Let There Be Light!

There is little doubt that the universe started as light. It happens to have emerged as one of the most potent properties of life. In a sense, we are light! That’s not a New Age claim; that’s scientific fact. Biophotons are here to stay.

Light is just part of the electromagnetic spectrum and we in turn are composed of electromagnetic energies. Energy, heat and light all come from this spectrum; today, every schoolkid knows that matter and energy are interchangeable. Voila! Light is life.

It has always been curious to me that the whole of the electromagnetic spectrum is hostile to biological life… except light and heat (and even heat can be damaging to life).

But not light!

Specifically, the band of waves that we call visible light. Once into the shorter wavelengths we call “ultraviolet”, then it’s not friendly at all. But then it’s not light either, in the sense I am using it. The very name “ultra’ violet means beyond visible violet light.

Small wonder then that light, used in the proper way, is very therapeutic. The Egyptians and Ancient Greeks knew it; they worshipped the Sun God: Amun (Amun-Ra) and Helios, respectively. Their temples were considered very healing.

Those of you who have read my book Virtual Medicine, will know I introduced several amazing light-based healing therapies. Light really is powerful stuff. Even the blind can get healed by light; how wonderful is that?

Seeing Red

One of the most fascinating breakthroughs in recent times has been the emergence of the healing powers of a specific band of red laser light (wavelength: 632.8 nanometres or often just sloppily stated as 635 nm). It rose to prominence in China and Russia, where is has been extensively studied and used therapeutically. Needless to say, Western medicine ignores it disdainfully.

Meanwhile, the science has started to roll in.

In one paper published in 2012, researchers evaluated 90 subjects. All of them had either coronary artery disease or a history of stroke. They divided the participants into a treatment group of 60 and a control group of 30. They gave the treatment group low level laser red light for just 30 minutes daily for 10 days, three days off and another session of 10 days. They exposed the control group to a normal, non-healing light.

The age range of the treatment and control group was similar (older demographic). The researchers evaluated their blood for blood viscosity and lipid changes. The two key blood viscosity measurements decreased significantly. That means their blood became less “thick” and easier to flow. That’s extremely important for vascular diseases and also the ability to clean up the tissues and “detox”.

Blood fats improved too. Total cholesterol fell from 173 mg/dl to 147. LDL fell from 107 mg/dl to 97 ;“good” HDL cholesterol rose from 42 mg/dl to 47; and, triglycerides (bad) fell from 161 mg/dl to 151.

Red light can help stroke. A 2005 China study on 21 patients utilized the sophisticated SPECT scan, which actually determines blood flow to various areas of the brain. The therapeutic light improved brain perfusion on the treated side! Other studies showed improvement in stroke symptoms with this treatment.

In another (admittedly small) study, red light therapy was shown to cut cosmetic surgery wound healing time by half or one third, according to the researchers. They treated one half of the body and used the opposite side as its own “control”. Their conclusion was clear: “In all instances, the LED therapy-treated side was statistically significantly superior to the unirradiated control by a factor of two to three.” [J Cosmet Laser Ther. 2006 Apr;8(1):39-42]

Cytochrome Oxidase

Then, what triggered me writing this, was a paper on PubMed published only a few days ago, answering a very important question for Boomers and the whole anti-aging movement. Red light can beat senility; it can enhance cognitive function meaning: you hang onto your marbles a lot longer! This is hot stuff!

The use of transcranial lasers and LEDs enhances cognitive function, by lighting up your mitochondria, which are the tiny organelles in our cells that are like engines: they take fuel and burn it to create energy!

The paper was the work of.

The researchers’ conclusion (the Departments of Psychology, Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas at Austin and the Department of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas) is transcranial brain stimulation with low-level light/laser therapy (LLLT) using the red-to-near-infrared wavelengths is able to modulate neurobiological function. Unlike microwaves and cell phones, it does this in a nondestructive and non-thermal manner.

Tissues are completely unharmed by the “radiation”. It’s only light, after all.

The paper speculated that the mechanism of action of LLLT is based on photon energy absorption by cytochrome oxidase, the terminal enzyme in the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Cytochrome oxidase has a key role in neuronal physiology, as it serves as an interface between oxidative energy metabolism and cell survival signaling pathways. Cytochrome oxidase is an ideal target for cognitive enhancement, as its expression reflects the changes in metabolic capacity underlying higher-order brain functions.

[Biochem Pharmacol. 2013 Aug 15;86(4):447-57. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2013.06.012. Epub 2013 Jun 24]

Shine It Right Up Your Nose

Now for the really fun part! It’s been found that it doesn’t need to be laser light, for the healing effect to kick in; ordinary household LEDs will do just fine.

That means it’s possible to get a real therapeutic effect just using a low-intensity battery-powered device. These come cheap, so this is a therapeutic breakthrough!

The best way to administer magic “light food” is to shine it up your snout! I’m not kidding; intranasal light, as it’s really called, has several advantages:

It’s easy to do yourself
There is a rich capillary blood supply in the nasal cavities (once the blood is treated, that gets all round the body)
The whole area is just millimetres away from the brain itself!

So intranasal red light power has arrived (see illustration).

Now you can buy one of these devices for just a hair under $300. They last more or less indefinitely and you should use them daily, or at least several times a week. If you work it out over say a 5-year period, that’s less than 2 cents a day.

I’d say that’s a pretty good bargain for helping your body stay energized and your thinking on a clearer plane, for possibly years longer than otherwise!