Perhaps the title surprises you? Can RLT help with addiction problems? Yes, there are many indications of that. We all have relatives, friends or acquaintances who struggle with addiction of some kind, and maybe you yourself are affected. As addictions can be immensely destructive to a person's life, all available means must be considered.
Some drink too much alcohol, others nibble on pills, some abuse sex while some shop away the month's household budget in a few hours. Others get caught up in gambling to such an extent that work and education suffer while some have completely different demons that peck at their attention. It is human to develop addictions as they are based on survival instincts, but when life goes awry and we don't feel well, these instincts can degenerate into a potentially life-threatening situation.
RLT should be seen as a complement to other treatment and this can of course vary depending on what triggers the addiction. In a study of 53 alcoholic clients, it was seen that 20 treatments spread over as many days affected their well-being and increased endorphin levels in the blood (1). It is only logical that an increase in endorphin levels can take the edge off cravings, which could also apply to heavier drugs (opiates) and food/sugar. Thus, the treatment did not eliminate the addiction, but it made it a little easier to resist it. The craving for opiates has also been shown to decrease with red light therapy, and then it has been a matter of treating the brain directly (2, 3, 4). Reduced anxiety and less depression have also been noted in these studies, without any side effects. Even those who are not addicted to, for example, sugar, there are clear psychological criteria for that, it may be that you are "addicted to sugar" and eat too much of it. Maybe you sometimes eat comfort food and are surprised when the freshly opened package of Ballerina biscuits suddenly ran out? Some may swing by the nearest convenience store for a mash tray or foccaccia, not because the hunger is there but because it's good. For these, I also think that RLT can have a function as it calms, provides endorphins and gives us satisfaction without external stimuli.
- Jadwiga Zalewska-Kaszubska 1, Dominik Obzejta. Use of low-energy laser as adjunct treatment of alcohol addiction. Lasers With Sci. 2004;19(2):100-4. doi: 10.1007/s10103-004-0307-9.
Use of low-energy laser as adjunct treatment of alcohol addiction – PubMed (nih.gov)
- Fredric Schiffer 1 2 3, Alaptagin Khan 2 3, Elizabeth Bolger 2, Edward Flynn 1, William P Seltzer 1, Martin H Teicher 2 3. An Effective and Safe Novel Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder: Unilateral Transcranial Photobiomodulation. Front Psychiatry. 2021 Aug 10;12:713686. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.713686. eCollection 2021.
- Fredric Schiffer 1 2, William Reichmann 3, Edward Flynn 1, Michael R Hamblin 4 5, Hannah McCormack 1. A Novel Treatment of Opioid Cravings With an Effect Size of .73 for Unilateral Transcranial Photobiomodulation Over Sham. Front Psychiatry. 2020 Aug 19;11:827. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00827. eCollection 2020.
- Fredric Schiffer 1. Unilateral transcranial photobiomodulation for opioid addiction in a clinical practice: A clinical overview and case series. J Psychiatr Res. 2021 Jan;133:134-141. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.12.004. Epub 2020 Dec 3.
Author: Fredrik Paulún
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