LightYearsAhead: History of Light Therapy in the West

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Misty L. Trepke

http://health.

 

 

Light Therapy

http://www.lightyearsahead.net/what/LightTherapy.pdf

 

Light therapy is a general term for therapies that use the entire

electromagnetic spectrum or specific wavelengths of light to treat

physical and emotional problems. While light therapy draws upon

ancient ideas about the healing powers of sunlight, it is in many

ways a new field still in the process of conducting clinical

research and determining therapeutic applications. There are many

variations of light therapy. A therapist may direct solid or

strobing flashes of light into a client's eyes or onto parts of the

body.

 

Different types of light, including fu1l-spectrum, ultraviolet,

infrared, colored, and laser, are being tested for their ability to

treat a wide range of conditions, including depression, insomnia,

fatigue, premenstrual syndrome, psoriasis, jaundice, learning

difficulties, and addictions.

 

The History of Light Therapy

 

From ancient to modern times, sunlight has played a central role in

the cure of disease. The use of light in modern medicine began in

the early eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as scientists

discovered the component frequencies of sunlight and observed its

effects on animals and humans. In 1703 English physicist Sir Isaac

Newton chronicled his pioneering experiments with sunlight in his

book Optiks. He was the first to show that sunshine's white light,

when passed through a prism, divides into seven wavelengths of

the visible color spectrum-red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo,

and violet. In the early 18005 two German physicists, John Herschel

and Johann Ritter discovered that sunlight also contained components

of the electromagnetic spectrum not visible to the unaided eye-the

longer, slower infrared rays and shorter, faster ultraviolet rays.

 

In 1870, scientists proved that sunlight kills bacteria and other

microorganisms. The first surgical theaters used ultraviolet lights

to effectively and inexpensively reduce airborne microorganisms by

50 percent. In 1905 Danish physician Dr. Niels R. Finsen received

the Nobel Prize in medicine for establishing that visible

wavelengths of blue-violet and invisible ultraviolet, when isolated

and focused on the body, could cure tuberculosis of the skin and

other infectious conditions, such as measles and scarlet fever.

 

Finsen also effectively treated smallpox by using red light

(filtered sunlight or artificial light that excludes the heating

rays of infrared and the burning rays of blue-violet and

ultraviolet).

 

Psychiatric applications of light therapy began in the 1880s, when

mental hospitals in Europe and South America routinely calmed

agitated patients with artificial blue light and energized depressed

and unresponsive patients with red light applied through the eyes

and on the body.

 

Throughout the opening decades of the twentieth century, therapeutic

sunbathing, a method known as the " sun cure, " was a widely

prescribed medical treatment for tuberculosis, cholera, viral

pneumonia, bronchial asthma, gout, jaundice, and severe

wounds. At the same time, advances in the design of electric

lighting made it possible for hospitals in America and Europe to

have " heliotherapy wards " that used artificial light for

the treatment of cardiovascular and degenerative disorders.

After the development of the first antibiotics in 1938, interest in

light therapy and other natural healing methods waned. However, in

the 1940s Harry Spitler, a medical doctor and an optometrist,

contributed to the development of light therapy with his

investigation of syntonic optometry. The term syntonic comes from a

Greek word meaning " to bring into balance. " Spitler's treatment used

rhythmic flashing of colored light into the eyes to improve visual

acuity and coordination as well as energize and relax the autonomic

nervous system. The patient's response varies with different flash

rates and colors. He found that warm colors - red, orange, and

yellow - were invigorating, while cool colors - green, blue, and

violet - were relaxing. Spitler's pioneering work demonstrated that

light entering the eyes profoundly impacts the autonomic nervous

system and the endocrine system, balancing important hormones and

brain chemistry.

 

Current investigations into therapeutic potentials of light were

touched off in 1983 by psychiatrist Norman Rosenthal's study of

winter depression, or seasonal affective disorder (SAD). He and his

coworkers at the National Institute of Mental Health and more than

200 medical colleges around the world showed that regular exposure

to fullspectrum (artificial lighting that has all the colors of

sunlight) fluorescent light alleviates the symptoms of SAD in 80

percent of people. People with SAD begin to experience symptoms at

the onset of winter, usually in September, as the days become

shorter and darker.

 

Rosenthal's technique is called bright light therapy, as it uses

therapeutic doses of light more than twenty times brighter than

typical indoor lighting. Bright light therapy has been used by NASA

to adjust the daily rhythms of space shuttle astronauts and by mental

health professionals to help people cope with shift work, jet lag,

addictions, and various psychiatric conditions.

 

The Effects of light on the Body

 

Major physiological processes in the brain and body are switched on

and off by the presence or absence of natural or artificial light.

Biochemical processes triggered by light include the production of

vitamin D, the inhibition of melatonin (a hormone that affects

mood), and the stimulation of serotonin and norepinephrine (brain

chemicals that influence mental alertness and well-being). Light-

sensitive cells in the eyes called photoreceptors convert sunlight

into electrochemical impulses, which are trai1smitted through the

optic nerve to brain centers that affect vision and activate the

endocrine system. Many functions necessary to growth and well-being –

breathing, sleeping, blood pressure, body temperature, appetite,

moods, mental acuity, and the immune system - are governed by the

endocrine system and hence are affected by natural light.

 

There is also evidence suggesting that proper quantities of visually

perceived light are needed for healthy functioning of the cerebral

cortex, the part of the brain that controls motivation, learning,

and creativity; the limbic system, the part of the brain that stores

emotional impressions of the world; and the motor cortex and the

brain stem, the parts of the brain that coordinate body movement and

the maintenance of life.

 

Types of Light Therapy

 

There are many different ways that light may be used in therapy.

Goals and techniques will differ with each procedure. A therapist

may direct the light into a person's eyes or on other body parts,

and the light shown may be in strobing flashes or as solid light. The

benefits may be both physical and psychological. There are several

common forms of light therapy using full-spectrum or specific

frequencies of colored light.

 

Neurosensory Development.

 

For the last twenty-five years, optometrist Dr. John

Downing has researched, applied, and extended Spitler's theories and

formulated a form of light therapy called neurosensory development.

Like Spitler, Downing promoted the therapeutic use of strobing

colored light. A typical session begins with a discussion of the

participant's medical and optometric history to determine the

program and therapy. Light is administered with a device that

Downing invented, the photron ocular light stimulator. It uses a

combination of twelve colored-glass filters, from red to violet,

placed in front of a special full-spectrum xenon light with an

adjustable strobe capable of flashing from one to sixty cycles per

second.

 

To determine a program of therapy, the patient is classified as

either a slow or fast neurological type, and then the colors and

flash rates on the photron are adjusted to counteract and balance

the person's neurological tendencies. For example, blue, indigo,

and violet, which tend to slow down and relax, are flashed slowly

(six to twelve times a minute) into the eyes of a fast neurological

individual. Conversely, a slow neurological individual is treated

with rapid flashes (thirteen to sixty times per minute) of red,

orange, and yellow. The typical course of treatment entails twenty

or more half-hour sessions of light therapy.

 

These techniques lead to an increase in the patient's visual field

and to a reduction of his or her blind spot, indicating that more

light energy is reaching the visual cortex and other key brain

structures. Besides visual enhancement, the types of individuals who

appear to be helped by neurosensory development are those with

chronic fatigue, menstrual difficulties, thyroid problems, insomnia,

depression, and mental inefficiency. Brief Strobic Phototherapy.

Like neurosensory development, this method also uses the photron.

However, the treatment goal is different. It is used to help the

client access his or her thoughts and feelings and work on the

emotional components of physical illness. Brief strobic phototherapy

(BSP) was pioneered by Dr. Jacob Uberman, an optometrist,

and Dr. Steven Vazquez, a medical psychotherapist. In this system

the psychotherapist uses strobing colored light to facilitate

awareness and resolution of the client's thoughts, feelings, and

memories.

 

Generally the therapist chooses a color and flash rate that is

emotionally evocative and uncomfortable to the client. Various

colors tend to access different psychological content

and are selected according to the client's objectives. This

stimulation is used to facilitate a participant's awareness of

unresolved, unconscious thoughts, feelings, and sensations.

At the start of a typical session, the therapist uses flashes of

colored light to put a person into a trancelike state. Then the

client engages in a variety of psychological techniques to

help facilitate emotional processing, such as talking, deep

breathing, eye movement, awareness of physical sensations, and

recollection of dreams. The rhythmic colored lights stimulate brain

wave patterns that evoke different states of consciousness. Clients

look into the light and can easily and rapidly see their

unconscious material projected before them. By selecting specific

colors and specific strobe rates, desired results can be targeted.

BSP seeks to release repressed traumas or other memories and

emotions that may be the root cause of illness. It may be part of

treatment for various psychological problems, including depression,

anxiety, panic attacks, obsessive compulsive disorder, addiction,

eating disorders, closed brain injuries, and dissociative identity

disorder.

 

Bright Light Therapy.

 

This common form of light therapy was developed in the 1980s to

treat the condition known as winter depression, or seasonal

affective disorder (SAD). More recently this therapy has been

successfully applied to a wide variety of psychiatric

conditions, including sleep difficulties, food and substance

addictions, jet lag, Alzheimer's disease, and attention deficit

disorder in children. The treatment itself is used either under

professional guidance or for self-care applications for less serious

stress symptoms. The light is usually viewed at home using

a portable light box designed to fit on a desk or table. The

participant sits with his or her head and upper body facing about

three feet from the light box and focuses his or her

eyes upon a surface illuminated by the light, not the light itself.

The full-spectrum fluorescent light may be as much as twenty times

stronger than normal room light and is usually the most effective

when it replicates the quality of natural light just before dawn or

sunset. The intensity of the light and the scheduling and length of

exposure are determined on a case-by-case basis. Daily exposure in

the early morning for thirty minutes to several hours is often

recommended, and an additional late-afternoon

session may be prescribed.

 

Bright light therapy is usually confined to the fall and winter

months, when SAD patients experience severe depression, lethargy,

fatigue, decreased energy and activity level, anxiety, irritability,

lowered sex drive, avoidance of social activities, sadness,

concentration and sleep difficulties, interpersonal difficulties,

carbohydrate and sweet cravings, and weight gain. Bright light

therapy is usually discontinued in the, spring as the days get

longer and brighter. Once a satisfactory regimen is established, it

must be maintained to receive maximum benefits. Bright light

therapy relieves the symptoms of SAD; it does not cure the disorder.

Colorpuncture. This discipline uses a light pen to apply different

frequencies of visible light on the acupoints and meridians, where

needles are placed in a traditional acupuncture treatment. This

procedure was developed by German naturopath Peter Mandel in the

early 1970s. A colorpuncture therapist balances one's vital energy by

either stimulating or sedating it with light. Different colors have

different effects. Warm colors, such as red and yellow, are used to

add energy while cool colors, such as green and blue, are used to

subtract energy. A therapist may monitor the status of a client's

energy flow before and after treatments by taking his or her pulse

or by examining a kirlian photograph, a black-and-white image in

which the body's radiating energy appears. Colorpuncture is often

used in place of acupuncture, especially among children

or adults who are frightened by needles. It has the same

applications as acupuncture, including the treatment of respiratory

and gastrointestinal infections, neurological and muscular

difficulties, visual and learning problems, and pain. It may be used

for stimulation of the immune system and as adjunctive therapy for

those with mental disorders and addictions.

 

There are many other medical applications of light, including

ultraviolet (UV) sterilization of human blood (photoluminesence) and

the UV treatment of psoriasis and infant jaundice. The photodynamic

treatment of cancer uses light to activate cancer medications and

guide them to diseased tissue. Some types of light therapy, such as

bright light therapy, are becoming more popular in the medical

community and may be used either alone or in combination with

psychiatric medication. Others, such as syntonic optometry,

neurosensory development, and brief strobic photostimulation, are

gaining acceptance as research accumulates.

 

Cautions

 

In over two decades of experimental trials, Bright light therapy,

neurosensory development, brief strobic phototherapy, and

colorpuncture have been consistently found to be safe and effective

when used under the supervision of a competent and licensed

health professional. However, an overexposure to bright full-

spectrum light can produce negative side effects, including eye

irritation, headaches, insomnia, and agitation. These

can be decreased by reducing exposure time and by sitting farther

from the light source. Strobic colored light stimulation can

temporarily stimulate a " healing crisis, " a temporary

exacerbation of old emotional conflicts or physical difficulties in

the process of releasing old traumas.

 

Each individual's reaction to light through the eyes and on the body

is unique. One in three thousand people can experience

photosensitive seizures, brought on by flashing lights such as those

found in video games, televisions, and nightclubs. Individuals with a

history of severe emotional difficulties or visual pathology should

not begin phototherapy without consulting their licensed health care

professional.

- Dr. Brian J. Breiling