AU747649B2 - Therapeutic treatment - Google Patents

Description

WO 99/37271 PCT/AU99/00042 THERAPEUTIC TREATMENT This invention relates to a method of therapeutic treatment of a warm blooded animal. This invention also extends to apparatus for carrying out the method described above.

In this specification the term warm blooded animal shall be interpreted broadly and for example shall be interpreted to include human beings, and other warm blooded creatures, eg horses, dogs and cats.

This invention relates particularly, but not exclusively, to a method of therapeutically treating humans to promote healing and proper organ function and it will be convenient to describe it with reference to this example application.

However it is to be clearly understood that the invention is capable of broader application. For example it is also applicable to the treatment of other mammals such as dogs.

Many people suffer from poor function or even dysfunction of some of their body parts or body organs. These problems lead to a lower quality of life and indeed can be life threatening. While modern medicine and medical treatment have helped to overcome some of these conditions, many are still widespread.

For example conditions such as arthritis, asthma and constipation are still endemic.

Further, soft tissue injuries such as muscle injuries and soft tissue bruising are also widespread. Again no rapid cure has been developed for these types of injuries. Clearly therefore it would be advantageous if an effective way of treating these injuries could be devised.

PCT/AU99/00042 Received 22 October 1999 2 Yet further, wounds such as cuts and burns are very painful and can take a long time to heal. No treatment has been devised for substantially decreasing the time taken to heal the wounds.

According to one aspect of this invention there is provided a method for therapeutically treating a warm blooded animal, the method including the step of irradiating said animal with pulsing visible light from a non-heating effect type light source.

Preferably the animal is irradiated with red, orange, blue or green light, more preferably orange or blue light.

Advantageously the animal is irradiated with light from an energised tube containing neon or argon gas.

Advantageously the method comprises irradiating an animal which is in need of treatment only in that region of its body which requires treatment.

Preferably the light source is placed proximate to or adjacent to the skin of the animal being treated with the light being directed towards that part of the body of the animal being treated. Typically the animal is irradiated with light for a treatment time of from 5 to 20 minutes depending on the medical condition being treated.

Advantageously the light from the light source is pulsed, eg at a frequency of 1 to 3 pulses per second.

According to another aspect of this invention there is provided an apparatus arranged to therapeutically treat a warm blooded animal, the apparatus including: a member; a light source including a tube containing an inert gas, the light source A4 being of a non-heating effect type and mounted on the member; DD4 AM(,uiD PCT/AU99/00042 Received 22 October 1999 3 energising means electrically connected to the light source for energising said source; means coupled to said energising means for pulsing the light irradiated by the light source.

Preferably the light source includes means for irradiating red, orange, blue or green light, more preferably means for irradiating red, orange, blue or green light.

Advantageously the inert gas is neon or argon gas. Optionally the tube may be coated with fluorescent powder.

Preferably the pulsing means is arranged to produce pulsing of said source at a frequency of 1 to 3 pulses per second.

Advantageously the energising means includes a converter for stepping a 12 volt electrical supply up to 3,000 to 10,000 volts, eg mounted on the member.

Typically the member includes a housing and the light source is received within the housing and irradiates light outwardly through an opening in the housing.

In one embodiment the housing is an integral hand held unit.

In another embodiment the housing comprises a lamp portion and a converter potion, and the lamp portion is hand held and can be moved independently of the converter portion.

In yet another embodiment the support comprises a curved housing having a 4 41C -1-T r Ij WO 99/37271 PCT/AU99/00042 4 plurality of lamps located on the concave surface thereof which direct light inwardly into the space defined by the housing and which is sized so as to cover or extend across at least the central body region of a person to be treated, eg within the space defined by the curved housing.

Apparatus for therapeutically treating people in accordance with this invention may manifest itself in a variety of forms. It will be convenient to hereinafter describe in detail several preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. The purpose of this specific description is to instruct persons having an interest in the subject matter of the invention how to carry the invention into practical effect. It is to be clearly understood however that the specific nature of this description does not supersede the generality of the preceding broad description. In the drawings: FIG. 1 is a three dimensional view of apparatus in accordance with the first embodiment of the invention; FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a three dimensional view of apparatus in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention; and FIG. 5 is a three dimensional view of part of apparatus in accordance with a third embodiment of the invention.

In FIGS. 1 to 3 reference numeral 1 refers generally to apparatus in accordance with the invention.

The apparatus 1 comprises broadly a member in the form of a housing 2, a light source for irradiating a patient with light in the form of a tube 3, and means for facilitating electrical energising of the light source in the form of a converter.

The housing 2 is flat rectangular and can be broadly divided up into a lamp WO 99/37271 PCT/AU99/00042 portion 10 and a converter portion 11. One side 12 of the lamp portion 10 is either open or has a transparent window extending thereacross. This enables light which is irradiated by the tube 3 to pass out of the housing 2 and to impinge upon a patient who is being treated. Typically the housing 2 will be made of plastic material although obviously other materials could also be used.

The housing 2 of the lamp in FIG. 1 is 20 cm long and 4 cm wide. It is thus a relatively small device which can easily be held and supported by one person in their hand. The FIG. 1 apparatus is particularly suitable for use as a hand held unit which is simply picked up by a doctor or treatment person and placed on the treatment area of the patient's body with the tube 3 directed at the treatment area.

The FIG. 1 embodiment has a U shaped tube 3 although it will readily be appreciated that other shapes of tubes can also be used. The illustrated example tube is an EGL standard green tube (E10) of 10mm diameter. The tube 3 contains an inert gas which is neon gas as well as a fluorescent powder. When a voltage is applied across the tube 3 it energises the inert gas within the tube and causes it to radiate light.

In a clear tube the neon gas would have a bright red discharge. However in the tube described above the fluorescent powder permutates the normal red color giving an orange discharge. The tube is filled to a pressure of 13 millibar. The orange light emitted by the tube has a wave length from 585 to 635 millimetre.

The tube produces a light output of approximately 18.18 lumens per metre when the operating current is .025 ampere. The structure and function of neon and argon tubes is well known in the art. Accordingly they will not be described in further detail in the specification.

Applicant mentions that orange light having a wavelength of 635 millimicrons (nanometres) has a higher relative light energy than other colors. By contrast WO 99/37271 PCT/AU99/00042 6 green or yellow light exhibits a more effective light visibility than the other colors.

The means for electrically energising the tube typically includes a converter (not shown). The voltage which is supplied to the converter is limited to 12 volts so as to reduce the likelihood that the device could electrocute a patient, eg if it came into contact with water. The converter receives 12 volts of DC supply and then steps it up to 2,000 to 15,000 volts, typically 5,000 to 10,000 volts, to provide sufficient energy to cause the gas within the tube to radiate light.

Typically the converter is an electronic transformer. A DC current is switched on and off and pulses a step up transformer at 20,000 cycles to create a high voltage. The reason the frequency is so high is that the coupling is more efficient at the high frequencies and therefore the transformer can be smaller. In addition neon tubes light more easily at higher frequencies than lower frequencies. While the voltage applied to the lamp is 5,000 to 10,000 volts, the current is so small that even if it shocks a patient or an operator, it will not kill them.

The energising means also includes an electrical component which is a pulsing unit or solid state flasher (not shown) causing the electrical supply to pulse by chopping out certain sections of the voltage along the sine wave. This causes a stream of light irradiating from the lamp to shut off and pulse several times per second. Again the components which are used to cause the beam to pulse are standard components which can be bought off the shelf and accordingly will not be described in further detail in the specification.

Typically the light flashes at up to three times per second although obviously this can vary. In most applications the apparatus will have a controller 15 for enabling an operator to control the pulse frequency of the light.

WO 99/37271 PCT/AU99/00042 7 The apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 has an on/offpower supply switch 17 and a timer which is operatively connected to the on/off power supply switch 17. In this way a doctor or operator can set the treatment time and switch the power on then leave the patient to continue with other tasks. Once a patient has been treated for the appropriate period, the power will be switched off thereby terminating the treatment.

Typically the apparatus includes a plug or adaptor for coupling it to a 220 volt domestic main supply (not shown). This enables it to be simply plugged into the wall of a house or a surgery. The adaptor also steps down the voltage from 220 volts to 12 volts with a 1 ampere current flow which is then fed into the converter to reduce the danger of electrocution as described above.

In use, a patient lies or sits in a stationary position during the course of the treatment. The practitioner energises the apparatus 1 causing the tube 3 to irradiate light and directs it at the area of the body requiring treatment. For example if the patient has hand and wrist arthritis, the tube 3 is directed at one of the hand and wrists of the patient. Alternatively if the patient has liver dysfunction the tube 3 is directed towards the liver under the right hand rib cage.

Typically the doctor also sets the timer described above which sets the length of the treatment and causes the apparatus to switch off automatically.

Typically during treatment the housing 2 is placed against the skin of the portion of the body undergoing treatment although obviously this is not essential. For example the housing 2 could be spaced a short distance away from the skin. The irradiation of the patient with light from the lamp is carried out for a treatment time of 5 to 20 minutes and then stopped. There are no side effects or pain experienced by a patient during the treatment.

Typically more than one treatment is required although subsequent treatments PCT/AU99/00042 Received 22 October 1999 8 will be carried out on different days. The number of repeats of the treatment naturally depend on the progress of healing of the particular condition.

FIG. 2 shows an apparatus in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. The apparatus in FIG. 2 is structurally and functionally very similar to the apparatus in FIG. 1 and accordingly the same reference numerals will be used to refer to the same components unless otherwise indicated.

The major difference between this apparatus and the FIG. 1 apparatus is that the lamp portion 10 and converter portion 11 are two distinct entities which are separate from each other connected by means of an electrical lead 20. This enables the converter portion 11 to be left say on a bench top, and the lamp portion 10 to be handled by a doctor and placed on a patient's body spaced from the converter portion 11.

FIG. 3 refers to an apparatus in accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention. The FIG. 3 embodiment has similarities with the FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 embodiments and accordingly unless otherwise illustrated the same reference numerals will be used to refer to the same components.

In FIG. 5 the housing 2 is in the form of an arc or crescent shape. Three laterally spaced lamps 3 are mounted on the inner surface 35 of the housing 2 and are positioned to direct light inwardly into the space 26 inside the housing 2. The housing 2 is about two meters long and is sized to extend over a substantial portion of a patients body. With this apparatus it is possible to treat a substantially larger portion of a patients body at one time than with the FIG. 1 embodiment.

Applicant has conducted experimental treatments of patients and these treatments have been successful. Some of the medical conditions which have been treated !.MEhCi7 SHEE ~iFE>/U WO 99/37271 PCT/AU99/00042 9 by the method of this invention using the apparatus described above are summarised in Table 1 below. The table also prescribes the length of treatment required for each of the conditions.

NO. OF HEALTH DYS- SYMPTOMS BEFORE LIGHT TIME BODY PART(S) RESULTS PATIENTS FUNCTION TREATMENT COLOUR APPLIED TREATED AFTER ONE TREATED

TREATMENT

100 Arthritis Chronic pain Orange 5 mins Wrists, hands No pain* Wrist and Hand Joints Knees 10 mins Knees 75% less pain* Asthma Breathing difficulties Orange 20 mins Chest and upper back even while on high improvement in dosage drugs breathing Breast Lumps Pain, swelling Orange 15 mins Breasts, axillary lymph 20% red swell, nodes 40% less pain* Bronchitis Breathing difficulties, Orange 20 mins Chest and upper back 80% easier chest pain breathing*, reduce chest pain Chronic Fatigue Liver and large muscles Orange 5 mins liver Liver and large muscle 50% red liver Syndrome sore to palpation 20 mins groups pain, 20% better large muscles muscle action* Constipation Irregular bowel Orange 10 mins Abdomen over Soft bowel motion movement with hard descending colon next morning faeces Diverticulitis Abdominal pain and Orange 15 mins Abdomen 80% less discomfort discomfort, pain gone Double vision Eyes only see double Orange 15 mins Temples near eyes 10% less double images vision* 100 Headaches Pain, sick feeling Orange 20 mins Sides of neck Headaches 80% Green 100% gone 100 Injury to tissues, Pain, bruising Orange 20 mins At site of injury 80% 100% less muscles joints pain, faster healing Insect bites Pain, swelling Red 5 mins At site of bite and All pain gone swelling 100 Joint Injury Chronic pain and Orange 20 mins On affected joint 80% pain stiffness reduced*, stiffness gone Liver Painful to palpation Orange 5 mins Over top of liver 80% less pain* Incontinence Involuntary urination Green 20 mins Inguinal lymph nodes 20% reduction in Orange above pubis, low back incontinence* Sciatica Low back, hip leg pain Orange 20 mins Low back Affected buttock 10% leg muscles reduction in pain Ulcers, (leg) Pain, suppurating open Orange 20 mins Direct to ulcer area Healing effect wound evident 4 hours later* Uterus Pain Orange 15 mins On abdomen above uterus 80% reduction in paid 100 Wounds Cuts, grazing, blood Orange 10 mins Onto wound Healing effect blisters, burns, crushed evident 4 hours tissue damage____ later* Further treatments bring compounding benefits With severe asthma patients taking steroids, after two months of twice daily treatment there is a 90% reduction in the need for drug intake as well as a 90% reduction in asthma symptoms.

CD

WO 99/37271 PCT/AU99/00042 12 The applicant has also conducted tests with the apparatus to measure the temperature alteration caused by treatment with the apparatus.

Applicant measured the temperature of a clear plastic surface which was irradiated with light from the lamp over a period of 10 minutes. The surface remained at a temperature, of 28C which was the ambient air temperature for the entire 10 minutes. This shows that the light itself does not have a heating effect. When a patient was irradiated with light for a period of 4 minutes the temperature of the skin typically rose 1C. Applicant believes that this is due to the flow of blood and lymph fluid towards the skin of the patient induced by the treatment.

Without being bound by theory, applicant believes that a pulsed beaming light, particularly orange or blue light promotes blood circulation through a patient's body and promotes the normal healing processes of the body.

It will of course be realised that the above has been given only by way of illustrative example of the invention and that all such modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the invention as is herein set forth.

Claims (13)

1. Apparatus arranged to therapeutically treat a warm blooded animal, the apparatus including a member; a light source including a tube containing an inert gas, the light source being of a non-heating effect type and mounted on the member; energising means electrically connected to the light source for energising said source; means coupled to said energising means for pulsing the light irradiated by the light source.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light source includes means for irradiating red, orange, blue or green light.

3. An apparatus according to either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said pulsing means is arranged to produce pulsing of said source at a frequency of 1 to 3 pulses per second.

4. An apparatus according to either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the energising means includes a converter for stepping a 12 volt electrical supply up to 3,000 to 10,000 volts.

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the member includes a housing and the light source is received within the housing, and wherein the light source irradiates light outwardly through an opening in the housing.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the housing is an integral hand held unit.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said apparatus is segmented into a first lamp portion coupled to a second converter portion, said lamp portion being movable independent of said converter portion. $XET o~ PCT/AU99/00042 Received 22 October 1999 14

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said member includes a curved housing having a concave surface, a plurality of light sources of said type located on said concave surface, said surface directing light inwardly into a space defined by the housing, the housing being sized so as to extend across the central body region of a person to be treated.

9. A method for therapeutically treating a warm blooded animal, the method including the step of irradiating said animal with pulsing visible light from a non-heating effect type light source.

A method according to claim 9, wherein said animal is irradiated with red, orange, blue or green light.

11. A method according to either claim 9 or claim 10, wherein said irradiation is limited to regions of said animal requiring therapy.

12. A method according to claim 9, wherein said pulsing visible light pulses at a frequency of 1 to 3 pulses per second.

13. A method according to claim 8, wherein said animal is irradiated with light for a time of from 5 to 20 minutes depending on the medical condition being treated. At/F~i~