Light Therapy News and Research

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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.

Researchers discover mechanism behind how intense light can protect against heart attacks

Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have found that intense light amplifies a specific gene that bolsters blood vessels and offers protection against heart attacks.

8 Aug 2019

New study evaluates effectiveness of blue light to reduce symptoms of psoriasis

A new study supports the use of virtual patients and in silico clinical studies to evaluate the effectiveness of blue light to reduce the symptoms of psoriasis.

8 Aug 2019

Psoriasis patients frequently use complementary or alternative therapies to treat their symptoms

Patients with psoriasis frequently use complementary or alternative therapies to treat their symptoms, according to survey results published by dermatologists from the George Washington University in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

20 Jun 2019

Dermatologist offers tips to help vitiligo patients care for their skin

Millions of people worldwide have vitiligo, a condition that causes the skin to lose its natural color, resulting in patches of light skin.

12 Jun 2019

Light therapy may dramatically reduce neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers at MIT have found that light therapy can enhance synaptic function and protect against cell death in Alzheimer’s disease.

9 May 2019

Researchers to investigate light therapy as relief from painful side effect of cancer treatment

University at Buffalo researchers have received part of a $1.5 million grant to investigate light therapy as a replacement for prescription opioids in treating oral mucositis, painful ulcers and swelling in the mouth that result from chemotherapy and radiation treatment for cancer.

12 Feb 2019

Experts address sleep disorders following traumatic brain injury

Disorders of sleep are some of the most common problems experienced by patients after traumatic brain injury. It is important to recognize and treat these problems early to allow for optimal cognitive recovery, but because they are so common, the importance of treating them is often underestimated.

10 Dec 2018

Balneo-phototherapy offers greater benefit not only in psoriasis, but also in atopic eczema

Atopic eczema, also called neurodermatitis, is a chronic skin condition usually associated with severe itching, which can cause massive impairment of the quality of life.

30 Nov 2018

Fewer daylight hours during late pregnancy may increase risk of postpartum depression

Women in late pregnancy during darker months of the year may have a greater risk of developing postpartum depression once their babies are born.

27 Sep 2018

Scientists study effects of phototherapy on cardiovascular system

Light therapy is used to treat sleep disorders, depression, and seasonal mental disorders. In order to study its effects on the cardiovascular system and to make phototherapy safer for patients suffering from hypertension, experts from RUDN University were carrying out experiments on rats for five months.

7 Aug 2018

Circadian rhythm discovery may lead to improved light-therapy treatments

A new study has highlighted how body clock processes within the body are influenced by night-time light.

30 Apr 2018

EMBL scientists develop new illumination method to manage neuropathic pain

Imagine that the movement of a single hair on your arm causes severe pain. For patients with neuropathic pain - a chronic illness affecting 7 to 8% of the European population, with no effective treatment - this can be a daily reality.

24 Apr 2018

French scientists develop new wearable laser that eradicates skin conditions

French scientists at ‘Texinov Medical Textiles’, have developed a knitted laser fabric that blasts the skin with light, giving treatment to inflamed skin or lesions over a 2 and a half hour appointment.

21 Feb 2018

Dermatologists use novel combination therapy to restore skin color in vitiligo patients

Building on prior research that examined the use of an arthritis medication to treat vitiligo, a team of Yale dermatologists has successfully applied a novel combination therapy -- the medication and light -- to restore skin color in patients.

31 Jan 2018

Phototherapeutic technology shows potential as anti-cancer weapon

A new anti-cancer strategy wields light as a precision weapon. Unlike traditional light therapy -; which is limited to the skin and areas accessible with an endoscope -; this technique can target and attack cancer cells that have spread deep inside the body, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

25 Jan 2018

Systematic bright light exposure can improve sleep in people treated for cancer

Results of a randomized controlled trial suggest that systematic bright light exposure can improve sleep for fatigued people who have been treated for cancer.

17 Jan 2018

Sunlight exposure may help lose weight

Putting on extra kilos during winters has been blamed on holiday treats and less physical activity. Now a new study shows that less exposure to be the key to putting on the weight. A sunny vacation might help lose that extra weight say researchers at University of Alberta in Canada. The study appeared in the journal Scientific Reports.

11 Jan 2018

Researchers use Quest MRI to identify earliest signs of Alzheimer's disease in mice

Alzheimer's disease wreaks emotional havoc on patients, who are robbed of their memories, their dignity, and their lives. It's financially devastating as well: care for Alzheimer's patients is predicted to top $1 trillion by about the time children born today are having children of their own.

5 Jan 2018

Researchers test orange light treatment at emergency psychiatric care

Can orange light therapy help people who have serious mental disorders? Who hear voices and see things that aren't there? Or who are thinking about committing suicide?

7 Dec 2017

Researchers develop illuminated pajamas for babies being treated for jaundice

Alone, naked, and with their eyes covered for protection: this is how newborns lie in incubators when they are being treated for jaundice. Irradiation with blue light in an incubator is necessary because toxic decomposition products of the blood pigment hemoglobin are deposited in the skin in newborns with jaundice.

31 Oct 2017