The healing power of full-spectrum light

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, Jan, 2004 by Joseph G. Hattersley

FS Light vs Arthritis and Blindness

Early in his research career, Dr. Ott fell and broke his glasses; soon, his arthritis disappeared. And in 1996, Marion Patricia Connolly, executive director of Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation (PPNF), had much the same experience. Full-spectrum eyeglasses, i.e., lenses that transmit all ultraviolet light, are difficult to find. I take off my glasses outdoors whenever I can.

Exposed to full-spectrum light, a father rat is docile and even helpful after his babies are born. But when the same rat pair is moved under standard light, before the birth of the next litter the male must be removed to prevent aggressiveness and cannibalism. Moved back to natural light for still another litter, he is gentle again. (73) Although human fathers aren't likely to eat their babies, do we really want more domestic aggressiveness?

Alternating full-spectrum light and total dark cured children born blind as a result of brain injury. The technique was advocated by W.H. Bates about 1904 and endorsed by Aldous Huxley in 1930. Efficacy was confirmed in the recent Annual Report from the British Institute for Brain Injured Children. (74)

How can all this be explained? Full-spectrum light, entering the eyes during waking hours, promotes night-time pineal gland secretion of melatonin. This sleep-promoting antioxidant destroys carcinogenic hydroxyl radicals--and also slows ageing. (75), (76) Melatonin can suppress growth of human breast cancer cells in vitro, and can cross all barriers to enter every cell. (77), (78) So enough sleep--best achieved in total darkness (79) --becomes anti-ageing, antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-heart attack therapy!

Except in short-term emergencies, people younger than about 50 should use supplements of melatonin cautiously, if at all. (80) For people over 40 to 45, one to three milligrams before bedtime safely promotes both prompt falling asleep and a good night's rest, in addition to its other benefits. (81)

In a laboratory, viruses are weakened by exposure to full-spectrum light that includes traces of UV. Infectious organisms such as E. coli K12 AB2480, which can cause food poisoning, dislike ultraviolet too. (82) The Morris Center in Winnipeg, Canada, promotes "amazing" healing by shining full-spectrum light onto wounds. (83)

FS Light vs Seasonal Affective Disorder

The power of full-spectrum light against SAD (seasonal depression)--again, by entering the eyes--has been amply demonstrated. FS light benefits nonseasonal depression, too, (84) but not as much. (85) Such light energises and regulates the body's entire chemistry. Won't "protecting" millions of people from UV, as the EPA advocates, then worsen the growing epidemic of depression?

Dietary sufficiency of vitamin D also needs consideration here. "Seasonal affective disorder has been treated successfully with vitamin D. In a recent study covering 30 days of treatment comparing vitamin D supplementation with two-hour daily use of light boxes, depression completely resolved in the D group but not in the light-box group." (87)