Can You Use Red Light Therapy For Parkinson’s? Here’s How It Works
Studies show that red light therapy reduces the severity of Parkinson’s disease symptoms. This article reviews Parkinson’s studies and explains what to look for in a red light therapy device for Parkinson’s disease.
Takeaways:
- Red light therapy improves:
- ATP (energy production)
- Vasodilation (blood flow)
- Autophagy (garbage collection)
- Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes (F:B) ratio (gut bacteria profile)
- Gains, mostly in animal models, include improvements:
- Gait freezing
- Mobility
- Tremor
- Akinesia
- Gait
- Swallowing
- Speech
- Facial animation
- Fine motor skills
- Sense of smell
- Social confidence
Red Light Therapy for Parkinson’s
The Food & Drug Administration prohibits me from speaking about cures and treatments for Parkinson’s disease. Nothing I’m about to explain to you is a recommendation. I report on the science. You can take it from there.
Parkinson’s symptoms reduce in the presence of 810 nm infrared light pulsed at 40 Hz.
Pulsing Infrared Light
In studies of red light therapy for Parksinson’s disease, 810 nm infrared light pulsed at 10 Hz or 40 Hz reduces the severity of symptoms such as frozen gait and trembling.
Infrared delivered through the nose and on the scalp significantly reduced mobility issues, tremors, and gait dysfunction. Several times, this technology has resulted in less anxiety, depression, and insomnia as well.
Many successful Parkinson’s studies use red light therapy that pulses at 40 Hz. Pulsation might drive photons deeper into the brain. That theory is still under review. A confirmed effect of pulsation is brainwave entrainment.
40 Hz is in the gamma brainwave range. Neurons will fire at the rate of the light’s pulsation. The brain ends up in gamma, an alert mental acuity state. Neurodegenerative disease patients are often deficient in 40 Hz (and thereabouts) brainwaves, so entraining them to fire at 40 Hz restores healthy neural synchronicity.
On the other hand, 10 Hz is in the alpha brainwave range. A 10 Hz pulsation helps the brain reach alpha brainwaves, which correlates with a waking state but is much closer to the sleeping brainwaves. So, if the patient is anxious, irritable, or agitated, the 10 Hz Vielight Neuro Alpha might be a better choice.
The Vielight Combo includes both devices, so it’s the ideal choice. Some experimentation might be required. Use the Gamma in the morning and the Alpha in the afternoon.
2021 Parkinson’s Study
In a 2021 study, BMC Neurology: Improvements in clinical signs of Parkinson’s disease using photobiomodulation: a prospective proof-of-concept study, researchers used the Vielight Neuro Gamma on Parkinson’s patients.
Twelve Parkinson’s patients received Vielight treatment on the head, intranasal passage, neck, and abdominal area. At 12 weeks, their mobility and balance were significantly improved. Improvements lasted at least one year when their skills were measured a fourth time. The treatment was safe and effective. Participants reported being pleased with their gains.
How to Copy the 2021 Study at Home
Here is how to copy the successful protocol used in the 2021 study.
- You will need the Neuro Gamma Vagus Combo (USE COUPON EMFCHANNEL FOR 10% OFF)
- Place the Neuro Gamma headset on the head
- Place the Gamma intranasal device on a nostril.
- Place the Vagus on the neck.
- Run the three devices for 35 minutes (You will need to start a second session when the 20-minute timer turns off the devices.)
- Do this protocol as follows:
- Three times a week for four weeks
- Two times a week for four weeks
- One time a week for four weeks
- Three times a week for 25 weeks or 40 weeks
2023 Neurochemical Study
In a study published in, rats injected with reserpine to emulate Parkinson’s on a neurochemical level. Treatment with red light therapy yielded the following results: According to the results reported in the passage, the following improvements were observed in the subjects treated with transcranial infrared (IR) laser (photobiomodulation):
- Restored locomotor activity
- Reduced anxiety-like behavior
- Recovered levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), and glutathione (GSH) in the midbrain and striatum to non-significant levels compared to the control group, indicating reduced oxidative stress.
- Restored the activities of enzymes Na+, K+-ATPase, acetylcholinesterase (AchE), and monoamine oxidase (MAO) in the midbrain and striatum to non-significant levels compared to the control group, except for Na+, K+-ATPase activity in the midbrain.
- Restored the levels of serotonin (5-HT) and norepinephrine (NE) in the midbrain and striatum to control-like values.
- Improved the level of dopamine (DA) in the midbrain and striatum to a non-significant level compared to the control and Parkinson’s disease model groups.
Red Light Therapy Side Effects
People with epilepsy should not use pulsed light to avoid triggering a seizure. People taking photosensitive medications should not use red light therapy to avoid triggering the photosensitive reaction.
And then there’s the delicate matter of reactions in the field that have not yet been recorded in science.
A hundred, a thousand, maybe ten thousand people will use a brain light for Parkinson’s, and one will have an adverse event in the form of a mild headache or a buzzing feeling. By far, the most common adverse effect is extreme tiredness, but this is seen much more in brain injury patients than in people with Parkinson’s.
Rare but real side effects:
- Headache
- Light sensitivity
- A “buzzing” feeling
- Sleepiness for about 24 hours
The headache is the only one that’s appeared in scientific papers, and I’ve seen it in only one paper out of the thousands I’ve read.
Sleepiness is typical with brain injury users who often sleep well into the next day after their first red light therapy session. Because Parkinson’s, dementia, Alzheimer’s, and brain injury share so many mitochondrial symptoms, it’s easy to see how a Parkinson’s patient could have the same reaction.
Conclusion
Science is showing that red light therapy that reaches the brain or gut biome reduces symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Specifically, it helps restore gait function and mobility and reduces tremors.
References
- (meta) Bicknell B, Liebert A, Borody T, Herkes G, McLachlan C, Kiat H. Neurodegenerative and Neurodevelopmental Diseases and the Gut-Brain Axis: The Potential of Therapeutic Targeting of the Microbiome. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 May 31;24(11):9577. doi: 10.3390/ijms24119577. PMID: 37298527; PMCID: PMC10253993.
- (summary of brain studies) Bicknell B, Liebert A, Herkes G. Parkinson’s Disease and Photobiomodulation: Potential for Treatment. J Pers Med. 2024 Jan 19;14(1):112. doi: 10.3390/jpm14010112. PMID: 38276234; PMCID: PMC10819946.
- (Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes) Bicknell B, Liebert A, McLachlan CS, Kiat H. Microbiome Changes in Humans with Parkinson’s Disease after Photobiomodulation Therapy: A Retrospective Study. J Pers Med. 2022 Jan 5;12(1):49. doi: 10.3390/jpm12010049. PMID: 35055364; PMCID: PMC8778696.
- (established safety) McGee C, Liebert A, Herkes G, Bicknell B, Pang V, McLachlan CS, Kiat H. Protocol for randomized controlled trial to evaluate the safety and feasibility of a novel helmet to deliver transcranial light emitting diodes photobiomodulation therapy to patients with Parkinson’s disease. Front Neurosci. 2022 Aug 17;16:945796. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2022.945796. PMID: 36061601; PMCID: PMC9428720.
- (established safety) McGee C, Liebert A, Bicknell B, Pang V, Isaac V, McLachlan CS, Kiat H, Herkes G. A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Study of a Transcranial Photobiomodulation Helmet in Parkinson’s Disease: Post-Hoc Analysis of Motor Outcomes. J Clin Med. 2023 Apr 13;12(8):2846. doi: 10.3390/jcm12082846. PMID: 37109183; PMCID: PMC10146323.
- rats: Mohammed HS, Hosny EN, Sawie HG, Khadrawy YA. Transcranial photobiomodulation ameliorates midbrain and striatum neurochemical impairments and behavioral deficits in reserpine-induced parkinsonism in rats. Photochem Photobiol Sci. 2023 Dec;22(12):2891-2904. doi: 10.1007/s43630-023-00497-z. Epub 2023 Nov 2. PMID: 37917308. Johnstone DM, Hamilton C, Gordon LC, Moro C, Torres N, Nicklason F, Stone J, Benabid AL, Mitrofanis J. Exploring the Use of Intracranial and Extracranial
- (Remote) Photobiomodulation Devices in Parkinson’s Disease: A Comparison of Direct and Indirect Systemic Stimulations. J Alzheimers Dis. 2021;83(4):1399-1413. doi: 10.3233/JAD-210052. PMID: 33843683.
- (75% improvement rats) Salehpour F, Hamblin MR. Photobiomodulation for Parkinson’s Disease in Animal Models: A Systematic Review. Biomolecules. 2020 Apr 15;10(4):610. doi: 10.3390/biom10040610. PMID: 32326425; PMCID: PMC7225948.
- Mitrofanis J. Why and how does light therapy offer neuroprotection in Parkinson’s disease? Neural Regen Res. 2017 Apr;12(4):574-575. doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.205092. PMID: 28553332; PMCID: PMC5436350.
- Johnstone DM, Moro C, Stone J, Benabid AL, Mitrofanis J. Turning On Lights to Stop Neurodegeneration: The Potential of Near Infrared Light Therapy in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease. Front Neurosci. 2016 Jan 11;9:500. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2015.00500. PMID: 26793049; PMCID: PMC4707222.
- Johnstone D, Coleman K, Moro C, Torres N, Eells J, Baker GE, Ashkan K, Stone J, Benabid A, Mitrofanis J. The potential of light therapy in Parkinson’s disease. ChronoPhysiology and Therapy. 2014;4:1-14 https://doi.org/10.2147/CPT.S57180
- Montazeri K, Farhadi M, Fekrazad R, Akbarnejad Z, Chaibakhsh S, Mahmoudian S. Transcranial photobiomodulation in the management of brain disorders. J Photochem Photobiol B. 2021 Aug;221:112207. doi: 10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2021.112207. Epub 2021 May 5. PMID: 34119804.
- Li X, Liu C, Wang R. Light Modulation of Brain and Development of Relevant Equipment. J Alzheimers Dis. 2020;74(1):29-41. doi: 10.3233/JAD-191240. PMID: 32039856.
