The LightWorks

We are all beings of Light.

Without Light no life could exist in the plant or animal kingdoms.

Discover how you can heal with Light and take charge
of your health and well-being.

Healing with Light Moves Beyond Fiction

Fans of the Star Trek television shows can recall many stirring scenes of medical officers treating patients without drugs or surgery, using instead a device the size of a cell phone that sends out light rays to "miraculously" heal wounds and cure disease before their very eyes.

Now, the use of light emitting diodes (LED) in the practice of medicine has moved well beyond science fiction and into the real world. Soldiers injured by lasers in combat, astronauts in space and children in cancer wards are already benefiting from the healing properties of near-infrared light in ways that could only be imagined a few years ago. Several research projects at the Medical College of Wisconsin are at the center of LED treatment development and the application of new technology to a wide range of injury and illness.

"The potential is quite endless," said Harry T. Whelan, MD, Medical College Bleser Professor of Neurology, Pediatrics and Hyperbaric Medicine. "I like to say that the history of medicine, since the beginning of time, has been poisons and knives. Drugs usually poison some enzyme system for the benefit of the patient. Think about the drugs you take: Digitalis is digitoxin; it's from the foxglove plant and it poisons your heart gently to help you with cardiac disease. Motrin and aspirin basically poison the prostaglandin system to decrease pain by poisoning the inflammatory cascade. Blood thinners basically poison the clotting system, and on and on and on.

"So all these drugs that we take are poisons carefully dosed to help the patient. And then, of course, knives. That's surgery, in which you have to cut the patient in order to cure. In this particular strategy, what we're trying to do is use the energy of certain specific wavelengths of light, which are carefully studied in our research lab, to determine those that will enhance the cells' normal biochemistry instead of poisoning something that is supposed to occur or cutting at it. I consider that a paradigm shift in the entire approach to medicine that has the potential, therefore, to alter all kinds of disease processes, particularly any in which there's an energy crisis for the tissue."

Light emitting diodes - commonly used for clock displays and in many other electronic devices - produce near-infrared light, a form of energy just outside the visible range. Cells exposed to LED light in this range have been found to grow 150% to 200% faster than cells not given and LED "bath" because, in simple terms, the light arrays speed up the healing process by increasing energy inside the cells.

Relief for Young Cancer Patients
Much of the research into the use of LEDs in medicine has spun off from projects funded by the Defense Department and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). For example, when LEDs worked well in providing light to grow plants on the Space Station, researchers found that the diodes also showed promise in many medical applications.

NASA then funded Medical College research and clinical trials using LEDs to treat cancer patients following bone marrow transplants. Mucositis, a very painful side effect of cancer treatment, produces throat and mouth ulcerations and gastrointestinal problems so severe that health suffers as chewing and swallowing food and drink become difficult or even impossible. In the first trial at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, LED treatment proved so successful in treating mucositis in the young patients that another round of trials has been funded.

Dr. Whelan led a study on using LEDs to reverse blindness in rats that was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Vol. 100, March 18, 2003) and was inducted into the NASA Space Technology Hall of Fame in 2001 for his LED research, indicators that the progression in this area from science fiction to "real science" is complete. The Bleser Foundation endows his professorship, and the Chad Baumann Charitable Trust has also provided funding for the LED cancer treatment research.

"For most wounds, we do not need to interfere with nature's healing," Dr. Whelan said. "But this technology may be the answer for problem wounds that are slow to heal."

"If you think about it, a lot of injuries result in an energy problem because the tissue is damaged, injured, and therefore has difficulties going through its normal processes of energy metabolism," said Dr. Whelan. "Usually there's a lot of swelling, which strangles the blood vessels. You're getting inadequate oxygen and nutrients, so there's an energy crisis. If there's a critical time, and as a neurologist I'm particularly conscious in the case of stroke, spinal cord injury and in the case of retinal laser injury as in the DARPA project, it's those golden hours during which tissue that hasn't been completely destroyed is fighting for survival.

"So far, what we see in patients and what we see in laboratory cell cultures, all point to one conclusion," said Dr. Whelan. "The near-infrared light emitted by these LEDs seems to be perfect for increasing energy inside cells. This means whether you're on Earth in a hospital, working on a submarine under the sea, or on your way to Mars inside a spaceship, the LEDs boost energy to the cells and accelerate healing."

"(LED) might make the difference between a small stroke or a large stroke, or between Christopher Reeve being paralyzed for life or walking again, or between someone having a tiny little blind spot from where the laser first hit to being completely blind because of the spreading injury around the entirety of the retina. Those are the differences we'd like to make in neurology, and those things can have spin-offs beyond military combat casualty care to things like diabetic retinopathy, diabetic ulcers, other tissues that can be affected, metabolic diseases where the mitochondria is the area of tissue affected by the problem, serious burns, and then a whole host of neurologic injuries. These are all potential future areas."

Dan Ullrich
HealthLink Contributing Writer
http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/1031002355.html

Light Emitting Diodes Aid in Wound Healing.

What is "The LightWorks"?

The LightWorks is a professionally designed quality unit, thoroughly tested and guaranteed to operate as per the specifications.

The LightWorks is designed to generate an intense LED Light output using Constant-Current. The Hand Paddle has high intensity LEDs on both sides. One side has 60 x Red LEDs at a wavelength of 660nm. The other side of the Hand Paddle has 55 x high intensity Near-Infrared (NIR) LEDs at a wavelength of 880nm. There are also 5 x Red LEDs at 660nm wavelength on the NIR side of the paddle to indicate the NIR LEDs are working as NIR light is invisible to the human eye.

There are 8 different selectable Modes (A through G and Constant).

The LightWorks unit will output a steady (non-pulsed) beam of LED light when in Constant Mode.

Additionally, the LightWorks unit can pulse the LEDs at specific healing frequencies (Modes A through G).

Modes are selected with the ON/OFF/MODE button. The currently selected Mode is indicated by the appropriate Green Mode lights.

The unit starts up in the Automatic Cycle, running through each of the 8 Modes for 4 minutes per Mode. An Orange light on the base indicates the Automatic Cycle has been selected.

In the Manual Cycle the Constant Mode will stay on for 30 minutes, and Modes A through G will stay on for 15 minutes.

When the LightWorks unit has completed a Manual or Automatic Cycle, it will shut itself OFF.

A Hand Paddle Button on the base unit is used to select which side of the paddle is active.

The following table indicates the frequency of each Mode as well as the total energy output for the Red and the Near-Infrared (NIR) LEDs.

Mode Setting	Frequency	RED Led Output per 15 minutes (Joules)*	NIR Led Output per 15 minutes (Joules)*
A	292 Hz	88 Joules	102 Joules
B	584 Hz	88 Joules	102 Joules
C	1,168 Hz	88 Joules	102 Joules
C	2,336 Hz	88 Joules	102 Joules
E	4,672 Hz	88 Joules	102 Joules
F	73 Hz	88 Joules	102 Joules
G	146 Hz	88 Joules	102 Joules
CONSTANT	0 (DC) No Frequency. Output is continuous / constant.	30 minutes = 354 Joules	30 minutes = 409 Joules
AUTOMATIC	Unit Auto-cycles for 4 minutes in each Mode (Constant, then A through G)	Total 32 minutes = 212 Joules	Total 32 minutes = 254 Joules

LED output power measured on a Newport Optical Model 1830-C, Optical Power Meter

Unique Features:

Constant current of 20 milliamps per LED (Constant current ensures each LED has the same output and that each LED works under optimal electrical conditions.)
Very High Intensity LED Output. (Red LEDs output ~197 mW Total, and the NIR LEDs output ~228 mW Total)

Designed with RED @ 660nm as well as Near Infra-Red @ 880nm LEDs

Unit functions and Frequencies controlled by Micro-Computer

Hand Paddle connects to base unit with standard telephone cord

Compact and lightweight.

CE Certification
RoHS Compliant
3 Year Parts and Labour Warranty on internally mounted components

The Unit:

The LightWorks is housed in a custom plastic enclosure. A pushbutton turns the LightWorks on and off. A series of Green Mode lights indicates which Mode the unit is in. You can select any of the Modes manually, or you can select AUTO and the unit will cycle through each of the Modes. An on-board Quartz Crystal-based Micro-Computer controls all unit functions and frequencies.

After approximately 30 minutes of pulsing the LW1 will turn itself off.

The LightWorks is packaged in a soft carrying case for easy storage.

Electronics:

The LightWorks is designed to the highest standards. We've designed The LightWorks from the ground up using the latest in electronic components. The result is a very powerful, reliable and rugged unit.

Specifications

Constant current of 20 milliamperes per LED (Constant current ensures each LED has the same output.)
60 x High Intensity Red LEDs at 660nm wavelength (+/- 10nm), Approximately 197mW Total Output
55 x High Intensity Near Infra-Red LEDs at 880nm wavelength (+/- 10nm), Approximately 228mW Total Output
Frequency tolerance: +/- 1Hz
Power Input: 12 Volts DC @ 1.0 Amps
Each LightWorks comes complete with:

The LightWorks LW1 unit

Operating Instructions
One (1) International AC-DC Wall Adaptor (NOTE: We have adaptors that have blades for North America, Hong Kong, Europe, and Australia. Please specify when ordering.)
One (1) Soft Carrying Case
What about a Warranty?
The LightWorks has a full 3 Year Parts and Labor Warranty. A replacement custom main capacitor can be ordered through us.