Migraine
Headache
For the last ten years Dr Duncan
Anderson of The Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Hammersmith
Hospital, London, has been working with Photic Stimulation
(pulsed light) as a treatment for migraine.
In the journal "Headache"
he reported on a study of 50 migraine headaches: 49 were rated
by the patients as being helped and 36 as being stopped by
using light treatment. The light treatment shortened the migraine
attacks in all the patients. And the average interval between
successive migraine headaches increased in two cases which
were followed for more than 18 months. For details, please
see the journal reference for Anderson (1989) on the Scientific
Studies page of this website.
A recent survey of migraine
patients using Dr Anderson's light therapy found that between
43 and 55% of them reported that after the treatment, the
frequency of their migraine attacks was "somewhat less"
or "much less" (under a conservative interpretation
of these categories). The highest percentage of success (55%)
was reported by those whose migraine was preceded by some
kind of warning signs (visual disturbances, numbness,tingling,etc).
In view of the limited effectiveness of migraine preventive
drugs and their undesirable side-effects, Photic Stimulation
(Dr Anderson's light therapy) is clearly one of the most valuable
preventive treatments for migraine. For details, please see
the journal reference for Noton (2000) on the Scientific
Studies page of this website.
Treatment
with light not drugs
The treatment involves wearing a lightmask that covers the
eyes for about 15 minutes per day. The lightmask contains
miniature lights, one in front of each eye, which gently pulse
in special pre-programmed rhythms. The lightmask is used every
day, as a preventive, and also whenever a migraine attack
starts, to stop the attack. The treatment is non-invasive
and drug free.
Research
into various disorders
Originally Dr Anderson developed the pulsed light treatment
as a remedy for migraine. In the course of this work he discovered
that it was also very effective for PMS. Additional studies
are underway or planned to study the application of pulsed
light in other areas where it is believed to be effective,
such as insomnia and Attention Deficit Disorder. Dr Anderson's
studies of pulsed light are the first to be conducted in the
formal setting of a research hospital and are the first to
be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
How
does it work?
Why should pulsed light shone into the eyes be such an effective
treatment for PMS and migraine? Published research shows that
during PMS, the body's internal daily clock becomes de-synchronised
from the external rhythm of day and night. Dr Anderson's results
suggest that daily use of the pulsed light helps the clock
to re-synchronise. It re-establishes normal brain function
in the visual cortex when used during migraine aura, thereby
stopping activation of the trigeminovascular system (the cause
of pain). It re-establishes normal function in the brain when
used during warning signs for migraine without aura.
The
Rio Lightmask
The Rio Lightmask is a low-cost
device for pulsed light therapy (Photic Stimulation). Dr Anderson's
pulsed light treatment has been developed into a small portable
device suitable for home use. The Lightmask consists of a
pulsed light unit mounted on a soft wrap-around headband.
A separate control unit allows the user to select various
programmes (for PMS, Migraine, Insomnia, Stress-relaxation,
etc) and to adjust the brightness and pulse frequency of the
light for maximum comfort. The Lightmask switches off automatically
after 15 minutes, allowing it to be used when going to sleep.
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PMS
(Premenstrual Syndrome)
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
is a major source of distress for many women. In the days
leading up to their menstrual period they suffer from physical
symptoms such as bloating and breast tenderness, and emotional
and behavioral symptoms such as mood swings, irritability
and food cravings. PMS is also sometimes known as Premenstrual
Tension (PMT), since tension is often a major symptom.
New
natural treatment for PMS
Dr Duncan Anderson, a research doctor at The Royal Postgraduate
Medical School in London, has discovered a treatment that
virtually eliminates PMS in most women. The treatment is a
form of light therapy known as Photic Stimulation. It involves
shining gently pulsed light into closed eyes for about 15
minutes a day.
Most
effective remedy yet
A six month trial of the new treatment was recently conducted
by Dr Anderson and his colleagues at The Royal Postgraduate
Medical School, Hammersmith Hospital, London. The results,
published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, show
that this new technique is more effective than any other previously
published remedy for PMS.
On average, the women in the
trial experienced a 76% reduction in their symptoms, to the
point where most of them no longer suffered from PMS. No previous
treatment for PMS, be it anti-depressants, hormones, relaxation
or vitamin and herbal supplements, has shown this high level
of improvement.
The women in the test also
reported some other unexpected good side-effects, including
a reduction in period pains, improvement in sleep quality,
and weight loss by women who had suffered food cravings. For
details, please see the journal reference for Anderson et
al (1997) on the Scientific Studies
page of this website.
Treatment
with light not drugs
The treatment involves wearing a lightmask that covers the
eyes for about 15 minutes per day. The lightmask contains
miniature lights, one in front of each eye, which gently pulse
in special pre-programmed rhythms. The lightmask is used either
every day or at least every day in the second half of a woman's
cycle. The treatment is non-invasive and drug free.
Research
into various disorders
Originally Dr Anderson developed the pulsed light treatment
as a remedy for migraine. In the course of this work he discovered
that it was also very effective for PMS. Additional studies
are underway or planned to study the application of pulsed
light in other areas where it is believed to be effective,
such as insomnia and Attention Deficit Disorder. Dr Anderson's
studies of pulsed light are the first to be conducted in the
formal setting of a research hospital and are the first to
be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
How
does it work?
Why should pulsed light shone into the eyes be such an effective
treatment for PMS and migraine? Published research shows that
during PMS, the body's internal daily clock becomes de-synchronised
from the external rhythm of day and night. Dr Anderson's results
suggest that daily use of the pulsed light helps the clock
to re-synchronise. It re-establishes normal brain function
in the visual cortex when used during migraine aura, thereby
stopping activation of the trigeminovascular system (the cause
of pain). It re-establishes normal function in the brain when
used during warning signs for migraine without aura.
The
Rio Lightmask
The Rio Lightmask is a low-cost
device for pulsed light therapy (Photic Stimulation). Dr Anderson's
pulsed light treatment has been developed into a small portable
device suitable for home use. The Lightmask consists of a
pulsed light unit mounted on a soft wrap-around headband.
A separate control unit allows the user to select various
programmes (for PMS, Migraine, Insomnia, Stress-relaxation,
etc) and to adjust the brightness and pulse frequency of the
light for maximum comfort. The Lightmask switches off automatically
after 15 minutes, allowing it to be used when going to sleep.
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Insomnia
& Other Sleep Disorders
It is Lightmask customers themselves
who have convinced us that pulsed light therapy is a valuable
treatment for insomnia. Again and again, while talking to
customers about their experience with a Lightmask, which they
may have bought for PMS, Migraine or other problems, they
tell us "and you know, I'm sleeping better too".
Other customers call and ask us if the Lightmask will still
be effective if they fall asleep during their daily 15 minute
session, it is, since the Lightmask turns off automatically
after 15 minutes, falling asleep is not a problem and the
Lightmask can simply be removed during the night when awakening
or turning over. Although there is little published scientific
evidence for the sleep-inducing effect of Photic Stimulation
(pulsed light), the sheer weight of customers' comments cannot
be ignored.
Furthermore, scientific validation
may soon be available. A psychotherapist in Canberra, Australia,
who works with veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress
syndrome (PTSD, previously known as "battle fatigue"),
has found the Lightmask very helpful for her clients' sleep
problems. Because of their disturbed mental and emotional
state, these veterans tend to have trouble sleeping and, if
they awaken during the night after nightmares, they have even
greater trouble going back to sleep. The psychotherapist has
been supplying them with a Lightmask and instructing them
to use it for 30 minutes (i.e. two sessions) at bedtime and
again for 15 minutes (one session) if they awaken and have
trouble going back to sleep.
So successful has this programme
been, that a preliminary trial is being started, to attempt
to put the treatment on a firmer scientific basis.
Comment: for use by PTSD sufferers
the Lightmask is set to flash at 13 cycles per second, rather
than the normal factory setting of 30 cycles per second. This
is the frequency of the SMR brainwave rhythm, which has been
shown to suppress restlessness. According to published studies
by Dr Steven Woodward of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center
in Palo Alto, California, veterans suffering from PTSD tend
to be deficient in this brainwave frequency, which may explain
their success in using the Lightmask at this frequency. However,
for normal use for insomnia, the Lightmask appears to be quite
effective at the normal factory setting.
The
Rio Lightmask
The Rio Lightmask is a low-cost
device for pulsed light therapy (Photic Stimulation). Dr Anderson's
pulsed light treatment has been developed into a small portable
device suitable for home use. The Lightmask consists of a
pulsed light unit mounted on a soft wrap-around headband.
A separate control unit allows the user to select various
programmes (for PMS, Migraine, Insomnia, Stress-relaxation,
etc) and to adjust the brightness and pulse frequency of the
light for maximum comfort. The Lightmask switches off automatically
after 15 minutes, allowing it to be used when going to sleep.
SAD
(Seasonal Affective Disorder)
Of all the disorders that can
be treated with light therapy, Winter Depression or Seasonal
Affective Disorder (SAD) is by far the most extensively researched.
More than 10 years of research and dozens of published papers
attest to the reality of SAD and the effectiveness of daily
bright light sessions as a treatment. Research has even been
sponsored by the US government departments, such as the National
Institutes of Health.
In the past doctors have tended
to dismiss the problem of SAD, suggesting that it's all in
the head and that the benefits of the bright light treatment
were all wishful thinking. But now three scientific reports
published simultaneously in the October 1998 issue of the
Archives of General Psychiatry show beyond reasonable doubt
that SAD is real and that the bright light treatment really
works. The tests involved quite large numbers of subjects
and the bright light treatment was tested against "placebo"
treatments, that were designed to seem convincing but do nothing,
to ensure that positive expectations did bias the results.
For details, please see the journal references for Avery (1998),
Avery at al (1993), Eastman et al (1998), Joffe et al (1993)
and Terman et al (1998) on the Scientific
Studies page of this website.
The Rio
SAD Lamp is a compact unit, standing at only 19cm tall,
it can be easily placed in a bedroom or a living room, on
a desk beside a PC at home or even on a desk at work. It produces
a full spectrum of natural light with low energy usage. The
lamp can be used at any time during the day (to link to the
natural biological clock, it is best to use between 6am and
8pm), although research has shown that morning use is the
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Coldsores
Coldsores are caused
by the Herpes Simplex virus. Initial infection usually
occurs after contact with a person already carrying
the virus. After infection the virus passes through
the skin and enters a nerve where it remains dormant
until triggered. This may be caused by colds, flu, fatigue,
stress, bright sunlight and menstruation. When triggered
the virus travels back down the nerve to the skin causing
the cold sore attack.
The Herpes Simplex virus
is easily transmitted, and should you get a coldsore,
avoid touching it with your fingers, touching your eyes,
kissing or oral sex, sharing drinking or eating utensils,
sharing towels or other bathroom utensils.
The Rio
Virulite is a hand-held device which when held against
the infected area, uses infra-red light (not visible
to the human eye) to treat the coldsore. The light acts
as a catalyst which boosts the immune system into healing
the area much faster, usually healing the coldsore in
a quarter of the natural healing time. With regular
use, the coldsores may never return. |
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ADD/ADHD
(Attention Deficit Disorder)
There is not a great deal of
published scientific data on the use of light therapy for
attention deficit disorder, but there have been a few studies
published and there are a number of anecdotal reports. In
1993, JL Carter and HL Russell of the University of Houston,
published in The Texas Researcher the results of a study of
Photic Stimulation with learning-disabled boys (ADD/ADHD)
aged eight to twelve. The study used an unusual protocol in
which the frequency of the pulsed light was varied every two
minutes between 10Hz and 18Hz; the Photic Stimulation was
also accompanied by auditory stimulation at the same frequency.
The study showed significant increases in several intelligence
measures. However, in some cases as many as 80 sessions were
required. For the complete journal reference for this research,
please visit the Scientific Studies
page of this website.
Some studies have been conducted
by David Siever of Comptronic in Canada, but we are not aware
of any published material in peer-reviewed journals. Most
of his studies appear to have used a pulse frequency of 10Hz.
In his book "Mega Brain
Power" (Hyperion, 1994), Michael Hutchison presents an
interesting anecdotal report on a colleague with ADD. Based
on his extensive experience with Photic Stimulation (pulsed
light therapy), Hutchison recommends a protocol much simpler
than the Carter-Russell protocol mentioned above.
In fact, based on our experience
with the Lightmask, we believe that the best protocol for
most applications of Photic Stimulation may well be to allow
the user to find the frequency that he or she prefers; this
will encourage regular use, whereas an enforced and unliked
frequency will discourage use. As with most health and self-improvement
practices, regularity of practice is probably more important
than the exact details and procedures followed. In the trial
of Photic Stimulation for PMS, reported elsewhere on this
website, the subjects were allowed to choose their own preferred
frequency (though 30Hz was suggested to them as an initial
frequency). Their choices ranged widely from 8Hz to 50Hz and
almost all the subjects experienced major improvements in
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Stress
Reduction & Relaxation
The use of Photic Stimulation
(pulsed light therapy) for relaxation and stress reduction
has not yet received as much research attention as it deserves.
Perhaps this is because stress is not taken very seriously
in most medical circles. It is considered a normal fact of
life - perhaps especially for medical personnel! However,
many users of the Lightmask report that the treatment is a
pleasant and relaxing experience and, as mentioned in the
insomnia section of this page, many of them also report falling
asleep while using the Lightmask, an indication of some level
of relaxation.
In fact, there is a small body
of scientific evidence that Photic Stimulation is relaxing
and reduces stress levels. The work of Dr Norman Shealy with
chronic pain patients, which has continued for more than twenty
years, is briefly described in the pain management section
of this page. In some of these studies, he and his colleagues
also measured relaxation levels and these were consistently
reported to be reduced. Dr Donald Morse of Temple University
of Dentistry has studied the use of Photic Stimulation to
reduce stress levels in patients awaiting dental surgery (root
canal procedures). Using both subjective reports and objective
measures (galvanic skin resistance and pulse rate), he found
that the treatment was significantly better than the "routine
calming words spoken by the dentist and dental assistant".
In his published papers, Morse also reviews some earlier,
less formal studies of relaxation using Photic Stimulation.
For details, please see the journal references for Morse (1993)
and Morse-Chow (1993) on the Scientific
Studies page of this website.
Overall, the combination of
anecdotal and scientific evidence is a convincing indication
that Photic Stimulation is a useful treatment for at least
moderate levels of stress and anxiety.
The
Rio Lightmask
The Rio Lightmask is a low-cost
device for pulsed light therapy (Photic Stimulation). Dr Anderson's
pulsed light treatment has been developed into a small portable
device suitable for home use. The Lightmask consists of a
pulsed light unit mounted on a soft wrap-around headband.
A separate control unit allows the user to select various
programmes (for PMS, Migraine, Insomnia, Stress-relaxation,
etc) and to adjust the brightness and pulse frequency of the
light for maximum comfort. The Lightmask switches off automatically
after 15 minutes, allowing it to be used when going to sleep.
CFS
(Chronic Fatigue) & ME
Although no formal scientific
studies have been conducted, there have been a number of remarkable
reports of major improvement of CFS or ME using pulsed light
therapy. Unfortunately, there have also been a number of reports
of cases which were not at all benefited. Evidently CFS/ME
is a complex condition with a variety of causes and forms;some
of these may respond to light therapy, while others may not.
When good results were obtained, they were clear and dramatic,
"This was a turning point for me" said one sufferer;
"It changed my life" said another. But the disappointments
were equally clear for those whom it did not help.
Until scientific studies yield
clearer results, perhaps the most that a CFS/ME sufferer can
do is to try this form of therapy, relying on the money-back
guarantee to recover the expense if improvement is not forthcoming. |
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Pain
Reduction & Management
For more than twenty years
Dr Norman Shealy and his colleagues at the Shealy Institute
in Springfield, Missouri, USA, have been working with patients
with chronic pain, using Photic Stimulation (pulsed light
therapy) as well as many other forms of treatment. They have
published a number of studies of Photic Stimulation for relaxation
and for reduction and management of chronic pain. Some of
their studies included measurements of levels of endorphins
and other neurohormones and neurochemicals, some of which
showed quite dramatic changes as a result of 30 minutes of
Photic Stimulation. For details, please see the journal references
for Cox et al (1996) and Shealy et al (1996) on the Scientific
Studies page of this website.
There have been a few other
studies published in the last ten years. For example, in 1992,
FJ Boersma and C Gagnon of the University of Alberta, published
three case studies of the successful use of combined photic
and audio stimulation in the management of back pain. And
N Thomas of the University of Alberta and D Siever of Comptronic
Devices Ltd, have studied TMJ patients and worked with patients
with lower back pain. For details, please see journal references
for Boersma and Gagnon (1992) and Thomas and Siever on the
Scientific Studies page of this
website.
Acne
& Other Skin Problems
One of the most interesting
new applications of light therapy is in the treatment of acne.
Dr Tony Chu at the Hammersmith Hospital in London (the same
hospital in which pulsed light therapy for PMS and Migraine
was developed) discovered a particular wavelength of blue
light which kills off the bacterium, Propionibacterium acnes,
which causes the infections and inflammation producing the
condition known as acne. Previous research, going back even
into the 19th century, had shown that red light aids wound
healing. Putting these two ideas together, Dr Chu developed
a light unit with red and blue lamps of the appropriate wavelengths,
and showed it to be a very effective treatment for acne, the
blue light reducing bacterial infection, while the red light
accelerated the natural healing process. A recently published
study showed that treatment for 15 minutes a day for twelve
weeks, produced a 76% reduction in acne activity. For details,
please see the journal references for Papageorgiou et al (2000)
and Cunliffe and Goulden (2000) on the Scientific
Studies page of this website. Please note - the wavelengths
of light used are not such as to cause any danger of sunburn
or skin cancer.
Wound
Healing
One of the most widespread
uses of light therapy is in the healing of wounds. Extensive
research, mainly in Eastern European countries, has clearly
demonstrated that polarized light is very effective in promoting
the healing of wounds, burns, leg ulcers and other hard-to-heal
surface injuries. The work has been reported in numerous publications,
but unfortunately only a few of them are available in the
English language medical literature. For references, please
visit the Scientific Studies page
of this website, in particular papers by Depuydt et al and
Kubasova et al).
The early work in this field
was done with laser light, but it was subsequently discovered
that the key aspect of the laser light was its polarization
and that similar effects could be obtained using normal (incoherent)
light that was polarized. The light used is generally of broad
spectrum, in the range of the visible and near-infra-red,
with any UV component removed.
It has been shown that polarized
light affects the alignment of fat and protein molecules on
the cell membrane and it is believed that this is the mechanism
through which it promotes cell regeneration and healing.
Although it is widely used
in hospitals, polarized light therapy is also well suited
to home use, since the light devices are small and portable.
Medical
Applications for Light Therapy
At this Light Therapy Centre
website, we have tried to present the various forms of light
therapy which can be applied at home, using devices which
can be bought without prescription. There are of course other,
more medically-orientated forms of light therapy. For example,
the use of blue light as a treatment for neo-natal jaundice
is a well-established medical procedure, and medical trials
are being conducted on photodynamic therapy, a new light-based
treatment for certain forms of cancer. But these and other
forms of medical light therapy are treatments that must be
carried out in a hospital or clinic, under medical supervision,
and are considered beyond the scope of The Light Therapy Centre
and this website.
One of the most interesting
and unusual forms of medical light therapy is a Russian procedure,
known as blood photo-modification, in which blood is drawn
from the patient, circulated through a glass tube where it
is irradiated with laser light, and then returned directly
to the patient. At the LIGHT98 conference (see the general
article "A Bright Future for Light Therapy" in the
'What is Light Therapy?' section of this website) there was
a presentation on the use of this treatment in Russia, over
many years with thousands of patients. Astounding results
were reported with a wide range of diseases. |
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