Summary of Intranasal Light Therapy on Cholesterol
Intranasal / endonasal blood irradiation therapy are supported by studies to be able to reduce the level of cholesterols, particularly low density lipoprotein (LDL).
Directly relevant studies supporting intranasal blood irradiation to reduce cholesterol
Chinese and Russian studies support the use of blood irradiation to reduce the level of cholesterols in the blood. The RadiantLife LT and Qi-Light devices deliver this blood irradiation through the nasal cavity. The device also has been proven to be able to significantly disaggregate blood. This is also relevant to reducing LDL level as to be discussed below.
Evidence of light therapy reducing cholesterol and triglyceride levels
In one study, scientists randomly divided 30 patients with hyperlipidemia into two groups, 15 in a group treated with pharmaceutical drugs, and 15 in another group treated with low level laser intranasal light therapy for 45 minutes each time. This was done daily for 7 continuous days and the after a 5 day rest, for another 7 continuous days. They found that the intranasal therapy induced a significant decrease in total cholesterol even though the decrease was less than that induced by drugs. [1]
On April 2, 2009 a news announcement was made that a clinical study originally designed to investigate how dissolved fat affects body chemistry led researchers to discover that low level laser light therapy can disrupt cholesterol formation. It concluded that 75 percent of study participants had an overall reduction in cholesterol sum of 16.1 points.[2]
The study involved twenty volunteers between the ages of 18 and 65 years. 75 percent of study participants that demonstrated overall reduction in cholesterol serum levels had a reduction ranging from -1.0 to -31.0 mg/dL. For those participants demonstrating an overall reduction in cholesterol serum levels, 93 percent experienced a reduction in low density lipoprotein (LDL) levels (commonly referred to as "bad cholesterol"), with 47 percent revealing a reduction in LDL levels without experiencing a reduction in HDL levels (or "good cholesterol"). Of the 20 participants, 60 percent also experienced a reduction in triglyceride levels.
High cholesterol is identified with red blood cell aggregation
The presence of high cholesterol in a body will usually exhibit red blood cell (RBC) aggregation and elevated whole blood viscosity. The increased RBC aggregation can be induced by high concentrations of lipoproteins such as the dangerous LDL.[3] Therefore a therapy that can result in disaggregate RBC could be reducing the level of LDL that results in the disaggregation. Such evidence has been found with the application of a light therapy method.
Irradiation of the blood with red spectrum low level laser disaggregates RBC
In the world of low level laser therapy in the red spectrum, it is an established fact that irradiating the blood with it will result in the disaggregation of RBC. The result is typically as shown in the before-and-after pictures in Figure 1 below.
Figure 1 : Images of aggregated RBC before and after of 25 minute blood irradiation treatment
Light therapy improves LDL and other lipoprotein level readings
Notwithstanding the ability of light therapy to produce an action that would disaggregate RBC, this modality independently reduces the diabetes as well as the related complications. Apart from the recent news announcement as mentioned in the beginning,[4] this is also demonstrated by a study that covered 218 patients with diabetes both of type 1 and type 2, over 7 years, where high cholesterol and triglyceride readings were common among them. They were all treated with light therapy involving the irradiation of the blood through the intravenous method. See Figure 2.
Figure 2. Original intravenous irradiation with LLLT
In the abovementioned study, right from the beginning of the treatment symptoms of peripheral blood circulation and neural conditions improved. The readings for total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and tricglyceride levels became normal or improved with the simultaneous improvement in HDL levels.[5] Furthermore it was found that diabetes related diseases such as angiopathy (disease of the blood vessels and lymph ducts) also improved. No pharmaceuticals were given during the treatment period. The authors also state that ILBI results in a stable hypolipidemic situation which prevents atherogenesis in patients with metabolic disorders, particularly in patients with renal pathologies.[6]
Separate tests also found that high cholesterol conditions in patients with coronary heart disease also improved with low level laser treatment.[7] After receiving a course of low-intensity infrared laser radiation treatment the patients displayed positive changes in blood lipid spectrum, which was associated with improvement in microcirculation, decrease in afterload, increase in economization of heart functioning and activity tolerance. The obtained results demonstrate that the hypolipidemic effect of laser radiation is a substantial factor in the regression of CHD manifestations.
A newer light therapy method
The light therapy method used in the above studies was invasive and requires a trained technician to implement. This was before a newer method that operates under the same theory and achieve similar results by illuminating the nasal cavity, Qi-Light as shown in Figure 3 below.
Figure 3: New light irradiation method
References- Chi J, Hu G, Lin X, Qiu X, Liang D, Liu J, Chen J, Liu X, Hou L, Wang Y, Li Z, Liu S (2005). Study of the Therapy Effects of Low intensity Laser Rhinal Radiation on Dyslipidemia. Acta Laser Biology Sinica. 14(4): 265-268 (in Chinese).
- Announced and posted online by Laser Focus World on Apr 2009 - http://www.laserfocusworld.com/articles/358066?cmpid=EnlLFWApril72009.
- R Scherer, A Morarescu, G Ruhenstroth-Bauer. The significance of plasma lipoproteins on erythrocyte aggregation and sedimentation. Br J Haemotol 1976 Feb;32(2):235-41
- Announced and posted online by Laser Focus World on Apr 2009 - http://www.laserfocusworld.com/articles/358066?cmpid=EnlLFWApril72009.
- T.V. Kovalyova, A.V. Farvayeva, L.T. Pimenov, S.M. Denisov. Dynamics of hyperlipidemia and peripheral blood flow in patients with diabetes mellitus after the course of combined laser therapy in ambulatory polyclinic conditions. Laser Flashes Nov-Dec 2002.
- Kovalyova TV, et al. Dynamics of lipid metabolism and peripheral blood flow rates in patients with atherosclerosis in conjunction with renal dysfunction after the course of combined laser therapy. Selected abstract from Laser & Health, Dec. 8-10, 1999, Moscow.
- A P Vasilev, M A Sekisova, N N Streltsova, I N Senatorov. Laser corection of microcirculation disorders in patients having CHD with hypercholesterolemia. Klin Med (Mosk); 83(2):pp 33-7.