870nm and 930nm lasers are now in clinical trials for toenail fungus treatment.  This is exciting to me, I’ve been living with that problem a long time, myself.  Also, many people have asked me about it over the years and I’ve had no information for them.

And look at the results they are getting!  63% success (3mm of clear nail growth) 6 months after only 4 treatments!  Not sure how long the treatments were, but this is what I’m going to do:

I’m going to tape off the red HPLEDs on my LightWave DH and start shining just the 850nm infrared band of light on my few infected toenails for 5 minutes once per week.  This will be a long test, I guess, but I’ll post updates as I go.  Imagine if that works.  Imagine the cost of the treatments once the laser companies get FDA approval.

Hopefully we can show some ‘in vivo’ success and offer a cheaper toenail fungus solution for the rest of us.

Here’s some excerpts from the article:

“Photoinactivation of Trichophyton rubrum (T. rubrum) has been demonstrated in vitro and in animal studies using wavelengths at 870 nm and 930 nm while maintaining physiologic temperatures (Bornstein E, et al. Photochem Photobiol. 2009;85(6):1364-1374).”

“Penetration through the entire nail plate without damage to the nail bed or matrix is the key to success with either device. In one published study with the 870/930 nm device, clinical cure rates (3 mm of clear nail growth) of 63 percent were noted six months after four treatments (Landsman AS, et al. J Am Podiatr Med Assoc. 2010 May;100:166-177). Both devices should be effective on all skin types with little to no discomfort. Number of treatments or need for periodic treatment to prevent relapse remains to be determined.”

Laser, light therapy may help treat stubborn nail disorders

Publish date: Aug 1, 2010
By: Joely Kaufman, M.D., Martin Zaiac, M.D.
Source: Dermatology Times

Though exercise is a key component to effective weight loss that will allow the dieter to shed the pounds quickly without gaining it back again after the diet is over, it is not always an easy process.  Muscle fatigue is a struggle faced by all exercisers.  It is unpleasant and can make exercise unappealing to those who are trying to begin a healthier lifestyle and achieve their ideal body mass index (BMI).

Even people who already have active lifestyles can suffer from muscle fatigue.  In a gym, it can be an inconvenience or can require an exerciser to need to rest more frequently.  Outside of the gym, though, it can not only be unpleasant, but can also cause dangerous situations, as a Greenville County, Virginia man discovered in June, 2010, when he had to be rescued when he’d climbed over fifty feet up the side of Rainbow Falls in Jones Gap State Park and, due to muscle fatigue, was unable to climb up or down.

This problem has led to massive efforts in the medical community to help to prevent muscle fatigue.  Though creatine supplements have been thought to be a viable solution for some, others dislike the fact that while some studies show positive results, not all human studies have demonstrated desirable outcomes. Furthermore, it the contradictory results of studies implies that not everyone responds to creatine in the same way.  Moreover, the conflicts with common substances (such as caffeine) and medications (such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and the side effects to creatine can be quite unpleasant for dieters and other users.  Some side effects include weight gain (which is obviously quite undesirable to dieters), muscle cramps (which makes exercising more difficult and negates the benefits for muscle fatigue), dizziness, high blood pressure, kidney damage and liver dysfunction.

Fortunately, a study published on July 13, 2010 in the journal Photomedicine and Laser Surgery called “Effect of Light-Emitting Diodes Therapy (LEDT) on Knee Extensor Muscle Fatigue” showed that using LEDT showed a significant reduction on quadriceps knee muscle fatigue using POST-MVC, higher torques (p=0.034)  with LEDT (237.68±48.82Nm) when compared to placebo (225.68±44.14Nm) treatment.

Light therapies may, therefore, hold the key to natural and side effect-free prevention of muscle fatigue for dieters who are trying to exercise for weight loss.

Sources:

• http://www.wyff4.com/news/24148535/detail.html
• http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6TB0-50F36FP-2&_user=10&_coverDate=07%2F01%2F2010&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=7da36f99f04c40c7400f840ba6e1b213
• http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/creatine-000297.htm
• http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/pho.2009.2688

An obesity drug called Qnexa, which is a combination of Phentermine (a common prescription obesity medication) and Topiramate (a seizure drug) has been called unsafe by an FDA panel which also stated that Qnexa should not be sold.

Though there were studies that showed that there were significant health risks to taking the medication, the FDA was unable to procure enough data to justify approving the drug.  Among the health concerns that were connected to Qnexa were an increased heart rate, potential birth defects, and thoughts of suicide.

With this kind of news, what are people supposed to do when they are seeking assistance in their effort to lose weight?  Weight loss is, after all, a very challenging process and millions of people find that the struggle is so great that their dieting efforts are continually failing.  If drugs prescribed by their doctors are also not healthy, many are looking into studies that are revealing promising results with alternatives to prescription drugs.

For example light therapies and vitamin D supplementation are proving to be significant in assisting obese people to achieve a healthy body mass index (BMI).

In the study published in the Obesity journal in February, 2010, “25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentration Correlates With Insulin-Sensitivity and BMI in Obesity”, a team of researchers from Italy showed there is a notable relationship between the amount of vitamin D a person has in his or her body, and that individual’s BMI.  It showed that among obese participants, both low concentrations of vitamin D and insulin-sensitivity seem to rely on the higher body mass.

Therefore, receiving adequate amounts of vitamin D through natural sunlight, certain tanning beds, and supplements can help the body’s metabolism to naturally function at a better rate.  This, combined with a well balanced, portion controlled diet and regular daily exercise can have a significant impact on weight loss.

Sources:

• http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/07/16/fda.diet.drug.rejected/?hpt=Sbin
• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20150902
• http://www.fda.gov/newsevents/newsroom/pressannouncements/2008/ucm116998.htm
• http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm149575.htm

The safety of the popular diabetes drug Avandia (rosiglitazone), manufactured by Glaxo, has been called into question by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) staff scientists and the drug was recently placed at risk for a massive recall.  The result of the vote by the FDA panel after a two-day meeting with the endocrinologic and metabolic advisory committees which ended July 14, 2010, was to keep the drug available to the U.S. Market but with significant new restrictions. Most importantly, stronger warnings regarding the cardiovascular risks surrounding the use of Avandia.

The drug’s safety has been in question since 2007, the last time the FDA considered taking it off the market in the United States when a dozen studies showed worrying data regarding the safety of Avandia in response to a 2005 analysis which linked the drug to an increase in heart attacks by 43 percent.  This new labeling could reduce the use of Avandia by 95 percent.

The risks associated with diabetes medications are leading people to look into effective alternative treatments of their condition, such as the recent vitamin D3 and sunlight therapies that are shown in important studies to be quite effective.  For example, the recent study by endocrinologist Esther Krug, MD, from Baltimore’s Sinai Hospital (as well as assistant professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine) showed that over 90 percent of patients with type 2 diabetes were vitamin D3 deficient and that the greater the deficiency, the worse the diabetic condition.  Those findings support previous studies that have linked insulin production cells and the production of the insulin itself with vitamin D3.

Vitamin D can have an impact on glycemic control, so diabetic patients should discuss adding vitamin D3 to their diets through proper nutrition, supplements, and exposure to sunlight or full-spectrum lighting.

Sources:

• http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100709-708932.html
• http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2010/07/fda-panel-gives-avandia.html
• http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704682604575369232879016248.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
• http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2010/07/04/6747/vitamin-d-deficiency-common-in-people-with-poor-diabetes-control-/

As my fist official act back in the saddle, I’ve asked Julie Campbell from JBC Online E Publishing (jbconlineepublishing.com) to help me sift through all the light therapy news since October of last year and get this website up to date.  Julie has written for us now and then for what feels like almost 10 years now, and I’m happy to have her in my corner.   Welcome, Julie, and thank you.

Wow.  Just sat down to get back to work and I notice there have been no posts since 10/09.  That’d make me wonder if we’re even still in business. Here’s what’s been going on.  Get ready, it’s not a nice story.

I was scheduled for surgery in November ‘09, so I was busy getting my proverbial ducks in a row.

Surgery was canceled at the very last second because, I guess, certain herbs do not play nice with anesthesia.  So surgery was rescheduled to December ‘09.  More time to order the ducks, didn’t blog for another month.

Surgery went well but recovery revealed just what a wimp I am, and I didn’t get any work done after surgery, either.

6 weeks into recovery,  January 14th, (here’s the ugly part) my aunts knocked on my door and told me my mother and 2 sisters had been shot, 2 were dead,  one was in the hospital, and they didn’t know which sister was which, but my mom, for sure, was “gone.”   Over the next 5 hours we found out that one of my sisters had actually left the scene a few minutes earlier and was unharmed,  and my little sister (18) was in stable condition after 5 gunshot wounds.

That was 7 months ago.  You would think things could not get worse, but they have, steadily, since that day.   Needless to say, I haven’t worked on my business at all.  I’ve shipped orders, but that’s it.   And today, as I thought hard about getting back to work on a regular schedule, I realized that there’s more to my staying away than I thought.  For instance, my mother taught me this business, and I’ve never worked on it without her around.  Coming back to work is going to be another very raw passageway through the grieving process, which I am not looking forward to at all.   I’m told of this process,  “you have to go through it, there is no way around.”  So here we go.

A team of researchers, including an Indian scientist, has found that blue curing light used to harden dental fillings may stunt tumor growth as well. Read the full article here >

For the purpose of this post, what I noticed here more-so was the treatment time: 90 seconds per day.

I think as time goes on we are going to see the treatment times for light therapy treatments decrease dramatically.  I’m thinking of blue light acne treatment, and red light for healing and anti-aging, where treatment times are commonly 15 or 20 minutes per day per area.   I think further research in those areas will show that, not only is less time required to produce a result, but that results will be better as treatment times decrease.

If you are currently using blue light therapy for things like acne treatment, try decreasing the treatment time and see how it goes.  It can’t hurt to try, and if you can save yourself some precious time, all the better.

(an exception to this would be our LightWave CS, please use as directed, the treatment time has already been adjusted to seconds per day, with good results.)

Light Therapy Options has gone through some big changes in the last year.  As it turns out, those changes were against my grain, and I have becoming increasingly unhappy with the way the business is going.  So now, I’m going to change things back, and get the business back in line with who I am.   As a result of that, the business might fail, in terms of cash.  It will be a success, however, in that I will be true to myself, and be doing the most good for the most people.  Peace is more valuable than money, even in this economy.

The first thing I’m going to do is add red and blue lights separately to the product line up, in addition to the LightWave CS, which I will still carry.  I’ve got prototypes for them coming in any day, and we’ll begin testing them out on ourselves, family and friends.  I have no doubt they will work, but it’s always nice to see proof before you sell something to the world.

The Blue light will be a combination of 405nm and 470nm, which will be perfect for general antibacterial use, not just acne treatment.  Both wavelengths proved effective in killing other harmful bacteria, including MRSA, and so that light will prove beneficial for a wide range of people and situations.  For example, if someone buys it initially for acne treatment, they can also use it to help naturally disinfect everyday cuts, scrapes and bites for themselves and their family.  The blue light could also be used to disinfect surfaces around the home, or possibly help to treat an existing infection of the skin.

The red light will be a combination of red 660nm and infrared 850nm.  Red light is useful in acne treatment, of course, but this light can also be used for a very wide array of things, especially to speed healing of any injury to the skin or soft tissues.  The faster you close a wound of any type, the less chance there is for a dangerous infection to set in.  This is becoming more and more important as bugs become antibiotic resistant.  A Red/IR light can also be used for pain relief and anti-aging applications.

Making these lights available separately will make the initial cost of LED blue light acne treatment more affordable for more people, which is the point.  People can add red light to their treatments when they can afford it.  Either way, whether they own one light or two, the lights will be useful for many more important things than just acne treatment.  This will significantly increase the value of the light, and make the investment worth it for the whole family.

So I am going to be busy adding the red and blue to the website this week, and I will post often this month as I make other changes to just about everything.

H1N1 Swine Flu

People want to do everything they can to protect themselves against the H1N1 swine flu this season, and some have asked me if light therapy can be of any help.  Here are a few ways I came up with:

Since we are approaching fall and losing the potency of the sun, our vitamin D3 levels begin to drop.  As far as flu prevention – get your vitamin D level tested now, and do what you can to get and keep your 25(OH)D level between 50-70  ng/mL all year.   All the information about Vitamin D3 and H1N1 flu is found at the Vitamin D Council’s website here:
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/newsletter/h1n1-flu-and-vitamin-d.shtml

Air purifiers are available with UVC  light which should kill the H1N1 swine flu virus (and any other bug) as it passes through.  UV ’sanitizing wands’ are also available for general disinfection of hard and soft surfaces at home and on the go.

In case you get the flu, see your doctor immediately, of course.  In addition to his recommendations:

Sci\ART Global has always recommended amber light for colds and flu, shone on the bare chest and back for about 10 minutes each side per day, or twice per day.

Green light is recommended to boost immunity, since the Thymus gland is in that chakra zone.  The lungs also extend into this chakra zone and might likely benefit from the application of green light as well.

In the winter, GE Dichromatic lights are really nice for light & color therapy, because they also throw heat, which is wonderful when you’re sick.   The bulbs do get hot, though, and they stay hot for some time after turning them off, so be careful when using them around children.   LEDs are also available in amber and green.  LEDs are safer and consume less energy, but are missing the soothing heat of the GE dichromatic incandescent.

If you know of other ways that light can help prevent or speed recovery from the the flu this season, please  leave your comments below for the benefit of all.  Thanks!

I’m starting to plan a buyer’s guide to acne lights.  I’m going to include topics like this:

• Wavelength – what it means, why it matters.
• Intensity – don’t be fooled by the numbers.
• Hand-held or table top?
• It’s all about the service.  Warranties, risk-free trials, who’s there to help?
• Money, the bottom line.  What does it really cost in the long run?
• What’s the best light for YOUR acne?  Mild, moderate, severe, back, chest, body, other.
• UV or no UV?
• The “FDA Approved” line.

If you have an idea of what other topics should be included in a buyer’s guide to acne lights, please let me know by leaving a comment below.

Also, please let me know which topic you’d like to see first.

Thanks in advance for your input.  I will use your feedback now and as the parts are published to create an understandable, trustworthy guide through the growing BS of the acne light market.