For further reading on how light therapy works, its history, modern-day applications and simple explanation of different light sources used today, we recommend this comprehensive article by Gill Jacobs. If you are then really interested in low level light therapy visit this website for more writings, links to studies and discussions, online bookshops and so on.

Relative to autism, several protocols have been developed by doctors in recent years - one is called Laser Energetic Detox (LED - do not confuse with LED that stands for Light Emitting Diode, which is a SOURCE of light used in treatments) developed and used by Dr Cowden - watch parts of his Autism One 2008 presentation for more details. Another protocol that utilises laser/LED lights, which is currently used by several practitioners for treatments of autism-associated problems, is the one developed by Dr Gonzales called Quantum Neurology. Although feedback from parents on these protocols has been very good so far, unfortunately both are very specific and detailed protocols that require high levels of training, and we are at this time aware of only a handful of trained clinicians offering these treatments in the USA, and none in the UK or Europe. On the other hand light emitting sources can, and are being used by trained practitioners in the UK in simpler ways that could offer potential benefit in autism, such as using painless laser light sources instead of needles for acupuncture (see chapter on Acupuncture and its benefits in autism), or using light sources for pain reduction, nerve regeneration and regrowth - potentially applicable in sensory issue management, improvement in blood flow to the brain (impaired in autism), liver and kidney support/detoxification, reduction of inflammation of the central nervous system in autism and so on.

We are also awaiting with great interest the results of the NHS trial to confirm the results of a smaller-scale 2008 study that observed substantial benefits of infrared-light therapy for treatment of brain dysfunction in Alzheimers disease.

We suggest you contact your local naturopathic clinic that uses light emitting sources in order to discuss how these treatments could best help your child. Alternatively there is now a range of light units available for home use, ranging from relatively inexpensive LED units like this one, to more expensive units that combine true laser diodes. This commercial website is a very good source of information on different light-emitting sources now available in the UK, and the difference between them. The company also offers support to customers in terms of training seminars and practice evenings.

Also see Reflex Integration website for further reading on practical use of light therapy in autism.

In the context of light therapies for autism it is worth mentioning an emerging treatment option called Valkion oxygen unit. It is a breathing device in the form of a small radio-sized box with attached nasal breathing canula. Valkion produces singlet oxygen within its chamber. This singlet oxygen, once created, quickly converts back to its ground state - this conversion happens within nanoseconds, well within the boxed chamber. But through this process excess energy is created - this energy is expressed as photon/light energy (at 634nm red-spectrum wavelength), which is then transported into the body through a nasal breathing canula. So although being a breathing-in oxygen unit that people tend to compare to hyperbaric oxygen treatment, Valkion is more of a light-based treatment!

Valkion has been used in clinical settings in the rest of Europe and some other countries for many years, showing good results in a range of conditions, including allergies, immune system deficiencies, intoxications, improvements of stamina and mitochondrial energy production (often impaired in autism), chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic colitis/gastrointestinal problems (often present in autism) and so on, but until very recently it has been virtually unknown as a treatment option for autism-related symptoms. We have received several very encouraging reports from parents who have had the opportunity to try this treatment so far.

Valkion has no UK distributor - it can be purchased and shipped directly from the Swedish manufacturer - see link above, but there is a similar unit claiming have the same mechanics and effects as Valkion - it is called Airenergy and is distributed widely in the UK. Airenergy comes in different types/levels of strength, and its price is generally higher than Valkion. However several clinics in the UK now offer this for one-off treatments, with prices ranging from £20-40 per session lasting 15-20 minutes. If you do decide to try this, we suggest to start with much shorter session times that and build up slowly, observing all reactions carefully, as some individual children (and adults) may need as little as couple of minutes of activated air every other day, building up very slowly until their bodies are used to it and capable of utilising more of that energy.

Here is a list of a few UK clinics offering the sessions: North London, Dorset, Ipswich. The list is not exclusive and we would be interested in more links!

Infrared saunas work by emitting infrared heat, which penetrates the body much like the heat of traditional saunas. They can be fixed or portable. You can read more on infrared saunas here.