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WHAT IS LIGHT ? |
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LIGHT IS ESSENTIAL FOR OUR LIFE AND HEALTH
Light plays an extremely important role in our lives.
We know that there is no life without light !
 The benefit of light extends far beyond our own personal
sense of comfort and well-being: it is an essential part
of our natural biological system necessary for the proper
functioning of the metabolic and immune systems. Most
enzymes, hormones and vitamins need light to function
properly. An example known to everyone is the relationship
between sunlight and vitamin D. Without sunlight, our
body cannot produce vitamin D, and the deficiency of this
vitamin can cause rickets (rachitis). A good example of
the need that many enzymes have of light for their activation
are the enzymes responsible for healing jaundice (icterus)
in newborn babies. Because of this, babies with jaundice
are placed under a blue light to cure the disease.
The functions of light are multiple in the human body.
The absence of light can have serious adverse effects
on our body and the normal physiological processes within
it. Whenever the normal physiological processes and the
balance between them are disturbed, disease will occur.
WHAT IS LIGHT EXACTLY ?
Light is simply the visible part of the electromagnetic
spectrum, frequently observed as the spread of colours
displayed within the rainbow. The differences between
these colours (and related forms of radiation) are defined
according to the wavelength they occupy. At the highest
frequencies we find gamma and X-rays, although other forms
include ultraviolet, infrared and simple radio waves.
There are all known collectively as the electromagnetic
spectrum. The difference between them is their respective
wavelength and their ability to penetrate the skin tissue.
Ultraviolet Light
Ultraviolet light falls below the visible part of the
electromagnetic spectrum and has a wavelength less than
400 nm. Ultraviolet light is responsible for the tanning
of the skin. It is known that ultraviolet light is one
of the most important aetiological factors responsible
for the development of skin cancers (melanoma, basalioma)
and for the ageing of the skin. BIOPTRON Light Therapy
does not contain ultraviolet light.
Visible Light
Visible light is within the visible part of the electromagnetic
spectrum and has a wavelength of approximately 400 nm
to 780 nm.
Infrared Light
Infrared light is above the visible part of the spectrum.
It has a wavelength of approximately 780 nm to over 50000
nm. Infrared light has thermal effects, since it causes
heating. Infrared therapy is now widely used in rheumatology
and sports medicine for the treatment of pain and muscle
strains.
Laser Light
A light source that is commonly used in medicine is low-power
(low energy) laser technology. Although the principles
for the laser were first formulated by Albert Einstein
in 1917, it was not until the 1960s that the first lasers
were developed to become later widely used in medicine.
The word laser means “light amplification by stimulated
emission of radiation”.
Laser light is different from natural light.
The main characteristics of Low-Power Laser Light
are :
• Monochromaticity
(having only one wavelength at time)
• Coherency
(meaning that the light is “in-phase”)
• Polarization (the light waves move on parallel
planes)
• Low energy (using low-power energy
and causing a stimulatory effect on the cells without
thermal effect)
Lasers can be very dangerous when not used properly or
by properly trained people. By contrast, the BIOPTRON
Light Therapy System is not a laser and does not require any specific user skills to operate. |
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