In addition to many traditional treatments for cancer, there are a number of alternative cancer therapies. An interesting one to explore further is called light therapy.
Very simply, light therapy entails the use of either visible or non-visible (ultraviolet) light to treat a variety of conditions including cancer. It is most commonly used in the treatment of skin cancer but has shown promise in other types.
While there is no hard scientific proof that any form of light therapy can directly affect or cure cancer, a number of proponents believe it has benefit when used in the right application. There are a number of different types and they are as follows:
- Colored light therapy– In this technique a light box is used to illuminate different colors of light on the patient. It is believed that depending on the color of light used and the manner in which it is administered, conditions such as nausea, fatigue, and pain can be addressed in a favorable manner. This makes it a good type of therapy to use in order to lessen the negative effects of traditional cancer treatments such as chemo or radiation therapy.
- Light Box therapy– This entails the use of a bright light and it appears to have a benefit on lowering blood pressure, relieving migraines, and improving sexual function.
- UV Light therapy– The use of UV light is believed to act as a way to neutralize bodily toxins. This is beneficial for a variety of illnesses including cancer.
- UV blood irradiation– This process exposes UV light to a person’s blood as a treatment. Proponents claim that it kills germs including bacteria, fungi and viruses as well as neutralizing toxins. If this treated blood is reintroduced to the body, it is claimed that it stimulates the immune system and helps the body to fight off infection and other bodily invaders including cancer.
Light therapy can be implemented in a number of different ways. Users can obtain light boxes and shine desired colors of light as needed. There is even a way to access a program on the Internet which can send signals to your monitor to display certain colors of light. The patient will himself/herself to the light emitted from the monitor as part of the treatment.
For UV light treatment, the patient wears a set of protective glasses. He/she is then subjected to the UV light for a prescribed amount of time depending on the condition and results sought.
UV blood irradiation is a more involved process and is typically done by a medical facility. An amount of blood (usually a pint) is removed from the body. The different cells of the blood are separated. The white blood cells are segregated and modified to show greater sensitivity to UV light. This part of the blood is treated with UV light. Following this the blood is reintroduced to the body. This type of procedure is considered a form of immunotherapy.
For most types of light therapy, there is no conclusive evidence that it is of benefit in cancer treatment. The primary exception is UV blood irradiation which is a popular form of treatment for treating T-cell lymphoma.
Light therapy using visible light is generally considered safe. While there is no conclusive evidence that it is of benefit in cancer treatment, it may have application in some forms of depression. The use of UV therapy should be closely monitored as excessive amounts may actually lead to the formation of skin cancer and other problems.
