Benefit for New Roads Degenerated Discs from Pumpkin Leaves

Every year around this time, pumpkins are everywhere! We like them for décor, but they offer so much more! News of late focuses on the benefits of their leaves to reduce the speed of disc degeneration and even possibly support regeneration. That’s news to your New Roads chiropractor’s ear…and surely to our New Roads back pain and neck pain patients’ ears, too!

THE DISC – Healthy and Degenerated

Many back pain treatment approaches focus on easing the pain and returning function without a thought about how to slow the degenerative process and/or promote regeneration. The intervertebral disc is made up of an inner core (nucleus pulposus) made of proteoglycans and a layered outer rim (annulus fibrosus) rich in collagen. Combined, these two work as a shock absorber and stabilizer for the spine. Treatment choices for the degenerated disc come from being aware of the processes that precede degeneration in order to help ease discogenic pain more effectively. (1) Your chiropractor expores these mechanisms a lot!

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 foremost one in most pumpkin types. The total content of carotenoids depends on many factors, one being the extraction procedure. Functional foods are developed from carotenoids which are said to add significantly to the multiple health benefits of the foods. (2) Nutrition can plan a role in disc health. Pumpkin and its by-products should not just be thrown away!

PUMPKIN LEAVES AND COLLAGEN AND PROTEINS AND DISC CELLS

A unique way to put pumpkins to work for us is described 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 increase in extracellular matrix components like aggrecan and collagen type II along with other proteins and stress response regulators in the degenerated intervertebral disc cells taken from degenerated disc tissues of spinal surgery patients. Markers noting the presence and activity of stem cells were significantly higher as well. This news motivated the researchers to declare that the hypothesis about how enough stimuli can support resident cells to repopulate the degenerated discs was thereby reinforced. The report overall concluded that data indicate that the breakthrough that molecules may effectively slow disc degeneration using a part of the pumpkin that most of us throw in the trash as waste – the leaves! (3) New Roads Chiropractic Center bets you’ll look at the pumpkin leaves differently this season!

CONTACT New Roads Chiropractic Center

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. James Cox on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes how nutrition may decelerate and possibly avert degeneration and stimulate 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 decrease and manage spine pain. We’ll keep watching the pumpkin leaves’ research as it evolves!

Schedule your New Roads chiropractic appointment now to see us this pumpkin season!