Light Therapy News and Research

RSS

Light Therapy is the treatment of disease with certain types of light. Light therapy can use lasers, LED, fluorescent lamps, and ultraviolet or infrared radiation. Also called phototherapy.

Transcranial LED-based light therapy improves cognitive function in traumatic brain injury patients

At-home, daily application of light therapy via light-emitting diodes (LEDs) placed on the forehead and scalp led to improvements in cognitive function and post-traumatic stress disorder in patients with a traumatic brain injury (TBI), according to a groundbreaking study published in Photomedicine and Laser Surgery, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

18 Mar 2011

Non-laser light treatments may help treat common skin conditions

While dermatologists have used lasers successfully for years to treat common skin conditions such as acne, rosacea and aging skin, it now appears that even non-laser lights may provide some of the same benefits.

16 Mar 2011

Author provides tips to combat symptoms of seasonal affective disorder

Winter's chill, dark days, devoid of sunshine can send the best of us spiraling into a bad case of the blues. But those dreary winter months - particularly, February - can debilitate people living with depression.

19 Feb 2011

NatureBright's light therapy product recommended for relieving Seasonal Affective Disorder

The light therapy product Sun Touch Plus from NatureBright has been recommended by Dr. Chris Idzikowski from the Edinburgh Sleep Centre for relieving Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Dr. Idzikowski is a pioneer in the area of sleep science and chairs the British Sleep Society.

14 Feb 2011

Guide star and time-reversal mirror in biomedical imaging

Astronomers have a neat trick they sometimes use to compensate for the turbulence of the atmosphere that blurs images made by ground-based telescopes. They create an artificial star called a guide star and use its twinkling to compensate for the atmospheric turbulence.

11 Feb 2011

Light therapy can help preserve vocal cord function for patients with early stage laryngeal cancer: Study

Light, or photodynamic, therapy can help preserve the voice and vocal cord function for patients with early stage laryngeal (voice box) cancer, according to a study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

29 Jan 2011

Winter depression is more common in women than men

As the winter months approach bringing holidays and good cheer, certain health issues may arise that women should have on their radar. From mental health issues like stress, depression and seasonal affective disorder (SAD), to physical concerns like skin care, the winter can certainly pack a punch.

6 Jan 2011

Bright light therapy for the aged depressed: Study

A new study shows that exposure to bright light may ease symptoms of depression in elderly people. The researchers tried three weeks of bright light therapy using specially designed light boxes and saw that it improved symptoms of depression by as much as 54% in older adults with depression. The light therapy also improved sleep and optimized levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression and often targeted by antidepressant drugs. This is the first study of its kind to show a beneficial effect of bright light therapy on treating depression in the elderly with non-seasonal major depressive disorder.

5 Jan 2011

U of A student wins annual master's thesis competition for research on light-sensitive drug for prostate cancer

The future of cancer treatment and a University of Alberta graduate student's personal career prospects are looking bright. Weiyang Liu beat competitors from 80 of the best university graduate schools in western North America with his master's thesis on the use of a light-sensitive drug to treat prostate cancer.

20 Dec 2010

Depression associated with molecular-level disturbance in body's 24-hour clock

Depression appears to be associated with a molecular-level disturbance in the body's 24-hour clock, new research suggests.

11 Nov 2010

Colour of light influences the way brain processes emotional stimuli

Researchers at the Cyclotron Research Centre (University of Liege), Geneva Center for Neuroscience and Swiss Center for Affective Sciences (University of Geneva), and Surrey Sleep Research Centre (University of Surrey) investigated the immediate effect of light, and of its color composition, on emotion brain processing using functional magnetic resonance imaging. The results of their study show that the colour of light influences the way the brain processes emotional stimuli.

26 Oct 2010

Canadians living with depression significantly underestimate others' perceptions about illness

A new national survey reveals a vast gap between how Canadians living with depression view their condition, compared to how it is viewed in reality by the general population, possibly preventing them from seeking the best treatment and care. Most Canadians with depression feel their illness is not perceived by the public as a medical condition or a serious illness (81 per cent) when in fact less than five per cent of the general population actually has that view. In fact, the majority of Canadians (72 per cent) recognize depression as both serious and treatable.

29 Sep 2010

Planet Beach launches lower investment version of Contempo Spa franchise

Planet Beach Franchising Corporation, a recognizable leader in the health, wellness and beauty industry, has launched a lower investment version of its successful Contempo Spa franchise.

14 Sep 2010

Lack of sleep linked to depression and anxiety disorders in young

According to Australian research, youngsters getting inadequate sleep are at risk of mental ailments. Researcher Nicholas Glozier of the University of Sydney said, the increase in incidence of mental ailments in the young has been puzzling health experts. The answer may lie in inadequate sleep.

2 Sep 2010

Anxiety in school is seasonal and age dependent: Pediatric psychiatrists

With summer fading, anxiety is on the rise for some students anticipating the return of school. But it isn't just the first days of classes that can provoke angst -- anxiety in school is seasonal and age dependent, say pediatric psychiatrists.

2 Sep 2010

Latest achievements in brain research and treatment for mental disorders

Mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety disorders, addiction and schizophrenia are the core challenge of most health care systems around the world. In the EU alone, each year 27% of the total adult population - this corresponds to 83 Million citizens - suffer from mental disorders. Depression alone affects almost 20 million ranking in the EU as the most disabling disorder of all diseases.

30 Aug 2010

23rd ECNP Press conference on impact of circadian rhythms on human brain

All humans are synchronised to the rhythmic light-dark changes that occur on a daily basis. Rhythms in physiological and biochemical processes and behavioural patterns persist in the absence of all external 24-hour signals from the physical environment, with a period that is close to 24 hours

30 Aug 2010

23rd European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Congress to be held 28 Aug - 1 Sep 2010 in Amsterdam

26 Aug 2010

One in three people with psoriasis do not receive proper treatment due to health insurance issues: Survey

Results from a new survey reveal that one in three people with psoriasis do not receive proper treatment for their disease due to health insurance issues—and many won't be helped by the new health care reform law.

17 Jun 2010

Many Huntington's disease patients suffer from weight loss, sleeping problems

An aggregating protein causes many of the symptoms of Huntington's disease, an incurable and frequently fatal brain disorder. Mosaic winner Ahmad Aziz discovered that the abnormal protein also aggregates in the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that regulates the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system.

16 Jun 2010