green Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 Hello, I am interested in knowing if anyone has thought about using infrared heat, or low-level lasers on their cranium (skull) for improved cognition. My reasons for being interested in this are listed below. Citations/evidence in [ ] 1. Some people with dysautonomia may have brain fog due to decreased cerebral blood flow. [I've read about this on this forum] 2. Heat increases blood flow, as in the use of heat for injury healing. [common sense] 3. Infrared-lasers have been found to increase cerebral (brain) blood-flow. [One study I found http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20662034 ] 5. I've been cutting my hair short (clipper buzzcut) and shining a halogen bulb to get some heat into the top of my skull while I type. Maybe it helps. It is a thing to think about, perhaps? Regards, Green Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizzyGirls Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 We have a cold laser (low level laser) and my daughters use if on their heads, hands, shoulders, neck, and GI tract every night. It is supposed to increase mitochondrial production in cells and it seems to help their muscles (they have EDS type III). It was helping the headaches, but it's not doing a very good job right now. Spoke with a researcher from the University of Sydney (e-mail) regarding the effects of nerve regeneration and also the effects on people with Alzheimers using a low-level laser. There's a lot of good literature out there on it. But, that being said, I don't think that there is just one thing that is going to help us all. It takes a combination of many things. For us this helps some, but not the magic pill. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
green Posted March 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 Thanks. I did not know people were trying to use infrared lasers. -Green Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yogini Posted March 12, 2016 Report Share Posted March 12, 2016 I would talk to a dr about this as it sounds unusual. I can understand how a laser might affect the skin, but not sure how a laser could penetrate into the brain given that there is a strong skull bone protecting the brain? For heat, I think a heating pad would cheaper and be more effective than a laser or bulb, but again I would be very careful of putting anything on the head or brain. There are lots of other ways to increase cerebral blood flow. For example, the Mayo Clinic recommend to me that I lie down for 45 min with my feet above my heart. This returns blood to the brain and the benefits continue after you've gotten up. I believe this has specifically been studied for POTS. I now do headstands and handstands in yoga, which are even more effective! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizzyGirls Posted March 12, 2016 Report Share Posted March 12, 2016 Green, The laser we bought is a Warp 10 by Quantum Devices (about 650nm). It is the one used at the University of Sydney, same one used for their research with Alzheimer's and also the same one that was used in space with NASA. This is a bit off-topic, but I was told by the researcher that, yes, the skull is very thick and the light does not penetrate well through it. He said to use it on the shin bones, that the bones are not as thick and that it would be absorbed through the bone marrow and possibly help the blood cells with increased mitochondrial production throughout the body. Also, my daughter's severe headaches seem to be coming from her Florinef and hormones. The laser does work well for the muscle spasms that my girls have trouble with and for speeding up motility in a sluggish GI tract. It actually doesn't get very warm, and these are a bit pricey, so I think that if your head is cold, I would find some comfortable hats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
green Posted March 15, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2016 Dizzygirls:>This is a bit off-topic, but I was told by the researcher that, yes, the skull is very thick and the light does not penetrate well through it. Yes, I think there is some controversy here. There is some research indicating that while 'low-power' IR lasers do not penetrate the skull, high power lasers do. Yogin: >For example, the Mayo Clinic recommend to me that I lie down for 45 min with my feet above my heart. This returns blood to the brain and the benefits continue after you've gotten up. This is very interesting! I would love to see some research substantiating this claim! I shaved my head (so the hair won't block IR light) And I'm using a regular light halogen bulb right now (it produces IR light). I wear a "Make America Great!" hat I found on the street to protect my skin from UV light coming out of the Halogen. It seems to help me feel better. Thank you all, Green Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
green Posted March 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2016 I am having good results from a Philips Red R40 Heat Light. Which costs <$10. PM me to talk about LLLT / Infrared lasers. I am thinking about it all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
green Posted March 25, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2016 I'm really getting good results from laying down and putting my feet up for 30-45 minutes blocks - a variation of a suggestion by Yogini. This seems to reduce the brain fog not so much. But, it really helps when I'm feeling shaky, tired, or when my legs hurt from standing for a few hours at a time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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