John Ott, light pioneer

Today it is generally accepted that the pineal acts as a regulator of regulators within the body's endocrine system. Monitoring the quality of light in our environment, it adjusts the hormonal balance accordingly, affecting such diverse functions as growth and development, body temperature, electrolyte balance, diurnal rhythms, blood sedimentation and many types of blood cell counts. According to Dr Fritz Hollwich in his book The Influence of Ocular Light Perception On Metabolism in Man And In Animal, published in 1979 by Springer-Verlag, the quality of light we live with also affects kidney function, water and electrolyte balance, protein and liver metabolism, blood sugar, insulin production and the functioning of the thyroid. What has been left out? I don't think it would be an exaggeration to say that almost every body parameter is influenced in some manner by the quality of light in our environment.

Everyone who enjoys sitting in the sun or sunbathing knows there must be measurable physiological responses behind this almost universal pastime. In retrospect, it seems unbelievable that it took researchers so long to accept the fact that we respond in many different ways to electromagnetic stimuli. However, ultraviolet light has received a great deal of bad press. The average person's view has been based on the seasonal warnings not to overdo sunbathing sessions at the beach and to protect their eyes with sunglasses. Of course the short ultraviolet rays, most of which are stopped by the ozone layer of the atmosphere, are destructive in quantity to living tissue. But the long ultraviolet used in black lights is not hazardous in the trace amounts that occur naturally outdoors. Like so many things, it's a question of the proper dosage. The balance presented to us in sunlight, whether in full strength or in semi-shade, seems to be what we need for optimum health. Not too surprising considering the millions of years we lived as naked hunter-gatherers out under the sun.

The New Yorker article also mentioned reports of encouraging results in the treatment of depression and jet lag by the use of bright lights. In the case of Dr Alfred J. Lewy in Oregon, he recommended the use of fluorescents of the Vita-Lite type produced by DuroTest. They should be used at a stren h four times greater than ordinary room lighting. The Vita-Lite was developed by John Ott 25 years ago and he claims it is inferior to his new full-spectrum fluorescent fixtures that are radiationshielded and provide a separate socket for an ultraviolet black light. In his most recent book, Light, Radiation And You (Devin-Adair, 1982, rev. 1985), he discusses differences between available fluorescents in detail as well as some of his most recent findings. Gradually the recognition and honor John Ott richly deserves has begun to come to him; an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Loyola University and the Grand Honors Award of the National Eye Research Foundation, among others.