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Blue LED light in medicine

PostPosted: Sat Aug 24, 2013 6:15 am
by ledbud
Blue LED light in medicine

Blue light has various positive effects on the body. It can, for example, relieve pain. And thanks to compact LED technology, it’s finally possible to make blue light therapy available for everyone.

Therapeutic applications of light energy are not new. Until now, ultra-violet or infrared light has mostly been used in the medical field – for example, to treat various skin diseases.
Blue LED light: New in medicine

Blue light has only been researched more intensively in recent times. This research showed several potential applications in the field of medicine. For instance, blue light can have a positive effect on sleeping patterns and on depressive moods. It also triggers processes that can be used to treat pain.

Light emitting diodes (LEDs) have been used in homes and vehicles for a long time. Now their innovative properties are playing a role in the medical field too. LEDs have several advantages, such as extremely high energy efficiency, very long life and compact construction.

More information: What is blue LED light?
How does blue LED light work in pain therapy?

When you expose human skin to blue LED light at a specific wavelength, the radiation is absorbed – the light penetrates the skin. This triggers various processes that relieve pain:

Firstly, warmth arises in the area exposed to the light rays. The beneficial effects of warmth on pain processes are already known, and patients appreciate the therapeutic effect.
Researchers have also discovered that blue LED light at a wavelength of 453 nanometers leads to more nitric oxide (NO) being released in the skin area that was exposed to it.

More information: How does blue LED light work?
Application of blue LED light

Now a Philips research team has developed a mobile device that brings blue LED light to patients with chronic muscular back pain. The product – Philips BlueTouch – is an LED patch containing 40 special LEDs (light emitting diodes) that produce blue light at a specific wavelength of 453 nanometers (nm). BlueTouch is used directly on the skin. This enables the blue LED light to stimulate the body’s own pain relief processes directly, as described above.

BlueTouch can be used every day and is designed for discreet mobile applications. Currently, BlueTouch is available from selected pharmacies in Germany only, as part of a pilot project. However, you can order the LED patch from any other pharmacy in Germany too.

More information: How to apply blue LED light?
Safety of blue LED light

Blue LED light can be used with absolute safety in the medical field. This is ensured by the highly developed technology, and also by the wavelength used (453 nm). Blue light is non-toxic when used as recommended.

Re: Blue LED light in medicine

PostPosted: Sat Aug 24, 2013 6:17 am
by ledbud
Blue LED light in pain therapy

It was demonstrated that blue LED light releases the body’s own NO (nitric oxide). NO supports various pain-relieving and protective effects in the body that result in natural pain relief. Find out more about the therapeutic properties of NO and its potential for medical use.

The use of light energy for therapeutic purposes is not new, and is already employed in various indication fields. These mainly involve wavelengths in the ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) regions of the spectrum. At present, light therapies are primarily used for cosmetic (acne, skin ageing) and medical purposes (psoriasis, skin cancer).

Today, LEDs are being used more and more often in applications, since they offer various advantages for medical use. One such advantage is their high spectral selectivity. This means they can create specific light ranges (e.g., the wavelength range for blue light) with high precision, and (when needed) at high levels of radiation – all without the need for extra filters.
This enables research scientists to conduct experiments with specific wavelengths, and to examine the effects of the light precisely.

LED light is already being used for various medical purposes. For example, it is used in various dermatology therapies such as the treatment of acne or psoriasis.

NO, Stickstoffmonoxid, Wirkung, Bestrahlung, Anwendung, Licht. LED-Licht, Blutfluss, Blutdruck, Gefäßerweiterung, Freisetzung, Vasodilatation, Therapie, Schmerzen, Schmerzlinderung, Rückenschmerzen, Rückenschmerztherapie
When NO is released, it leads to significantly higher blood vessel dilation than is observed in a non-exposed control group. It has also been established that NO increases blood flow, and reduces blood pressure.

The pain-relieving properties of NO

What is new is the idea of using the biological effects of blue LED light for therapeutic purposes.

Studies with blue LED light have indicated a whole new mode of action that offers promising results for pain therapy. As already described, warmth leads to blood vessels dilating (How does blue LED light work?). NO has the same effect: it activates signal paths that ultimately lead to a reduction of calcium concentrations in cells, and cause relaxation in the vessel muscles. In 1998, the Nobel Prize for medicine was awarded to Robert F. Furchgott, Louis J. Ignarro and Ferid Murad for their discovery of the relaxing effect of NO on vessel muscles cells.

So the application of blue LED light promotes muscle relaxation in two ways: firstly, the thermal energy leads to blood vessel dilation, and hence to better blood flow; secondly, the additional release of NO has a similar effect. A study has shown that the application of blue LED light increases blood flow more than straightforward applications of warmth (infrared light).

Re: Blue LED light in medicine

PostPosted: Sat Aug 24, 2013 6:19 am
by ledbud
Blue LED light for back pain

Back pain is still the most common complaint of all, and is the most frequent type of pain in Europe, together with headaches. According to the Robert-Koch-Institute in Germany, these are the most common type of pain among women and men of all age groups.

For patients, back pain is a serious problem due to high chronification rates and clear restrictions in their quality of life. However, back pain also causes serious problems for the health care system. This widespread disorder poses a high financial burden, since it very often requires extensive medical and social treatment, and is linked to high numbers of lost working days.

Frau mit Schmerzen im Nacken- und Lendenbereich im Alltag
Woman with pain in the neck and lumbar regions

How do doctors define back pain?

The diagnosis ’back pain’ (dorsalgia) simply describes a symptom that can not be limited to a specific part of the back, and has no specific symptoms or causes.

Back pain is an umbrella term for a group of different diseases that can affect bones, joints, connective tissue, muscles, and the nerves of the back or spine. Generally speaking, the result is pain that is perceived in the region of the back.

Patients experience this pain either at a specific point, or across an area in the back of the thorax (5 percent of cases), the neck (25 percent) or the lumbar and pelvic region (70 percent). The progression can be acute, recurring – or chronic if it lasts more than 12 weeks, or if 2 or more episodes occur within a year.

Typical expressions for back disorders include lumbago (ischias syndrome), and slipped discs.

Re: Blue LED light in medicine

PostPosted: Sat Aug 24, 2013 6:21 am
by ledbud
Research and science of therapeutic applications of blue LED light

Blue LED light is a real innovation in pain therapy; the first positive evidence of its pain-relieving, natural effect is already available. Recently, a Philips research team presented the first mobile solution for back pain applications based on blue LED light. Philips BlueTouch (the product’s name) is currently available from selected pharmacies in Germany as part of a pilot project. The research team is now working on ways of making blue LED light usable in other pain therapy areas too.

Since Philips research scientists discovered that applications of blue LED light have a pain-relieving effect, research teams have been working flat out to examine other possible applications for blue LED light.

A Philips research project was recently concluded successfully. With BlueTouch, Philips presents the first-ever mobile solution for use on back pain that enables blue LED light to be applied directly to the upper or lower back. For back pain patients, the advantage of this therapy option is that it simply stimulates the body’s natural processes, without the need for additional external medication.

However, blue LED light is not just for back pain applications – it can have pain-relieving effects in other indications too. This is why Philips are currently researching other potential applications for blue LED light in pain therapy. The aim is to help as many pain patients as possible to benefit from the positive effects of blue LED light

Re: Blue LED light in medicine

PostPosted: Sat Aug 24, 2013 6:23 am
by ledbud
Current studies on the therapeutic application of blue LED light

Thanks to its pain-relieving and protective properties, applications of blue LED light are a promising therapy option for pain patients. At present, a large clinical study is examining potential applications for blue LED light in pain therapy.

Unlike UV rays, blue LED light is non-toxic for skin cells. Hence, there are no objections to using the pain-relieving and protective properties of blue LED light broadly. Particularly for back pain patients who suffer pain several times a year or for longer periods, blue LED light is a natural therapy option that requires no exogenous chemical substances – unlike conventional therapies.

Blue LED light has various pain-relieving effects. Firstly, it releases warmth – a pleasant sensation that back pain patients appreciate. At the same time, the application of blue LED light leads to the release of the body’s own NO (nitric oxide). This leads to dilation of the blood vessels, which improves the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the affected area. In addition, NO has protective effects that counteract pain naturally.
Current study on the application of blue LED light for back pain

The aim of the study was to find a way of making the benefits of blue LED light available to back pain patients. The Philips Light & Health Venture, together with scientists from the University of Aachen, ran a study to find a way of using blue LED light in back pain therapy.

The first-ever mobile application of blue LED light in back pain therapy was made possible by the use of a ‘Muscle Pain Treatment Device’ with integrated LEDs. The LEDs were blue in the active group; in control groups, green LEDs were used; in placebo groups, no device was used.

The primary goal was to test the functionality of this type of device; it was used on healthy patients with mild-to-moderate chronic back pain in the upper shoulder/neck region. The pain-relieving effects of blue LED light, as compared with that achieved in the control groups, were then examined.

While not all findings are available yet, initial evaluations indicate the superiority of blue LED light compared with control groups. It was shown that blue LED light really does relieve pain demonstrably, while simultaneously improving perceived muscle relaxation.

Blue LED light provides demonstrable pain relief and improves muscle relaxation.

Freisetzung, NO, Stickstoffmonoxid, Hautschichten, Bestrahlung, Blaues LED-Licht, Steigerung des Blutflusses, Suschek, Opländer
The application of blue LED light on skin leads to a significant increase in the amount of NO compared to initial values. This applies to deeper skin layers too.

Another internal Philips study examined the increase in both local and systemic blood flow when blue LED light is applied.

This study involved direct applications to the back area for 15 minutes. A significant increase in blood flow was determined not only in the upper skin and fat tissue, but also to a depth of up to18 mm. Thus, blue LED light not only affects the upper skin layers, but also directly influences the back muscles located at that depth. The observed blood flow increase was considerably higher than that recorded when infrared light was applied.

The long-term effect was particularly interesting. After the blue LED light was switched off, the increased blood flow was maintained for a longer period. This effect was not observed when infrared light was used.

The effects of blue LED light go deep: blood flow was increased at skin depths of up to 18 mm when blue LED light was applied.

Another Philips study set out to examine pain reduction from blue LED light. The aim was to show that blue LED light leads to much greater pain relief than thermal treatment alone.

To verify this, various intensities of blue LED light were examined, whereby a constant temperature was maintained throughout the entire test.

After 30 minutes, significant pain relief that depended on the intensity of the light used was achieved. Treatment at the highest intensity level led to the highest level of pain relief. This demonstrates clearly that applications of blue LED light are superior to thermal treatment alone.

Blue LED light brings more pain relief than thermal treatment alone.
Ongoing study on the use of blue LED light for back pain

Another clinical multicentric study is currently in progress, led by the Heidelberg University. The aim is to demonstrate the superior efficacy and safety of a ’Muscle Pain Treatment Device’ with blue LED light with regard to pain relief, as compared to a control device.

This prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blind, multicentric study involves around 170 patients. A visual analog scale is used to detect pain relief.

Using this scale, patients in the study (all of whom have mild-to-moderate chronic muscular back pain) are asked to express their subjective pain relief after treatment with either blue LED light, or the control device.

Initial results are expected in summer 2012. The study is sponsored by the Philips Light & Health Venture.

An ongoing study by the University of Heidelberg aims to demonstrate the superior efficacy and safety of the ’Muscle Pain Treatment Device’ with blue LED light in terms of pain relief, as compared to a control device. The findings are expected in summer 2012.

Re: Blue LED light in medicine

PostPosted: Sat Aug 24, 2013 6:24 am
by ledbud
Philips research project: Blue LED light as a therapy option for back pain

Philips are no strangers to LEDs. In fact, the company has been using them in several divisions for quite a while. But what is absolutely new is their use in pain therapy – and not just for Philips!

In the past, Philips mainly looked for ways of using LEDs as light sources in the home, or in vehicles. But now that there is scientific evidence for the positive effects of blue LED light in pain therapy, a special research team – the Light & Health Venture – is focusing on developing various applications of blue LED light for pain patients.

The first step is BlueTouch – an LED patch that enables mobile applications of blue LED light for back pain. Integrated into this medical device are 40 ultra-long-life, highly efficient LEDs that create a special wavelength of 453 nanometers (nm). Incidentally, BlueTouch is the result of a Philips research project that ran for many years. The first prototypes looked more like a shoe box than a new mobile – and above all, flexible – therapy option for back pain patients.

Entwicklungsteam des Philips Light & Health Venture rund um Jörgen Meeusen
Development team of the Philips Light & Health Venture, headed by Jörgen Meeusen

Jörgen Meeusen and his team focused unwaveringly on developing newer and ever-smaller LED devices that would permit use on backs. After around a year of intensive research, Philips succeeded in building a small device with integrated blue LEDs that could project blue LED light onto the skin with the aid of a battery pack.

In the weeks and months that followed, the Philips research team looked at ways of making the device they had developed suitable for use in mobile applications on backs.

They tested various application forms – after all, ‘back pain’ is a term that covers various areas of pain therapy. The therapy field of back pain covers shoulder and neck pain, but also lumbar and lower back pain.

The shared aim of the Philips research team was to find ways of applying the innovative ’Muscle Pain Treatment Device’ to all these different forms of pain.

For months, they tested different attachment options, fabrics and fastenings for user-friendliness and longevity. Finally, they succeeded in finding patient-friendly application methods for the different types of back pain.

Both the BlueTouch ’Muscle Pain Treatment Device’ and the attachment systems have passed gruelling road tests. For the first time, they are now available from selected pharmacies in Germany as part of a pilot project. The Philips research team has already found its next challenge, and is currently testing new application forms that will enable blue LED light to be used for other indications too.

Philips has recently concluded a successful research project. BlueTouch is the first-ever innovative, wearable therapy option for back pain patients that lets users stimulate their body’s own pain-relief processes by applying blue LED light – anytime, anywhere.