Light Therapy for Mitochondrial Diseases

Light therapy will not be able to reach the brain, Near-infrared light ( < 900 nm) and probably red light is surprisingly effective at reaching the cerebral cortex. In areas where the skull is only 3 mm thick, 50% of the light that makes it through the skin will make it to the cerebral cortex (see main LED document on light penetration). The brain is where the worst mitochondrial problems occur, apparently because the brain uses a lot of energy and requires a certain minimal amount before symptoms occur. Hearing, eyesight, and maybe even balance problems are probably the result of what's happening in the brain. Hyperbaric oxygen chambers or just O2 might help support the brain. Animals make a lot of their own COQ10, so in the unlikely chance that it is a COQ10 mutation, I would try 100 mg a day and see if there is any improvement after a few weeks.

By supporting the rest of the body with light therapy, it might enable the brain to have better access to more energy in the form of "food" chemicals. Especially if the intestines need more energy to process food better. A very intense LED or halogen light unit could be used for application to the intestines for 30 minutes starting an hour after meals.

In my LED Light Therapy article there is a section on "light therapy beds". The halogen light bed will be just as good or better than anything else you can buy because you can only get so much light before the body gets too hot. Halogen light contains all 4 of the beneficial wavelengths and is almost exactly the same as the sun except with a little more heat and a lot less UV.

If the mitochondrial disease genetic mutation does not hamper stages that occur *after* the CCO complex where light therapy is being utilized by the mitochondria, then has a good chance of helping a great deal. For example, if the problem is with any of the first 3 "electron transport complexes" (labeled I, II, III in this diagram) or with COQ10 or chromium then any one or all four of the specific wavelengths should help. Even if the genetic error is affecting the 4th complex CCO where the light is active, it may also help. If it is affecting the intermembrane area where the H+ gradient is located or the ATP generator or anything else after the 4th complex CCO, then the light is not likely to help. If you are in tune with the condition you should be able to see a benefit immediately after 1 good light treatment.

I would put sunscreen on and stay outside about 30 minutes each side from 10 am to 2 pm ( laying down in a swim suit) to see if I notice an improvement. Although vitamin d is very important, I would wear suncreen because getting a tan blocks the red and infrared light that activate the mitochondrial chain. There is a simple and fast way to see if light therapy is activating the CCO: Lay down in noon-time sun in a bathing suit, but start with a shade. Remove the shade and observe breathing rate. If the breathing rate increases within 30 seconds to a minute of getting in the sun, then more energy is being converted in the body which is placing a higher demand on oxygen, so that shows the light is doing its job. Put the shade back and you should see breathing reduce in 30 seconds to 2 minutes. This is what occurs in people without a mitochondrial disease. After two minutes, the test is confounded because heat might be the cause of an increase in energy demand. Heat by itself may be good for the condition to enable energy conversion, but you can't raise the temperature of the brain. Sunlight is 100 mW/cm^2, without roughly 30 mW/cm^2 which is the strength of a good light therapy unit. I do not know if there are any beds on the market that are this strong.

The alternative light "beds" are:
  1. The halogen light therapy bed I describe in the article:
  2. Sunlight or amplified sunlight using mirrors with sunscreen or UV-blocking plastics like greenhouse-type panels or window screen plastic film that protects interiors from UV. Here is a mirror set up to get 3x sun. I use it to get a tan in the winter, but you do not want a tan because white skin lets more light through. 3x is too much in the summer, and needs misting to keep cool when using only 1 full-length mirror. The mirrors just to reduce the amount of time needed to be in the sun. There is not an miprovement in the quality of the treatment, just the strength over shorter time.
  3. 5,000 to 10,000 LED cheap light arrays. I would use whole arrays of different wavelengths to see which works best: 630, 660, or 830. If you make only one I would use 830 nm. These 5 mm 100 mW LEDs cost $0.10 to $0.15 each. When I was making such devices, I charged $1 to $2 per LED.