Can Light Therapy Treat 'Gulf War Illness' in Veterans?
From: Medical Design Technology - 04/06/2015

Following up on promising results from pilot work, researchers at the VA
Boston Healthcare System are testing the effects of light therapy on brain
function in veterans with Gulf War Illness.

Veterans in the study wear a helmet lined with light-emitting diodes that
apply red and near-infrared light to the scalp. They also have diodes placed
in their nostrils, to deliver photons to the deeper parts of the brain.

The light is painless and generates no heat. A treatment takes about 30
minutes.

The therapy, though still considered "investigational" and not covered by
most health insurance plans, is already used by some alternative medicine
practitioners to treat wounds and pain. The light from the diodes has been
shown to boost the output of nitric oxide near where the LEDs are placed,
which improves blood flow in that location.

Later this year, a trial will launch for veterans age 18 to 55 who have both
traumatic brain injury (TBI) and posttraumatic stress disorder--a common
combination in recent war veterans. The VA-funded study will be led by
Naeser's colleague Dr. Jeffrey Knight, a psychologist with VA's National
Center for PTSD and an assistant professor of psychiatry at BUSM.

Dr. Yelena Bogdanova, a clinical psychologist with VA and assistant professor
of psychiatry at BUSM, will lead a VA-funded trial looking at the impact of
LED therapy on sleep and cognition in veterans with blast TBI.

Lead investigator Dr. Margaret Naeser hopes the work will validate LED
therapy as a viable treatment for veterans and others with brain
difficulties. She foresees potential not only for war injuries but for
conditions such as depression, stroke, dementia, and even autism.

Read the entire article at:
http://www.mdtmag.com/news/2015/04/can-light-therapy-treat-gulf-war-illness-veterans

Links:
Margaret Naeser
http://profiles.bu.edu/display/151955

Transcranial LED to Improve Cognition in TBI & Intro to Laser Acupuncture
http://nesa.edu/calendar/event/1258