Parkinson’s disease seems to be more common than ever before and has a profound effect on one’s day-to-day life. There is a misconception that people who get diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease are only of the senior demographic and elder population. When in fact, 5% of people with Parkinson’s are diagnosed under the age of 60. Specifically, a majority of those diagnosed are in their 30’s and 40’s.
Parkinson’s disease severity differentiates from person to person so it’s important to understand that each prognosis is unique and to be accompanied with different symptoms. On the bright side, it’s common to see people whom are in their early stages of Parkinson’s disease diagnosis live a fairly normal life without the debilitating effects the disease may have.
Despite Parkinson’s disease being a devastating illness with no known cures or treatments, there are ways to improve the symptoms through medication as well as lifestyle implementations that can have tremendous benefits to one’s health and livelihood.
As mentioned, the symptoms of Parkinson's disease can vary depending on the individual affected. While some may symptoms may even go unnoticed for many years.
The majority of those affected by Parkinson’s disease experience:
Tremors: characterized by the shaking of limbs, hands or fingers.
Bradykinesia: The clinical term for slowed movement which becomes worse over time. It might affect the way the person walks and make it more difficult for them to lift their feet.
Stiff muscles: This may also affect any part of the person’s body, potentially causing cause pain and restrictions with range of motion in their muscles and joints.
Poor Posture and Balance: Some individuals may experience a loss of coordination and balance. This generally has negative effects on one’s posture. Overtime, they may appear hunched over.
Impaired Movements and Bodily Functions: There may be a diminished capacity to do regular body functions such as blink, form facial expressions, swing arms when walking and other
Speaking Difficulty: Individuals affected by Parkinson’s may find it difficult to make themselves heard, speech may become soft, quick or slurred.
Writing Difficulty: handwriting may be severely affected, making it more difficult to write and the writing may be less legible.
Causes
The cause of Parkinson’s is not entirely known yet. There is speculation however that Parkinson’s disease may be linked to specific genetic or environmental conditions and factors. There is an assumption that genetics play a large role in Parkinson’s disease and relatives with the disease or exposure to certain toxins may become affected. Some speculate about an additional correlation between Parkinson’s disease and an unbalanced gut microbiome.
What we do know is the effects of this disease cause certain nerve cells in the brain to deteriorate and eventually die off. This lessens the brain’s ability to create dopamine, leading to impaired brain activity which causes the tremors and other symptoms of Parkinson’s.
Parkinson’s disease can also cause neurological problems such as depression, poor sleep, memory loss and confusion.
The current mainstay of treatment involves physical therapy as well as medications which act to increase dopamine levels in the brain. These medications can provide significant improvements but their effectiveness tends to wear off with time, and they can cause a number of side effects. In addition, they treat the symptoms only, without actually slowing, or reversing, the natural course of the disease.
One avenue of research that has shown unexpected promise is red and infrared light therapy, with a number of studies showing that it may decrease the level of damage and improve motor function in animal testing for Parkinson’s disease.
Red Light Therapy and Parkinson's Disease?
Believe it or not, many clinical studies have tested this hypothesis and passed with stunning results.
As mentioned, Parkinson’s disease may cause neurological complications such as depression, poor sleep, memory loss and confusion which are scientifically proven to be alleviated with the use of red light therapy. Check out how red light therapy can improve your sleep and reset circadian rhythm.
Retired Tasmanian Federal Politician Max Burr is a sufferer of Parkinson’s who tried light therapy after reading a research paper published by The Sydney University’s Professor John Mitrofanis on the use of photobiomodulation – the term used for light’s ability to modulate key biological processes at a cellular level – in animal testing for Parkinson’s.”
Aware that his condition was not going to wait while scientists went through the long process of obtaining approval for human trials, Burr went ahead and began using a device that incorporated 670nm wavelengths, proven to provide health benefits and cellular support. Burr began using the device on his head for twenty minutes twice a day.
Burr’s description of what happened is remarkable. “I recovered my sense of smell, my writing is now firm and concise, my gait has improved and I can climb stairs,” he says. “From week to week, it might have only been a subtle change, but the cumulative effect over the months has been quite significant”. You can read more about Burr’s findings here.
Ok, so shining some red light on my body everyday can cure me from disease and aging?
Well, yes. Evidence suggests there’s a key enzyme in the body’s cells that absorb light at specific wavelengths. These wavelengths trigger intracellular cascade signalling within the brain that’s proven to have a protective effect. Light therapy stresses the cells at a low-level that encourages a response that will simulate a repair process to begin and this conditions the cells to upgrade. This allows for your response system to be able to fight against a more severe insult down the line.
Similar to how your body provides antibodies after an infection, the red light therapy stresses the body just enough to charge your cells and your body keeping your brain and body healthy and safe.
Red light therapy is effective for people with Parkinson’s disease in many ways, including regenerating nerves, protecting nerves from further damage, reducing inflammation, and stimulating healthy cell activity.
The Use of Red and Infrared Lights
A prospective proof of concept study, which just came out in June 2021, determined that current Parkinson’s patient experienced many positive results when using red light therapy.
While most people dealing with Parkinson’s feel limited in their treatments, this provides very promising hope. According to the authors of this clinica lstudy, “Measures of mobility, cognition, dynamic balance and fine motor skill were significantly improved (p < 0.05) with PBM treatment for 12 weeks and up to one year”, no negative side effects were observed in this study. Thus, making it a non-invasive, simple solution to a very complex disease.
As with any new therapy or treatment, always check with your physician before starting beginning red light therapy.
With over 5,000 clinical studies, Kala red light therapy is a safe and easy way to heal the body and provide cellular support with healthy light.
Whether you suffer from this disease or one of your loved ones, The Kala Team wishes you tremendous health and strength. Our medical-grade devices were engineered to bring the amazing benefits of red light therapy to the convenience of your own home.
We are proud to have become Canada’s #1 red light therapy company and bring incredible benefits to over 2,000+ clients.
You can find a few more resources below:
https://parkinsonsdisease.net/news/light-therapy-tool-managing-pd
https://www.science.org/news/2020/09/trials-begin-new-weapon-against-parkinson-s-light
