The Rise of LaserTech
Recent advances in laser technology have been absolutely incredible. The power of light is being deployed in the form of lasers for splitting and researching new subatomic particles, is instrumental in the development of tractor beams and used for the redirection of lightning bolts.
What personally impressed me the most however was an experience I had last year while accompanying a friend who underwent photodynamic therapy (“PDT”) using laser light, a suitable treatment for a wide range of diseases and disorders, pioneered by a highly specialized medical group in Germany. To me they’d deserve a nobel prize and are absolute geniuses at what they do (usually booked out well in advance and with a global list of patients waiting to travel there — so do let me know if I can help).
Medical Laser Therapy
As this subject merits a number of articles, I would like to recommend my friend’s Substack which goes very deep into the workings of e.g. photobiomodulation therapy:
Introduction
Without light, there would be no life on earth. During billions of years of evolution, almost all living beings developed in dependence with sunlight and other detectable but sometimes less noticeable frequencies across the huge spectrum of creation:
The process of photosynthesis, without which there would be no plants on earth, is the most prominent mechanism of how light facilitates life. The human body also requires natural sunlight and its rhythm to function properly. The effects of light on the endogenous production of vitamin D and melatonin are well known, and the circadian rhythm is crucial for the release of hormones, which in turn decisively influences our health and well-being.
The increasing understanding of the mechanisms that underlie the beneficial effects of light on the human body has led to the development of new solutions which can apply therapeutic dosages of light in medical clinics and at home.
Examples include devices for laser acupuncture, tinnitus, cold sores, skin disorders (i.e. acne, eczema, smaller scars and wounds), hayfever, and many more.
Laser Light Bands
There has also been a surge of so-called “laser light bands” which you can wear similar to a watch. They provide non-invasive irradiation of blood through the blood vessels at the wrist, whereby they deliver systemic effects. These include stimulation of the immune system, a reduction of systemic inflammations, increased cellular and thus overall energy, improved blood supply and oxygenation, as well as anti-aging effects via the stimulation of stem cells and nitric oxide.
Their function is based on our body's ability to absorb light energy through photon receptors, e.g. the enzyme cytochrome c oxidase in our mitochondria.
You can buy them all over the internet but after trying many different types, there is only one model I can truly recommend — the EndoLight® by Weber Medical Systems.
I’ve been using it for a few months now and was very impressed with the results in terms of autophagy and stem cell activation during my fasting week earlier in the year.
EndoLight provides light irradiation of the circulating blood via the arteries in the wrist for an effect on the entire body and is ideally used daily for 30 minutes.
On a systemic level, each wavelength/color exerts its own benefits:
When red and infrared laser light is absorbed by Cytochrome-C-Oxidase at complex IV of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, it stimulates ATP production leading to increased energy and improvement of cardiac measures and circulation. It is also able to support neuronal functions in the CNS and improve immune defenses through its actions on NK, T-helper, and T-suppressor cells.
When blue laser light is introduced into the bloodstream, it is readily absorbed by porphyrins and hemoglobin and improves microcirculation and perfusion of oxygen uptake by increasing nitric oxide (NO) production. Furthermore, it activates telomerase, inhibiting the degradation of telomeres which play a role in longevity and “slow-aging”. It also increases the release of hemoglobin-nitric oxide (hBNO) and destroys a wide range of bacteria in the blood.
When green laser light is introduced into the bloodstream, it binds to hemoglobin and increases oxygen supply by detaching adhesive hemoglobin from the vessel walls. It stimulates sodium-potassium-ATPase of the erythrocyte membrane while stimulating the mitochondria (cytochrome-c-reductase at complex III). Green light also leads to steric conformation change of hemoglobin molecules with a 20% increased uptake of oxygen and increased ATP production by approximately 30%.
Yellow laser light improves serotonin and vitamin D metabolism. It also has anti-depressive and digestive effects. In the context of photodynamic therapies, it is effective for treating infectious diseases.
The light-sensitive receptors in our cells absorb the different wavelengths of light and our body uses this light to produce energy (ATP), strengthen the immune system, improve blood circulation and oxygenation, decrease inflammations, and promote other beneficial processes.
Typical medical indications of photobiomodulation therapy include internal diseases (diabetes, chronic liver and kidney diseases), metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases, (chronic) inflammation, autoimmune diseases, weakened immune system, prevention and better-aging, depression, fatigue syndrome and burn-out, concentration disorders as well as general performance increase and better regeneration after exercise.
Photosensitive Food Supplements
The clue however is to combine laser light irradiation of your bloodstream with the intake of light-sensitive substances or “photosensitive” food supplements. They react to light of specific wavelengths, leading to the increased efficacy of those supplements, for example:
Curcumin has photo-sensitive properties that increase its effects. It absorbs light in the blue range. Its absorption maximum is at about 440 nm.
Riboflavin (better known as vitamin B2) is a natural vitamin found in many foods and contributes to normal energy metabolism and maintenance of normal mucous membranes. It also helps protect our cells from oxidative stress. In combination with laser therapy, riboflavin (especially a riboflavin-5-phosphate formulation) acts as a photosensitizer. It absorbs light in the UVA (375 nm) and blue range (450 nm). Riboflavin is very powerful in treating infectious diseases, especially in combination with laser light related therapies.
Chlorophyll (green) pigments come from natural plant extracts. Chlorophyll is not able to use the complete color spectrum, but only the red (620-660 nm) and blue parts (400-450 nm) and is therefore activated by the red and blue laser.
Phycocyanin (blue) pigments can also be extracted from natural plants and its absorption spectrum is at a wavelength of between 580-660 nm. It absorbs light in the yellow-red range and can therefore be activated by the yellow and red laser.
If you take supplements anyway, trying them with laser activation is really the next level.
Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)
Using intelligent food supplements that react to light is also what makes PDT so effective.
PDT is based on the stimulation of a light-sensitive substance (photosensitizer) which is infused into the bloodstream, injected locally or applied in the form of a cream. The photosensitizer binds with high specificity to pathologically changed tissue. When stimulated by (laser) light, active oxygen radicals form and destroy this tissue without harming the surrounding healthy tissue.
Besides photodynamic tumor therapy, PDT can be performed to treat bacterial, viral and parasitic diseases (antimicrobial PDT). The key benefit of this approach is the combat of multiresistant pathogens.
I’ve seen the effectiveness of this treatment with my own eyes and am happy to share more in a separate post, upcoming podcast or (if you’re a premium member) 1:1.
Disclaimer: I’m not a medical professional and the above is not meant as medical advice, I’m merely sharing based on my personal experience. This post has also not been sponsored in any way by the manufacturer of the EndoLight.
Laser Tractor Beams
Researchers from China achieved a major breakthrough in the field of optical manipulation. Using laser light, they created a tractor beam that exerts enough force to attract larger objects.
"In previous studies, the slight pulling force was too small to pull a macroscopic object. With our new approach, the slight pulling force has a much larger amplitude. In fact, it's more than three orders of magnitude greater than the slight pressure used to propel a solar sail, which uses the momentum of photons to exert a small thrust of violence." — Lei Wang of China's QingDao University of Science and Technology.
Who knows what this technology will be used for one day — perhaps to throw asteroids in space?
Laser Frequency Comb
Meanwhile researchers in Denmark have blown away the internet speed record with an Optical Chip that can transmit almost twice the amount of data as the entire internet in just one second.
The optical chip creates a so-called frequency comb which is harnessing light in a new way to carry an astonishing amount of data. By splitting the laser into the full spectrum of light and producing “hundreds” of distinct frequencies (or colors), the researchers can then encode data onto each of those separate wavelengths of color.
What’s an “Optical Frequency Comb “you might ask? They’re used to measure time and distance at very high precision. Applications range from atomic clocks to telescopes — see this short video for a quick and simple explanation:
Laser Nano Particles
Chemical catalysts are indirectly responsible for the production of many things we use in our daily lives — from plastics to prescription drugs. By mixing certain catalysts with the right chemical compounds, molecules interact instantly.
The relatively new pulsed-laser-in-liquids technique offers multiple advantages over traditional wet-lab synthesis of nanomaterials, as explained in this video:
This innovative laser based technique to create bulk quantities of nanoparticles is far more rapid that existing approaches and holds the key to many future innovations.
Laser Weaponry
So-called “DEW” (Direct Energy Weapons) have different sources of energy and different effects as weapons, depending on the application and use.
They’re also used as anti-missile defense systems or simply designed to dazzle or blind enemy sensors and drones. The US Navy has already equipped several destroyers with laser driven weapons (and this information is already two years old).
Laser Guided Weather
Obviously this isn’t a simple one to use yourself (yet) but it gives a good idea about the power of laser, if it can even direct lightning bolts:
As you’ve just seen in this 2013 video from The Weather Channel, the idea as such isn’t new. Patents have been filed as early as 1973, but there was no reliable success using laser guided lightning to change the weather until recently, when scientists at Mount Säntis in Switzerland made advancements to the laser pulse repetition rate which was two orders of magnitude higher than in previous experiments.
Unfortunately I’m still waiting for my personal version which I could use as a mobile lightning rod on the go or simply attach to my house in case of an incoming thunderstorm (or alien invasion). 😀
Any inventors out there — do ping me!
P.S.: If you have interest to buy an EndoLight®, let me know — as a Premium Subscriber I’ll get you $100 off the retail price.