Category Archives: Parkinsons Recovery

Parkinsons Recovery –  founded in 2004 by Robert Rodgers, PhD, is dedicated to document natural options that offer the opportunity for persons diagnosed with Parkinsons disease to celebrate relief of their symptoms.

Step Nine: Detox the Natural Way

Your may have been asking:

Do I have toxins in my body?

The answer is yes.

How do you know? You are not a medical doctor. You have not run any diagnostic tests.

The answer is: I know because everyone in a body
has toxins.

Do I Really Need to Detox?

The answer is yes. Everyone needs to adopt a detox protocol they embrace for the rest of their life. But you are currently experiencing symptoms research indicates may be caused by an overload of toxins. It is particularly important for you to find ways to detox all toxins whether they take the form of bad bacteria, heavy metals or …

But there are so many methods out there to detox. I have done searches.
Which one do I use?

Yes indeed. The options overwhelm everyone. Some detoxes are designed to specifically address certain toxins. It can be a true nightmare
to determine the best to use now.

Do I have to pay for medical diagnostics and help?

This can certainly be a smart move, but there is always the cost to be paid of money, energy and added stress.

Well – so what do you suggest here?

I suggest a natural detox you can do every day which requires the purchase of baking soda, epsum salts, availability of a bath tub, and soaking your body in warm bath water for 15 minutes.

No prescriptions are needed.
No doctor visits required.

Instructions:

Plan on doing bath detoxes in the evening. You will likely feel
exhausted afterward. (Note: this is a subtle clue that this
natural detox method really is not only simple but highly effective.)

1. fill your bath tub with warm water.
2. Drink a class of water.
3. Put 1/3 cup of baking soda in the water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Put 1/3 cup of epsom salts.

 

 

 

 

 

5. Soak for about 15 minutes (and why not do the
stress release meditation when you soak).
6. Drink another class of water.

Done.

Do this natural detox every day this week. Make it part of
your lifestyle habit.

Step Twelve: Brain Cleansing

Do These Two 30 Second Activities Every Day to Cleanse Your Brain

First Activity:

Do you have access to water that is reliable and free of bacteria? We draw water from a well, so I am confident that the water is pure. If you have confidence in the quality of your tap water … Rinse your nose while
taking a shower. How?

  1. Tilt your head up.
  2. Close your left nostril with your left hand fingers
  3. Sniff in a little water into your right nostril.
  4. Then ex-hail.
  5. Then – close your right nostril with your right hand fingers.
  6. Sniff in a little water into your left nostril.
  7. Then ex-hail.

How do all of these noxious bacterial infections and viruses leak into the brain? Answer: through our nose. Do this simple cleansing every time you take a shower and the passageway used by nasty critters to contaminate your brain is closed down.

You may well rebel at this suggestion. You have sniffed into your nose before and it feels terrible! Yes – it will feel uncomfortable at first. But trust me on this. Do it every day and the discomfort will dissolve.

Better yet – your brain will thank you.

Second Activity

Lift Brain Fog by Doing the Brain Gym

Below is a video of me demonstrating how to do the brain gym which was taken at one of our Summits.

Steps are:

  1. Hold right ear lobe with your left hand.
  2. Hold your left ear lobe with your right hand
  3. Bend your legs and stoop down 7 times.

Why not do both of these every day?

Maybe you do not have enough time? Really? They take one minute out of your day.

They cost too much. Really? They are free to do.

Many people think free means it will not work. In this case – free means just the opposite.

Robert

Step Seven: Stop Eating All Dairy Products

Step Seven Class Notes

Warning:

Some of you are not going to like hearing about Step Seven. I have only one question for you to meditate on:

How serious are you about reversing whatever symptoms you may currently be experiencing?

If on a scale of 10 (where 1 is not really serious and 10 is profoundly serious) you score yourself a 10 – I urge you to take the Step 7 seriously.

What does it take to make Step 7 happen?

Do I have to purchase anything?

Heavens no!

None of the Giant Leap for Recovery steps involves buying any products or doing any expensive therapies.

Some people suspect that the underlying motivation to offer my Giant Leap course at such a small tuition is to sell your something.

That is not what this course is about. It is all about helping you heal.  Healing from the inside out entails taking full charge of your recovery program.

Step Seven involves NOT DOING something you may have been doing your entire life.

Stop Eating All Dairy Products

I know some of you are probably thinking – this is stupid. These steps are stupid.

I love eating dairy.

Hey. So do I!

Why do I ask you to take this step seriously?

The research on what predicts Parkinson’s symptoms is unequivocal. Abstracts of recent studies are included at the bottom of this class handout.

Research shows people who eat dairy products are significantly more like to experience symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. The studies use huge samples and are all well designed.

 Are you serious about healing?

Take this step seriously.                                    

My personal experience with dairy

  1. At a young age

Serious ear aches due to allergic reaction to dairy.

  1. And now.

Muscle testing recently reveals I should stop eating all cheese. Duh. I knew this but was in denial. 

  • I have interviewed a number of people who stopped eating dairy and experienced a welcome relief of symptoms.
  • It usually takes time to experience results.

Abstracts of recent studies are included in the class notes which you will receive as an attachment to the next email from me. This will give you confirmation that my suggestion has merit. 

What about butter?

Why not muscle test this one?

You may be thinking …

I have tried to stop eating dairy. I feel so empty and unsatisfied. 

Yes – this is precisely the feeling you will have …

For 4-6 weeks. Why does it lift?

Listen to my interview with

Warren Kramer:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/parkinsons-recovery/2017/10/25/the-macrobiotic-approach-to-health-and-wellness

Our body craves (and becomes “addicted”) to the food we eat. When we start eating fresh, live food – we will no longer crave dairy products.

Go cold turkey on eating dairy for 2 weeks. Then – pleasure yourself with gulping down the dairy products you have always loved to eat:  

  • Ice cream.
  • Cheese .

And see if you feel worse. That should be an additional motivation to get serious about Step 7. 

Abstracts of Two Recent Studies

Eur J Epidemiol. 2014 Sep;29(9):613-9. doi: 10.1007/s10654-014-9921-4. Epub 2014 Jun 4.

Dairy foods intake and risk of Parkinson’s disease: a dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.

Jiang W1Ju CJiang HZhang D.

Dairy foods have been linked to Parkinson’s disease (PD), and a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies on dairy foods intake and PD risk was conducted. Eligible studies were identified in a literature search of EMBASE and PubMed up to April 2014. Seven results from prospective studies were included, including 1,083 PD cases among 304,193 subjects. The combined risk of PD for highest vs. lowest level of dairy foods intake was 1.40 (1.20-1.63) overall, 1.66 (1.29-2.14) for men and 1.15 (0.85-1.56) for women. For highest vs. lowest level, the PD risk was 1.45 (1.23-1.73) for milk, 1.26 (0.99-1.60) for cheese, 0.95 (0.76-1.20) for yogurt and 0.76 (0.51-1.13) for butter. The linear dose-response relationship showed that PD risk increased by 17% [1.17 (1.06-1.30)] for every 200 g/day increment in milk intake (Pfor non-linearity = 0.22), and 13% [1.13 (0.91-1.40)] for every 10 g/day increment in cheese intake (Pfor non-linearity = 0.39). The absolute risk differences were estimated to be 2-4 PD cases per 100,000 person-years for every 200 g/day increment in milk intake, and 1-3 PD cases per 100,000 person-years for every 10 g/day increment in cheese intake. Dairy foods (milk, cheese) might be positively associated with increased risk of PD, especially for men.

 

Neurology. 2017 Jul 4;89(1):46-52. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000004057. Epub 2017 Jun 8.

Intake of dairy foods and risk of Parkinson disease.

Hughes KC1Gao X2Kim IY2Wang M2Weisskopf MG2Schwarzschild MA2Ascherio A2.

Author information

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To prospectively examine the association between commonly consumed dairy products and the risk of Parkinson disease (PD) in women and men.

METHODS:

Analyses were based on data from 2 large prospective cohort studies, the Nurses’ Health Study (n = 80,736) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (n = 48,610), with a total of 26 and 24 years of follow-up, respectively. Both US-based studies were conducted via mailed biennial questionnaires. Dietary intake was assessed with food frequency questionnaires administered repeatedly over the follow-up period. Incident cases of PD (n = 1,036) were identified via questionnaires and subsequently confirmed by reviewing medical records. We also conducted a meta-analysis to combine our study with 3 previously published prospective studies on total milk intake and PD risk and 1 study on total dairy intake and PD risk.

RESULTS:

While total dairy intake was not significantly associated with PD risk in our cohorts, intake of low-fat dairy foods was associated with PD risk. The pooled, multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) comparing people who consumed at least 3 servings of low-fat dairy per day to those who consumed none was 1.34 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.79, p trend = 0.04). This association appeared to be driven by an increased risk of PD associated with skim and low-fat milk (HR 1.39, 95% CI 1.12-1.73, p trend <0.01). Results were similar in women and men (p for heterogeneity >0.05). In the meta-analysis, the pooled relative risk comparing extreme categories of total milk intake was 1.56 (95% CI 1.30-1.88), and the association between total dairy and PD became significant (HR 1.27, 95% CI 1.04-1.55).

CONCLUSIONS:

Frequent consumption of dairy products appears to be associated with a modest increased risk of PD in women and men.

 

 

Step Six: How to Calm Down Your Overactive Sympathetic Nervous System and Activate Your Parasympathetic Nervous System

Step Six

The idea behind Step Six is to strengthen and enhance your midbrain by consciously altering your speech. This is a simple and powerful way to reduce the over active sympathetic nervous system and nurture your parasympathetic system. A sympathetic nervous system on over-drive is what fuels neurological symptoms.

To make the assignment fun, recruit a family member, child or friend to play a game with you every day. Here are the game rules:

  • You must always respond using full sentence. A response of “yes” or “no” or “Yea” or “ah” is forbidden.
  • Start the game with an imaginary amount of money – $100. Each time you “goof” and utter a single sound in response to the person you are talking with, $5 is deducted from the total. You receive the balance (in imaginary money) when the game is over (in 15 minutes).
  • Practice does make perfect. Michael Lovery, author of Whole Brain Power, invented this game. He tells me that people who take it seriously experience profound results. I think his approach has applications for persons who experience neurological challenges.
  • Give it a spin.
  • Nothing to lose.
  • Everything to gain.
  • Nothing to buy.
  • A new way to have fun.

Robert 

 

 

 

Step Three: Clear and Release Unwanted Thoughts that Do Not Serve Your Best and Highest Good

Now that you have acknowledged in Step Two the negative thoughts that are deeply embedded into your subconscious, it is now time to release them.

When I refer to a transparent ball that, in your imagination, you place on the floor right in front of you, think of the ball as have a 4 foot diameter – something like a beach ball. The surface of your imaginary ball allows any and all thoughts to enter. Once they have been placed in the ball, they cannot escape or leak out.

After you complete inserting all of the thoughts that are not in your best and highest good into the ball and raise the ball higher and higher past the stars and beyond, state out loud or to yourself the following:

Release, Remove, Detach. Eject and Shield all of these thoughts that are no longer servicing my best and highest good. Watch the ball burst in a flash of gold light as you experience a delicious bath of gold light which permeates throughout your body.

Click below now to clear all of the thoughts you have acknowledged holding that do not serve your best and highest good:

I invite you to do this same meditation for four consecutive days. The surprise to me when I do my own releases is that the thoughts are always different. This guided meditation template has served me well for many years now. I employ it often when I am troubled, worried, angry, upset or even sick. The part I enjoy the most is being soaked by golden light. It always feels as thought I have purged the bad stuff that has been hanging out inside my body. I trust you will find the meditation just as useful.

Robert

© Parkinsons Recovery

Step Eleven: Hip Swaying and Unwinding

Many mobility challenges are explained by restrictions of tissues and muscles due to ongoing traumas and stresses. Muscles and tissues can be so hard and tight that they feel like concrete when touched.  This is why it is so important to adopt ongoing strategies to release tension that is buried in the body so that the muscles and tissues soften.

Step Eleven introduces two techniques that accomplish this need: Hip Swaying and Unwinding.

Hip Swaying

You are likely thinking – wait just a minute buster. You want me to sway my hips? Really?

I am a adult male, not a teenager. Only teenage girls sway their hips to be sexy.

Granted, this was my belief too and a reason why I never swayed my hips. I am a man – not a teenage girl.

There are very good reasons why you should sway your hips when you walk.

Watch people when they walk. Are they moving their hips back and forth (to the left and right) or not? If their hips are stationary when they walk – which is the case for most men – there is a very good likelihood they will need a hip replacement eventually.

One very good reason to sway your hips when you walk is that you get to avoid  hip replacement surgery. A second even more important reason is that it is a gentle way to release tension that is trapped in your hip muscles.

For the most part, trauma gets “trapped” in the hips and neck. Loosen up your hips by swaying them. The tension and tightness slowly dissolves. When your tissues become softer, ease of mobility will return.

What about the tension in my neck?

Unwinding

I also suggest that you unwinding your neck and all the tense muscles throughout your body with unwinding. The simple technique really works beautifully. The idea is simple:

Move Your Body in the Direction of Ease

Do not force any part of your body to move in any direction where you feel resistance. Below are two videos that explain unwinding.

The first video is from one of the many videos available in the Jump Start to Recovery online course. The second is a video of Deborah’s presentation of unwinding at the Vancouver Jump Start to Recovery Summit.

Step Thirteen: Embrace Mindfulness

What is Mindfulness?

If you are determined to reverse your symptoms you can spend a ton of money on therapies or … you can become more mindful. The difference? Mindfulness is free and always very effective.
Mindfulness helps people live more fulfilling lives, reduces stress and as a result,  quiets symptoms.
“Mindfulness is the practice of being aware of what’s happening in the present moment. Whenever you bring awareness to what you’re directly doing or experiencing in your body and mind, you’re being mindful.” Bob Stahl PhD

The idea behind a  successful mindfulness practice is to become totally and completely how-to-become-more-mindfulpresent to each and every moment – to live in the present moment – not in the past or the future. Stress exerts an unrelenting pressure on our bodies when we slip into the past with our thoughts or skip into the future with our worries. If we fixate on rehashing past experiences that were traumatic or hurtful or unpleasant – we will insure that our body continues to release an onslaught of stress hormones. If we worry about what the future holds in store for us, we fixate on events that rarely ever happen.

When thoughts are centered in the past or future, the body is suspended in a continual state of stress. Cells are flushed with blasts of adrenaline throughout the day. This leaves little energy for the body to manufacture dopamine. Symptoms flourish under such conditions. They thrive on stress that is fueled by worry, fear, regret, guilt and anger.

Click on the link below to download the first in a series of 8 booklets that introduce mindfulness challenges.

Exercises_for_Noticing

For other information and resources about mindfulness visit:

Mindfulness

Step Five: Reduce Anxiety Using the Icy Cold Water Treatment

Icy Water Treatment

Two nervous systems keep us alive: the sympathetic and parasympathetic.

The parasympathetic nervous system controls all of the functions of the body (pulse, breathing, distribution of water, etc.) without our even knowing.

We activate the sympathetic nervous system when we need to be in full control (when, for example, confronting a bear when hiking in the forest or managing 20 people).

When you are anxious or have anxiety attacks, your sympathetic nervous system is running full steam ahead and the parasympathetic has been shut down for all practical purposes. The sympathetic system is in control with anxiety and is so dominant that you rarely have the mental brakes that are needed to disengage it. The fuel of anxiety is adrenaline and cortisol and other hormones.

A balance of hormones is needed for the body to generate dopamine and the other “chill out” hormones. Of the two nervous systems, the sympathetic will always overpower and overwhelm the parasympathetic which is the henpecked companion. When it comes to symptoms of Parkinson’s, the sympathetic nervous system is the bad guy and the parasympathetic is the good guy

Anxiety has to be calmed to disengage the full throttle of the sympathetic nervous system and re-activate the dormant parasympathetic nervous system (though of course is still continues to regulate our primary life functions).

How in the world do you get the attention of the sympathetic nervous system to slow down and rest? You do not do this by persuasion or “hope”. It seems so very complicated, eh?

Not really! You do it instantly with the icy water treatment. After all, if you want to turn someone off, don’t you give them the Icy Water Treatment?

Here is how to set it up so that it is available when needed.

1. Find a bowl large enough for your two hands to fit inside. 

2. Grab an Ice Cube Tray or collect water from the fridge

3. Fill the bowl half way up or so with water. 

4. Put some ice cubes in the water (or keep the bowl in the fridge).

5. When feeling anxious, immerse your two hands into the icy cold water for 10-15 seconds (or longer if you can tolerate it). 

It is as easy as that!

Keep the bowl of cold water handy and readily available at home when you need it. Why not just put it in the fridge? You can use this as many times a day as needed.

When you leave home, bring a small wash rag with you.  Why? You will obviously not have ready access to your bowl of icy cold water. When you need to calm down anxiety that begins to sizzle inside, just wet the wash rag in cold water (available in any bathroom) and wipe your face with it.

That will reduce your anxiety level too.

Robert

 

Photobiomodulation Research

BBA Clin. 2016 Oct 1;6:113-124. eCollection 2016 Dec.Shining light on the Head: Photobiomodulation for brain disorders. Hamblin MR.

Photobiomodulation (PBM) describes the use of red or near-infrared light to stimulate, heal, regenerate, and protect tissue that has either been injured, is degenerating, or else is at risk of dying. One of the organ systems of the human body that is most necessary to life, and whose optimum functioning is most worried about by humankind in general, is the brain. The brain suffers from many different disorders that can be classified into three broad groupings: traumatic events (stroke, traumatic brain injury, and global ischemia), degenerative diseases (dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s), and psychiatric disorders (depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder). There is some evidence that all these seemingly diverse conditions can be beneficially affected by applying light to the head. There is even the possibility that PBM could be used for cognitive enhancement in normal healthy people. In this transcranial PBM (tPBM) application, near-infrared (NIR) light is often applied to the forehead because of the better penetration (no hair, longer wavelength). Some workers have used lasers, but recently the introduction of inexpensive light emitting diode (LED) arrays has allowed the development of light emitting helmets or “brain caps”. This review will cover the mechanisms of action of photobiomodulation to the brain, and summarize some of the key pre-clinical studies and clinical trials that have been undertaken for diverse brain disorders.

Study of Vielight Using Subjects with Dementia Saltmarche A.E., Naeser M.A., Ho K.F., Hamblin M.R., Lim L. Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, Toronto, Canada. 2016. Significant Improvement in Cognition after Transcranial and Intranasal Photobiomodulation: A Controlled, Single-Blind Pilot Study in Participants with Dementia

A study with 19 subjects that took the form of a randomized placebo-controlled trial investigated the effect of the Vielight Neuro system (a combination of tPBM and intranasal PBM) on patients with dementia and mild cognitive impairment. This was a controlled single blind pilot study in humans to investigate the effects of PBM on memory and cognition. The 19 participants with impaired memory and/or cognition were randomized into active and sham treatments over 12 weeks with a 4-week no-treatment follow-up period.

The protocol involved in-clinic use of a combined transcranial-intranasal PBM device; and at-home use of an intranasal-only PBM device and participants/ caregivers noted daily experiences in a journal. Active participants with moderate to severe impairment (MMSE scores 5–24) showed significant improvements (5-points MMSE score) after 12 weeks. There was also a significant improvement in ADAS-cog scores (see below). They also reported better sleep, fewer angry outbursts and decreased anxiety and wandering. Declines were noted during the 4-week no-treatment follow-up period. Participants with mild impairment to normal (MMSE scores of 25 to 30) in both the active and sham sub-groups showed improvements. No related adverse events were reported.

An interesting paper from Russia described the use of intravascular PBM to treat 89 patients with AD who received PBM (46 patients) or standard treatment with memantine and rivastigmine (43 patients). The PBM consisted of threading a fiber-optic through a cathéter in the fémoral artery and advancing it to the distal site of the anterior and middle cerebral arteries and delivering 20 mW of red laser for 20–40 min. The PBM group had improvement in cerebral microcirculation leading to permanent (from 1 to 7 years) reduction in dementia and cognitive recovery.

Maloney R., Shanks S., Maloney J. The application of low-level laser therapy for the symptomatic care of late stage Parkinson’s disease: a non-controlled, non-randomized study (abstract) Lasers Surg. Med. 2010;185

This is a clinical report of photobiomodulation for Parkinson’s disease in humans. Eight patients between 18 and 80 years with late stage PD participated in a non-controlled, non-randomized study. Participants received photobiomodulation treatments of the head designed to deliver light to the brain stem, bilateral occipital, parietal, temporal and frontal lobes, and treatment along the sagittal suture.

A Visual Analog Scale (VAS), was used to record the severity of their symptoms of balance, gait, freezing, cognitive function, rolling in bed, and difficulties with speech pre-procedure and at study endpoint with 10 being most severe and 0 as no symptom.

Compared with baseline, all participants demonstrated a numerical improvement in the VAS from baseline to study endpoint. A statistically significant reduction in VAS rating for gait and cognitive function was observed.  Further, freezing and difficulty with speech ratings were significantly better.

Phys Med Biol. 2015 Apr 7;60(7):2921-37. doi: 10.1088/0031-9155/60/7/2921. Epub 2015 Mar 19.

Red and NIR light dosimetry in the human deep brain. Pitzschke A, Lovisa B, Seydoux O, Zellweger M, Pfleiderer M, Tardy Y, Wagnières G.

Photobiomodulation (PBM) appears promising to treat the hallmarks of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) in cellular or animal models. We measured light propagation in different areas of PD-relevant deep brain tissue during transcranial, transsphenoidal illumination (at 671 and 808 nm) of a cadaver head and modeled optical parameters of human brain tissue using Monte-Carlo simulations. Gray matter, white matter, cerebrospinal fluid, ventricles, thalamus, pons, cerebellum and skull bone were processed into a mesh of the skull (158 × 201 × 211 voxels; voxel side length: 1 mm). Optical parameters were optimized from simulated and measured fluence rate distributions. The estimated μeff for the different tissues was in all cases larger at 671 than at 808 nm, making latter a better choice for light delivery in the deep brain. Absolute values were comparable to those found in the literature or slightly smaller. The effective attenuation in the ventricles was considerably larger than literature values. Optimization yields a new set of optical parameters better reproducing the experimental data. A combination of PBM via the sphenoid sinus and oral cavity could be beneficial. A 20-fold higher efficiency of light delivery to the deep brain was achieved with ventricular instead of transcranial illumination. Our study demonstrates that it is possible to illuminate deep brain tissues transcranially, transsphenoidally and via different application routes. This opens therapeutic options for sufferers of PD or other cerebral diseases necessitating light therapy.

Photobiomodulation, Photomedicine, and Laser SurgeryVol. 37, No. 3 Photobiomodulation—Original Research Effects of Home Photobiomodulation Treatments on Cognitive and Behavioral Function, Cerebral Perfusion, and Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Patients with Dementia: A Pilot Trial Linda L. Chao

Objective: To examine the effects of transcranial and intranasal photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy, administered at home, in patients with dementia.

Background: This study sought to replicate and build upon a previously published case series report describing improved cognitive function in five patients with mild-to-moderate dementia after 12 weeks of transcranial and intranasal near-infrared (NIR) PBM therapy.

Materials and methods: Eight participants (mean age: 79.8 ± 5.8 years old) diagnosed with dementia by their physicians were randomized to 12 weeks of usual care (UC, n = 4) or home PBM treatments (n = 4). The NIR PBM treatments were administered by a study partner at home three times per week with the Vielight Neuro Gamma device. The participants were assessed with the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive (ADAS-cog) subscale and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) at baseline and 6 and 12 weeks, and with arterial spin-labeled perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and resting-state functional MRI at baseline and 12 weeks.

Results: At baseline, the UC and PBM groups did not differ demographically or clinically. However, after 12 weeks, there were improvements in ADAS-cog (group × time interaction: F1,6 = 16.35, p = 0.007) and NPI (group × time interaction: F1,6 = 7.52, p = 0.03), increased cerebral perfusion (group × time interaction: F1,6 = 8.46, p < 0.03), and increased connectivity between the posterior cingulate cortex and lateral parietal nodes within the default-mode network in the PBM group.

Conclusions: Because PBM was well tolerated and associated with no adverse side effects, these results support the potential of PBM therapy as a viable home treatment for individuals with dementia.

Mil Med. 2019 Mar 22. pii: usz037. doi: 10.1093/milmed/usz037. [Epub ahead of print] Improvements in Gulf War Illness Symptoms After Near-Infrared Transcranial and Intranasal Photobiomodulation: Two Case Reports. Chao LL.

At least one-fourth of US veterans who served in the 1990-1991 Gulf War (GW) are affected by the chronic symptomatic illness known as Gulf War illness (GWI). This condition typically includes some combination of fatigue, headaches, cognitive dysfunction, musculoskeletal pain, and respiratory, gastrointestinal and dermatologic complaints. To date, effective treatments for GWI have been elusive. Photobiomodulation (PBM) describes the non-pharmacological, non-thermal use of light to stimulate, heal, and protect tissue that has either been injured, is degenerating, or else is at risk of dying. Significant benefits have been reported following application of transcranial PBM to humans with acute stoke, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and dementia. This report describes the first documentation of improved GWI symptoms in two GW veterans following 12 weeks of PBM treatments.

Is It Time to Consider Photobiomodulation As a Drug Equivalent? Tiina Karu, PhD, DrSci

The question of whether photobiomodulation should be used as a drug equivalent arose in my mind after listening to presentations at the recent conference of the World Association for Laser Therapy (WALT)-2012 (Gold Cost City, Australia), and later at home when searching MEDLINE® for the years 2009–2012. Photobiomodulation (earlier terms: low level laser therapy, LLLT, laser biostimulation) has been used in clinical practice for >40 years by now, and its action mechanisms on cellular and molecular levels have been studied for >30 years. Enthusiastic medical specialists successfully used photobiomodulation in treating healing-resistant wounds and ulcers (e.g., chronic diabetic ulcers), in pain management, and in spinal cord and nervous system injuries when other methods had had limited success. However, photobiomodulation is still not a part of mainstream medicine. The goal of the present Editorial is to highlight some important recent developments in clinical applications and in studies of cellular and molecular mechanisms behind the clinical findings.

One of the impressive and perspective challenges for photobiomodulation is its use in cases of Parkinson’s disease. Research in recent years evidenced that neuroprotective treatment with red and near infrared radiation (NIR) prevented mitochondrial dysfunction and dopamine loss in Parkinson’s disease patients.2 In another set of experiments, NIR normalized mitochondrial movement and axon transport, as well as stimulating respiration in cytoplasmic hybrid (“cybrid”) neurons. It is important to recall that reduced axonal transport contributes substantially to the degeneration of neuronal processes in Parkinson’s disease.