Red and near infrared lights – can they help degenerative neurological diseases?
The non-movement symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease are subtle, but extremely significant. When you ask people with PD about their quality of life, the non-movements symptoms are the ones that cause the most misery.
Apathy is “a frequent and disabling” symptom of Parkinson’s disease. You’d assume, given how frequently apathy occurs and how disabling it is, that the main websites supporting people with Parkinson’s would have lots of information about apathy.
You’d be wrong.
Continue reading “Apathetic about Apathy”Apathy is a prominent and nasty symptom of Parkinson’s disease. One researcher described it as “one of the most disabling” of all symptoms. Apathy can appear years before a diagnosis of Parkinson’s is made. At least a third of people with Parkinson’s will experience it and once it starts it never goes away. Apathy might look like depression but it is a very different symptom. Anti-depressant medication won’t help at all. Apathy relentlessly destroys all motivation and interest in life. Once present, there is no turning back because there is no treatment for apathy…
Continue reading “Parkinson’s and apathy”This article about Dr Ann Liebert’s work was published in The Australian a few days ago.
One of the many things it highlights is the effect of red lights on a key non-motor symptom of Parkinson’s – the sense of smell.
The article about dementia in today’s Melbourne Age is very good.
“I was very sad when I was diagnosed,” said Mr Bateman, who is cared for by Barbara, his wife of 35 years. “I nursed my mother with the condition and I was afraid of losing who I am.”
Continue reading “The sense of self”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”I can understand the skepticism about the biological effect of red lights, because that’s where I started from. It seemed too good to be true. However, there is a wealth of excellent quality research out there, and the evidence is compelling that red and near infrared lights protect existing neurones, and can stimulate new neurones to be created, stimulate blood vessels to increase connections- neuroprotection, neurogenesis and angiogenesis.
Continue reading “It really does work…”
Red lights on the brain 