Red and near infrared lights – can they help degenerative neurological diseases?
LED lights are now commonplace. Even a decade ago, they were expensive, but now they are available for very reasonable prices. They use much less energy than other light sources, and they come in a range of wavelengths. They are now becoming the standard light-type being used in research into the health effects of red and near infrared lights.
I’ve had a query about LED strips and individual LED lights. Both have their place.
If you are thinking of investing hundreds of dollars into a commercial transcranial red and near infrared light device, make sure that you select a device made with individual LED lights.
Continue reading “LED strips vs individual LEDs”Prof Glen Jeffrey at University College London released the results of a small study looking at the effect of red lights (deep red 670nm in particular).
Prof Jeffrey’s work has been previously described in this blog. He and his team have clearly shown that deep red light is good for eyes.
Remember, though, only use LED lights.
Never ever use lasers on your eyes!
You can make your own eye light using LED strip and an old pair of glasses – here’s a link to a recent post showing a home-made eye light.
This post comes from Michael Richards, the designer of the Cossack light hat which you can make at home using 12V DC LED strips.
As those of you who have made your own transcranial light device know only too well, the back of 12V DC LED strips comes with glue on the back, covered by a white peel-off tape.
Continue reading “LED strip stickiness – a fix”Twelve people in South Australia volunteered to participate in a study on the effect of near-infrared light on people with Parkinson’s disease.
Dr Liebert presented the findings of a preliminary analysis of the data to the study participants, their families and members of Parkinson’s South Australia on Tuesday 9 September 2019.
Continue reading “South Australian PD study – early results”Today I caught up with a lovely man who had started wearing an Eliza bucket light hat nearly a month ago. His Eliza has 670nm and 810nm and he uses each wavelength for 10-15 minutes, one straight after another.
Eliza isn’t pulsed. She just puts out continuous light.
He reported feeling a lot better in himself. He said he had more energy and more interest in doing things. He had been out in the garden much more than previously and was enjoying life a lot more.
Friends had been commenting on how well he was looking. As did his general practitioner who apparently doesn’t yet know that he is using an Eliza light hat on an daily basis!
Another significant thing is that he can now hold a cup of coffee without spilling it. He is convinced that his tremor has reduced.
For all those DIY light hatters out there, this story shows that continuous light works. Don’t fret about pulsing, just get that red glow on your head every day.
I’ve had a few queries about the use of laser lights. I can understand the allure of a laser, as its coherent light with such total focus is pretty impressive.
LED lights used to be very expensive. In the last decade the costs of LEDs have really dropped, and we can now buy them easily and inexpensively. LED lights are not coherent like lasers – the light from the average LED lights scatters and shines over a bigger area.
Question: For lights on the head, are lasers better than LEDs?
Answer: Nope.
Both have their place, but the previous dominance of laser lights is being whittled away by practicality and safety of LED lights.
For trans-cranial use, you want the red lights to scatter – you want coverage of the lights over the head. You also want to use the lights daily, safely and at home.
Lasers are a pain to use, they come with safety issues and they are not suitable for home use.
LEDs are the best.
Red lights on the brain 