Dr.Julian Whitaker,MD in his Newsletter Health & Healing of June 2005 wrote about the benefits of infrared light wave therapy called Anodyne Therapy. The treatment is painless and consists of strapping a sleeve that contains infrared light sources that come in direct contact with the skin at the source of the pain. The theory is that the light source emits a wavelength that penetrates into the tissues and stimulates the release of nitric oxide, that plays a role in cardiovascular health causing the dilation of blood vessels, improving blood flow. The blood flow brings oxygen to the injured tissue. There has been scientific/medical research supporting Anodyne Therapy. A study in Diabetes Care, Jan;27(1):168-72 titled "Restoration of sensation,reduced pain,and improved balance in subjects with diabetic peripheral neuropathy demonstrated strong benefits". Patients received three(3) 40 minute treatments a week for two weeks of either Anodyne therapy or a sham placebo instrument that looked the same only the light source was not infra red. This was followed by another 2 weeks in which all participants received the 6 Anodyne therapy treatments. Pain as reported on a 10 point scale fell from 4.2 to 3.2 after 6 treatments and to 2.3 after 12 treatments. Sensation returned as meaured by the Semmes-Weinstein Monofilament, a standard test that uses slender filament pressed against the skin. Balance also improved markedly. Prior to Anodyne 90% of the participants had substantial balance problems;after treatment only 17% still had balance problems. In a Veterans Administration study, patients with non-healing ulcers of long duration ( 6 to 40 years), the patients using Anodyne had remarkable improvement after 3 weeks of treatment. Previously untreatable wounds healed completely. This therapy was first introduced in 1994 and over a million patients have received it since. Some insurance will cover it and there is a code for Medicare Reimbursement. Especially for wound healing where other therapies failed. There are 3,000 physicians using it. To find a location near you see www.anodynetherapy.com or call 800-521-6664. Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encyclopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.