Phototherapy

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Smart Medicine for Healthier Living : Practical A-Z Reference to Natural and Conventional Treatments for Adults Janet Zand, LAc, OMD, Allan N. Spreed, MD, CNC, James B. LaValle, RPh, ND See book keywords and concepts

Seasonal affective disorder may be treated with phototherapy. In this treatment, a person is exposed to full-spectrum light by means of special light fixtures, giving a daily dose of the light frequencies that would be available on a bright sunny day. ¦ Most cases of postpartum depression resolve on their own. Participation in a support group with other new mothers can be immensely helpful. In severe cases, antidepressant medication may be prescribed. ¦ Holiday blues usually disappear as the season passes. Treatment is seldom necessary.

Do We Still Need Doctors?: A Physician's Personal Account of Practicing Medicine Today John D. Lantos, M.D. See book keywords and concepts

Some of the babies were swaddled in plastic wrap, others seemed to be baking under the severe glow of the phototherapy lights. There was a steady hum and beep. Everybody who worked there was female, and there was something insectlike about their quiet purposefulness. Nobody seemed to be a mother to any of these babies. I wondered if perhaps they'd just hatched. The night I was cross-covering, I got the sign-out from one of my fellow residents. Forty babies, some critically ill, some stable.

A publicized judgment in a particular case will lead doctors to do things as diverse as get informed consent, test healthy thirty-five-year-old patients for glaucoma, put newborns under phototherapy lights, and screen pregnant women for alpha-fetoprotein. Actions like these are driven by fear of punishment. Often they do not lead to improvements in care. Sometimes they lead to clinical interventions that don't improve care but only create a paper trail that will satisfy the malpractice attorneys. In the old days, a different system prevailed.

They showed significant variations among centers relative to rates in the use of ventilators, phototherapy, indwelling lines, and treatment of symptomatic patent ductus arteriosus. Along with striking practice variations in tertiary care centers serving similar populations, there were also differences in outcome. There was no real attempt in the study, however, to correlate particular practices with differences in outcome; in fact, there was a sense that the data were already outdated.

Cancer Therapy: The Independent Consumer's Guide To Non-Toxic Treatment & Prevention Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D. See book keywords and concepts

While there is much that is new in phototherapy, 'sun-worshippers' will hardly be surprised by the health benefits of light. One innovative researcher, John Ott, has long maintained that full spectrum light is essential to health. Light, he says, serves a dual function, to see by, of course, but also to activate crucial hormones within the brain. Ott has long advocated the use of full spectrum light bulbs, so that people could avoid the allegedly debilitating effects of fluorescent bulbs.

Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy: Modern Herbal Medicine Simon Mills and Kerry Bone See book keywords and concepts

The authors concluded that the observed phototoxicity makes curcumin a potential photosensitizing drug which may be useful in the phototherapy of psoriasis, cancer and bacterial and viral infections. This study was confirmed by other workers who found that curcumin is more phototoxic to Gram-positive bacteria compared to Gram-negative bacteria.67 Oxygen is required for the phototoxicity of curcumin and results were suggestive that hydrogen peroxide might be the toxic intermediate.

Cancer Therapy: The Independent Consumer's Guide To Non-Toxic Treatment & Prevention Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D. See book keywords and concepts

Thus was born the modern age of phototherapy, which has been called "a promising tool in modern cancer treatment" (2). Today, such therapy is central to the treatment of psoriasis, acne and some kinds of jaundice in newborns. "Light-activated drugs" were the subject of an excellent article by Richard L. Edelson in the Scientific American (8/1988). Dr. Edelson calls current methods "harbingers of an entirely new class of therapeutic agents.

These results suggest that methylene blue and phototherapy "may be useful" as an adjuvant [helper] treatment for superficial bladder cancer (3). Dr. Michael J. Kelner, a UCSD pathologist has also found that "methylene blue effectively inhibits" free radical activity. He adds that "as methylene blue is already approved for medicinal use in humans and is relatively nontoxic, the drug may have a role in reducing tissue injury..."(4). 1. Goodman L and Gilman A. The pharmacological basis of therapeutics (3rd. ed.). New York: Macmillan, 1965. 2. Lai BT.

Gasparro FP, et al. phototherapy and photopharmacology. Yale J Biol Med.l985;58:519-34. 5. Santella RM, et al. Monoclonal antibodies to DNA modified by 8-methoxypsoralen and ultraviolet A light. Nucleic Acids Res.l985;13:2533-44. 6. Mew D, et al. Ability of specific monoclonal antibodies and conventional antisera conjugated to hematoporphyrin to label and kill selected cell lines subsequent to light activation. Cancer Res.l985;45:4380-6. 7. Gomer CJ, et al. In vitro and in vivo light dose rate effects related to hematoporphyrin derivative photodynamic therapy. Cancer Res.1985; 45: 1973-7.

Surgeons in Holland are exploring the use of phototherapy in the treatment of papillomas, a kind of benign tumor. Their model is the skin of the Dutch Belted rabbit. Using two photosensitizing agents called Photofrin II and Chlo-rin, in conjunction with lasers, they were able to produce regression of these warty growths. Total regression without any recurrences was achieved with Photofrin II and a gold laser at all light dosages, scientists at the University Hospital of Maastricht said (13).

Natural Cures Michael Castleman See book keywords and concepts

And experts in phototherapy offer other suggestions as well. Here's the scoop on how to overcome everything from the winter blahs to a full-blown case of SAD. Get more natural sunlight. Trim the bushes around your windows and keep your curtains and blinds open. Use bright colors on walls and upholstery. Sit near windows whenever possible. At school, at work, on public transportation and when dining out, head for the seat with the view. If you exercise indoors, work out near a window. Take a walk. People with SAD often spend unusually little time outdoors in winter.

In addition, a disturbing number of airline disasters have occurred in the wee hours. Now phototherapy may come to the rescue. James Walsh, Ph.D., director of the Sleep Disorders Clinic at St. Luke's Medical Center in St. Louis, asked 30 graveyard-shift workers to perform a series of tasks every hour for one night. He also gauged their sleepiness using standard tests. The next night, he replaced their 500-lux lighting with 9,000-lux lights. After only one night under the bright light, the workers' accuracy improved dramatically, while their sleepiness decreased, Dr. Walsh explains.

SAD symptoms typically begin to lift about a week after the start of phototherapy. But as Owens learned the hard way, they return shortly after discontinuing treatment. As a result, authorities urge people with SAD to sit under bright light daily from October through April. Can prolonged daily exposure to 10,000 lux be harmful? No, says Dr. Terman. Individual bright-light tolerance varies, however, and after a while, some people may start to feel uncomfortable. Overdose symptoms include queasiness and agitation, but these symptoms disappear within a few hours of turning the lights off.

If so, phototherapy might one day be used to treat some cases of infertility. Shedding Light on the Problem These studies are all preliminary. Currently, light therapy is not an accepted treatment for nonseasonal depression, menstrual regulation, night-owl insomnia, bulimia or lupus. But if you have an abnormally long menstrual cycle, it can't hurt to try Dr. Kripke's therapy. If you have another of these conditions, discuss the possibility of light therapy with your physician. Chapter 18 Low-Fat Eating The Key to Health, Longevity and Weight Control l3iochemist Ron Goor, Ph.D.

Textbook of Natural Medicine 2nd Edition Volume 2 Michael T. Murray, ND See book keywords and concepts

Comparison of phototherapy (UV-B) and photochemotherapy (PUVA) for clearing and maintenance therapy of psoriasis. Arch Dermatol 1984; 120: 52-57 42. Urabe H, Nishitani K, Kohda H. Hyperthermia in the treatment of psoriasis. Arch Dermatol 1981; 117: 770-774 43. Orenberg E, Deneau D, Farber E. Response of chronic psoriatic plaques to localized heating induced by ultrasound. Arch Dermatol 1980; 116: 893-897 44. Evans FQ. The rational use of glycyrrhetinic acid in dermatology. Br J Clin Pract 1958; 12: 269-279 45. Teelucksingh S, Mackie AD, Burt D.

Alternative Medicine the Definitive Guide, Second Edition Larry Trivieri, Jr. See book keywords and concepts

They offer courses on the optometric application of phototherapy and a nationwide directory of practitioners trained in its use. WOMEN'S HEALTH Women's health care focuses on helping a woman maintain optimal health as her reproductive system develops and matures. Alternative medicine helps to educate women in a variety of preventative steps to maintain overall health, as well as providing natural treatments for symptoms and diseases related to hormonal and physiological imbalances.

An organization of optometrists who incorporate optometric phototherapy into their treatments. The college will provide a reference to one of their members who practices in your area. Dinshah Health Society P.O. Box 707 Malaga, New Jersey 08328 (856) 692-4676 The Dinshah Health Society, in existence since 1975, advocates the value of color therapy. Through publishing books such as Let There Be Light, they seek to help people treat themselves with color therapies. Not a referral service. Environmental Health & Light Research Institute 16057 Tampa Palms Blvd.

Food & Mood: The Complete Guide to Eating Well and Feeling Your Best, Second Edition Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D. See book keywords and concepts

Rosenthal and fellow researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland, first discovered this link, which led to the successful use of light therapy (also called phototherapy). "Up to 80 percent of SAD and Winter Blues sufferers report at least some relief when exposed for thirty minutes to one and a half hours daily to sunlight or a specialized light box that emits light five to twenty times brighter than typical indoor light," says Dr. Rosenthal.

The Serotonin Solution Judith J. Wurtman and Susan Suffes See book keywords and concepts

Using a phototherapy unit during those months may help. EXERCISE Exercise increases your rate of metabolism and can fool your body into feeling more awake. When your temperature, heart, and breathing rates go up, your body edges closer to the way it would normally feel during the day. Many business travelers who cross time zones use exercise as a quick way of waking up their bodies—and, they hope, their minds—especially when the new business day is beginning at what feels to them like 1 or 2 A.M. The exercise should be aerobic.

Often prescribed as therapy for people who suffer from the mood changes of seasonal affective disorder and winter weight gain (see Chapter Eight), phototherapy light boxes are widely available and may range in price from around $250 to $500, which may even be covered by your health plan.

Cancer Therapy: The Independent Consumer's Guide To Non-Toxic Treatment & Prevention Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D. See book keywords and concepts

Future directions of laser phototherapy for diagnosis and treatment of malignancies: fantasy, fallacy, or reality? Laryngo-scope.l991;101:l-10. 9. Barr H, et al. Photodynamic therapy for colorectal disease. Int J Colorectal Dis.l989;4:15-9. 10. Barr H, et al. Photodynamic therapy for colorectal cancer a quantitative pilot study. Br J Surg.l990;77:93-6. 11. Barr H, et al. Selective necrosis in dimethylhydrazine-induced rat colon tumors using phthalocyanine photodynamic therapy. Gastroenterology. 1990;98:1532-7. 12. Davis RK. Photodynamic therapy in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery.

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