Biophoton detection and low-intensity light therapy: a potential clinical partnership.

Low-intensity light therapy (LILT) is showing promise in the treatment of a wide variety of medical conditions. Concurrently, our knowledge of LILT mechanisms continues to expand. We are now aware of LILT's potential to induce cellular effects through, for example, accelerated ATP production and the mitigation of oxidative stress. In clinical use, however, it is often difficult to predict patient response to LILT. It appears that cellular reduction/oxidation (redox) state may play a central role in determining sensitivity to LILT and may help explain variability in patient responsiveness. In LILT, conditions associated with elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, e.g. diabetic hyperglycemia, demonstrate increased sensitivity to LILT. Consequently, assessment of tissue redox conditions in vivo may prove helpful in identifying responsive tissues. A noninvasive redox measure may be useful in advancing investigation in LILT and may one day be helpful in better identifying responsive patients. The detection of biophotons, the production of which is associated with cellular redox state and the generation of ROS, represents just such an opportunity. In this review, we will present the case for pursuing further investigation into the potential clinical partnership between biophoton detection and LILT.

Quantum squeezed state analysis of spontaneous ultra weak light photon emission of practitioners of meditation and control subjects.

Research on human ultra-weak photon emission (UPE) has suggested a typical human emission anatomic percentage distribution pattern. It was demonstrated that emission intensities are lower in long-term practitioners of meditation as compared to control subjects. The percent contribution of emission from different anatomic locations was not significantly different for meditation practitioners and control subjects. Recently, a procedure was developed to analyze the fluctuations in the signals by measuring probabilities of detecting different numbers of photons in a bin and correct these for background noise. The procedure was tested utilizing the signal from three different body locations of a single subject, demonstrating that probabilities have non-classical features and are well described by the signal in a coherent state from the three body sites. The values indicate that the quantum state of photon emitted by the subject could be a coherent state in the subject being investigated. The objective in the present study was to systematically quantify, in subjects with long-term meditation experience and subjects without this experience, the photon count distribution of 12 different locations. Data show a variation in quantum state parameters within each individual subject as well as variation in quantum state parameters between the groups.

Differential effects of relaxation techniques on ultraweak photon emission.

BACKGROUND: Evidence has accumulated favoring the possible role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of many chronic diseases. Meditation is utilized as an adjunct to conventional medical treatment for several clinical conditions. A few studies suggest a role of long-term meditation in the control of the free-radical metabolism. Many techniques for recording reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been made available. However, most are invasive and none are applicable to all conditions. Attention has recently been drawn to spontaneous ultraweak photon emission (UPE). However, the application of this method in meditation studies is very limited. OBJECTIVE: The present study recorded spontaneous UPE at multiple anatomic locations of subjects with long-term experience in transcendental meditation (TM) and compared this with a group that practiced other meditation techniques (OMT) and with subjects having no meditation experience. METHODS: The study examined the anatomic pattern of UPE of 20 subjects practicing TM, compared to 20 subjects practicing OMT, and 20 control subjects with no experience in meditation. Subjects were men who were reported to be healthy and nonsmokers. Meditation was not practiced on the day prior to recording. UPE was recorded in a dark room, using a highly sensitive, cooled photomultiplier system designed for manipulation in three directions. The protocol for the multisite registration of UPE included recording 12 anatomic locations, including the anterior torso, head, neck, and hands. RESULTS: Data demonstrated emission intensities in the TM and OMT groups that were 27% and 17% lower, respectively, compared to the control group. The decrease was recorded at all anatomic locations. The percent emission contribution of each location to total emission was very similar for the three groups. CONCLUSIONS: Data supported the hypothesis that persistent meditation resulted in decreased UPE. However, the determination of oxidation levels as the source of group differences needs to be verified further to confirm our hypothesis.

Thermoluminescence in ultra-high dilution research.

OBJECTIVE: Thermoluminescence of homeopathically prepared ultra-high dilutions of lithium chloride in deuterium oxide (D2O) (10 (-30) g cm (-3); C15 LiCl in D2O) and similarly prepared D2O (C15 D2O) was compared in three experiments varying (1) time between preparation of substance and time of experimentation, and (2) time between irradiation and thermoluminescence recording. Data were also compared with a normal solution 0.1 M LiCl in D2O and with pure D2O. METHODS: To record thermoluminescence, the solutions were frozen in liquid nitrogen (77 K, -196 degrees C), irradiated with 1 kGy, and after a succession of definite storage periods, were progressively rewarmed to 238 K (-35 degrees C). RESULTS: Thermoluminescence patterns of C15 LiCl in D2O, C15 D2O, and D2O were similar. The average thermoluminescence intensity of C15 LiCl in D2O tended to be less than C15 D2O when tests were performed shortly after preparation of the substances and with short storage time between irradiation and recording of thermoluminescence. Thermoluminescence of D2O was significantly lower than from C15 D2O, particularly when the time between irradiation and recording was increased. CONCLUSION: The nature of the phenomena here described still remains unexplained. Nevertheless, data suggest that thermoluminescence might be developed into a promising tool to study homeopathically prepared ultra- high dilutions.

Anatomic characterization of human ultra-weak photon emission in practitioners of transcendental meditation(TM) and control subjects.

BACKGROUND: Research on human ultra-weak photon emission (UPE, biophoton emission) has raised the question whether a typical human emission anatomic percentage distribution pattern exists in addition to individual subject overall anatomic summation intensity differences. The lowest UPE intensities were observed in two subjects who regularly meditate. Spectral analysis of human UPE has suggested that ultra-weak emission is probably, at least in part, a reflection of free radical reactions in a living system. It has been documented that various physiologic and biochemical shifts follow the long-term practice of meditation and it is inferred that meditation may impact free radical activity. OBJECTIVE: To systematically quantify, in subjects with long-term transcendental meditation (TM) experience and subjects without this experience, the UPE emission of the anterior torso, head and neck plus the hands in an attempt to document the differences by the two groups. SUBJECTS: Subjects were 20 men reported to be healthy and nonsmokers. Each of the subjects in the meditation group had practiced TM twice daily for at least the past 10 years. METHODS: UPE in 20 subjects was recorded in a dark room using a highly sensitive, cooled photomultiplier system designed for manipulation in three directions. The protocol for multisite registration of spontaneous emission includes recording of 12 anatomic locations of anterior torso, head, and hands. RESULTS: Data demonstrate emission intensities that are lower in TM practitioners as compared to control subjects. The percent contribution of emission from most anatomic locations was not significantly different for TM practitioners and control subjects. Exceptions are the contributions of throat and palm. CONCLUSION: In subjects with long-term TM experience, the UPE emission is different from control subjects. Data support the hypothesis that free radical reactions can be influenced by TM.

Effects of a color filter used in auriculomedicine on ultraweak photon emission of the human body.

CONTEXT: The human body emits ultraweak photons. It has been demonstrated that feedback regulation of ultraweak photon emission from the hand is detectable utilizing gelatin color filters in complete darkness. Color filters are commonly utilized in auriculomedicine diagnostic procedures based on the radial artery vascular autonomic signal. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the possibility of an effect by a dark-adapted red filter on (1) local ultraweak human photon emission using different anatomic locations, and (2) on systemic photon emission using one location for red filter exposure and another for photon emission recording. DESIGN: Photon emission of abdomen, forehead, palm, and dorsum of the hand was recorded before and after the presence of a red filter. In addition, photon emission of forehead and dorsum of the hand was recorded before, during, and after the presence of the red filter close to the palm. In both instances, the filter was dark-adapted and placed in close proximity to, but not touching the skin of the dark-adapted subject. A low-noise, end window photomultiplier for recording ultraviolet and visible (200-650 nm) photon emission (with a very low background count rate) and designed for manipulation in three directions was situated in a dark room. The technology was utilized to record spontaneous photon emission of the abdomen, forehead, palm, and dorsum of the hand of one human male subject. RESULTS: Data demonstrate that a dark-adapted subject responds in the total absence of light with a temporary increase in photon emission from the anatomic locations that had been exposed for 200 s at a distance of 3 cm to a dark-adapted red filter. Data from sequential time series suggest red filter initiation of a refractory emission reaction. Exposure of the palm to the red filter also evokes photon emission from the dorsum of the same hand and from the forehead. This response could be registered immediately after the beginning of the exposure. The stimulated emission is followed by a slow decrease of emission in the period after exposure to the filter. CONCLUSION: Data suggest that red filter-stimulated photon emission response is systemic and rapid. Data imply an exchange of information vis-à-vis light from both hand and red filter. The mechanism of such interaction is currently speculation only.

Effect of meditation on ultraweak photon emission from hands and forehead.

BACKGROUND: Various physiologic and biochemical shifts can follow meditation. Meditation has been implicated in impacting free radical activity. Ultraweak photon emission (UPE, biophoton emission) is a constituent of the metabolic processes in a living system. Spectral analysis showed the characteristics of radical reactions. OBJECTIVES: Recording and analysing photon emission in 5 subjects before, during and after meditation. METHODS: UPE in 5 subjects who meditated in sitting or supine positions was recorded in a darkroom utilising a photomultiplier designed for manipulation in three directions. RESULTS: Data indicated that UPE changes after meditation. In 1 subject with high pre-meditation values, UPE decreased during meditation and remained low in the postmeditation phase. In the other subjects, only a slight decrease in photon emission was found, but commonly a decrease was observed in the kurtosis and skewness values of the photon count distribution. A second set of data on photon emission from the hands before and after meditation was collected from 2 subjects. These data were characterised by the Fano factor, F(T), i.e. variance over mean of the number of photoelectrons observed within observation time T. All data were compared to surrogate data sets which were constructed by random shuffling of the data sets. In the pre-meditation period, F(T) increased with observation time, significantly at time windows >6 s. No such effect was found after meditation, when F(T) was in the range of the surrogate data set. CONCLUSIONS: The data support the hypothesis that human photon emission can be influenced by meditation. Data from time series recordings suggest that this non-invasive tool for monitoring radical reactions during meditation is useful to characterise the effect of meditation. Fano factor analysis demonstrated that the time series before meditation do not represent a simple Poisson process. Instead, UPE has characteristics of a fractal process, showing long-range correlations. The effect of meditation waives out this coherence phenomenon, suggesting a weaker and less ordered structure of UPE. In general, meditation seems to influence the complex interactions of oxidative and anti-oxidative reactions which regulate photon emission. The reason for the statistical changes between pre- and post-meditation measurements remains unclear and demands further examination.

Color filters and human photon emission: implications for auriculomedicine.

CONTEXT: Color filters are commonly utilized in auriculotherapy and auriculomedicine, diagnostic procedures based on the vascular autonomic signal (VAS) of the radial artery. It was reported that such effects were detectable in complete darkness. The human body emits ultraweak photons. It is hypothesized that there is feedback regulation of emission from the hand, implying an exchange of information vis-à-vis light from both hand and filter. OBJECTIVE: To develop a research protocol for evaluating a possible effect of dark-adapted color filters on ultraweak human photon emission. DESIGN: Photon emission of the hand was recorded before, during, and after the presence of color filters. The filters were dark adapted and placed in close proximity but not touching the hand of the dark-adapted subject. SETTING AND PARTICIPANT: A specially selected, low-noise, end window photomultiplier for recording ultraviolet and visible (200-650 nm) photon emission (with a very low background count rate) designed for manipulation in three directions was situated in a dark room. The technology in the initial pilot series study was utilized to record spontaneous photon emission of the hand of one human male subject. The same series was repeated on the same subject three months later. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENT: The change in photon emission of the hand after exposure to single color filters was the main outcome parameter. RESULTS: Data demonstrate very similar responses for each of three different color filters. Data from consecutive time series suggest initiation of a refractory emission reaction. The response was dependent on the size of color surface and was neither detected with colorless transparent filters nor with nontransparent material.

The search for a biosensor as a witness of a human laying on of hands ritual.

CONTEXT: Intentional healing by laying on of hands is a popular complementary therapy. Previous studies of this therapy have been focused on the influence of laying on of hands with focused intention on the patient or on a biological model that took the place of the patient. OBJECTIVE: Exploring the line of thinking that the consciousness-mediated act of healing during a healer-patient ritual changes a consciousness field that could be detected in another living non-human organism that was present only as a witness and was not the object of any directed intention. DESIGN: A comparison of a biosensor's behavior during healer-patient ritual treatments that were alternated by non-healing periods. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: An automatic device for measurement of ultra-weak emission of photons from algae was placed at the location of a healer during a series of experiments consisting of 36 healing sessions with human patients. Neither healer nor patients were aware of the type of measurements that took place. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The number and periodicity of photon counts. RESULTS: Primary data analysis showed that the photon count distributions show some remarkable alterations during the ritual of healer-patient sessions. The data further suggest that during healing a shift in cyclical components of photon emission occurs. CONCLUSIONS: The significance of the experiment lies in the possibility to enter the discussion on a quantitative basis with respect to the relevance of the patient-healer relationship in intentional healing.