They expected to see the largest effect in the oldest animals because these animals would have accumulated more senescent cells than younger mice. Instead, Dr. Risbud and colleagues found that treatment in younger animals had more benefit and actually had a protective effect.
Young and middle-aged mice given the senolytic cocktail showed less disc degeneration and fewer senescent cells by the time they reached an advanced age compared to mice given a placebo.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
Walter Chesnut (@Parsifaler on Twitter) identified the pathways that SARS-CoV-2 spike protein induces senescence all over the body. Senolytics will be critical to feal with the damage.
Deal with the damage
Wish I had known that 25 years ago before I had my first surgery due to disc degeneration disease.
Would like to have known this 25 years ago.
I take quercetin and drink matcha tea.
P4L
Quercetin and green tea extract (EGCG) are also zinc ionophores. If you cannot get hydroxychloroquine, also an ionophore, these two are OTC.
Zinc does not get into your cells on its own - it needs to be IN the cells to stop viral replication. An ‘ionophore’ is needed to “open the cell door”.
Very interesting that they are also associated with reducing aging-associated disc degeneration.
A Physiotherapist once told me... Never get a back operation, even if they recommend it. She said back operations are rarely successful and often do more damage than good.
Thankfully, my back got better after I stopped hitting a buckets and buckets of golf balls. Repetitive motion can do some real damage to your back.
My surgeries were on my neck. First one was an emergency because without discs I could have been paralyzed. They infused C2-5, some years later had C5-7. Both successful. The 2nd surgery was my fault, thought I could still break a horse without injuring my neck.
I still have bad neck days, and had surgery a couple years ago to remove lymph nodes so I get more spasms, but I manage. I refused to lay around taking pain meds as my doctors recommended.
I had 6 Vertebres break in an accident at the same time....two days of infusions to prevent further damage but still regarded as I broke my back. I only use Aleve in threes when I over use my back.
I’ve often wondered why the pain persists even before I get out of bed until evening...it’s just a matter of degree. Would these products mentioned make any difference I wonder? It wears on you pushing through the pain to get things done!
I learned some exercises and other things in physical therapy. Massages help too.
My poor son had a back surgery that went very wrong, and a second surgery that couldn’t repair. Then he broke his foot and has 11 plates and bolts in his foot. Has to go to a pain clinic every month to get just enough pain meds that he can do a little work.
Well I’m not into taking medication at all. And can’t use the usual ones prescribed for consistent pain. So I endure. But it gets old and tiring.
I went to physical therapy which helped at first...until they said there was a certain amount of pain I’d have to live with.
Interesting. Thanks for posting this info.
My discs feel better after a few cocktails!😎
First off caww, thank you for all you do here, love reading your posts and pictures.
That said, to the point...
I’ve been dealing with degenerative disease since my teens. I’m 55 now. Was in a motorcycle accident in 2009 which damaged my neck further but arthritis runs throughout my body; knees, elbows, hands but especially my back and neck.
I have tried everything up to and including cervical disc fusion 4 through 6.
I manage to get by with only NSAIDS and mostly only on the weekends to try and get some rest.
I am fairly active and used to exercise a lot but since Covid I don’t go to the gym any more.
Quercetin? I started taking it with Bromelain daily, about a year ago.
It occurred to me recently that I’m in the least arthritic pain that I’ve been in, in a very long time.
Coincidence? Perhaps. I’ve been in pain for so long I’ve forgotten what it’s like to not be.
So coincidence or not, I think I’ll keep taking it just in case.
My 2c.
Thanks again!
Del
I’m not at all familiar with Quercetin nor Bromelain. ..but perhaps should look closer about both.
I’ve only been handling this for two years but it just seems there could be a better solution somehow. Physical therapy was helpful recovering from surgery after the 6 infusions etc. but covid hit and that ended that...just not willing to accept having to constantly pace myself in order to keep the pain from escalating. It’s very frustrating.
You appear to have found relief....so I’ll look into it further.
Thank you,
CW
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