Positive Health Online

The History

The use of light therapy in medicine has a long history. In ancient Egypt, sunlight was used for medical treatments. Heliopolis, in Egypt, was renowned as a centre for healing with light and colour in ancient times. Healing temples were built there, with coloured crystals put into the stone walls, aligned with the rays of the sun. Benches were placed inside so that the patient could lie down in peace, and their body would literally be flooded with the appropriate levels of pure or coloured light.

Later, Hippocrates also described the use of sunlight to cure various medical disorders, as did Rudolf Steiner, founder of the Theosophical Society and the acclaimed Steiner Schools. Although sunlight therapy had no scientific explanation at that time, its healing power was clear and Roman and Arab physicians also introduced light therapy for general medical use.

The Ancient Chinese people also seemed to have a ‘knowing’ of the healing power of natural light. The popular principle of Feng Shui is not only based on the right placement of certain natural elements, such as water and wood, but also the use of ‘light’ to bring a balance of peace and harmony into the home. Good ‘Chi’ or ‘life giving energy’ does not thrive in an environment of dust and darkness.

Sometimes it is very easy to think that as we are more ‘modern’ we know what is best and that these people were in some way primitive in their approach to health and healing. However, when you consider that with all our knowledge and technology today, we still do not have the ability to cut stone to the precise way that the Ancient Egyptians did to build the pyramids thousands of years ago; perhaps it is time to took another look at the more natural way they all viewed light!

A More Modern Approach

The Danish physician, Niels Ryberg Finsen, founded modern light therapy about 100 years ago. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine for his achievements using ‘Light’ Therapy. Finsen created the first device to generate technically synthesized sunlight, and achieved outstanding results in the treatment of patients suffering from a special type of skin tuberculosis.

From 1903 until the 80s research on light therapy was not really investigated to any great degree. Then in the early 80s a research team of scientists developed the first type of light that could be used for healing, that was based on low level laser technology but using a wider spectrum of light with no harmful UV rays

Today, through years of research, it is known that the human organism transforms light into electrochemical energy, which activates a chain of biochemical reactions within the body, stimulating the metabolic processes and reinforcing the immune response of the entire human body.

This can be considered in a very simple way. Our cells, when damaged, send a signal to our brain using ‘light’ energy …internal electromagnetic light. This light communicates with the brain to inform it that there is a problem in the body. The natural response of the brain is to then send out other various messages to the glands and other parts of the body to start using its own internal pharmacy for healing.

However, when a cell becomes severely damaged it cannot send this ‘light’ signal, therefore, the brain has no knowledge there is a problem and so acute symptoms become chronic symptoms. A classic example is leg ulcer. Most often this can be caused by a blow to a vein, or even a bad insect bite, causing the cells to lose contact with the brain, and resulting in the person suffering years of misery and pain, as the body does not go into its usual self-healing mode.


For years the standard treatments for leg ulcers was just the constant scraping away of dead tissues and application of dressings, plus on-going pain killing tablets. A horrible, painful and distressing condition often accompanied by a distasteful odour.

Burns are another case of the cells becoming so damaged they cannot communicate any more with the brain. Severe pain and bad scarring is often the result, as the skin is very slow to heal, and very often infection can set in, aggravating the healing process.

Now, we are entering a period of advanced healing technology with this ‘light’ therapy, not just in the mentioned problems but also in many other fields. The truly great news is that it is now becoming available for home use as well as in hospital and clinical environments.

It has been mentioned ‘how’ the light works physiologically, but let us look at how this new form of healing light differs from the sunlight. Firstly the manufacturers of products that make light healing devices have found a way to harness the most effective spectrum, or frequency of light, but with absolutely no UV rays this is where it differs dramatically from sunlight.

Then, they built and developed these devices to use light in a particular way so that it becomes what is called ‘polarized’. This means that it moves in parallel planes as it hits the skin surface. Aiding the absorption of the light into levels below the skin surface causing micro-stimulation of the underlying tissue and blood supply, this aids tissue regeneration.

These machines also have low energy density output, and research shows that this form of energy density has biostimulative effects, allowing the light to stimulate various biological processes in the body in a positive way. In other words, the cells recognize the light, absorb it, enabling the healing to come from within, just as nature intended!

Unlike laser technology, which uses something called coherent light, these new products use incoherent light. The difference is that coherent light can be used in such a high frequency that it can cut into the skin. We are now seeing surgeons using lasers instead of scalpels in some operations.

Incoherent light is far softer and gentler, it can penetrate to the cells, via the skin but with no cutting, burning or heat of any kind. This discovery has ensured its safety for use at home, with no specialist knowledge needed in application, and little treatment time to start to experience real improvements.

The combination of using incoherent, polarized low density light means that a huge number of ailments can now be treated in the home, with either lessened or no drug treatment necessary and in much less time. It is not unknown for complete healing to take place with bedsores, leg ulcers, burns, and post operative scar tissue, plus the pain relief offered in many ailments of an inflammatory nature, can be swift also.

This form of light has a definite and provable impact on the regenerative processes of the tissues themselves and the types of problems known to respond well to ‘light’ therapy are many, and extremely varied, and include the following:

Arthritis, acne, muscle and joint pain, sports injuries (sprains. strains and bruising) burns, bed sores, leg ulcers, open wounds, inflammation, post operative wound healing, recent scar tissue and improvement in old scar tissue appearance (depending on age of the scar and density of damage). In addition, a boost to the immune system is also experienced with this type of therapy.

The Way Forward

Hundreds of years ago, it was thought that the world was flat. In fact it was almost an heretical offence to voice an opinion that differed from this. All the great minds of the times were convinced that this was ‘fact’. If you went to the edge of the world, the obvious thing happened …you fell off!

In another 100 years, it may well be the case that those who hold the opinion that it is only by intrusive and often harsh drug therapy we will all be saved, will be looked upon in a similar way to those who were once convinced that the world was flat, and that there was no ‘alternative’ to this belief.

As a dedicated ‘seeker’ of new ways, a therapist of many years experience and a Reiki teacher with over 500 students worldwide, I am convinced that there are many things we should keep an open mind about. We should embrace the new, while respecting the proven.

I often say to my students, if you get hit by a car get someone to call an ambulance before your local Reiki healer!!! We have to acknowledge the amazing and wonderful things medical science offers us today and realize many things are indeed complementary to each other, both mainstream and alternative. We can harmonize the best from both the well-trodden paths of established medicine and the less traveled road of the alternative if we are prepared to try to integrate the best from all fields.

I conclude with these famous words …”Let there be light …and there was light …AND IT WAS GOOD!’’

About Bioptron

The Bioptron Light Healing Device is a worldwide, patented medical device with a specific optical unit emitting light that is similar to the part of the electromagnetic spectrum naturally produced by the sun but with no UV. It has become widely used and accepted in medicine as a user-friendly, effective, non-invasive and non pharmacological medical device with no reported side-effects.

There are over one million Bioptron devices in use today in hospitals, clinics and homes worldwide, with years of experience affirming its positive effects.