http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-03/mali-slt031711.php

http://spie.org/x86284.xml?highlight=x2416&ArticleID=x86284

In this article they are talking about using red 630nm and near infrared 805nm light to stop short and long term brain damage in stroke patients.  The light is capable of penetrating the skull into the brain.  They are experimenting with pulsed light hoping for deeper penetration.  I wonder why they aren’t just using longer wavelengths of infrared which would certainly penetrate deeper.   They mentioned the the cells they are targeting have a peak absorption at 630nm red and 805nm infrared, but if the damage is deeper than those wavelengths can penetrate, wouldn’t less than peak absorption be better than nothing?

Anyway, I hope they get this all worked out and make this treatment available to all soon.

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

(notes on the LLLT Symposium, American Society for Photobiology, August 7 & 8, 2009.)

Most of the parts on this thing were pretty dry, however, some of the scientists had a sense of humor.

This was my favorite line of the weekend:

“The only way a (low level) laser is going to hurt somebody is if they drop it on their foot.”

I’m sorry I didn’t get the speaker’s name to credit that to.   There was a chuckle through the audience, indicating agreement on the part of all.

It was mentioned over and over, there are zero adverse side effects to low level light therapy, be it low level laser or LED light therapy.  As mentioned above, this includes red light therapy, red/infrared light therapy and infrared light therapy – generally wavelengths between 600nm and 1100nm.

It was said that light only effects cells “under stress” and has no effect on healthy cells.

The last part of the weekend was specifically devoted to “Human Safety Evaluation of Light-based Devices for Home Use” and he was talking about things like the resistors inside the devices getting hot, so that if you took the thing apart and touched one of them, you might burn your fingers.  If there were any reported negative side effects of LED or low level laser light therapy, we’d have heard about them then.  There are none.

Ok. This therapy is SO new, that there is currently only 1 test subject, a Mr. Clem Fennell from Cincinatti, Ohio. The treatments he is receiving are in the UK.

After being diagnosed with dementia in 2006, and with a dearth of treatment options available, Mr. and Mrs. Fennell began looking for possible solutions.  They came across a General Practitioner, Dr. Gordon Dougal, and his partner, eye surgeon Jim Laslam, who has been inventing light-therapy products, with a couple already on the market, already, Virulite and Restorelite. The new treatment is a helmet that shines 1072 nm infrared light into his eyes for 18 minutes, twice a day.

Apparently, initial reports are that Mr. Fennell is showing signs of improvement. Full clinical trials will be needed, however, before the true effectiveness of this type of treatment is known.

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/2393445.Clem_benefiting_from_pioneering_treatment/

Dr. Ken Walker, writing under the name Dr. W. Gilford Jones, recently posted several articles about his experience at the 2007 LILT Conference in Toronto, Canada.  While attending, he saw presentations from a number of medical professionals advocating the effectiveness of Low Intensity Laser Treatment on a slew of conditions. These maladies include:

• back, hip and knee pain
• sciatica
• diabetic leg ulcers due to hardening of arteries and decreased blood supply
• bedsores or pressure sores
• lympedema
• bursitis
• arthritis
• herniated disc
• carpal tunnel syndrome
• rotator cuff tears
• psoriasis
• allergic contact dermatitis
• acne
• ringworm
• impetigo
• warts
• herpetic lesions of the face and genital area (in fact, lesions that usually recurred after three weeks of treatment could be delayed for up to 37 weeks)
• athletic injuries

Finally, he tells us that a presentation was given showing preliminary research that LILT could help to stimulate nerve cell damage. Prior to this, it had been commonly believed that Nerve cells DO NOT regenerate, which is why spinal cord injuries seem so final.

While the exact mechanics of LILT are still under research and there is no definitive answer as to precisely how it works, there seems to be a general understanding of it. LILT uses light in the Red to Infrared wavelengths. LILT appears to kick-start the body’s natural healing process by delivering electro-magnetic energy to the affected cells, which is then transformed into biochemical energy.  This provides increased blood flow and accelerates healing times.

LILT sessions are generally 30-60 minutes long, working from shorter to longer sessions. LILT is non-toxic, safe, and noninvasive. Dr. Walker recommends that you try LILT before resorting to drugs or surgery.

Two post-conference articles can be found here:

Canada Free Press

Welland Tribune