When I first began hearing about the benefits of Light Therapy (Photobiomodulation – PBM) for brain health, I needed to see the science. As a Light Therapist, I knew Light Therapy had a ton of benefits for humans and animals alike. However, even I was skeptical about it helping people with brain disorders. Light going through the skull seemed a bit much.
My skepticism was put to rest within a few years of becoming a Light Therapist. It turns out near infrared light (NIR) does penetrate through the skull. In 2017 I was at an InLight Medical conference and neurologist, Dr. Greg Hipskind, from CereScan Brain Imaging, gave a presentation on his findings with 5 veterans using an InLight Medical System for 12 weeks. Dr. Hipskind began showing us before and after SPECT scans. SPECT (single-photon emission computed tomography) images measure blood flow amount. Basically the color gray was normal and the greens and blues were lack of blood flow. We saw a few images from the study and they all showed improvement after Light Therapy was applied. Just like the photo below:
Here is the white paper produced from the study with the 5 veterans: http://bit.ly/TBIWhitePaper.
So now I had seen images that showed Light Therapy helped people with brain injuries. Next, I heard from a man who had sustained many injuries over a lifetime of playing football. Tim Krumrie, had played in the NFL for 11 years with the Cincinnati Bangles. He had also played football and wrestled in college. So the hits Tim took to his head were plentiful. Tim told us his story of memory loss, depression, horrible dreams, etc. Then he told us the improvements he felt after using Light Therapy. He told us how he could remember teachers and coaches names he had forgotten. His sleep improved and he felt well enough to go into town and shoot the breeze with his mechanic. Here is a video of Tim explaining his story about using Light Therapy: http://bit.ly/TimKrumrieVideo
Below is a picture of Tim and me from the conference. I am no longer a skeptic, instead I tell everyone I can about what this amazing noninvasive and nontoxic technology can do for people with brain injuries and brain disorders.
If you found this blog interesting check out Photonic Therapy Institute for upcoming equine and companion animal classes as well as our online Light Therapy Certification Course. We’d love to have you join our free weekly Office Hours webinars, where we welcome anyone who would like to learn more about Light Therapy & Photopuncture.
