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UVNA Spanish Powerpoint Presentation (click here to download) English Presentation coming soon. Introduction: Photoluminescent
therapy, also known as light therapy has been around for decades, has been
used to treat many diseases, and has been unfairly ignored by modern medicine. Light therapy is the unbelievable
treatment that because it may seem too good to be true, too often people dismiss the treatment as a hoax. But it is true and
its effectiveness has been proven by extensive research and many clinical studies. Although the medical establishment many
times frowns at UV technology it is used every day in hospitals in the form of bilirubin lights to treat jaundiced babiesThis type of phototherapy works through a process of isomerization that
changes the bilirubin into water-soluble isomers that can be passed without becoming stuck in the liver.
Blue light (450–495 nm frequency) is typically used because it is more effective at breaking down bilirubin. This
is an accepted treatment all over the world and there are many other examples of light therapy being used in hospitals throughout
the world.
Another pioneer in the field of light therapy was Dr. Emmett Knott. In 1928 he developed the Knott Technique of Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation. His system used ultraviolet light to irradiate a small amount of blood that was extracted from the body and which was then returned to the body intravenously. This technique was used to treat bacterial and viral infections as well as a range of non-healing wounds, inflammatory diseases and autoimmune disorders. Knott's machine received "grandfather" status from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Since the advent of antibiotics Western medicine has moved away from light therapy. Because in the U.S. the pharmaceutical companies and the FDA control the field of medicine the biggest advances in the area of development of UV light therapy have taken place in Europe, and more specifically in Russia and Germany. You can see the range of machines developed in those areas in our database. Since the FDA approval of the Knott machine the FDA
has only granted two approvals to light therapy machines, the Therakos from Johnson and Johnson and the Medfaxx. The Therakos
system is used to treat Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma or CTCL which is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). UVA and
a photosensitizing agent are used in this process. According to their website they are "actively engaged
in basic research, have an expanding program of clinical trials, and are supporting innovative independent studies within
the academic and medical community." the Medfaxx is used for bactericidal management of dermatologic disorders with UVC
light.
A newer company which has developed a revolutionary concept in Light therapy is Harris Medical Resources. The Harris UV Lamp is revolutionary in that it treats the blood sublingually. Using UVC light physicians throughout the world have used this device to treat HIV, Malaria and Hepatitis B & C. They have also been granted IRB approval for the study of the treatment of Temporomandibular Joint Pain and Hepatitis C. Hopefully this kind of treatment will be fully accepted by the medical community at large and will begin to be integrated into medical treatment protocols the world over. This is just the beginning for light therapy as the floodgates have been opened and the sky's the limit for this technology. The future is bright indeed for light therapy. For any questions or comments please contact us at: |
