It seems that I’ve bottomed out the evidence for the efficacy of Lightwave Stimulation (LWS) therapy in Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): there is none.
Posts Tagged ‘Light Years Ahead: The Illustrated Guide to Full Spectr’
Not Very Illuminating
Posted by apgaylard on November 22, 2007
Posted in Lightwave Stimulation | Tagged: Brian Breiling, Downing Technique, light therapy, Light Years Ahead: The Illustrated Guide to Full Spectr, Lightwave Stimulation, Lumatron therapy, Ocular light therapy, Pauline Allen, Photron therapy, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Sound Learning Centre | 1 Comment »
Fading Evidence
Posted by apgaylard on November 15, 2007
I’ve been continuing to pursue the evidence base for Lightwave Stimulation (LWS) Therapy (a.k.a Downing Technique, Lumatron therapy, Ocular light therapy, Photron therapy) as a treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) .
It’s the therapy that a BBC ‘news’ item called “… the answer …” for “… many… ” SAD sufferers.
Now it turns out that the ‘expert’ who appeared on the BBC, Pauline Allen of the Sound Learning Centre, has no medical qualifications. She does, however, run a private clinic that will sell LWS therapy to SAD sufferers for £60 an hour.
Given this level of confidence you might expect that there is some proper evidence to support these assertions? Well, try as I might, I cannot find any. If you can find some be sure to let me know!
My own trawl of the internet turned up just two papers from the Australian Journal of Holistic Nursing. One was an un-refereed retrospective on colour therapies; the other a single case study. They were both by the same author. Not a trial between them.
So I thought that I’d ask the Sound Learning Centre what research evidence was available. They sent me their Client Information Pack. The only references it contained were for light therapies generally. They were to just two books.
Posted in Lightwave Stimulation | Tagged: Adolf Deppe, Aust. J. Holist. Nurs., Australian Journal of Holistic Nursing, BBC Breakfast News, Brian Breiling, bright light therapy, CAM, Colour Therapy, Deppe A, Downing Technique, Dr Jacob Liberman, light therapy, Light Years Ahead: The Illustrated Guide to Full Spectr, Light: Medicine of the Future, Lightwave Stimulation, Logical Fallacies, Lumatron therapy, LWS, Ocular light therapy, Pauline Allen, Photron therapy, SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Sound Learning Centre | 4 Comments »
Light on Evidence
Posted by apgaylard on November 3, 2007
I recently wrote about the BBC’s rash promotional video news item about Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and Lightwave Stimulation (LWS) therapy. It is clear from what the advocates of this approach have put into the public domain that this is a speculative, pseudoscientific, treatment.
I’ve decided to dig a little deeper into the evidence base for LWS. This post is just a quick progress report.
First, money: the Sound Learning Centre (irony levels rising!) charge £ 400 for a child (20 sessions) and £ 500 for an adult (25 sessions). Not massively expensive, but at £60 per hour a significant cost.
Posted in Colour Therapy, Lightwave Stimulation, Logical Fallacies | Tagged: Adolf Deppe, Aust. J. Holist. Nurs., Australian Journal of Holistic Nursing, BBC Breakfast News, Brian Breiling, bright light therapy, CAM, Colour Therapy, Deppe A, Downing Technique, Dr Jacob Liberman, light therapy, Light Years Ahead: The Illustrated Guide to Full Spectr, Light: Medicine of the Future, Lightwave Stimulation, Logical Fallacies, Lumatron therapy, LWS, Natural Source, Ocular light therapy, Pauline Allen, Photron therapy, SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Sound Learning Centre | Comments Off on Light on Evidence
A canna’ change the laws of physics 