Thanks to increasing scientific understanding of the human immune system, you can now add abnormal immune function to the list of possible back pain causes.
There are a number of ways immunological abnormalities could lead to back pain; a weak immune system increases the risk of infection, and infections within the abdominal organs can create back pain.
Perhaps the most direct way the immune system can harm the back is through inflammation.
When an injury or threat is detected by the immune system, it sends a rush of inflammatory fluids and white blood cells to the area to: 1) isolate the threat by blocking the injured area off from the rest of the body and 2) facilitate healing and tissue regeneration.
This is called the inflammatory response, and it is not always perfect.
The July 2010 issue of Arthritis and Rheumatism features a study that concluded herniated and degenerated discs have a high concentration of the inflammatory substance interleukin-17.
The study compared surgical samples of spinal discs from healthy patients to those with degeneration.
The increased amount of this substance could have led discs to deteriorate.
Chronic inflammation occurs when the response is not called off after the initial threat, or if the threat persists.
Chronic inflammation can damage tissues of the body and, as an immune response, has long been thought of as the sign of an overactive immune system.
This system's complexity has made it difficult to correct this conceptual error.
It is composed of a number of chemical agents that communicate, telling each other when to act and when to stand down.
Chronic inflammation is not necessarily the sign of an overactive immune system; it points, rather, to the possibility that the system is out of balance, that its inflammatory agents are stronger than the anti-inflammatory agents designed to regulate the response.
It is for this reason that immune boosters can actually be helpful to those with chronic pain conditions caused by inflammation.
The tricky part is to find a supplement that boosts the right part of your immune system.
When speaking of inflammation, cytokine regulation might be the key to restoring balance to the immune system.
Cytokines are the main communicator proteins that regulate the inflammatory response.
It is important to have a well-rounded store of cytokines so that they balance each other out.
Some believe that supplementing your cytokine level with plant-based cytokines, such as the brand Plantokine, could help to reduce inflammation that causes pain.
Rethinking the inflammatory response means a significant departure from what medical science has believed up until the last five years.
In 2006, New Scientist published a story about a study into Crohn's disease.
This condition, characterized by chronic inflammation of the intestines, may be caused by a weak rather than overactive immune system, the study found.
Researchers used rectal samples from Crohn's patients and measured their inflammatory responses compared to people without Crohn's.
The acute inflammatory response, the initial protective response of the immune system, was significantly weaker in people with Crohn's.
This could mean that the drastic inflammation that characterizes the disease is actually caused by a lack of normal inflammation at the beginning of the process, pointing to a weak rather than overactive system.
More on this study can be found at http://www.
newscientist.
com/article/dn8759-weak-immune-response-may-cause-crohns-disease.
html.
Balancing the immune system is becoming more popular than simply boosting or suppressing it.
As more of this complex system becomes understood, the scientific community will be able to hone treatment of certain immunological disorders by boosting or suppressing certain parts of the system.
In the coming years, it is possible that inflammation and back pain will be curable with the right supplements.
If you have inflammation that causes back pain for no known reason, the answer may lie in your immune system.
Immune system boosters that increase communication and activity of anti-inflammatory agents may help to reduce your pain.
There are a number of ways immunological abnormalities could lead to back pain; a weak immune system increases the risk of infection, and infections within the abdominal organs can create back pain.
Perhaps the most direct way the immune system can harm the back is through inflammation.
When an injury or threat is detected by the immune system, it sends a rush of inflammatory fluids and white blood cells to the area to: 1) isolate the threat by blocking the injured area off from the rest of the body and 2) facilitate healing and tissue regeneration.
This is called the inflammatory response, and it is not always perfect.
The July 2010 issue of Arthritis and Rheumatism features a study that concluded herniated and degenerated discs have a high concentration of the inflammatory substance interleukin-17.
The study compared surgical samples of spinal discs from healthy patients to those with degeneration.
The increased amount of this substance could have led discs to deteriorate.
Chronic inflammation occurs when the response is not called off after the initial threat, or if the threat persists.
Chronic inflammation can damage tissues of the body and, as an immune response, has long been thought of as the sign of an overactive immune system.
This system's complexity has made it difficult to correct this conceptual error.
It is composed of a number of chemical agents that communicate, telling each other when to act and when to stand down.
Chronic inflammation is not necessarily the sign of an overactive immune system; it points, rather, to the possibility that the system is out of balance, that its inflammatory agents are stronger than the anti-inflammatory agents designed to regulate the response.
It is for this reason that immune boosters can actually be helpful to those with chronic pain conditions caused by inflammation.
The tricky part is to find a supplement that boosts the right part of your immune system.
When speaking of inflammation, cytokine regulation might be the key to restoring balance to the immune system.
Cytokines are the main communicator proteins that regulate the inflammatory response.
It is important to have a well-rounded store of cytokines so that they balance each other out.
Some believe that supplementing your cytokine level with plant-based cytokines, such as the brand Plantokine, could help to reduce inflammation that causes pain.
Rethinking the inflammatory response means a significant departure from what medical science has believed up until the last five years.
In 2006, New Scientist published a story about a study into Crohn's disease.
This condition, characterized by chronic inflammation of the intestines, may be caused by a weak rather than overactive immune system, the study found.
Researchers used rectal samples from Crohn's patients and measured their inflammatory responses compared to people without Crohn's.
The acute inflammatory response, the initial protective response of the immune system, was significantly weaker in people with Crohn's.
This could mean that the drastic inflammation that characterizes the disease is actually caused by a lack of normal inflammation at the beginning of the process, pointing to a weak rather than overactive system.
More on this study can be found at http://www.
newscientist.
com/article/dn8759-weak-immune-response-may-cause-crohns-disease.
html.
Balancing the immune system is becoming more popular than simply boosting or suppressing it.
As more of this complex system becomes understood, the scientific community will be able to hone treatment of certain immunological disorders by boosting or suppressing certain parts of the system.
In the coming years, it is possible that inflammation and back pain will be curable with the right supplements.
If you have inflammation that causes back pain for no known reason, the answer may lie in your immune system.
Immune system boosters that increase communication and activity of anti-inflammatory agents may help to reduce your pain.