Light is life – and we are all going short
But we can fix that
The plot of many a thriller has hinged on the fact that the best place to hide something is where it is obvious…. Yet there is one health factor so obvious, so all pervading, that we appear to have missed it completely. That factor is sunlight.
Nearly 40 years ago I wrote that in a book called Daylight Robbery; The importance of sunlight to health. Now in 2023 I can see that even then I underestimated the importance, the power of light to heal.
We spend nearly our whole life indoors and are sorely deprived of sunlight, but we just don’t realise.
A lot of research shows that sunlight is crucial to our mental and physical well-being. Without enough light, we get more cancers, more depression, weaker bones, infertility, heart disease and poor immunity. And we just don't heal.
But there is a way to fix it, using light. That’s Photo-bio-modulation – light (photo) changing (modulating) life processes (bio). Let’s call it PBM for convenience. It used to be called LLLT - Low Level Laser Therapy - but now more and more is being done with more ordinary LED lights.
What health issues is light good for?
Just about everything. This is a list of ailments that I could find at least some evidence for benefits for:
- Inflammation - possibly all forms
- Infections - probably all micro-organisms (bacteria, fungi, viruses, parasites like malaria)
- Fatigue - possibly whatever the cause
- Fibromyalgia
- Oedema and swelling
- Mucositis
- Physical and ischaemic injury
- Chronic pain
- Wound healing
- Toxic burden
- Brain trauma
- Neurodegenerative diseases - Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s…
- Autoimmune diseases - Alopecia, Hashimoto’s, MS…
- Ageing (learning, attention, memory, cognitive decline)
- Type 2 diabetes
- Depression & anxiety
- Athletic performance enhancement
- Dysautonomia
Anything it can’t help?
There are a few things for which it has not so far been shown to help, but it’s early days yet; there are only – hang on, just checking – 7,500 studies in the database, with 600 more per year being published.
Not sure it does anything for schizophrenia, but possibly nobody has worked out how to do that yet. There are certainly reports of benefit in autism. I could write more about infections, but it’s a very individual thing so difficult to generalise.
Can it be bad for you?
Not unless you really overdose.
Lots of studies show that the more light you receive the more benefit you get, until you overdo it and get thermal (heating) effects. Just like sunlight really. Black skin can be burned more easily because it doesn’t reflect so much light – that’s the only adverse effect I have seen.
How do we administer it?
These are the routes that I am aware of (no reason for treatment to be limited to just one of these):
- Intravenous, straight into the vein, like a drip/infusion, using multiple colours/ wavelengths
- Transdermal, directing light at blood in the wrist veins
- Transdermal, directing light at a muscle, ligament, nerve, gland or organ
- Transdermal, into blood in the capillaries of your front or back (you can do this at home)
- Transcranial, using near infrared light which can penetrate the skull bones
- Interstitial, by a needle into the soft tissues
- Intranasal, intra-auricular
- Intra-articular (but with care, skill and sterility)
- Oral, as antiviral
Here are some images of the various treatment methods
A patient receiving treatment with red laser light intravenously
Our book-keeper, JP, having a treatment with the Near Infra-Red helmet, which has 320 infra-red LEDs. JP says;
Ten years ago I had an attack of shingles on my left forehead and eye, which left me with permanent pain and irritation, like the end of a hot matchstick being pressed on the skin. With my first treatment in the helmet the pain went away for a few days, and now I can control it much better using light and nutrition.
The new Endolight Band shines 5 different wavelengths into the blood vessels of the wrist
For treating musculoskeletal or nerve pains and injuries