Dark Therapy

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Dark therapy is an experimental treatment which involves eliminating all light in the subject's environment, for a period of six to sixteen hours per day, in combination with a regular sleep schedule. Dark therapy manipulates circadian rhythms acting on hormones and neurotransmitters. It has been proposed recently (2005) to combine the chronobiological manipulations of light/dark and/or sleep/wake therapies with psychopharmacological medication. In the words of Anna Wirz-Justice: Chronobiological strategies for unmet needs in the treatment of depression Medicographia volume 27 issue 3 pages223–7 2005 http://www.cet.org/documents/pdf/wirz/Wirz%202005%20Medicographia.pdf}}

"Light therapy has undergone widespread controlled randomized clinical trials, and wake therapy has been so widely studied over decades that the efficacy data are strong. These nonpharmaceutical, biologically based therapies are not only powerful adjuvants, but also antidepressants in their own right... Pilot studies suggest that the simple measure of promoting long nights (more rest, more sleep, no light) can stop rapid cycling in bipolar patients, or diminish manic symptoms — intriguing findings that require replication. (page 223, 226)"

Dark therapy has also been tried (in combination with bright light therapy, etc.) for other conditions where seasonal exacerbation of symptoms are notable, such as nocturnal asthma and associated depression, migraine, dyssomnia, chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. Durlach, J.; Pagès, N.; Bac, P.; Bara, M.; Guiet-Bara, A. Magnesium depletion with hypo- or hyper- function of the biological clock may be involved in chronopathological forms of asthma Magnes Res volume 18 issue 1 pages 19–34 March 2005 pmid 15945613

Melatonin secreted is preventative in cancer, and supportive of bone metabolism, immune function and detoxification. Witt-Enderby, P.A.; Radio, N.M.; Doctor, J.S.; Davis, V.L. Therapeutic treatments potentially mediated by melatonin receptors: potential clinical uses in the prevention of osteoporosis, cancer and as an adjuvant therapy J. Pineal Res. volume 41 issue 4 pages 297–305 November 2006 pmid 17014686    Melatonin has also been cited to reduce hypertension, produce better sleep for those with insomnia, and acts as an antioxidant. Macchi04

Story: My child had CRMO, an autoimmune disease. We used Dark Therapy. We used a mask to insure total darkness. We were told that it was most important that it is pitch black from 10pm to 3am. We believe it helped her, but we were at the same time doing other remedies. CRMO normally lasts six years, but she got well in six months. The bone develop holes like a sponge; the doctors said that they would not heal; but they did. Her bones, including two vertebra, have completely re-mineralized (slowly over several years).

Outside Source:

http://www.medical-hypotheses.com/article/S0306-9877(07)00372-6/abstract

http://www.psycheducation.org/depression/BlueLight.htm

http://www.psycheducation.org/depression/darkrx.htm

http://dunkelyoga.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52&Itemid=62

http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/07420520903523719

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