Grouppe Kurosawa Quality Of Life Blog

Melatonin Inhibits Central Nervous System Pain

In 2007, the World Health Organization declared that "working the night shift" was a carcinogen. I realize that this sounds stupid and ridiculous, but the science is sound.

Melatonin, the so-called sleep hormone, is released from the pineal gland in the brain ONLY during absolute darkness. A low light source, such as a night light or a street light, can inhibits its synthesis and release into the body. Obviously, people who work the night shift are exposed to melatonin inhibiting light sources. Melatonin is a known anti-carcinogen and promotor of cell mediated immunity. Women who work nights are at an increased rish of developing breast cancer. The reason is simple. Melatonin is a natural inhibitor of estrogen binding to its receptor. Further, melatonin inhibits aromatase activity, the enzyme that converts testosterone to estrogen in peripheral tissues. If a woman works nights, melatonin is not going to be made in her body, thereby sensitizing her to developing breast cancer. We have written many essays on the topic in our Grouppe Kurosawa Natural Medicine public and private blogs.

As discussed previously, there is a steadily increasing incidence of CNS and peripheral pain reported throughout the world. Could some of this pain be associated with a lack of melatonin secretion from the brain?

Consider the following.

Melatonin protects against axonal damage and neural death in spinal cord injuries.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/queryd.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=18086148&itool=pubmed_docsum

Melatonin inhibits spinal cord pain transmission.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/queryd.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15082174&itool=pubmed_docsum

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/queryd.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17014696&itool=pubmed_docsum

Melatonin increases the synthesis of beta endorphin, a natural opioid and inhibitor of pain transmissions.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/queryd.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15639542&itool=pubmed_docsum

Melatonin reduces allodynia, the excessive sensitivity to pain induced by innocuous stimuli such as mechanical pressure (sitting, walking, etc.).

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/queryd.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17346886&itool=pubmed_docsum

Melatonin tablets can be purchased in supermarkets, grocery, and drug stores in the US and Canada.

Melatonin has two receptors in cells. The first, MT, exists on the outer plasma membranes of cells. The second exists in the nucleus of cells. Melatonin's ability to inhibit pain transmission ONLY applies to the activation of its membrane MT receptors. This is good news since MT activations requires VERY LOW concentrations of melatonin in the blood. A 3-6 mg dose at bedtime should be enough. Don't expect this to work overnight.

Melatonin, in capsule form, can also be added to the EGCG dissolved in a 70% DMSO gel as discussed previously. Melatonin readily enters the skin. In 4 ounces of a 70% DMSO gel, empty the contents of 20 Teavigo EGCG capsules and 10x10mg melatonin capsules. Mix thoroughly and apply to the spine area after hot water hydration.

10 mg melatonin capsules can be purchased from Life Extension, LEF.org.

Stay tuned...

Grouppe Kurosawa, Medicine in the Public Interest

http://www.grouppekurosawa.com

Topical Treatments for Central Nervous System Pain

A recent article in the New York Times, citing a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, reported that American spending on spinal pain treatments totaled nearly $86 billion USD in 2005. This was a 65% increase over 1997 figures.

"Even so, the proportion of people with impaired function because of spine problems increased during the period, even after controlling for an aging population."

"Despite the growth in treatment of back problems, the data show that the percentage of people with serious spine problems has not declined; it appears to have increased."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/13/MNBNV17TU.DTL&type=health

CNS or spinal pain, also known as neuropathic pain, affects over 4 million people in the US alone. In some cases, this pain has been directly linked to neurological damage. However, in the majority of cases the cause of this chronic pain is not known.

There many different kinds of neuropathic pain. Including lower back pain, 3780/100,000 people in the US suffer from this chronic disease. Although neuropathic pain is commonly associated with diseases such as diabetes, cancer and multiple sclerosis, most forms of neuropathic pain have no known cause.

Hyperalgesia is pain associated with an excessive response to painful stimuli. For example, sticking a pin in your arm causes pain, but it is moderate. When someone suffers from hyperalgesia, the pain is excessive.

Allodynia is excessive pain associated with an innocuous stimulus, such as mild heat or pressure. For example, applying pressure to your arm with your finger normally doesn't cause pain. If someone suffers from allodynia, sitting, sleeping or even walking can be a painful experience.

Although neuropathic pain takes many forms, Grouppe Kurosawa has developed two topical treatment procedures that can reduce the severity of chronic pain.

First, and as discussed before, anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or naproxen, when applied topically with orange oil, can seriously reduce the pain associated with inflammatory disorders.

Second, CNS pain, which may or may not be associated with inflammatory lesions, can be partially controlled with proteasome inhibitors.

In previous essays, we have discussed the role prostaglandins (PGE2) plays in the initiation of inflammatory sensory pain. Two of the four PGE2 receptors activate the protein kinase A signaling pathway. Therefore, the inhibition of this pathway is extremely important for the alleviation of non-central nervous system pain.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/queryd.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16966471&itool=pubmed_docsum

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/queryd.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15813989&itool=pubmed_docsum

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/queryd.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=12788827&itool=pubmed_docsum

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/queryd.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=12763069&itool=pubmed_docsum

The activity of the protein A kinase is controlled by regulatory factors that directly bind and inhibit the enzyme. These inhibitory regulatory factors are normally degraded in the cell by the proteasome complex. This enzyme complex degrades old proteins and processes new ones. A number of proteasome inhibitor drugs are in development for the treatment of cancer. In animals predisposed to neuropathic pain, the use of synthetic proteasome inhibitors blocked both hyperalgesia and allodynia neuropathic pain pathways. This is a PROFOUND scientific observation.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/queryd.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=11850463&itool=pubmed_docsum

We have two ways to treat prostaglandin-induced neuropathic pain. The first is the use of topical ibuprofen and naproxin. This inhibits, partially, the synthesis of the inflammatory prostaglandins. Second, we can use natural proteasome inhibitors, such as the polyphenol EGCG from green tea, to further inhibit the activity of the protein kinase A enzyme.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/queryd.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=11278274&itool=pubmed_docsum

In addition to their ability to block prostaglandin mediated inflammatory pain, proteasome inhibitors can also directly block spinal cord central nervous system pain. It accomplishes this by blocking the release of the pain promoting proteins CGRP and dynorphin A. This study clearly shows that an active  proteasome complex is REQUIRED for the maintenance of chronic pain and normal pain impulses. Again, this is a PROFOUND scientific observation.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/queryd.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17670969&itool=pubmed_docsum

The EGCG formulation that you are going to purchase is called Teavigo. Teavigo is sold by many vendors on the Internet. This proprietary product is 94% pure EGCG. Each capsule contains 150 mgs of EGCG.

You may take this product orally or topically.

Since EGCG is not extremely bioavailable when taken orally, the  best treatment is a direct topical application to the spinal cord and other areas of the body. You have the option of taking it orally as well. Orally, I have NO idea how much Teavigo you have to ingest.

My neighbor has a crushed disc in his back which causes him terrible pain. Every 6 months he receives a spinal injection of hydrocortisone. One month before his next injection was due, his back pain became increasingly severe. So we conducted an experiment.

I gave him a jar of 70% DMSO gel. He hydrated his back with a hot, wet towel and applied the DMSO gel to the areas around his spine. The DMSO gel alone provided no pain relief.

Next, I dissolved 10 Teavigo capsules (open the capsules and dump the contents into the gel) in 4 ounces of a 70% DMSO gel. This DID provide spinal cord pain relief. His pain was not gone, but it was reduced in intensity. I was shooting crap in this experiment. I had no idea how much Teavigo to dissolve in the DMSO gel.

The current protocol is to dissolve 20 capsules of Teavigo into 4 ounces of a 70% DMSO gel. Use more if you want. It is not going to hurt you. Make certain to apply a hot, wet towel to the spine to hydrate the skin. Apply the gel to both sides of the spinal cord and to the cord itself. Do this as often as necessary.

Stay tuned...

Grouppe Kurosawa, Medicine in the Public Interest

http://www.grouppekurosawa.com