Editorial – May 2022 – Throwing (Red) Light on Parkinson’s

Twelve years ago, my friend Harry, who owned a health food store, developed Parkinson’s.  I treated him for some months, but to no avail.  Homeopathy has not had a lot of success in this condition. While treating him, I had done much research on Parkinson’s but aside from conventional drugs, there was not much available.

One doctor in New York told me he could keep Parkinson’s patients symptom free as long as they followed his treatment: cranial stimulation with pulsed magnetic fields.  The problem was, patients needed to come to his office twice a week at $350 a treatment – forever.

Continuing my research, I had also found anecdotal stories about the use of red light therapy for Parkinson’s, but before I could investigate further, my friend passed away.

Recently someone asked me for help with a relative who was suffering from this disease.  I went back to my old notes and continued to investigate that story about red light.  This is what I found:

In 2012, a retired politician from Australia, Max Burr, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. When his condition worsened, and his doctor had nothing new to offer, he began research on his own. He found a study on the use of light therapy (photobiomodulation PBM) in animals with Parkinson’s symptoms written by Professor John Mitrofanis.  Burr contacted Mitrofanis and asked if he could try the therapy.  Mitrofanis said the research had only been done on animals, so he couldn’t recommend it for humans.

Burr decided to try it anyway. He constructed a device from an aluminium-foil-covered lampshade lined with LED bulbs that emitted red light at a wavelength of 670 nanometres. He placed it on his head and continued using it for twenty minutes twice a day.

He later reported: “I recovered my sense of smell, my writing is now firm and concise, my gait has improved and I can climb stairs. From week to week, it might have only been a subtle change, but the cumulative effect over the months has been quite significant.”

Burr eventually made an improved version of his device out of a $3 bucket. After learning about his results, people contacted him who wanted to try it for their Parkinson’s. Before long a local group started giving free directions for making the “bucket hats.”  A journalist in Australia wrote an article about this, which was reprinted in the New York Times and then people around the world wrote for instructions.

Since then, there has been confirmatory research about the effects of both red and infrared light for Parkinson’s.  Based on the hypothesis that the gut bacteria might have a relationship to Parkinson’s, one study used red light on mice that had been given Parkinson’s symptoms. It found that the light influenced the beneficial organisms in their gut and reduced their Parkinson’s symptoms. This study was subsequently replicated with humans whose symptoms were also ameliorated. (1)

A number of companies now sell sophisticated light devices for treating Parkinson’s, some costing over $2500.  Max Burr was asked if he’d buy one of those.  He said he wouldn’t, replying:  “A plastic bucket costs three bucks. Which one would you use?”

The moral of the story? Determined patients will often learn more about dealing with their disease than their doctors. They have more at stake. Sometimes low-tech methods will get the job done. Finally, follow Robin Murphy’s advice and learn as many healing methods as you can.

( How red light works. This is a site that sells a product, but the info seems  accurate:    https://www.wellred.com.au/how-does-it-work  )

May 2022 In This Issue

EDITORIAL

–– Throwing (Red) Light on Parkinson’s   – Alan V. Schmukler

–– Letters to the Editor – Feedback from April 2022 – Hpathy.com

 

HOMEOPATH IN THE HOT-SEAT

–– Interview with Prof. George Vithoulkas -Part I

 

FEATURED

–– Online Homeopathy Course by George Vithoulkas

–– 50% Discount on Homeopathy Foundation Course

–– Lectures on Organon of Medicine VOLUME 3 now available!!

 

ARTICLES

–– Clinical Experiences with the LM-Scale – Alexander V. Martiushev

–– The Phenomenon of Suppression – Joachim-F. Grätz

–– Message No. 1 from the International Hahnemann Center Torgau (IHZT) in Meissen April, 2022 – Siegfried Letzel

–– Medical School – Richard Moskowitz  – Excerpted from his book: Plain Doctoring

–– Calcarea Sulphuricum – From Absolute Homeopathic Materia Medica – Dr. P. I. Tarkas and Dr. Ajit Kulkarni

–– The Soul of Remedies – Hyoscyamus niger – Rajan Sankaran

–– Exemplary Case Histories Under the Aspect of the Placebo-Thesis of  Homeopathic Effects – Heinrich Hümmer

–– Is The Homeopathic Cure A Placebo Effect? – J. Arnoldo Rivera

–– Is Andropause Equivalent to Female Menopause? – Shraddha Samant

–– Questions Patients Ask–29 – Elaine Lewis

–– TIPS & Secrets – May 2022 – Alan V. Schmukler

 

FEATURED

–– Free Homeopathy Books Online

–– Best Homeopathy Course for Beginners

–– The Best Book to Study Organon!

 

CLINICAL CASES

––  COVID -19 Variant in a Man of 58 – Kathrine Dehn

–– Prurigo Nodularis in a Woman of 56 – Mitchell Fleisher

––Recurrent Miscarriages and Problems with Conception – Petr Zachariáš

––  A Case of Alcoholism  – Julius Fernandes

––  Factitious Cough Disorder – Kanika Agarwal  &  Priyanka Verma

–– Paroxysmal Cough in a Girl of 11 – Ruchi Shirudkar

––  Lichen Planus Simplex in a Woman of 45 – Bhushan Jain

––  Alopecia in a Man of 17 – Kavita Chandak

 

RESEARCH

–– Could Homeopathy Become an Alternative Therapy in Dengue Fever? – 10 Case Studies – Seema Mahesh, Mallapa Mahesh and Geroge Vithoulkas

 

BOOK REVIEWS

––    The Elements of Homoeopathy – Volumes 1 and 2 by Dr. P. Sankaran– Reviewed by Vatsala Sperling.

–– Absolute Homeopathic Materia Medica – Authentic Desktop Guide by Drs. P. Ishwardas Tarkas and Ajit Kulkarni – Reviewed by Dr. Joe Rozencwajg

–– Manjhi – The Boatman by Rajan Sankaran – Reviewed by Manish Bhatia

 

VETERINARY

–– Ask The Holistic Vet – May 2022 –  Deva Khalsa DVM

––  About Dr. Deva Khalsa  – A Brief Autobiography

–– Urinary Stones in a 6 -year-old Pomeranian – Gautam Unny

 

AGRO-HOMEOPATHY

–– The Plant Doctor – April 2022 – Radko Tichavsky

 

CARTOONS

–– The 5G Transmitter – Alan V. Schmukler

 

HOMEOPATHY CROSSWORD

–– Homeopathy Crossword May 2022

 

SOLVE THE CASE QUIZ

–– QUIZ: –  Dry Mouth: Easy Quiz, Not-So-Easy Answer! – Elaine Lewis

–– Revisiting: What Remedy Is Bobby Rydell? (Another Famous Person Quiz) – Elaine Lewis