Red Light Therapy / LLLT Cures Hypothyroid?

[Strongbad]

Okay, thanks!
Just to clarify,
the device used in the study you cited upthread a ways
was a low level laser, an LLLT, I believe.
And, in my admittedly dim understanding of this technology,
I think that is a very different and much more powerful device.

I'm not saying those lights you're using are useless,
at least the 850nm one,
because red light is supposed to penetrate deeply.
But...I think the LLLT's are a whole different animal.
Keep us posted--very interesting.

Yes, you're correct that red light & infrared is different than LLLT, but not that much of difference. red light & infrared are subdivisions of LLLT and they're safer than LLLT because the light doesn't penetrate as sharply as LLLT. So you can get a way a little more with red light and infrared if you use it too much without causing inflammation. Still, fructose + orange juice + food + vitamin A,D,E,K prior to therapy is recommended to avoid inflammation.

Will keep you guys posted with updates!

 

[DKayJoe]

Strongbad, do you think the 700+ nm wavelengths would still be good for hair regrowth? Or is there something about the light penetration/deep penetration that stimulates growth? I mean surely if it's piercing through the tissues into the brain it would still get the same desired effect?

 

[Strongbad]

Strongbad, do you think the 700+ nm wavelengths would still be good for hair regrowth? Or is there something about the light penetration/deep penetration that stimulates growth? I mean surely if it's piercing through the tissues into the brain it would still get the same desired effect?

I read a lot of studies online for hair growth and they came to conclusion that 655-660nm are the sweet spot. 655nm is rare to get and more expensive, so I used 660nm. 660nm is also known to reduce wrinkles and heals many things such as cuts, skin burns etc. 660nm has a lot of healing power to many things, So it is the wavelength to go.

Just because 700nm+ penetrates deeper doesn't mean it's the optimal wavelength for hair regrowth. Not only different wavelengths have different depth penetration, but they also affect cells differently. For instance, you can light up your testes with either 670nm or 808nm to raise testosterone (there's a study to this, believe it or not), but 670nm does it more efficiently without altering cells of testosterone while 808nm penetrates deeper but it doesn't produce testosterone that much more of testosterone than 670nm. 808nm also alters testosterone cells a little bit.

Study is here: http://www.biomedres.info/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/28-32-Ahn-laser_therapy.357194742.pdf

The light MUST BE RED LED. Not blue, not purple, not bright white. Must be all red LED 660nm.

BTW, I also do the scalp massaging that jimmyquick recommended to decalcify the scalp, which seems to be helping quiet a bit:

Good to see your prolactin is normal. However, it could have been high when your hair first started thinning since you waited a bit to get the labs done and it could have caused some calcification as it pulls calcium out of the blood. You may also want to do some really deep scalp massages. I had super high prolactin and my scalp became quite hard in the thinning areas. So check this if you haven't already seen it. If your scalp is hard in the thinning areas its been calcified and breaking it up should help allow more blood flow. This alone has stopped my thinning, dandruff, and redness. My hair still sheds like crazy sometimes, but its def new growth. I'll post some pics down the road for some inspiration for you. Im certain you will figure this out and get it back.

http://jdmoyer.com/2015/04/13/hair/

So now, my regimens are:

- Peat diet with lots of coffee + fructose powder and taurine (to help produce stomach acid for digestion)
- Infrared therapy on thyroid (2 sessions out of 10 so far)
- 2x Daily scalp massage as jimmyquick recommends
- Red light 660nm RED for hair. 20-25 minutes per session, every other day. NOT everyday, since the off-time is when the hair regrows.

 

[DKayJoe]

Okay, thanks a lot for the info, at the moment all I have is a Phillips Infracare (Wavelegnths of IR A/B/C which is 700nm - 1400nm) light which I didn't buy for hair regrowth as such but just for some Near IR/IR light exposure due to me working nights, however, the area I tend to let it cover is my scalp for 15 minutes every other day despite knowing it's not optimal, I just hope it doesn't have an adverse effect. It seems to make my scalp feel nice after I finish but I think I'll definitely invest in some 660/655nm red LED's and some Garden Trellice to create some sort of makeshift helmet.

I'm also going to look into getting about 30g of glycine a day through bone broth/pure glycine powder as more and more studies seem to be showing it's benefits for reversing cell degradation. And maybe, at some point, formulating my own topical with Vitamin K (Reverse calcification), Glycine (Repair cells/stimulate growth), Caffeine (Restore redox balance/stimulate growth) and something like Coconut Oil (improve absorption through the skin) to stick on the parts of my forehead where I am pretty much completely bald. Although my hair loss still isn't actually noticeable (at least to people who haven't experienced it and therefore don't look at peoples hairlines too much) I still have the odd 1 or 2 hairs that have remained at where my hairline used to be, I like to call them the hairs of hope :) , so hopefully after 6 - 8 months I should be able to see some improvement.

Good luck anyway mate, I hope all this works out for you, please keep us updated.

 

[bailadora]

Bump.
Anything to share?

 

[Strongbad]

Took another LLLT 20-min session on Monday. Now my temp is consistently around 98.2F in normal room temperature or 97.9F in very cold room temperature (like office building). If it's really hot outside, I hit 98.6F easy. So far it's been a huge improvement over my daily 97.9F prior to LLLT therapy a week ago.

I also creeping back into more-liquid food now. Lots of OJ, lots of milk. When I was hypo, I minimized liquid-based food because it lowers body temp. Now, it doesn't seem to be an issue anymore. I also tolerate more coffee (plus fructose powder) without getting cold feet and jittery sensation anymore. Sometimes I even feel warm and relaxed after having coffee+milk+fructose powder.

My digestions also seem to improve a lot. I no longer feel pain in my lower right abdomen when digesting food. Bowel movement increases from once a day to 2-3 times a day, sometimes 4. Fart also smells more brutal than ever I completely stopped eating carrots and it didn't affect digestion/bowel movement in any way. That's a good news, although that might be because I also eat a lot of taurine-based food (cottage cheese) to increase stomach acid. Then again, it didn't improve much before LLLT, but now it did.

Might do blood donation and blood test after this is all done.

 

[bailadora]

I have a 660/880 handheld device lying around that I started using after reading your first post, and then doing some research on the forum about light therapy.
A week ago I started using the red 660 light on my scalp -and have been using it every other day since-and it has slowed my hair shed on my brush and in the shower. Noticable.
Using the red 660 on my skin to help wiht a sunburn and has helped alot with that. And on my feet for pain and helping.
I noticed the first night i used it-it totally relaxed me. LIke I fell asleep and slept very well-I sometimes have problems falling asleep and usually have restless sleep.
I use the 880 infrared on thyroid. twice this week. My temp was in toilet the next morning- 97.30!!! I had been getting consistent 98+ readings for months. I think the light is helping reduce stress perhaps. Each day my temps have been higher-97.6, 97.7 and this morning 97.8. I didnt measure each day. I am feeling more relaxed generally.
I wasn't a believer in the red light until now.

 

[Valtsu]

Have you seen my article on red light?

Link: http://valtsus.blogspot.fi/2015/05/the- ... -near.html

5.5. Hypothyroidism

This 2013 randomized, placebo-controlled study involving 43 patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis-induced hypothyroidism was conducted in São Paolo, Brazil.[37]

The active group received ten treatment sessions (twice a week) involving the near-infrared irradiation of the skin area close to their thyroid glands (830nm). The placebo group received red light treatment of very low intensity[37]

After 10 treatment sessions, the thyroxine (T4) medication was discontinued in both groups. During the next 9 months, the medication was slowly re-introduced if the thyroid hormone levels didn't normalize without medication.

In the control group, hypothyroidism remained after the discontinuation of thyroxine and the final dosage after the reintroduction of medication was actually higher than before the discontinuation.

However, in the active group, 48% of the patients maintained normal thyroid hormone levels without any medication. The rest also could decrease their dosage a little.

Average T4 dose in the active group (baseline -> 9 months): 93µg -> 39µg
Average T4 dose in the placebo group (baseline -> 9 months): 90µg -> 107µg

In the active group, some other positive changes were also noticed (thyroid volume, TPO antibodies and echogenicity index).

In my personal opinion, this is a very remarkable result. The Brazilian researcher had also conducted a pilot study before this randomized study, with equally positive results. Similar effects have also been reported in some Russian and Ukrainian dissertations (not translated to English).[36-43]

"[36] Lasers Surg Med. 2010 Aug;42(6):589-96. Low-level laser therapy in chronic autoimmune thyroiditis: a pilot study. Höfling DB, Chavantes MC, Juliano AG, Cerri GG, Romão R, Yoshimura EM, Chammas MC. "We noted all patients' reduced LT4 dosage needs, including 7 (47%) who did not require any LT4 through the 9-month follow-up. The LT4 dosage used pre-LLLT (96 +/- 22 microg/day) decreased in the 9th month of follow-up (38 +/- 23 microg/day; P < 0.0001)."

[37] Lasers Med Sci. 2013 May;28(3):743-53. Low-level laser in the treatment of patients with hypothyroidism induced by chronic autoimmune thyroiditis: a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Höfling DB, Chavantes MC, Juliano AG, Cerri GG, Knobel M, Yoshimura EM, Chammas MC. "The results showed a significant difference in the mean levothyroxine dose required to treat the hypothyroidism between the L group (38.59 ± 20.22 μg/day) and the P group (106.88 [...] These findings suggest that LLLT was effective at improving thyroid function, promoting reduced TPOAb-mediated autoimmunity and increasing thyroid echogenicity in patients with CAT hypothyroidism."

[38] CAOL 2003, 16-20 September 2003, Alushta, Crimea, Ukraine. Effectiveness of using laserotherapy in the treatment of autoimmune thyreoiditis. I. Gopkalova, V. Dubovik, V. Danilevsky "According to ultra-sonic examinations and thermography data decreasing of sizes of gland and centre of lymphoid infiltration was found practially with all patients. [890nm laser]

[39] ДУБОВИК ВІКТОР МИКОЛАЙОВИЧ: ПІСЛЯОПЕРАЦІЙНА РЕАБІЛІТАЦІЯ ХВОРИХ НА АУТОІМУННИЙ ТИРЕОЇДИТ З ВИКОРИСТАННЯМ НИЗЬКОІНТЕНСИВНОГО ЛАЗЕРНОГО ВИПРОМІНЮВАННЯ [Dubovik V. The postoperative rehabilitation of the autoimmune thyroiditis patients with the use of low­intensive laser radiation.] "The dissertation on competition of scientific degree of the medical sciences candidate on speciality 14.01.14" "At performance of the clinical part of work 60 patients with the hypertrophic form of the autoimmune thyroiditis before operation, during two years of the postoperative term and after application of the laser therapy were surveyed. The operation has negative influences on disease: in the remote postoperative term the depression of the thyroid function due to the activization of autoimmune process is observed. The realization of laser treatment after 2 years after operation has allowed to improve function of the thyroid gland, to reduce its volume, to lower indexes of antithyroid autoantibodies and to normalize the cellular parameters of immunodefense. Such changes are found out in one month after end of the laser therapy, reach the maximal exhibiting in three months, and in six months the beginning of inhibition of immunecorrective action is observed. The realization of repeated sessions of the laser therapy allows achieving the clinical- immunological remission of disease and is recommended in six months after the previous course." ["Doses of thyroid hormones in such treatment at (50 - 75)% lower than those commonly used." (Translated from the original language.)]

[40] Proc. SPIE 4166, Laser Florence '99: A Window on the Laser Medicine World, 319 (June 28, 2000); doi:10.1117/12.389505 Use of the immunomodulative influence of low-level laser radiation in the treatment of an autoimmune thyroiditis V. A. Mikhailov ; O. A. Alexandrova ; I. N. Denisov ["Mikhailov et al13 performed a study on patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Forty two patients were were treated with 10 applications of 2.4 J/cm2 via an 890nm laser and targeted the thymus projection zone, vascular junction, and the thyroid gland. A control group of similar size was given L-thyroxin, 100 mg/day. All laser-treated patients experienced a decrease in the feeling of squeezing in the area around the thyroid and a decrease in facial edema. The thyroid gland became softer on palpation and smaller on ultrasound examination. There was also a decreased number of patients that caught winter colds in the laser group. The immunoregulatory index (Th/Ts) normalized from 7.5 to 4.2%. The laser effects were still noticeable in 78% of the laser patients four months after treatment. This index was only slightly changed in the control group." src: Kneebone 2010]

[41] Vopr Kurortol Fizioter Lech Fiz Kult. 1998 May-Jun;(3):15-6. [The treatment of autoimmune thyroiditis using low-intensity laser radiation]. [Article in Russian] Mikhaĭlov VA, Denisov IN, Aleksandrova OIu, Poliakov AV.

[42] Вера Александровна Кривова: Неинвазивная гемолазеротерапия в системе реабилитации больных аутоиммунным тиреодитом (Диссертация, 2010) [A Russian dissertation]

[43] Александр Вацлавич Поляков: Применение низкоинтенсивного лазерного излучения в комплексном лечении хронического аутоиммунного тиреоидита (Диссертация, 1997) [A Russian dissertation]"

(Additional 2014 source for those who can translate Russian to English: http://www.medprem.ru/rimg/files/rekome ... neniya.pdf )

 

[bailadora]

I did read it-good info!
I am just over a week with the red and infrared therapy. I've used it twice on my neck-thyroid area for 15 minutes. After that first intial drop into the low 70's, my morning temps are now in the lower 80's-there is a steady climb.
I am defintely getting better sleep-I can nod off to sleep now instead of having some apprehension that I won't be able to sleep (stress), and then dropping off suddenly. I had forgotten what that was like.
I'm using the red therapy on my scalp also-is helping alot with shed on my brush and in shower.
Overall, I feel ALOT more relaxed mentally.

 

[Strongbad]

I have a 660/880 handheld device lying around that I started using after reading your first post, and then doing some research on the forum about light therapy.
A week ago I started using the red 660 light on my scalp -and have been using it every other day since-and it has slowed my hair shed on my brush and in the shower. Noticable.
Using the red 660 on my skin to help wiht a sunburn and has helped alot with that. And on my feet for pain and helping.
I noticed the first night i used it-it totally relaxed me. LIke I fell asleep and slept very well-I sometimes have problems falling asleep and usually have restless sleep.
I use the 880 infrared on thyroid. twice this week. My temp was in toilet the next morning- 97.30!!! I had been getting consistent 98+ readings for months. I think the light is helping reduce stress perhaps. Each day my temps have been higher-97.6, 97.7 and this morning 97.8. I didnt measure each day. I am feeling more relaxed generally.
I wasn't a believer in the red light until now.

Yes, I also noticed temperature drop now during the session. But after it's done, it slowly raises up again. Really weird, but whatever.

And you raised a good point. It's definitely relaxing. I noticed that I'm no longer stressed out as much these days. Even work deadlines that usually make me go insane no longer faze me anymore.

Have you seen my article on red light?

Link: http://valtsus.blogspot.fi/2015/05/the- ... -near.html

Yeah, you're one of many articles I've read that made me wanting to try this experiment . So far so good!

As of today, my temp has been steadily at 98.6F, sometimes lower to 98.3F if I miss a meal or in cold office room or sometimes up to 98.9F if I'm outside at noon. I don't know if the temp is highly affected by hot summer, but it's still a huge improvement over 96F to high 97F a few weeks ago.

When I started this experiment, I wasn't sure if red light therapy cure hypothyroidism. But now half way in (5 out of 10 sessions total), I'm already in normal temperature range. I'm very convinced now that it cures hypothyroidism. If not, at least it's a great thyroid "supplement" that can boost temp if needed. I'd even argue that it's better than cypro, armour, NDT or any thyroid supplement out there because it has no side effect at all, and you don't have to guess the correct dosage everytime. Just light up infrared on your thyroid for 20 minutes and let your thyroid decide the right amount for you.

I was Peating diet for 4 months (beginning of February to end of May) with little or mediocre result in curing my hypothyroidism. Only after using red light therapy I finally see HUGE improvement on my thyroid. If I knew this months before, I'd have fixed the issue much earlier and get on with my life.

I also notice my hair is getting thicker now. Not thick like Tarzan or Fabio, but thicker than usual. My hair was thinning so bad a few weeks ago I almost shaved it all off and call it quit. But now there's a glimpse of hope...

5 sessions done, 5 left to go. Then I'll wait 1-2 months for full blood work to see if this is all fluke / temporary / real deal. I'll also donate blood in meanwhile, maybe once or twice.

 

[Dean]

Forgive my denseness, but can you explain a little more about how you administer the laser therapy to your thyroid? You mention something about a sweeping motion. So, you hold the device out in front of you and rotate it around your neck? The device you linked to as the one you use is much bigger (more diffuse) than I would have thought. It would seem to me that it would be a little unwieldy, no?

 

[narouz]

Forgive my denseness, but can you explain a little more about how you administer the laser therapy to your thyroid? You mention something about a sweeping motion. So, you hold the device out in front of you and rotate it around your neck? The device you linked to as the one you use is much bigger (more diffuse) than I would have thought. It would seem to me that it would be a little unwieldy, no?

Dean-
I think Strongbad's device is not a laser.
It is a LED red light panel...right?
It's not a laser but it is an interesting experiment!

 

[Dean]

ok, right well, that explains why what I had pictured in my mind as the device he must be using was different than what I see in the picture of the device he uses. I mean that red light panel is diffuse enough that couldn't you just sit in front of it with it positioned at neck level and it would pretty much hit the front and sides of your neck without having to move (sweep) it...or put your neck on a swivel.

 

[Strongbad]

Forgive my denseness, but can you explain a little more about how you administer the laser therapy to your thyroid? You mention something about a sweeping motion. So, you hold the device out in front of you and rotate it around your neck? The device you linked to as the one you use is much bigger (more diffuse) than I would have thought. It would seem to me that it would be a little unwieldy, no?

ok, right well, that explains why what I had pictured in my mind as the device he must be using was different than what I see in the picture of the device he uses. I mean that red light panel is diffuse enough that couldn't you just sit in front of it with it positioned at neck level and it would pretty much hit the front and sides of your neck without having to move (sweep) it...or put your neck on a swivel.

No, I don't do any of that, no swiping, no movement whatsover. I just put the infrared panel fair close on front of the neck within chin-length. My chin basically touches the frame of the device and that's the distance. The device never touches the neck.

Hold the panel's position for 20 or 25 minutes while watching TV, browsing internet or whatever.

Yes, the panel is big. Size-wise, it might be overkill, but at least it'll cover most of the neck :)

Dean-
I think Strongbad's device is not a laser.
It is a LED red light panel...right?
It's not a laser but it is an interesting experiment!

That's correct :) It's infrared 850nm for thyroid and red LED 660nm for hair/skin.

 

[narouz]

ok, right well, that explains why what I had pictured in my mind as the device he must be using was different than what I see in the picture of the device he uses. I mean that red light panel is diffuse enough that couldn't you just sit in front of it with it positioned at neck level and it would pretty much hit the front and sides of your neck without having to move (sweep) it...or put your neck on a swivel.

I have one
and you can just lay it on your neck or stomach or back or where ever. :)
It is not hot at all.

 

[Valtsu]

In the Brazilian study, they used a _very_ small beam of near-infrared. I think the diameter was close to 1 millimeter. If you have larger one, there probably is no need to sweep/move it.

It's somewhat different if you have another light source, and I can only hope that it will bring similar benefit. :)

In Russian studies, they used 890nm instead of 830nm. They usually reported a 50-75% decrease in the need of medication, but they didn't talk about people being able to withdraw medication completely. Though now there is one 2014 report I haven't read yet...

 

[Noodlz]

I'm about to start my first of ten 10-15 minute sessions with this lamp.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QM3KI7E?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00
It's 850 nm and has 60 LEDs.

Just wondering if this seems reasonable. I'll report back on any results.

Also, does anyone know if shining this at the abdominable region would have any effect on digestion or liver function?

 

[Brian]

Also, does anyone know if shining this at the abdominable region would have any effect on digestion or liver function?

The SelfHacked.com guy does.

http://selfhacked.com/2013/11/14/my-rev ... s_I_Use_it

He's also getting into a new cutting-edge PEMF type device designed by Dr. Robert Dennis who was a NASA scientist who helped first discover and develop it. He's been using it on the thyroid successfully to increase thyroid hormones and also many other places including the intestines to greatly improve digestion.

http://selfhacked.com/2015/03/13/ices-t ... aded-pemf/

It's powerful stuff. His latest model is down to $430 dollars. I want to get around to experimenting with it, but for now a cheap 850nm array is plenty to work with.

 

[Noodlz]

Cool, I'll play around with it and see what happens.

 

[Strongbad]

Not much to report other than my temperature has been 98.6F consistently these days :)

I'm curious on other people's experience on this red light / infrared / lllt experiment in this forum. Let's hear it!