Mitochondria – Page 3 – Red lights on the brain

Knee arthritis

For arthritis, photobiomodulation needs to be used daily.

If you’ve ever read how this blog came about, you’ll know that osteoarthritis is a subject dear to my heart and right knee.

I described in agonising detail life before and after months of 850nm near-infrared light on my knee every day. Every day. Not just once a week, or twice a week, but every day.

Even then I knew enough about the effect of red and near infrared light on mitochondria to have worked out that mitochondria are like batteries and need a very regular recharge.

Mitochondria work best if they get daily boosts of energy courtesy of the response of their clever proteins that are able to absorb near infrared light and transform it into metabolic energy.

Mitochondria in your blood

Mitochondria get a lot of airplay in this blog. (Here’s an early post.)

The mitochondrial experts of the world have been blown away by new research. It seems that our blood not only contains the various sorts of red and white cells, but it also contains nomadic mitochondria.

This is amazing! Here’s why.

Red lights connect cells

Near-infrared light can restore the function of damaged dopamine-producing cells.

Thanks to Jane from South Australia for alerting me to this research article.*

Anything that is published in a medical journal called Molecular Degeneration and which starts with “reduced axonal transport in Parkinson’s disease cybrid neurites…” sounds a bit daunting, but it is a very interesting read, and you can download the full article.

Light and neuroprotection

This medical journal article should have been posted ages ago. My apologies for being so slow in making it available to you.

What wavelength is best for my condition?

If you have looked at the availability of rolls of red and near infrared LED lights, you will see that there is a bewildering array, between orangey-red (630nm) to out of the visible spectrum so that you can’t see it at all (940nm).

So what, you ask. Surely it doesn’t matter? Surely red light, near infrared light – it’s all the same? One wavelength is as good as another?

Wavelength matters – please be cautious!

I’ve been corresponding with lots of people over the last week. In my response, I always ask whether the query is for uncomplicated Parkinson’s disease, or for PD complicated by another neurodegenerative process. I’m not asking because I’m being nosey – the question is really important.

Pulsed vs continuous light

I’ve had a number of queries about pulsed light.

There is good evidence now that pulsed light is more effective than continuous light. Maybe the cell batteries, the mitochondria like to have a little pause in between receiving a pulse of light energy and directing it into the cell as metabolic energy. It makes sense.

The other reason is that by pulsing the light, the light dose is then the average of the pulse-ON and pulse-OFF. This means you can push the power in the pulse-ON, knowing that it will be offset by the no-pulse time.

I know of several people who have gone on to pulse their LED-based Elizas and Cossacks, and I have nothing but total admiration and envy for them, but there is no way I could do that.

The reasons that I have not previously mentioned the value of pulsed light is because;

1. I couldn’t give instructions to achieve it

2. I didn’t want anyone to devalue the effectiveness of continuous red/near infrared light.

Daily unpulsed red light better than no red light.

If you are using your Eliza or Cossack with continuous red/infrared light, do not be tempted to chuck it in the corner and refuse to use it because it won’t pulse. It is still doing its very best for you, and that is a lot better than nothing.