Parkinson’s disease
We have been observing people with Parkinson’s disease using transcranial lights since 2015 and the Duo Coronet since 2018. The findings have been consistent and heartening.
Using the Duo Coronet daily slows the progression of the disease.
The sooner daily lights are started, the better this slowing affects the disease process. Movement improves. The most common movement (or motor) improvements are finger dexterity, facial animation, articulation and voice strength, freezing, tremors and gait. One lady was able to regain confidence in her ability to cross a road when she realised that the freezing episodes had eased off and were staying away. This made a big difference to her independence. Internal tremors are particularly responsive to the Duo Coronet. People with Parkinson’s have sent regular video clips of them walking. One man’s gait improved when he started using the Coronet, and five years later, his walking did not deteriorate.
The other significant – and even more dramatic – area of improvement is in the non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s, especially fatigue, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, apathy, cognition, attention, concentration, auditory processing and visual processing, sense of self, social engagement and – and yes, this might sound bizarre but it is real and important - the capacity for joy.
Loss of joy in life (anhedonia), along with the loss of motivation (apathy) - are two of the most silent and sad parts of the Parkinson’s disease process. These respond to the Duo Coronet and CoroNase.
People with Parkinson’s also find that the “brain fog” lifts once they start wearing the Duo Coronet and CoroNase. For most people, fatigue lifts and energy levels rebound. Sleep gets better as does mood, and resilience improves.
The standard drugs used in Parkinson’s disease are effective only while there are dopamine-producing cells still operating. Unlike the Duo Coronet, drugs don’t help the cells live longer or generate new dopamine-producing cells. This is why the drugs stop being effective over time.
Experience from people with Parkinson’s using the Duo Coronet has clearly shown that the progress of the disease slows, and improvements generated by the lights are maintained, as long as the lights are used daily.
Alzheimer’s and other dementias
Most people with Alzheimer’s or other kinds of cognitive impairment notice an improvement in short term memory, quality of thinking and decision-making, and conversational ability (this is because auditory processing improves, and the brain is faster at decoding the sounds people are making).
The Duo Coronet improves cognition and mood.
Visual processing can also improve, making it easier to read things. Some people have resumed reading books, having previously stopped because it had become too difficult.
Concentration and attention also tend to improve. The consistent comment I hear is that the “brain fog” is reduced, and thinking is clearer.
There are improvements in mood with a reduction of depression symptoms and in anxiety levels. One doctor described it as increasing resilience, in that the things that had been upsetting became less threatening and confusing.
An example is the lady with dementia in a nursing home. She was constantly distressed, and having lost her sense of time, her nocturnal distress was disruptive for staff and other residents. One of the nursing staff sat with her as they both knitted while she wore the light helmet twice a day, and her distress really reduced, especially at night. She didn’t have huge changes in her memory or cognition, but she was happier, calmer and able to take part in more activities.
Another chap using the Coronet had much more settled nights, with much less wandering. The lights really do seem to help restore the biological clock which then helps in sleep quality and nocturnal behaviour. There can also be improvements in motivation (apathy is a problem in Alzheimer’s), decision-making and social engagement.
Of course, everyone is different, and depending on the nature, location and severity of the damage to neurones, the effects of the Duo Coronet will vary, and some will notice more improvements than others in different areas.
The Duo Coronet’s wavelengths are neuroprotective. They improve the function and prolong the life of existing brain cells as well as improving the way that neuronal networks behave. Daily Duo Coronet sessions also promote neurogenesis by stimulating the generation of new brain cells.
It is clear that:
The earlier in the disease process that the lights are used, the better the response.
The improvements achieved by daily lights can be maintained and this is most often seen in people who started using lights early in the disease.At the very least, the daily lights slow down the rate of the degenerative process. This is more obvious in people who were significantly affected when they first started the lights.
The lights are safe to use with no adverse side effects, and compliance is high because people find them easy and comfortable to use.
Progressive Supranuclear Palsy
In 2014, David was diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). PSP is somewhat like Parkinson’s disease, but if you had a choice between Parkinson’s or PSP, you’d pick Parkinson’s any time.
Fitz’s story
The word progressive in PSP means what it says. It is a very very nasty neurodegenerative disorder. There is no known treatment.
David Fitzgerald was a teacher, orator, nurseryman, cricket fanatic, bush-walker, traveller and IT guru. He was a larger-than-life character with a wicked sense of humour and a huge range of interests. He was a man of hope, determination, and intense curiosity.
By the time David and Helen met Catherine in July 2016, his resonant voice had been quietened, his vision was impaired, he had difficulty using his hands and his handwriting had become cramped and squashed. David had been having falls and he found it difficult to maintain balance and he had a persistent cough that could erupt and be very distressing to him and those around him. Sleeping was very difficult, so he always felt tired. Previously a passionate reader, he had long stopped reading books.
David and Helen heard about the red lights from his treating specialist, Dr Frank Nicklason. Dr Frank had made no promises, and there was no knowledge about the likely effect of trans-cranial red and near infrared lights on people with PSP. David was determined to give it a go, and so he did.
Catherine used an op-shop lampshade as the base for his device, and put red and near infrared LED strips into it. It wasn’t pretty, but it worked.
David started using it along with an intranasal device twice-daily.
David also started keeping immaculate records about his experience with the lights, quizzing people around him for their comments and observations. These records have been extraordinarily helpful in understanding whether trans-cranial red and near infrared light can improve symptoms in people with PSP.
Before David, we didn’t know.
So what happened?
David recorded a range of improvements – in speech and swallowing, in walking and balance, in the use of his hands and in handwriting and in mood. His visual problems reduced and he started reading books again. The one symptom that didn’t seem to change was the sleeping.
To try to obtain objective measurements, David provided monthly writing samples. These were analysed by Prof John Mitrofanis’s team at the University of Sydney and published, along with symptom summaries in case reports in peer-reviewed journals.
David’s doctor commented that it now looked like David had “PSP-lite”. His disease progression further, seemed to have slowed down.
Because of David, we now know that it can improve symptoms, and we are increasingly convinced that daily trans-cranial lights can slow the progression of the disease. We learned this from one year of David’s meticulous record-keeping, and his determination to help others learn from his experience.
David developed a very aggressive cancer unrelated to PSP, and he died on 4 July 2017.
In his almost-71 years, David had influenced thousands of young people through his energetic teaching and love of life.
In the last year of his life, David Fitzgerald influenced the lives of many more by providing the very first evidence of real hope for a safe and practical treatment to slow the progression of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy.
In 2014, David was diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). PSP is somewhat like Parkinson’s disease, but if you had a choice between Parkinson’s or PSP, you’d pick Parkinson’s any time.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, describes the effect of some kind of damage to the head and brain, for example from a fall, gunshot to the head, collision during sport, high-speed accident or being close to an explosive blast.
There are many ways in which the brain can be damaged. The immediate effect is to disrupt the normal brain structure, with bleeding and swelling making it difficult for the brain to function properly. There is loss of consciousness and the function of other parts of the body may be affected.
Research has shown that people with TBI respond well to red light, and particularly visible red 670nm. It is effective if used not long after the injury has occurred. Even if the injury happened years before, the Coronet can improve quality of life.
We have worked with people with TBI and we’ve found that most often they prefer the “feel” of visible red 670nm, rather than 670nm and 810nm in combination. The Duo Coronet can be easily configured (through the Well Red Companion App) to provide sessions with 670nm only. It is easy to revert back to the standard two-wavelength sequence, enabling someone with TBI to experiment and decide which setting they prefer.
Mental health
Depression is an illness that affects the brain and the body. It is subtle and disabling, but it can be treated. The two biggest obstacles are to recognise that you have depression and to do something about it. Trying the Duo Coronet is a very good start.
Depression is a complicated thing and there is increasing evidence that it is an inflammatory process in the brain. The anti-inflammatory effects of 670nm and 810nm in sequence can make a significant difference to depression symptoms.
Anxiety disorder is another debilitating condition and it – as in PTSD – responds to the wavelengths in the Duo Coronet. The primary effect is in the brain cortex.
Other conditions affecting the brain
The Duo Coronet makes a positive difference in a range of conditions affecting the brain. These include autism, ADHD, multiple systems atrophy, Huntington’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Lewy Body disease, traumatic brain injury, long COVID, seizures, and chronic fatigue/myalgic encephalitis.
If you would like more information on your specific health concern, please contact us.