Light Box Therapy

Light Box Therapy–A Favorite Light Therapy Product

There are several types of light therapy products, with the Light Box Therapy fast becoming one of the favorites, especially in the treatment of depression. Not acceptable in the past 25 years, antidepressant medication and psychotherapy have taken the front seat for acceptable depression treatments until the last ten years, when light therapy has quickly approaching a substantial position of respectability for the treatment of depression.

In 2005, the American Psychiatric Association in Washington, D.C., had come to the conclusion that in trial experiments, a daily exposure to bright light which utilizes natural sunlight or Light Box Therapy. It is considered just as effective as any of the antidepressant drugs in the treatment of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) which is also called “winter depression”, along with other forms of depression.

Over the past years, treatments such as the Light Box Therapy had been scoffed at by mainstream psychiatrists in the claims of “diminishing signs of depression” when exposed to daily bright-light exposures. These Light Box Therapy exposures ranged in early morning treatments from 30 minutes to one hour, with the trial results. When the tests were completed, they demonstrated pronounced and remarkable easing of the SAD symptoms upon awakening in the morning and apply dawn simulations of the Light Box Therapy or natural sunlight.

The latest research does not show yet results for severe depression, or whether certain colors can cause any eye problems or issues, even though there is a major agreement that it will not. And new treatments such as the Light Box Therapy combined with one night of sleep deprivation followed by a week’s normal sleeping patterns, are increasing recovery for those who are presently receiving antidepressants for bipolar or major depressions. But the maximum of long-term benefits are achieved with Light Box Therapy or natural sunlight in addition to sleeping with a regular schedule in order to balance the biological clock.

Shorter days with less sunlight began around October 30, 2007, in certain areas–Alaska, Maine, Vermont, and some other northern U.S. states–right after daylight saving ended. Approximately 14.5 million Americans are diagnosed with SAD, with feelings of suicide, lack of interest in anything around them, extreme fatigue, or feelings of worthlessness. To many of them, the Light Box Therapy with either white light or a full spectrum light to simulate the sunlight, will offer them a better feeling–depending on where or not they can stick to it or not.

Some of the more recent treatments of SAD include the Light Box Therapy combined with cognital-behavioral therapy, or CBT, which has results in the high 80% range bracket. They also have been proven to show less depression after a one-year follow up than either treatment alone.

Laser Light Therapy

Healing with Laser Light Therapy

Laser light therapy is a safe and painless treatment of today, used more and more to stimulate healing, while simultaneously offering a safe pain relief for a wide variety of conditions. Many medical professionals are adding this latest alternative treatment–therapeutic laser light therapy—in variable developments of visible red light, magnetic field, infrared, and super pulsed laser. In the process, photons are delivered to certain targeted areas of the body for many reasons in order to relieve pain and swelling. The laser light therapy is provided by a lower-power laser or a light emitting diode, or LED.

The first actual commercial lower-power laser that was suitable for treating human pain was available in the late 1970s. Since then, it has been widely used and accepted in Europe by the medical field. Once it received FDA approval in 2001, it became extremely popular in the United States. At that time, the FDA had cleared laser light therapy for speed healing and temporary relief of muscle and joint pain, arthritis, muscle stiffness, and increased circulation.
In conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome, a low level of laser light therapy has shown remarkable improvement in over 60% of patients. Light treatments of such medical conditions at specific wavelengths, at low intensity, has been providing results around the world.
With so many medical professionals expanding their medical field with alternative health products such as laser light therapy, more and more patients are seeking out those who know how to apply this latest technology to assist them in their searches. Many advantages involve short treatment time, ability to handle specific conditions, less side effects, and more conditions that can be treated than ever before—fibromyalgia, ligament sprains, muscle strains, arthritis, and many other disorders.

The best advantage of laser light therapy is that it can be used in combination with other therapy forms. Some of these include physical therapy, chiropractic adjustments, massages, soft tissue mobilization, electrotherapy, and immediately following surgery. Alternately, there are many other healing modalities that are considered as complementary forms that can be used with laser light therapy, in order to highly increase the effectiveness of the treatments.

Infrared Light Therapy

Reducing Pain and Increasing Circulation with Infrared Light Therapy

Infrared light therapy has been around the medical profession for around 20 years in the use of pain reduction and increase of the body’s circulation. In fact, infrared light treatments are used as a heat modality for many areas of physical therapy, now considered a medical necessity. An ancient practice, the increased acceptance of it today has brought about a lot of new changes in the use of light emitting diodes, or LEDs, also called Monochromatic Infrared Energy.

The advantage of the traditional medical field and their wide acceptance of infrared light therapy is that research began to develop it in regard to its (1) positive aspects, and (2) life saving qualities, whereas unnecessary surgeries and dangerous medication had been used previously. A recent system of infrared light therapy uses a new combination of infrared light energy–non-visible forms and visible–called the Healthlight System.

The Visible Infrared Light is a system that is recognized as being able to reach about eight to 10 mm into the human skin surface, beneficial for many types of surface wounds, cuts, scars, triggers, treating infections, and also acupuncture points. On the other hand, the Invisible Infrared Light can reach a depth of about 30 to 40 mm, an area that involves bones, deep muscles, and joints. What all of this refers to is that both the red and the infrared wavelengths have the ability to reach different depths yet have similar therapeutic effects toward healing.

To give credit where credit is due, infrared light therapy is an ancient form of light therapy that originated when sunlight shining on bare skin was filtered through red stained glass. From then on, documentation shows us that more is known about infrared light therapy than any other treatment in history–red will stimulate the system as it is a base chakra color, the “fight or flight” area.

The Healthlight system consists of the infrared light therapy and the visible light diodes, which creates a warm feeling on its pads. Also, an increase in circulation occurs or a decrease in swellings, decreased inflammations, decreased tension, or decreases in muscle spasms or even tightness. Yet at the same time, adverse side effects of using the infrared light therapy through Healthlight are almost zero, because of the built-in timers and auto shut-off features. Minor situation that may occur are a burning to an area if the infrared systems are left on too long if they do not have a timer or shut-off, and diabetic individuals should have their insulin levels monitored during the infrared light therapy treatments.

Medicare does not cover or approve the code for the Infrared Heating Pad for home treatments, but most other insurance companies do follow the policy. Also, no prescriptions are required for the Healthlight infrared light therapy system for personal purchases, or through a facility treatment. But through clinics that offer the infrared light therapy, a prescription is required if it needs to be reimbursed through the client’s health plan for private insurance.

Acne Light Therapy

The most common types of acne affect approximately 17 million teens and young adults in the United States, with the rare acne conglobata occurring in young men and acne fulminans–a severe form of acne conglobata–occurring in teen boys. And with this high of statistics, it is no wonder that Acne Light Therapy is becoming a top choice for safe alternative acne health treatments.

It has been proven in several studies that blue and red light working together through Acne Light Therapy, in specific wavelengths, have an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effect upon acne. The blue light at 415nm has an antibacterial effect, while the red light at 660nm acts as an effective anti-inflammatory. But so far, the USDA has approved only the narrow-band, high intensity blue-light therapy for acne treatments with results. And today, it is the best treatment so far, as the blue-light products being developed now do not contain ultraviolet light, or UV rays. The blue-light treatments consist of eight sessions in increments over four-weeks with each one being about 15 minutes long. About 55% of the patients state they saw noticeable improvements.

The reason Acne Light Therapy is so popular as a treatment for acne, as compared to the traditional antibiotics, is because if taken for a prolonged period of time the antibiotics can damage the lining of the gastrointestinal area of the body, in addition to exacerbating the very condition being treated. One study did an Acne Light Therapy testing, showing that 50% of those who had severe acne problems demonstrated higher levels of toxins in the bloodstream. If this has occurred, attempt to replenish the microflora that has been wiped out due to the excessive use of antibiotics with a probiotic supplement, such as eating bananas.

Additionally, a UK-led study of approximately 10,000 acne sufferers had excellent results with 70% participants reporting they had significant acne improvements with red-blue light therapy. Dr. Tony Chu from London, England, the doctor in charge of the Acne Light Therapy, has made it is his entire career to find a treatment for acne, and is quoted as saying that light therapy is the “most significant advance in the treatment of acne for two decades.” Dr. Tony’s Chu’s treatment for Acne Light Therapy is a device called the DermaLux, a light therapy box that the acne inflicted individuals can sit in front of for 15 minutes per day. How the treatment works is the acne-causing bacteria is killed by the correct mixture of red and blue light. Recent studies have also applied benzoyl peroxide cream twice daily.

Healing Modalities of Using Red Light Therapy

The monochromatic red light therapy is a powerful force, as it uses the red light to stimulate acupoints in the treatment of several diseases, followed by a gentle massage of the afflicted area. This can be many problem areas, such as shoulder pain, endocrine problems, diabetes, dysmenorrhea, depression, impotence, frigidity, the acupoints of the ear, and gastrointestinal problems.

A controlled study in 1990 at the San Diego State University School of Nursing, found that the effects of shining flashing red lights using special goggles focusing into the eyes of serious migraine sufferers could alter their migraine pain levels. The Red Light Therapy treatment began the instant the migraine would start, varying with different light intensities and the frequency of the flashing lights. Ninety-three percent of the clients said they had some relief, while 72% said the severe migraines were stopped completely within the hour.

Everything that is alive in the world is made of electromagnetic energy and vibrates at different frequencies. These frequencies correspond to sound, light, and color, with the colors consisting of frequency wavelengths. Red Light Therapy uses the primary red color of the ROYBGIV spectrum–colors of the chakra system of energy wheels, the human aura, the rainbow spectrum, and the electromagnetic energy field. The color that each person is drawn to are those which are needed to balance their lives on a subconscious level.

Using red in Red Light Therapy is the need to balance the body’s energy, vitality, and power in an imbalance system. To decrease cells for cancer, sores that are open or even wounds such as burn wounds, use this therapy to reduce pain. The afflicted area is lacking any circulation, which means it will be a cold area–so the color red will warm it and bring circulation into it. It is an extremely powerful healing agent for diseases of the blood and circulation. But Red Light Therapy cannot be used by those with high blood pressure or even panic disorder, or anxiety, as the color red is the root chakra. This is referred to as the first ray, or the “flight or fight” area at the base of the spine, and too much red exposure will cause extreme agitation and aggression.

Remember that colors that are worn will effect moods of everyone involved–those wearing the clothing and those in the surrounding environment. There are many subtle bodies, or levels of consciousness, around each person, which are similar to the aura and chakra energies. The Eastern esoteric traditions emphasize only one while the Western esoteric traditions refers to a series of them, with each one being attracted to a certain color for a certain reason to balance the entire system:

• Dense physical body
• Etheric body
• Astral or the emotional body
• The concrete mind, or mental body
• The abstract mind, or the causal body

Choosing Therapy Light over Traditional Medicine

The use of therapy light may not be for everyone, but it offers many benefits for people who have seasonal affective disorder and do not wish to take any form of traditional antidepressants. One of the main reasons people do not want to take medication is because of the side effects, or they have not worked.

Side effects with therapy light are very rare, but can still happen. Some of the side effects of therapy light can be eyestrain or headaches, agitation, nausea, inability to sleep at night, irritability, extreme forms of fatigue, a dry mouth, or sleep disruptions. The advantage is that side effects are easily controlled by reducing the treatment time, moving a further distance from the light box, or changing the time when the treatments are being used.

Other people simply choose therapy light because they want another choice, especially if they are pregnant or they lack insurance to cover the traditional mental health services. Even though therapy light is useful for depression, it is 80% better if used with cognitive-behavior therapy, or CBT.  Other disorders that are being researched with therapy light in additional to seasonal affective disorder is obsessive-compulsive disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, postpartum depression, or forms of insomnia.

Therapy light, even though it has become extremely popular with most people, is not for just everyone.  Individuals whose skin is light sensitive, who takes medication that reacts with sunlight, or have an eye condition that makes their eyes vulnerable to light damage cannot use therapy light. Consulting the family doctor before using it will prevent any harm and increase its effectiveness.

Therapy light products can be purchased over the counter, after the family has been notified of its usage. Once home or at the office, the light from the light box has to enter directly into the eyes for it to work properly–intensity, duration, and timing all work together at this point–not by exposure to the skin. The key issue is to NOT look directly into the light, or damage may occur to the eye. Special bulbs in the light box are specifically covered with plastic screen, which blocks out UV rays which causes skin problems and cataracts.

In order for therapy light to work properly, the treatments need to be consistent and the time to do it. Many individuals begin the treatments but do not stay with them, giving them up because they do not have the time or the desire to do it. But many successful people have the light therapy box beside them when working on their computer, when they are writing or watching television, with some being worn as visors. Light therapy needs to be practiced early in the mornings, as the treatments need to match the person’s biological rhythms. Depression may stand in the way for this depression treatment, especially that early in the morning, as depression brings about a lethargic feeling. But with a professional’s care, a schedule can be worked out.

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