See Your Thyroid in a New Light
Posted on June 13, 2016 by Dr. G
It seems now that red light, infrared light, and low level laser therapy (LLLT) can be used to treat many conditions including autoimmune thyroid disease.
The impact is profound at the cellular level. LLLT is based on the research showing that red light and near-infrared radiation can boost cellular energy metabolism by activating the enzyme complex called cytochrome c oxidase. This energy-boosting effect can apparently protect tissues from stress and inflammation.
In a small 2010 study, 47% of the hypothyroid patients receiving 10 treatment sessions of LLLT maintained normal thyroid hormone levels without thyroid medication at the end of the 9-month follow-up. Other benefits were also noted: Thyroid antibody (TPO Ab) levels decreased by 39%, echogenicity index (EI) increased by 22%, and normalization of thyroid volume was noted in three of the seven patients with abnormal thyroid volume.
Another randomized controlled trial in 2013, 48% of the hypothyroid patients receiving 10 sessions of LLLT maintained normal thyroid hormone levels without thyroid medication at the end of the 9-month follow-up. Thyroid antibody levels decreased by 49%, echogenicity index (EI) increased by 19% and normalization of thyroid volume was noted in five of the seven patients with abnormal thyroid volume. Thyroid vascularization was corrected in 16 of 22 patients who had abnormal vascularization at the baseline.
One researcher, Viktor Dubovik (2003), noted in his dissertation “it was concluded that LLLT can decrease medication requirements by 50-75% in people with postsurgical hypothyroidism. Antibodies for Tg and TPO were decreased after the treatment.”
In recent months, I’ve written and posted quite a bit about research that seems to put either light exposure or lack of light exposure at the forefront of understanding normal human physiology. It is clear that the spectrum of light from the sun, both visible and invisible, has played a role in evolution and has consequences when abnormal.
Abnormal light exposure is everywhere in our culture. We no longer need the sun and light exposure required by our ancestors; it is not unreasonable to assume that you could live your life under artificial light at home, work, school, etc. at ever increasing percentages.
There is increasing evidence that normalizing light exposure to our genetic needs can have powerful health effects that impact a multitude of health issues. There is also increasing evidence that using light therapy from low lasers and other sources in the red to infrared end of the light spectrum can be used to heal or improve health conditions related to inflammation, autoimmunity, chronic pain and arthritis, hormone function, and much more. The red to infrared portion of the light spectrum is absent in most forms of artificial light exposure and is reduced when there is glass from a window, like eyeglasses or contact lenses in between the sunlight and the retina.
Sunlight is mostly discussed as it is related to damage to our skin or the production of vitamin D. The mistake we repeatedly make as a culture, and I blame the medical profession and how they disseminate information for this, is the fact that we ascribe single function or importance to biological processes and do not discuss the wide and diverse impact a single intervention can have on physiology. I often compare this impact to the effect of placing pressure on one spot of a spider web and seeing how every portion of that spider is effected and must react. This is why virtually all medications have a side effect.
I recommend both normalizing our native or natural light exposure to higher than current levels, and I recommend dosing red light, infrared light, and low level laser therapy to treat various health conditions, particularly those related to the immune system.
Thanks for reading!
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