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.

Fetuses may be able to see more than previously believed

By the second trimester, long before a baby's eyes can see images, they can detect light.

25 Nov 2019

Systematic review: Evidence about effectiveness of blue light therapy for acne is lacking

Conclusions about the effectiveness of blue light therapy for acne are limited. A new systematic review and meta-analysis of 14 randomized controlled trials of blue light therapy for acne shows methodological and reporting limitations--including small sample sizes, short intervention periods, and variation in reporting quality for acne outcomes.

12 Nov 2019

Dental health, diet may have an impact on psoriasis development and severity

Dental health and diet may have an impact on the development and severity of psoriasis, according to a study by dermatologists at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Psoriasis is a skin disease that causes thick, itchy patches of red skin with silvery scales and affects more than 8 million Americans.

29 Oct 2019

Teenagers sleep 43 more minutes each night after intervention that reset their body clocks

Teenagers got 43 more minutes of sleep a night after a four-week intervention that reset their body clocks and helped them go to bed earlier, a study from the Stanford University School of Medicine has shown.

25 Sep 2019

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