Reversing Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s With Near Infra Red?

2016 is proving to be an interesting and very revealing year when it comes to research into the benefits of near infrared therapy.  The papers keep pouring in and the conclusions are proving more and more enticing all the time.  Take for example the paper we'll be discussing today called "Turning On Lights to Stop Neurodegeneration: The Potential of Near Infrared Light Therapy in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease" published in Frontiers in Neuroscience.  Near infrared therapy is increasingly looking like it could be both neuroprotective AND could slow or stop disease pathology.  If that doesn't catch your interest keep in mind that this is something that current mainstream medicine does not do either with Alzheimer's or Parkinson's.

Now a word of disclosure up front.  Most of the results (but not all) are still at the "proof of concept" stage.  As the study concludes "There is much to do in further developing this treatment, but the therapeutic possibilities are many and the potential outcomes very exciting.  We await the outcomes of major clinical trials using near infrared therapy on these patients with much anticipation"

As we know neurodegeneration refers to the progressive death of neurons and the two most well-known examples are Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.   Over time the symptoms get progressively worse eventually making day to day routine activities difficult for patients.  As the authors note "the current treatments for patients of both diseases offer at best symptomatic relief (particularly in Parkinson's disease) but do not provide neuroprotection or are not disease-modifying, at least in humans."

One of the reasons that there is so much scientific interest in near infrared in the last few years is the lengthy list of conditions it appears to help with.  Readers of our near infrared (NIR) sauna blogs will be familiar some of the ranges of conditions (www.nirsauna.com.au) but the list also extends to retinal disease, traumatic brain, optic nerve injury, experimentally induced stroke, familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.  What this has lead us to believe is that these issues involve common pathways, specifically of "inflammation and oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and neuronal death, indicating that near infrared may be beneficial to both (Parkinson's and Alzheimer's) through the same protective mechanisms.

Near infrared is proposed to work in two different ways:

1.       Direct Stimulation of Cells

2.       Indirect Stimulation of Systemic Factors

Direct Stimulation of Cells.
This gets a bit technical so we'll stick with the conclusions which are stunning.  The authors report that the main direct target of NIR "appears to be cytochrome c oxidase, a key enzyme of the mitochondrial respiratory chain." This is where the energy of the cell comes from and if energy is compromised there will be multiple issues as one could imagine.

Specifically they conclude that direct stimulation of cells with NIR conditions "neurons to resist future damage and accelerate repair of neurons damaged by a previous or continuing insult.  In addition to protecting and repairing damaged or dysfunctional neurons, there is emerging evidence from mouse models of traumatic brain injury that NIR also stimulates neurogenesis and synaptogenesis."

What this means is that not only does NIR resist and help repair damage but it ALSO appears to help the brain create NEW nerve cells and new neural connections.  Take a second to think about what this potentially means.  New cells and new connections in the brain is truly deserving of the word "Frontier" in the title of the journal this article has been published in.

Finally they also talk about how these neurodegenerative diseases (Parkinson's and Alzheimer's) have been implicated as "vascular disorders, with suggestions that the neurodegenerative process begins with the breakdown of the integrity of small cerebral (brain) vessels and the blood-brain barrier."  Part of the neuroprotective aspect of NIR may be from "repair of the damaged mitochondria in local endothelial cells, leading subsequently to a restoration of the integrity of the endothelial network and blood-brain barrier in the region, resulting ultimately in improved neuronal survival."

Indirect Stimulation
This is a fascinating area of research and directly applies to the use of near infrared in the saunas that we manufacture and provide.  (www.nirsauna.com.au) It is very refreshing to have a scientific journal explore an area that we have known about for years, and that is how treatment in one area has an effect on a completely different location in the body.

The authors note that there is "increasing evidence that NIR treatment might also activate a more global, systemic response."  They also note however that while "the mechanism remains unknown, it presumably involves the stimulation of one or more circulating molecules or cell types."  Possible mechanisms that they mention include stimulation of immune cells, inflammatory mediators, bone marrow-derived stem calls, or a signalling system between mitochondria.

The mechanism may not be completely understood but the point is that application of NIR away from the brain had a positive effect on the brain and other organs, although of course less effective than the direct exposure.

So what does all this mean?

First of all we do need to keep in mind that more research needs to be done before hard conclusions can be made but the current indicators are that NIR works.  This makes sense when you understand the source......the sun.

Please have a look at this article titled Benefits of Sunlight: A Bright Spot for Human Health http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2290997/

Clearly we need the sun (Vitamin D and many other functions) and most of us don't get enough safe sun exposure.  In my opinion we need to look at the sun more as a nutrient than a hindrance.

What the article doesn't elaborate on is that NIR comes from the sun.  We are designed to be exposed to this NIR on a daily basis first thing in the morning light and into the twilight hours.  Indoor living reduces our exposure to NIR and in turn, one could argue, sets the stage for chronic "deficiency".  As is the case with all deficiency it will affect us....the only question is when.

A recent blog I wrote illustrates how NIR is needed to help protect us against UV damage.  The NIR actually preconditions the skin to act like a SBF 15 sunscreen!  https://youtu.be/Mn0wE7iBqGM  Nature certainly seems to know best.

Therapeutically you will need to calculate your own risk tolerance when it comes to NIR therapy for Parkinson's and Alzheimer's' until the research is clear and this could be many many years away.

In our opinion however, NIR saunas are perfectly safe and ideal for the indirect exposure.  They also will expose the head providing some, but not much, direct NIR.    A near infrared sauna is where you sit in front of near infrared heat lamps and essentially sweat as you would in a normal sauna.  Unlike a normal sauna you also get exposed to NIR which provides additional healing properties.  Until further research is in on how to better apply NIR directly to the head and for how long etc we can safely recommend these units only for indirect everyday use in anyone regardless of whether they have Parkinson's or Alzheimer's.

As to whether one chooses to expose the head directly to NIR is less clear.  Factors such as time duration, penetration etc will need to be worked out although do note that NIR "helmets" have be created and may be commercially available.  Similarly one could use NIR sauna lamps directly on the head but the exact benefits and risks are not fully understood at this time.

In conclusion these results are stunning and should be far more publically known.  Individuals should be aware of all their options when it comes to Parkinson's and Alzheimer's and be allowed to make informed choices.  The authors of the study note that "to date, there are no reports of major safety issues nor side-effects after NIR treatment.  While many will consider this a bold statement and it may still be disproven, are we looking at the future of care for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's?

Dr. Todd Lizon
B.P.H.E., D.C.