Professor of Cardiology at Macquarie University Professor Hosen Kiat, recently gave an exclusive interview to Surfers Health Medical Centre health and wellness writer Suvi Mahonen about the results of their soon to be published trial, led by Australasian Research Institute’s Dr Ann Liebert, which found that infrared light therapy for Parkinson’s disease appears to reduce symptoms of the disease as well as improving the gut microbiome.
This is the first known trial worldwide to demonstrate changes in the human gut microbiome following light therapy.
The study’s findings will be published in The Journal of Photochemistry & Photobiology, B: Biology in the coming weeks, and an article on this topic will be posted on this blog concurrently.
In this video interview, Professor Kiat discusses the significance of the study’s findings, and its relevance for Parkinson’s disease as well as other chronic health conditions including obesity, heart disease, autoimmune diseases and cancers.
“It is quite possible that laser will provide a synergistic effect to the currently available therapeutic manoeuvres [to the gut microbiome]”, Professor Kiat says. “It is a no-brainer if it is useful because it is relatively cheap, it is non-invasive and it has zero side effects.”
Professor Kiat says that the combination of laser application to the head and abdomen resulted in “… very significant improvements in the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease”.
Suvi Mahonen is a Surfers Paradise-based journalist. Her work appears in The Australian, the Australian Quarterly, Mamamia and other health and lifestyle publications. Follow her on Facebook, YouTube and online art-selling platform Redbubble.
Thank you Suvi.Very interesting !!!!!
Thank you so very mucj.
Thank you for the informative and interesting interview. Are you able to inform us where we may be able to purchase the Red Light Therapy. Sincerely Carol and Ken Styles Western Australia .
Hi Carol and Ken 🙂
There are several options when it comes to purchasing red light therapy home-use devices, ranging from the cheapest option of building your own device to the more expensive option of purchasing light therapy devices from reputable companies.
The laser that was used in the Australian trial can be found here: https://symbyxbiome.com/collections/bio-product/products/symbyx-pdcare-green
And the headpiece (helmet) that was used in the trial can be found here: https://www.pulselaserrelief.com.au/shop/vielight-neuro-gamma
A cheaper option would be to purchase a home-made light helmet from the Dorset Men’s Shed in Tasmania. They build light hats for members of the public for $300 and ship them all over the world. You can find out more about this option as well as the option of building your own device in this video, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD-AAwtGij0&t=481s
Please let me know if you have any more questions, and I will be very happy to help you as much as I can.
Suvi 🙂
HI Suvi,
the first thing I want to to do is thank you for your efforts regarding people with parkinsons….the next thing is
I purchased a well red coronet and I am wondering whether I made the right decision…as they do not employ any kind of laser light just some led lights and of course the infra red…so while I have not taken possession of it I am wondering what I should do….the Dr Kiat that you interviewed in the video seemed to focus an awful lot of his attention on the laser so what do you think Suvi?
thanks very much
James Overton
Hi James!
Thank you so much for your kind words 🙂
I understand your concerns but I wouldn’t worry too much if I were you. I have heard great reports about the Well Red Coronet for Parkinson’s and, in fact, the original article I wrote for The Weekend Australian Magazine was about a man (Max Burr) who only used a homemade light hat and experienced remarkable improvements in his Parkinson’s symptoms 🙂
As long as your device is emitting infrared light, you can be assured that you’re receiving benefits from it.
And in fact if I were you, I would actually rest the light hat on my abdomen for twenty minutes a day, every second day, as well as wearing it on your head, as I imagine some light would still be reaching your tummy that way.
Another thing I would suggest is to make an appointment with Dr Mark Jeffery here at Surfers Health Medical Centre (he does phone and Skype consultations as well as in-clinic). He is an expert in photobiomodulation and can give you the very best advice for your condition and symptoms.
Thank you again for your kind words, I appreciate you!
All the very best, Suvi 🙂
There’re a lot of options, different helmets, nasal gadgets etc. If one wants to get real effect but doesn’t have unlimited resources what should one choose (or start with). Is the science saying that laser is the obvious way to go?
Thanks for a superb work :)!
Hi Bjorn 🙂
Thank you so much for your kind words 🙂
This latest trial does seem to suggest that laser coupled with a helmet device may give the best outcomes. But with limited resources, there are other, more affordable options when it comes to obtaining a device, and all of these options have been shown to be of benefit for the people who use them. I made a video detailing these different options which you might find useful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD-AAwtGij0
Personally, if money is an issue, I would give the light hat made by the Dorset Men’s Shed a go. They have had a lot of positive feedback on their homemade devices and their details are in the video 🙂
Thank you again so much for your kind words, and let me know if you have any more questions!
Suvi 🙂
Thank you Suvi for this informative and helpful interview! What was the protocol used in the Australian trial with Parkinson patients? For example, was it once a day for 6 days? Thank you.
Hi Cindy! Participants were given the infrared light therapy every second day, for twelve weeks 🙂 But most participants went on to continue their therapy even after the trial ended. Many are still using their infrared light therapy devices at home, every second day, and receiving good benefits from doing this 🙂
I bought vielight will it help
I also have dbs surgery
I believe it will definitely help, Hanifa! 🙂 You can certainly use it in conjunction with having had DBS surgery.
Hello Carol and Ken.
My husband and I bought a red light helmet from a different supplier in Tasmania.
We felt it was better because it is timed and turns off after 24 minutes. My husband has been using his for approximately 6 months now.
If you have any questions I’d be pleased to answer them. I can be contacted by email at tonyscc@bigpond.net.au
We bought ours from wellred.com or google ‘red lights on the brain’. It retails at $995.00 from memory, but if you send them an email, they sell it to New Zealand and Australian residents for $695.00, so much cheaper than the VieLight.
Cheers
Jenny and Tony (Coffs Harbour)
Hi Carol and Ken, You can purchase the laser devices used in the trial from http://www.symbyxbiome.com. This is the company co-founded by Dr Ann Liebert and colleagues in 2019. They ship world-wide. The device used in the trial specifically was the PDCare Laser on the abdomen and back of neck for 20 minutes three times a week. I hope that’s helpful information to you.
THANKYOU VERY MUCH SUVI I CAN REALLY FEEL YOUR SENTIMENTS
AND I APPRECIATE VERY MUCH YOUR WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT AS WELL… TAKE CARE,
BEST,
JIM OVERTON