A company, Vielight, is claiming (citing numerous journal studies) that intranasal photobiomodulation (aka shining a light up your nose) can radically improve outcomes in Alzheimers patients.
“This is Rudy, he is 74 years old. A year ago, he was diagnosed as having “significant cognitive impairment” and not allowed out of the house unaccompanied. Today, he drives to the shops on his own. He is one of many Alzheimer patients that use the Vieligh”
What’s the straight dope on this? Any possibility it is true?
All the information I can find about Intranasal Light Therapy of this sort comes from Vielight, and their statements are pretty weasely. Thisskeptic websitedoes a good job of identifying where their proof comes from. Some research has been done in other countries on the general concept, I don’t believe any of it has proved out in rigorous testing. Here’s one report from China, it’s conclusion is pretty weak:
Thank you for posting this, AndreaGreen. I can report the info on the Website I belong to for angry doctors and might win the biweekly neurology competition. Even if I don’t, you will have brought laughter to many - well - angry doctors.
It worked for Rudolph. Of course, it was a red light, and that may make a difference. I’ve never heard anyone suggest that Rudolph has any sort of memory issues.
No I’m not. My angry days are behind me, as I found that being angry only hurt me and didn’t help my patients. So now I focus on First Principles, particularly Primum non nocere.
A few docs here are still fighting that good fight, for patients and against woo and corruption/indifference. They might possibly be members.
The way to decide, though, is to look at controlled studies reported in peer-reviewed journals.
I don’t have enough interest in the topic, but perhaps someone else does.
What often happens commercially is that some (legit) researcher somewhere finds an effect. Then a reporter floofs up the potential ramifications should the effect be found correct and translatable into therapeutic application. Then an entrepeneur floofs up the reporting to provide “evidence” for a marketable product.
At each step, from researcher to productization, there is an incentive to be as positive as possible. At each step there is also an order of magnitude increase in tendency to exaggerate.
That’s how a laboratory effect of photostimulation on nerve cells (or whatever) becomes “Buy this for Alzheimer’s.”