I’ve had some queries in recent weeks about the use of red and near infrared lights in people who have had a stroke, especially if speech has been affected.
Continue reading “Stroke”Author: RedlightsontheBrain
Redlightsonthebrain is written by Catherine Hamilton, a retired doctor on behalf of Light Ahead Inc, a Tasmanian-based not-for-profit organisation. Light Ahead Inc aims to help people to learn about neurogenerative diseases and the practical, safe and scientifically-based things that may be able to help. Part of this is to provide low-cost access to red light devices, hence the DIY instructions on this blog. All sales of the Coronet red light device support the work of Light Ahead Inc.
Eat your greens
This is the fourth blog post that has come from the medical journal article How and why does photobiomodulation change brain activity?
Links to previous posts are here, here and here.
Think back to biology lessons about chlorophyll, the green stuff in plants that absorbs sunlight and makes the plant grow big and strong. Think spinach.
It seems that when we eat plants, chlorophyll metabolites get into the blood stream and whizz around the body. Once they have had an enjoyable ride, they leave the circulation and slide into an organ (brain, liver, kidney – wherever takes their fancy) and they pop themselves into cells. Once inside the cell, these chlorophyll metabolites head for the cell battery, the mitochondria. They obviously like to be where all the action is taking place.
In animal models, it has been clearly shown that a meal full of vegetables makes the mitochondrial batteries generate more energy. The chlorophyll metabolites get into the mitochondria intending to do some serious work. If they meet some red or near-infrared light, they react instantly and this response kickstarts a cascade of chemical reactions which pumps more energy into that cell.
If you are someone without a large amount of fresh vegetables in your diet, then you are depriving your mitochondria of the potential to do great and spectacular things. Eating your greens seems like a smart thing to do on a daily basis, and over it will make your body and brain work better.
Spinach, kale, silverbeet and chard here we come…
Edible Photo by Johan Nilsson on Unsplash, with thanks.
Science Magazine article
Gunjan Singh has written a very interesting article about the use of red and near infrared lights in Parkinson’s disease.
Coronet – medical research
Coronets are being used in clinical trials – there’s much to celebrate!
It is a tad over two years since Ron Brown and I started designing the ideal trans-cranial red and near infrared light device for medical research. We based our design on two things:
- medical research published by high quality researchers.
- hands-on and personal experience with people with Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders using the red light hats I’d made and given to them. Yes, the original Eliza buckets, bless them.
Mental clarity vs brain fog
The term brain fog is not an official medical term, but we all know what it means, and we have all experienced it. Serious and creative thinking is hard enough to do at the best of times, but when brain fog descends, it is even more difficult. Unfortunately brain foggery seems to happen more often as we get older which is even more frustrating…
Continue reading “Mental clarity vs brain fog”Light on the brain
It seems so self-evident that sunlight is vital to life that it almost doesn’t need to be said. But what does light do to the body apart from enabling us to see things more clearly?
Continue reading “Light on the brain”