What is light therapy?

Life came with light!
The sun and therefore light gave the basic energy for the development of life on our planet. Sun light already served ancient cultures as a cure. References for a therapeutic use of sun light can be found in almost all cultures. The spectrum of light produced by the sun, are electro-magnetic waves with different wavelengths. Specific fields of this spectrum influence a great number of biological processes positively and support and maintain health.

Light is for us an elementary element for a healthy life. Not only plants growth dependent of light, but also we human beings are biologically dependent of it too. We all know that if the sun shines, our overall feelings increase, we have better mood, we feeling happier and are more active. Long-standing scientific observations and newest studies prove that this is not only a psychological effect!

Already the ancient Greeks attached great importance to what they called helio therapy (solar therapy). Their famous doctor Hippokrates mentioned the sun in an expressly manner as a good cure. The father of all doctors also dimensioned the living quality of cities according to its favourable location to the sun.

Later it was the Romans with their bathing culture who refined solar therapy and brought it under the nation. They had houses equipped with the first natural solariums.

Also the Germans had recognized the beneficial health supporting effect of the sun. They had to climb their high mountains in their sun poor country in order to achieve the desired effects.

The first evolution of a phototherapy system that could emit light similar to the sunlight, was developed in 1896 through the Danish scientist and doctor Prof. Niels Ryberg Finsen. He was honoured with the noble of price for medicine for the successful treatment of skin tuberculosis with light.

Modern science has dedicated itself to the topic “biological effects of light” for now more than 100 years. Many international clinical studies prove the effectiveness of photo and light therapy! From these findings, a great number of practical applications, in different fields of the medicine, have been developed.

Medical fields of use for light therapy

• Dermatology
• Physiotherapy
• Sports medicine
• Rheumatology
• Psychiatry
• Rehabilitation
• Surgery

The sun sends us a radiation cocktail with red, orange, yellow, green, blue and Violet in a mixed manner. No one of these prismatic colours calories the sunlight in a specific colour, it shines in a neutral white light.

Light admission through the skin
Light enters the body through the skin in form of energy and oscillation. As a result, a great number of biological functions are regulated and balanced. The visible light spectrum is able to influence skin, tissue and blood cells positively and therefore, is ideally suitable for the medical and cosmetic application. Light-induced effects start first in the skin or the eyes, after spreads to the entire body. Affected cells can regenerate again and cell communication capability is improved.

Light admission through the eyes
For seeing we need only about 1/4 of the light which enters the eyes. 3/4 of the light is transported through the nervous system from the retina to the Hypothalamus, an extremely light sensitive part of the brain. It co-ordinates and regulates a large amount of biological processes and body functions. For example the control over the pineal gland which is responsible for the production of melatonin. In the night time we need melatonin for sleeping while throughout the day we need seratonin for being active. This process is called circadian rhythm and is light dependant.