Light therapy

[thomas-rutschman]

I live above the Arctic circle, with virtually no direct sunlight for a few months of the year (like now!). Light therapy helps people who feel depressed by the lack of sunlight. When I first moved here I heard that some hospitals gave light therapy. But that was a long time ago. I did pick up a lamp which has the right UV and my wife uses it when she paints in the wintertime to get the right nuances.

In Russia above the Arctic circle school kids walk through a light tunnel every so often I have been told by people who grew up in Murmansk.
I have never heard about light therapy being specifically used for Parkinson’s. But if you are feeling “blue” give it a try! My idea was to use it when I was reading–but I never got around to doing that!

Blessings,

Tom

[hugh-mccrackin]

Hi, there are several types of light therapy. I currently am trying NIR (near infra red). Found this on some websites from Tasmania. Followed instructions and build myself an led nir hat. Wear it 30 minutes + daily while I check emails. Not sure if it helps my Parkinson’s but seems to reduce the gray hair 🙂

best wishes Hugh

[hugh-mccrackin]

Hi, there are several types of light therapy. I currently am trying NIR (near infra red). Found this on some websites from Tasmania. Followed instructions and build myself an led nir hat. Wear it 30 minutes + daily while I check emails. Not sure if it helps my Parkinson’s but seems to reduce the gray hair 🙂

best wishes Hugh

[chris-guss]

Do you mean full spectrum light for circadian issues or Red light for mitochondria support? (see https://www.wellred.com.au) I use a therapad as a head wrap for a daily red light treatment.

[nanzee]

Have you received any positive results in treating parkinson’s symptoms from using the therapad?

[chris-guss]

I use it for 20 minutes daily on the dual spectrum (660 & 850nm) flashing mode for maximum power. After 15 months, its hard to say if its working, since I am attacking the disease with other therapies as well, but its easy enough to do. I intend on continuing to use it. The price continues to drop on Amazon, so you can give it a try and return it if you don’t care for it.

[steve-miller]

Lifewave makes incredible patches that works with the body’s light energy for healing.

[allie-j]

I recently took part in a light therapy trial at QUT Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation in Brisbane, Australia. It is researching Photoreceptor- directed light therapy in PD.

Their “research has shown that there are specific cells (Mel’s ops in cells” in the back of the eye that are not working well in people with Parkinson’s disease. These cells function can be simply determined by measuring your pupil movements in response to light.” This clinical trial is using a light they developed to preferentially activate these cells.
They believe that by using this light 30 minutes a day to preferentially activate Mel’s ops in cells in the eye will help to sleep better which will positively impact on movements such as balance, gait and tremor during the day.

The trial is still ongoing and won’t have results for another 12 months. I did not feel any different but perhaps I was one of the control group.

[alan-tobey]

You’ll find this post both more coherent and easier to follow up on if you use the correct spelling: melanopsin. cells.

[allie-j]

Sorry.. “Melanopsin” is what I typed but my predictive text changed it without me noticing.

[chris-thompson]

Anyone know anything about this trial?
Phase 3 Trial Tests PhotoPharmics’ At-home Light Therapy to Ease Parkinson’s Symptoms
https://parkinsonsnewstoday.com/2020/07/17/phase-3-trial-tests-photopharmics-at-home-light-therapy-to-ease-parkinsons-symptoms/

A new Phase 3 clinical trial will test PhotoPharmics‘ light-based, at-home therapy device — called Celeste — for Parkinson’s disease.

The “Celeste Light for PD Trial” — a collaboration between PhotoPharmics and the Center for Health + Technology (CHeT) at the University of Rochester Medical Center — will be conducted at home via telemedicine and is set to begin in the fall. More  information is available here.

Our body’s “natural clock” — the circadian rhythm — is key for regulating essential functions such as sleep or metabolism. However, in people with Parkinson’s, circadian rhythms are poorly regulated. This dysregulation is associated with the development of both motor and non-motor symptoms characteristic of the disease.

PhotoPharmics’s Celeste device uses a combination of light intensities and bandwidths believed to have a therapeutic effect.

Preclinical studies have suggested that light therapy improves the circadian rhythm and may be an effective therapy for easing both motor and non-motor features of Parkinson’s disease.

In a previous clinical trial (NCT02175472), 92 Parkinson’s patients — ages 45 or older, and all taking dopaminergic therapy — received either phototherapy or a placebo light for one hour each evening for six months.

The results showed that light therapy led to a clinically meaningful improvement on disease severity, as assessed through the Movement Disorders Society-Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS), a four-part assessment of motor and non-motor Parkinson’s symptoms.

Patients given light therapy showed a significant reduction in non-motor symptoms (measured through Part 1 of the MDS-UPDRS), as well as a significant improvement in their quality of life and a tendency to reduce daytime sleepiness.
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“Our first trial showed improvement in quality of life on top of best managed care,” Dan Adams, science officer at PhotoPharmics, said in a press release.

The improvements in the MDS-UPDRS Part 1 “is something we have never seen before, and may signal for the first time, broad, general improvement in non-motor symptoms,” he said.

In the pivotal Phase 3 trial (NCT04453033), participants will be assigned randomly to use the Celeste phototherapy device or a sham device (producing the same bandwidths of light, but at different intensities) for one hour daily, while they watch TV, eat dinner, read or use the computer, for a total of six months.

The trial’s main (primary) outcome is to assess the impact of the phototherapy device on patients’ motor and non-motor symptoms, assessed in Part 1 and Part 2 of the MDS-UPDRS.

Assessments will be performed via teleconference. “A stay-at-home trial featuring a non-invasive device is perfect for our time,” said Ray Dorsey, lead investigator for the trial and director of CHeT.

“Our team will assess a patient’s progress via video conference in the most natural and accurate setting — the convenience of their own home. Anyone with Parkinson’s from across the country can apply, even those in remote locations as long as they have an internet connection,” Dorsey added.

Recently, the Celeste phototherapy device was granted breakthrough device designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a designation given to medical devices with the potential to offer more effective treatment for life-threatening or debilitating diseases.

The positive outcomes of the Celeste phototherapy device on the MDS-UPDRS in the first trial probably is “why the FDA granted this therapy a Breakthrough Designation,” said Adams, as “treatment options overall remain limited … and new treatments for non-motor symptoms in PD remains a top priority.”

[elspeth-watt]

my husbnad has used light therapy for a few months now – the Symbyx one from https://symbyxbiome.com/ which is a hand held laser that he uses on his gut and a helmet for the head as well. he has noticed significant improvement in his gut problems and also sleep. it is expected that improvements will continue so we hope so!! it is very easy to use and we can have a zoom consultation with the Dr’s when ever we want.

[cindy-k]

The trial mentioned has a contact person ( email address). I asked if my husband could be part of the 3rd trial. They are recruiting for late summer/fall 2022.

Thanks to all who responded to my question regarding light therapy. I appreciate all your suggestions and info.

[marknicholson]

Yes, I tried light therapy along with yoga. It was very calming but also very expensive in Kenya, possibly because the doctor had a monopoly. The light source is highly technical and linked up to something or somebody in Canada. If I had more money I would have continued.