Photobiomodulation aka light therapy arti... - Cure Parkinson's

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Photobiomodulation aka light therapy article in The Weekend Australian

Smokeypurple profile image
32 Replies

I know several people on this forum have light helmets - some from Tasmania. This article appeared in my FB feed. There was also an article in The Weekend Australian but I believe that to be behind a pay wall.

surfershealth.com.au/news/2...

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Smokeypurple
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32 Replies
MBAnderson profile image
MBAnderson

The link didn't work for me.

JayPwP profile image
JayPwP in reply toMBAnderson

Neither me

WinnieThePoo profile image
WinnieThePoo in reply toJayPwP

Strike 3

JBOVERT profile image
JBOVERT in reply toMBAnderson

yes well that link took a few trying to get it open but when I had the opportunity to hear what they had to say well it's extremely uplifting to make a decision to buy the red light coronet was a big deal for me but I think it may lead to a lessening of my symptoms and thereare absolutely no side effects..so believe this I will be reporting in my experience!!s

Smokeypurple profile image
Smokeypurple

Thanks guys - it doesn't work for me anymore either! It has some good comments on places to source IR devices at the bottom. Perhaps saraoutwest will post as she posted a few days ago.

I've tried getting to it from this youtube video but that currently isn't giving joy either. I'll keep checking back.

youtube.com/watch?v=2xylY_t...

WinnieThePoo profile image
WinnieThePoo in reply toSmokeypurple

original link seems to be working now. The video in it with Dr Kiat talking to Suvi has been discussed here

healthunlocked.com/cure-par...

I'm keen to see the official trial report when it is published

Smokeypurple profile image
Smokeypurple in reply toWinnieThePoo

Thanks WTP yes I found it too late and had already posted (disadvantage of relying too much on HU daily digest email). Still, the more discussion the better.

Kevin51 profile image
Kevin51 in reply toWinnieThePoo

I found a report preprint under HOSEN KIAT on Researchgate if you are a member."Improvements in clinical signs of Parkinson’s disease using

photobiomodulation: A prospective proof-of-concept study"

medRxiv preprint doi: doi.org/10.1101/2021.05.26....; this version posted May 29, 2021

WinnieThePoo profile image
WinnieThePoo in reply toKevin51

Thanks - very interesting

Kevin51 profile image
Kevin51 in reply toWinnieThePoo

taking a punt - just ordered duo coronet and therapad. Its going to take a while :-( .Any advice on French customs?

WinnieThePoo profile image
WinnieThePoo in reply toKevin51

Not really. Have your great grandmothers birth certificate handy, as usual. I paid VAT only - no duty. Not sure why. They give you a letter saying what you need to do to secure release of the package. If you get stuck - message me.

glenandgerry profile image
glenandgerry

The link worked for me. Thanks for posting

LAJ12345 profile image
LAJ12345

It worked for me. (The link) The laser he talks about is expensive but the coronet helmet we have was a lot cheaper. I’m not sure how different they are. The other link above is a much shorter video. The top one was very good.

bandmember profile image
bandmember

Eureka moment

“It was incredibly exciting to see changes in the microbiome and improvements in symptoms happening at the same time,” Dr Liebert says.

“Even more exciting when we saw the same kind of changes in the Sydney trial where we treated the abdomen only.”

The majority of participants showed a significant increase in 10 different genera of microorganisms including bacteroids, alistipes and prevotella and a significant decrease in 17 different genera including bifidobacterium, streptococcus and various clostridium and enterococcaceae ­genera.

Interestingly two of the bacterium that showed an increase – bacteroids and prevotella – have been shown in multiple studies to be reduced in the gut microbiome of Parkinson’s sufferers. In fact low levels of prevotella are so strongly associated with a more rapid progression and greater severity of Parkinson’s that it has been proposed as a biomarker for the disease, while bacteroids are considered beneficial to the microbiome through their anti-inflammatory properties and production of healthy short chain fatty acids.

Five of the bacteria that showed a decrease post light therapy – bifidobacterium, streptococcus, lactobacillus, christensenella and enterococcaceae – have been shown in multiple studies to be increased in the microbiome of Parkinson’s sufferers.

Several of the bacteria are generally considered detrimental to the microbiome. Enterobacteriaceae is thought to decrease gut integrity and produce pro-inflammatory metabolites; Clos­tridium genera are associated with high fat diets and Type 2 diabetes; and streptococcus is considered to be potentially pathogenic.

“It is quite possible that laser will provide a synergistic effect to the currently available therapeutic manoeuvres (to the gut microbiome),” Professor of Cardiology at Macquarie University Hosen Kiat says. “It is a no-brainer if it is useful because it is relatively cheap, it is non-invasive and it has zero side effects.”

Surprise discoveries

Not all the microbiome findings were as expected. Both lactobacillus and bifidobacterium are considered to be beneficial to the microbiome, yet both bacteria showed a significant decrease in the majority of participants following light therapy.

“We know that very few diseases have a magic bullet treatment,” Professor Kiat says. “I don’t want to overall any technology in its infancy. But if I were a Parkinson’s patient I would seek out the laser and I would use the same protocol as we described.”

Despite these uncertainties, one of the trial’s participants, Margaret Jarrett, 75, is convinced of light therapy’s benefits. As an avid flower gardener at her Adelaide home, she was dismayed when she developed anosmia (loss of smell) as a result of her Parkinson’s.

After several weeks of therapy, she regained her sense of smell. “It’s amazing, you go outside and I suddenly smell the perfume of murraya in full bloom,” she says.

Jarrett noted another improvement post therapy. For years she had been plagued with debilitating irritable bowel syndrome. “I never knew what the morning would be like,” Jarrett says. “I like to get up early and go for a walk and sometimes I would get caught short.”

Interestingly, two bacteria that have been found to be elevated in IBS, dorea and enterococcaceae, decreased post light therapy in Liebert’s trial. “The laser has really helped me not to have diarrhoea,” Jarrett, who continues to administer light therapy via a handheld device to her abdomen three times a week, says.

David Harrison, 62, from Sydney, is another trial participant. Diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in his mid-50s, Harrison’s symptoms had become so severe that he was having to use his left hand for most tasks.

“Eight weeks after starting laser therapy I was driving myself home and I suddenly realised I was right-handed again,” Harrison says.

Post-trial Harrison purchased a handheld laser device and also continues to use it three times a week. “I still take my medications for Parkinson’s, I think it’s prudent to do that,” he said. “But I use the light therapy as well. I’m doing everything I can to beat ­Parkinson’s.”

It is impossible at this stage to know whether the improvements in the Parkinson’s symptoms of the trial participants were due to the effect of infra-red light therapy to the brain, or due to changes in the gut microbiome, or partially due to a placebo effect, or, most likely, a combination of the above.

What is unquestioned is that exposure to light therapy did alter the gut microbiome, seemingly for the better, and that further research in this area is urgently needed.

With his Parkinson’s symptoms in check, Till plans to do more travelling. “I have family up on the Gold Coast, and I think to myself, ‘Can I drive that far?’ Before it was impossible but now I think, ‘Perhaps I can’.”

As for Jarrett, she has some important advice for others who may have Parkinson’s disease diagnosed.

“Don’t despair and don’t panic,” she says. “Be open-minded about adjunctive therapies and get a good team to support you. When I was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s I said to my doctor, ‘It’s not going to get me. I’m going out to meet it’.”

faridaro profile image
faridaro

If you look at the comments (under the video) they provide information on the devices used in the trial:

"The laser that was used in the Australian trial can be found here: symbyxbiome.com/collections...

And the headpiece (helmet) that was used in the trial can be found here: pulselaserrelief.com.au/sho...

A cheaper option would be to purchase a home-made light helmet from the Dorset Men’s Shed in Tasmania. They build light hats for members of the public for $300 and ship them all over the world. "

According to the above they didn't use coronet but vielight neuro gamma.

JAS9 profile image
JAS9 in reply tofaridaro

Another option is to buy the Coronet Duo from wellred.com.au . it's cost is between the two options you mentioned. I just got mine a few days ago and I think and it's very well made. They also have a mat if you want to do the gut treatment. Granted, it's not the one used in this study but there are at least four or five of us here with Coronets now who will be reporting on our results.

faridaro profile image
faridaro in reply toJAS9

Hope to hear good news regarding Coronet!

I have a mat that I got from Amazon a few years ago (no longer available there, but is still sold from other vendors). It seems to be comparable to the one used in the study. Didn't think about using it on the abdomen though - now plan to try:

store.optum.com/products/dp...

LAJ12345 profile image
LAJ12345 in reply toJAS9

I wonder how different laser treatment is to the LED on the coronet. He mentions LED but doesn’t go into differences and if LED are as effective.

laglag profile image
laglag in reply toLAJ12345

Hi LAJ. I believe I mentioned, in one of these threads, I purchased a book on red light therapy and it mentions LED vs red light. I believe they are equally as good, but the LED has EMFs but not any more than a computer or cellphone. Someone borrowed my book. I'll get it back and let you know tomorrow.

LAJ12345 profile image
LAJ12345 in reply tolaglag

Great, thanks

laglag profile image
laglag in reply toLAJ12345

There is alot of information in the book I bought about "Red Light Therapy" by Ari Whitten. The author tries to make it as simple as possible. He talks about PD quite a few times in the book. I highly recommend this book if you know very little about read light therapy. He also explains how Red Light helps, not only Parkinson's, but other parts of your body also. Below are just a few of the things he discusses...

New research has shown that it is not necessary to use these expensive laser devices and most experts now agree that it's possible to get the same benefits from red and near infrared light therapy LED panels at a fraction of the cost.

The human body needs light to be healthy. There are five types of bioactive light in humans. Blue light, UV light, bar infrared, red light, and near infrared or NIR. The type he recommends for nuerological purposes is NIR.

It is a myth that lasers have the only effect on your body.

Recently it has been proven that non laser light (like from LED devices of the appropriate wavelengths) essentially have the same effects.

He explains many molecular mechanisms,including. Melatonin - NIR has been shown to increase the extra - pineal production of melatonin outside of the pineal gland. Melatonin is much more than just a sleep induced hormone, it has critical role in protecting the mitochondria from damage and supporting glutathione levels which is one of our body's most powerful and important antioxidants and detoxifying compounds. Also, BDNF, which is brain derived neurotophobic factor which is involved in neuron/brain cell growth and regeneration.

There are Cellular Mechanisms that it helps also. A couple being inflammation & stem cells. Another mechanism is tissue mechanism which include muscles, brain which includes improvements in cognitive performance and memory, improve functioning after traumatic brain injury, improved mood, as well as improvements in certain neurological diseases.

He explains 2 mechanisms of red/NIR, #1 being increased mitochondrial energy production and #2 building up the cells antioxidant and anti-inflammatory defense systems.

Mitochondria cannot generate ATP (Adenosine triphosphate) efficiently without oxygen so anything that slows oxygen from being utilized by the mitochondria will slow energy production dramatically.

Turns out that light can actually interact with chlorophyll and metabolites in a way that leads to the regeneration of CoQ 10.

The health of every organ and every cell in the body depends on the energy being produced by the mitochondria in those cells. Thus, because red/nir light therapy work to enhance mitochondrial energy production and essentially every type of cell in the body, it can enhance the cellular process and cellular health of potentially almost every type of cell in the body.

Recent studies have now found that red and near-infrared light therapy may significantly help the progression of Alzheimer's in Parkinson's disease.

Near infrared light (because it penetrates the skull better than red light), appears to be a promising therapy for neurological conditions and improving brain health.

He goes through dosing, some specific things, but he does say that too little of the dose you get minimal to no effects and too strong of a dose and you can get minimal to no effects. You can usually tell if you get too much light, you'll feel really fatigued.

He explains power density, the distance from the light, wavelength, claimed wattage versus actual wattage, size of the device / treatment area.

Goes into a lot of detail explaining these things, i e, since hair blocks the light you want to use it on an area of your head without hair.

Red light is visible to the human eye, while near infrared is almost entirely invisible. Near infrared penetrates a little deeper into the tissues compared to Red Light special through the skull.

Here is something interesting, if you only want to treat your brain like for a neurological disease, then near infrared is best. The Vielight Neuro the best option for that specific purpose.

He explains the general dosing recommendations that he gives are for led panel devices, not for specific devices like Photopuncture or Vielight Neuro.

Do not use within an hour of going to bed.

laglag 🥊

LAJ12345 profile image
LAJ12345 in reply tolaglag

Thanks, hi yes I read that book a while back. I read at an airport so probably need to reread slowly.

Interesting it doesn’t go through hair well as the coronet is for head. Hubby has thick hair up there! Still! I shall have to keep it short for him.

It’s on kindle. Make sure you get the right book as there are apparently fake plagiarised books with different authors that have just cut big chunks out of his book and republished under a fake author!

laglag profile image
laglag in reply toLAJ12345

Thanks! Do you know who the real author is?

LAJ12345 profile image
LAJ12345 in reply tolaglag

Yes Ari is the actual author of the real one but other fakes from China I think have a variety of authors with slightly different names and covers but clearly copied from his original book.

Baron1 profile image
Baron1 in reply tolaglag

Smoke & Mirrors?

I have spoken to a world renowned Neurologist here in Melbourne Australia about the Red Light Helmet.

He stated that the supposedly benefits of the light penetrating the skull is impossible.

The skull in his words, "It is not possible for light to get in, the human skull is well designed to keep light out".

He believes that this Helmet system would not benefit patients and only strengthen his resolve in that people are seeing a placebo effect, and no actual biological benefit from the helmet light gadget.

Sorry, if this offends anyone, but these are his words.

I was looking to purchase one for my mother and he stated it would be a waste of money.

However, to those that claim they have experienced a benefit, good luck and all the best.

Erniediaz1018 profile image
Erniediaz1018 in reply tofaridaro

Hey faridaro thank you. Do you have a link for the Dorset Men’s Shed in Tasmania?

faridaro profile image
faridaro in reply toErniediaz1018

Ernie,

They have a facebook page where you can contact them facebook.com/DorsetMensShed...

mauigirl18 profile image
mauigirl18 in reply tofaridaro

Just received mine yesterday from the Men's Shed in Tasmania.

laglag profile image
laglag in reply tomauigirl18

Keep us updated on your progress!

mauigirl18 profile image
mauigirl18 in reply tolaglag

I will!

WinnieThePoo profile image
WinnieThePoo

reported as spam

Oceanflow profile image
Oceanflow

Do you, or anyone reading this thread remember who made their own red light helmet ? My boyfriend wants to make me one and would like some info on specifications. I know somebody was wearing one on of our Sunday zoom sessions ….

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