The International Light Association (ILA) is a uniquely collaborative group of lightand color therapy practitioners, health professionals, scientists, educators, productmanufacturers, artists, architects, interior designers and philosophers who arepassionate about learning and applying the latest theories, techniques andtechnologies regarding how light and color can promote health, enhance performanceand learning and raise consciousness. Our mission is to share and disseminateinformation, educate, initiate and promote research, and create an open-hearted,broad-minded and integrative community in the field of Light.

Cover design by Ted Widing

Officers

President Larry Wallace, O.D..Vice President Ed Kondrot, M.D.Treasurer Randi Marie EideWeb/Newsletter Selim Ozkan

Board Members: Anadi MartelDon Barniske, O.D.Lyn DooleValerie MorganPhyllis NyquistSelim Ozkan

Journal Editor Sarah Cobb

Visit us on the web at: www.international-light-association.org

Articles Features

The Power of Magenta Light 3 President’s Letter 1Mary Bolles

Syntonic Phototherapy 8 New Technologies 27Ray Gottlieb, O.D., Ph.DLarry Wallace, O.D., Ph.D. Book Review 19

Color Actions Chart 16Sarah Cobb Research 19

Light on Shingles 17Denise Haden

Gravity and Grace 21Nishant Mathews

Call for PapersThis is the first issue of the Journal of Light and we are looking for articles on subjects of mutualinterest. Please send suggestions, advertisements, personal experiences and well written articles toSarah Cobb at eyeamsarah@hotmail.com in text format. The ILA wants your support!

President’s Letter

Dear Colleagues:

It is with great pleasure that I can address our membership in theinaugural issue of The Light Association Journal. As we approachour 8th annual international conference, the “Incredible Beingness ofLight “, I am so happy and proud to be a part of this wonderfulgroup. Our members comprise a wide and deep community of lightworkers which encompass color and photo-therapists, researchers,instrument inventors, authors, teachers, philosophers, and doctorsfrom around the globe. We are creating, an incredible communitythat serves the world for education and a research source for thosewho seek information and inspiration in the field of color and light.

A goal which has been at the forefront of our efforts has been tocreate a formalized and certified education program for those whowant a degree in the field of light. We have created a vastcurriculum and hope to soon offer on line classes. Our website isthe premier destination for interdisciplinary information for thoseseeking knowledge in light therapy and research.

The ILA Conferences have brought together the thought leaders inthe field of phototherapy from all around the world. Theseconferences allow attendees to learn from many disciplines, bothtechnique and philosophical approaches, that can best be learnedby direct experience. These experiences are often life altering.

Our new Journal of Light, is under the leadership of our editor,Sarah Cobb. Sarah, the former Editor of The Journal of OptometricPhoto-therapy, brings over 10 years experience and a great depthof knowledge about light to her job. This journal promises to enrichyour knowledge and the value of your membership.

Love and Light,

Larry B. Wallace, O.D., Ph.D.President of the International Light Association

In Memoriam

Remembering Francis Mc Manemin

Sarah Cobb

I first met Francis on the last day of a syntonic meeting in Saint Louis in 2003. We were sitting acrossthe isle from each other wearing opposite sides of the same reversible skirt. At the break I introducedmyself. I invited her to my room before the banquet. We ended up telling old stories about our lives andwere amazed when we realized that we both lived in the same small town in Texas.

In 2005 she became the first president of the International LightAssociation. During her year tenure she worked tirelessly on the Articlesof Association and achieved not-for- profit status for the ILA. A letter shewrote regarding her activities is included in The History of the ILAby R.M Eide posted on the website.

Also in 2005 she wrote and article for the Journal of OptometricPhototherapy entitled, “Autonomic Nervous System and LightFrequencies.” Her paper reported on the outcomes of a preliminarypilot study of the impact of red/orange and indigo stimulationon Galvanic Skin Responses, Heart Rate and changes via HRV duringlight stimulation.

This article may be found at www.collegeofsyntonicoptometry.com. Click on Journals and refer toMarch 2005.

Last fall, Francis worked closely with Jay Dillon applying for a grant from a Santa Fe based organizationto study the connections between phototherapy and type 2 Diabetes. Jay writes, “she, Jeff Anshel, O.D.and I wrote our paper titled “The Brain Computer Interface: A Dynamic Interaction” for the ThirdInternational Cognitive Technology conference, CT 1999. This paper represented an initial investigationinto the impact of the technological work/play environment on perception and cognition via the braincomputer interface. Frances and I applied last fall for a grant from a Santa Fe based organization tostudy the connections between phototherapy and type 2 diabetes. We had collected test data over 3- 6month intervals and were excited with our early findings. Her quiet way of listening and then offeringadvice and related thoughts are sorely missed. She was the embodiment of high ethical values, nonjudgment toward others and kindness to all.”

The International Light Association has dedicated a memorial lecture in her name to be delivered eachyear at the conference. Francis was passionate about the need for research and I feel she would like toencourage others to do research that would advance the field of light and color. It seems she got theILA started, then graduated early. God Speed, Francis!

I.L.A. September 2011 3

I

The Power of Magenta Light

Mary Bolles

began using magentalight in clinical practice in the late1980’s. The discovery of themagenta frequency in the 1920’swas documented by Dinshah P.Ghadiali. Dinshah, a man fromIndia, held numerous doctoratedegrees, and developed a programcalled Spectro-Chrome, a‘tonation system’ of deliveringcolored light to different areas ofthe body. He had been trained inmedicine in India before comingto New York. Dinshah wasinspired by The Principles ofLight and Color, by EdwinDwight Babbitt, published in1878, Dinshah sought to morefully understand the healing artsand the mysteries of nature.Babbitt wrote of his “discovery ofthe form and constitution ofatoms, and their working inconnection with ethereal forces toproduce effects of heat, cold,electricity, magnetism, chemicalaction, and many other effects,”on the human system. Babbittwas the son of a Presbyterianminister and never had training asa physician or doctor of medicine.Yet Babbitt claimed to cure avariety of ailments by thetherapeutic application on thebody of sunlight passing throughvarious colors of glass,associating each color to aparticular element and mineral.

Dinshah believed healing shouldbe elevated to a mathematicallyprecise science and that it mustwork not only on the physical, but“on that in man which is beyond

the physical.” Dinshah believedthat Babbitt failed to descriptivelydeal with the chemical andtherapeutic properties of theviolet potency. Dinshah wrote hisphilosophy in 1934 in Spectro-Chrome Encyclopedia. Babbittsaw the primary colors to be red,yellow, and blue; while Dinshahbelieved the primary triad to bered, green, and violet (SeeDiagram of Colors). Dinshahexamined the visible spectrum ofsunlight from red to violet andnoted the infra-red invisible raysbelow the red and the ultra violetinvisible rays above the violet.Dinshah reasoned that heat andcold were the same energy. Theinfra-red injects energy and isable to burn like steam-scaldingor fire-scorching. The ultra-violetextracts energy causing burns likefrost-bite. Dinshah wrote: “Thehuman body has to producewarmth to live; it also needscertain so-called electromagneticpotency to operate its motive andother functions through thenervous system. Hence, Ireasoned that if I dropped myresearch at the red and violet, itwould be incomplete. I had builtout of the spectrum all theprimary and secondary colorsbetween the two points of the redand violet; yet, I needed certainothers, which would have definiteinfluence on the bloodcirculatory system to be of realservice. Taking intoconsideration the “heat” and“cold” idea from the infra-red andthe ultra-violet scales, . . . a slight

study convinced me that I shouldnot have to go far into thosescales, enough to damage humantissues, but, should stay close tothe visible spectrum itself. . . . Ihad a small unused piece of redbeyond the actual red lines ofCadmium and Hydrogen and asimilar piece beyond the strictlyviolet range. I junctioned thesetwo by superimposing my redslide on the violet and producedan original potency having thedefined precise functions on theblood circulatory system. Thename for simplicity, I kept thesame as in pigment- magenta; onits two sides, toward the redsection, I placed scarlet, towardthe violet section, I placed purple.These three colors were neverthus produced or used for suchpurpose, by Babbitt or anyoneelse prior to my origination.”

Dinshah’s twelve colors, madewith five slides, form a complete360 degree circle with each colorseparated from its neighbor by 30degrees. Magenta is composed ofred and violet. Each of these twoprimary colors whensuperimposed on the otherreduces the polarity by just one-half of that color. Dinshah sawhis system producing oscillatoryfrequencies that weremathematically precise.

In 1815, a German optician andphysicist named Joseph vonFraunhofer had measured theluminosity ratio of the variouscolors with yellow having the

I.L.A. September 2011 4

highest intensity and violethaving the lowest. The brightestcolor then opposes the leastbright. They are complementarycolors and Dinshah calls themaffinity waves of color. There arefive pairs which make up affinitywaves for Dinshah. Looking ataffinity waves from a chemicalaspect, they have oppositequalities and seek one another tocombine or neutralize. Dinshah isquick to point out that “…Greenand magenta are not affinitywaves; they are duel aspects ofthe same potency (See AffinityWave Table). Magenta has thesame oscillatory composition asthe green, but its polarity rotationin esoteric chemistry is reverse,being in production a reversal ofthe rainbow….It has thus certainpeculiarities which confer on itthe most marvelous attributes ofthe attuned color wave that has onthe physical plane, in physicalmanifestation, the potency tooscillate the fabric of thepsychical vehicle.”

Dinshah felt that the magentaattuned wave acted in five ways:

Suprarenal Stimulant –increases functional activity ofthe adrenals

Cardiac Energizer –increases functional activity ofthe heart

Diuretic – elevates therate of urination

Emotional Equilibrator –stabilizes the emotions

Auric Builder – builds theaura, radio-emanations ofchemical bodyChemical potencies indicated bythe Fraunhofer lines are onlywithin the visible spectrum.Dinshah thus felt that visible lightwhich matched chemicalpotencies was safe and beneficialfor the human system. Dinshahfelt that it was inappropriate to

administer inorganic chemicals ordrugs when the color signature ofthe chemical can deliver the samemessage. He reasoned, “If thepower of chemicals depends upontheir atomic disposition, if thedisposition of the atoms can bedetected by the spectroscope, ifthe symbolic language by whichthe spectroscope talks to colorlines, if the color lines delivertheir messages in the cipher ofFraunhofer, …then, instead ofadministering the crudechemicals, if the color codes beused, the resultant fundamentalsmust be the same.”

In Spectro-Chrome MetryEncyclopaedia, written in 1934,Dinshah says the magentafrequency is related to the planetVenus. Magenta, for Dinshah, isthat part of our life that gives usthe appreciation of love andbeauty. “It is the power of thisVenusian magenta that drawspeople together in love; I meangenuine human affection. It isthrough the aura, withreinforcement or interference ofwave patterns, that Spectro-Chrome works. I evolved thatelusive magenta and put it to useas the pure emotional wave bybending the rainbow as if it werebackwards and combining the twoends of the spectrum –red andviolet – by superimposition. It isthe first instance of its kind wherea physical, visible energy is madeto act directly upon ‘the invisiblein man’ which it does.”

Just as the poles of a magnet cannever be isolated, the functions ofgreen and magenta go hand inhand. “The green, through thehead, forms the north pole of thehuman body; the magenta throughthe genitals forms the south poleof the human body. Thus, underthe laws regulating electro-

magnetism and kindred sciences,both form ….a linked apparatus,which works as one single factor.It means that the endocrines orinternal secretion products fromthe glandular structure of thephysical vehicle, operate inunison and as one mechanism andnot separately.” Dinshah believedthat in any disorder in the body,there is the interrelation of thehead with the spinal column.Dinshah says, “Magenta is at thesouth pole of the diagram; it is thefunction of the genitals and thegenitals are the organs mostpotent in the expression of humanemotion.”

Kate Baldwin, M.D. was astudent of Dinshah and chiefsurgeon at a hospital inPhiladelphia. In 1926, after usinglight in her practice for six yearsshe wrote, “After nearly thirty-seven years of active hospital andprivate practice in medicine andsurgery, I can produce quickerand more accurate results withcolors than with any or all othermethods combined, and with lessstrain on the patient . . . Sprains,bruises, and traumata of all sortsrespond to color as to no othertreatment. Septic conditions yieldregardless of the specificorganisms. Cardiac lesions,asthma, hay fever, pneumonia,and inflammatory conditions ofthe eyes, corneal ulcers,glaucoma, and cataracts arerelieved by this treatment.” Shefurther stated, “. . . Burns arecaused by the destructive actionof the red side of the spectrum,hydrogen predominating. Applyoxygen by the use of the blue sideof the spectrum and much will bedone to relieve the nervous strain.The healing processes are rapid,and the resulting tissue is soft andflexible.”

I.L.A. September 2011 5

Dinshah and another medicaldoctor, Harry Riley Spitler, M.D.,O.D., were both actively workingwith light in the 1920’s. Spitlerdeveloped a therapeutic system ofdelivering colored light, not tovarious areas of the body, but tothe eyes to bring the wholeautonomic nervous system intobalance and in 1941 explained hismethod in The SyntonicPrinciple. Spitler based a lot ofhis work on constitutional bodytypes. These were Pycnic,Syntonic, and Asthenic. The idealSyntonic state is when tensionsare equal between thesympathetic and parasympatheticnervous systems. Syntonics hasa magenta filter called the “N”filter. The “N” stood for thename of a nervous state that wascoined in 1869 - Neurasthenia orNervous Exhaustion. Today, weprobably know this state asChronic Fatigue Syndrome -decreased parasympatheticactivity and increasedsympathetic activity.

In the early 1920’s Rudolf Steiner(1861-1925), an Austrianphilosopher, who attempted tofind a synthesis between science

and mysticism, had many insightsinto the nature of color. Steinersaid: “When we experience thelife of colour, we step out of ourskins and take part in cosmic life.Colour is the soul of nature and

the whole cosmos, and byexperiencing the life of colour weparticipate in this soul.” Steiner’simportant colour was peach-blossom. Steiner said, “Greenyou will find in nature; but peach-blossom…. is found only in thehealthy human being whose soulis present within his physicalorganism.” Steiner studied colorin relation to art and appreciatedart as a revelation of spiritualrealities. In a lecture in 1923, hesaid, “A real artist, uses theobject, say, to paint the sunshining on it, or to observe aparticular colour reflex in hisenvironment in order to catch theinterplay of light and dark.”Steiner did not accept Newton’sscientific theory of color whichhad the three primitive colorsbeing red, yellow, blue andmaking up all the colors. He said,“. . . Knowledgeable ones knew

I.L.A. September 2011 6

very well that colour arose on aspiritual level.” After the FirstWorld War, Steiner worked inpractical areas with educators,farmers, doctors and otherprofessionals to develop Waldorfeducation, biodynamicagriculture, and anthroposophicalmedicine.

Theo Gimbel, a British man, whohas devoted his life to exploringand teaching colour therapy,appreciated Steiner’s spiritualinsights. In meeting a patient whorequested healing, he tried to finda color that would have a positiveeffect. In 1996, he wrote inPositive Health magazine,relating to a particular case, thatturquoise is the color whichsupports and strengthens theimmune system. Gimbeldescribes magenta as, “the colourof the purest spiritual energy, thatlets go all concerns and worries.The colour of release, ittranscends maleness andfemaleness.” Gimbel wrote inForm, Sound, Colour andHealing, that magenta, unlike theother colours, “does not focus onany physical gland, but is a veryfine threadlike beam which opensup most beautifully and verydelicately when puberty iscompleted.” In his later book,Healing With Colour, he relatesmagenta to the pineal gland andthe crown chakra. He says thischakra is the center of spiritualityand perfection, and magenta is thecolour of that chakra which“connects you to an infiniteintelligence.”

Gimbel had a concern for the “. . .incredible gap in our educationalsystem of colours carefullyapplied. Children, before theyread and write, have a very acutesense of orienting themselveswith colour . . . It seems that the

child finds much help when theinside of small places are of lightblue. Softness goes with gentlepastel colours. The other mostimportant area is the actualillumination. Children are verylight sensitive and the off/onswitching of [fluorescent] lightnot only causes an outerflickering of their eyelids, butalso a shock which is relayed viathe pituitary gland to the wholenervous system . . . the inventorof the fluorescent lamp, Dr. HansHeitler, considered it to be acheap light for emergency(wartime) use only, knowing thatit could in long term use be ahealth hazard….It is in childhoodwhere peace and deeperdevelopment for a fuller person isawakened. If we are to lookforward to a better future theninfluences of both colour andillumination upon the humanperson have to be a decisive toolto bring out the positive potentialswhich lie latent in the child.” The‘cool white fluorescent’ hasexcessive levels of yellow andorange and too little red or blue.Research has shown thathyperactivity in children and theirlevels of dental decay have beenlinked with poor classroomlighting and have improved withfull-spectrum lighting.

It was inspiring to hear the casestudies at the SyntonicConferences and to understandlight’s wide spectrum ofapplication in an allopathicmodel. I was looking for a visualstimulus to help children withdevelopmental delays, learningand behavior problems, includingthose on the autism spectrum. Iwas interested in creating a safe,controlled educational experiencethat stimulates the visual,auditory and vestibular systems

simultaneously which couldhopefully allow the participant tolearn or improve sensory skills.

‘Sensory Integration,’ the abilityto internally organize sensoryinput from the three majorsensory systems to be able toeffectively interact with theenvironment is the goal. HebbsLaw in physics says that if youfire sensory systems together theywill wire together. Neurologiststoday advise parents who have achild with developmental delays,“to activate multiple areas of thebrain at the same time in order tostimulate long range white-matterconnections.”

Anxiety is high in children withsensory dysfunctions for they areoften overwhelmed in typicalenvironments. Since magenta wasan ‘emotional equilibrator,’ Ibelieved it could be a good‘anchor color’ in my Sensory

Learning Program. I use it at theend of a day when we are learningthe colors on the end of thespectrum, red and violet. It is alsothe color that I use for theportable light instrument whichparents use with their child intheir home for the 18 daysfollowing the 12 consecutive daysof sessions at the Institute.Within the Sensory LearningProgram I see Magenta: Provides an integrated color

for an engaging visualstimulus

I.L.A. September 2011 7

Along with vestibularstimulation allows profoundrelaxation while exercisingthe extrinsic eye muscles

Allows us to work on the redand violet ends of thespectrum and easily return tobalance

Allows the firing pattern ofthe hypothalamus to find abalanced state

Contributes to the participantfeeling safe and expressingaffection

A therapist sees improvementwhen there is a state change in thechild. Magenta seems to allow astate change to a more balancedstate like Spitler’s Syntonic state.Parents of autistic children havebeen told by doctors that love is

the only thing that can make achange in an autistic child. Fromwhat I have observed in workingwith magenta for over twentyyears, Magenta may give us thehighest power to work on thephysical plane. I believe Dinshahwas right a hundred years ago -magenta is the frequency of love.

BibliographyEdwin Babbitt, Principles of Light and Colour, Citadel, 1967.Dinshah P. Ghadiali, Spectro-Chrome Metry Encyclopaedia, Vol. I, II, III, Spectro-Chrome Institute, 1934.Harry Riley Spitler, The Syntonic Principle, the College of Syntonic Optometry, 1941.“N is for Neurasthenia” by Ray Gottlieb Journal of Optometric Phototherapy, March 2010.Rudolf Steiner, Colour, Rudolf Steiner Press, 1996.Theo Gimbel, Form, Sound, Colour and Healing, C.W. Daniel, 1987.Theo Gimbel, Healing With Colour, Gaia Books Limited, 1887.Positive Health Magazine, Issue 12, May 1996.Primrose Cooper, The Healing Power Of Light, Judy Piatkus Publishers, 2000.

Mary Bolles, B.A. is an expert on the effect of ocular light therapy on developmentaldelays in children with learning and behavior problems. She holds a B.A. degree fromBowling Green State University in Ohio and is an associate member of the College ofSyntonic Optometry. She has specialized training in Whole Brain Accelerated Learning,Sensory Integration, Natural Vision Improvement, and Auditory Integration Training.

She is the founder of Sensory Learning Institute and Sensory learning Center International.She developed a therapeutic intervention with state-of-the-art computerized equipmentwhich allows a multi-sensory experience to help further development in sensory skillsinvolving the visual, auditory, and vestibular systems. She is currently in private practicein Boulder, Colorado. She has trained many allied health professionals to add the SensoryLearning Program to their practice in the United States and in four other countries.

www.SensoryLearning.com.

I.L.A. CONFERENCE2012 BERLIN

Be There !Details to be posted on www.international-light-association.org

I.L.A. September2011 8

SYNTONIC

.

AbstractThe first part of this article explores thetheoretical and therapeutic aspects ofoptometric phototherapy (syntonics).Patient selection, testing, diagnosis,prescribing and syntonic casemanagement are included. The secondpart presents an historical overview ofthe general area of phototherapy, andspecifically syntonics. It then proceedsto an in-depth discussion of recentresearch on the effects of light onbiological function that is thefoundation of the emerging field ofphototherapy. The authors propose thatoptometry has a unique opportunity toobtain a special position in theemerging field of phototherapy.

Key Wordsbrain injury, color therapy, circadianrhythms, energy medicine, learningdisabilities, low level laser therapy,phototherapy, photobiology, pupilreflexes, seasonal affective disorder(SAD), strabismus, syntonics, visualfields, vision therapy

Introduction

Syntonic phototherapy can be asignificant addition to thearmamentarium of behavioraloptometry. When used properly inconjunction with traditional behavioraloptometric approaches, the efficiency,speed and success rates of visiontherapy increase dramatically.1-5

Optometrists also use syntonics byitself for relieving ocular pain,headaches and photosensitivity thatmay not be treatable with standardprocedures.4 This article presents anoverview of syntonics and a summaryof research findings about light’simpact on life processes.

Energy medicine, which also includesdifferent forms of light therapy, israpidly becoming a global phenomenonused by a variety of healthprofessionals from medical physiciansto chiropractors, acupuncturists,physical therapists and psychologists.In our view, there lies the future ofmedicine.

Optometrists who practice visiontherapy should objectively investigatelight therapy, and specifically syntonicphototherapy, not only to assist theirpatients to achieve higher levels ofoverall functioning, but to seek toinclude optometry in the field ofphototherapy. We are in a uniqueposition to utilize this time-proven,ocularly transmitted light therapy thatsome optometrists have used for nearly70 years.

SyntonicsSyntonic therapy is non-invasive andcan bring major improvements ifpatients are chosen carefully. Thepatients most likely to benefit have notjust one or two but several visualdeficits. Usually, they show deficits inocular motilities, accommodation,visual discrimination, binocularity,visual information processing skills,and constricted visual fields.

A typical treatment plan requires 20-minute sessions on at least threeconsecutive days each week for a totalof 20 sessions. Therapy devices usewhite light directed through coloredabsorption filters (one device usesnarrow band interference filters) onto afrosted collimating lens.

The patient views a glowing circle oflight 50mm in diameter from a distanceof about 50cm in a darkened room.Specific filters are prescribed forparticular ocular conditions. Therationale for determining the treatmentfrequencies is explained later in thisarticle. Diagnosis is made on the basisof history, present symptoms andclinical measurements.

Success of treatment is judged bychanges in symptoms, behavior(mood/attitude, coping ability, andsocial/verbal skills), performance(academic, athletic and expressive) andchanges in optometric test results. Thesyntonic evaluation places specialimportance and considerations ofpupillary reactions and visual fields.

Evaluation of the PupilOptometrists routinely evaluate thepupil, particularly in terms ofdifferences in size, direct andconsensual reflexes and Marcus-Gunnreactions. We propose that this should

PHOTOTHERAPY

Larry Wallace, O.D., Ph. D.

Ray Gottlieb O.D., Ph. D.

I.L.A. September2011 9

be extended to include carefulobservation of excessive pupillaryrelease. When a patient in a dim roomviews a distant target binocularly, and apenlight held at three inches is beamedinto the pupil of one eye, we expect thepupil to constrict and stay small for atleast ten seconds. Pupillary releaseoccurs when the pupil dilates within afew seconds. Pupillary release is notuncommon, especially in children whoexhibit weakness in several areas offunctional optometric testing or inemotionally stressed, toxic ortraumatized patients. The severity ofrelease frequently correlates withreduced visual fields and autonomicnervous system imbalance.

Functional Visual FieldEvaluationFields are taken before treatment, aftersix to eight syntonic sessions tomeasure progress and to determine if achange in filters is necessary, at the endof treatment, and at follow-upevaluations three and six months later.Field constrictions readily improve withsyntonic treatment and this increase inuseful vision is credited with the oftenseen gains in patient comfort,efficiency, self-esteem, andfunctional/binocular vision. Constrictedperipheral visual fields are consideredclassically to be caused by anatomicaldefects in the retina, visual pathway orcortex. However, they can also resultfrom fatigue, emotional distress orswelling around the optic nerve. Fieldmeasures of patients with Tourettesyndrome show unique, inconstant fielddefects.6 Functional field constrictionsare not uncommon in children. Studiessince 1927 report between 9-20% ofunselected school children have fieldsof less than 15in diameter.7-10 Somechildren lose all but the central 1or2of vision. Generally, we have foundthat constricted visual fields are relatedto inadequate functional visual abilitiesand overall learning and performancedeficits. Strabismics and amblyopesoften have decreased fields in one orboth eyes. We also propose thatconstricted fields can be related tobinocular instability, since it is difficultto maintain fusion if the fields are only2, 3 or even 10in diameter.Sometimes blind spot plots are enlarged

two or three times normal. Syntonicoptometrists use campimeter (tangentscreen-like) devices for plotting fields.They carefully measure the central60with a 1.5white target on a blackbackground. The target is moved fromhe periphery, non-seeing to seeing,while the patient fixates on a centralpoint. The optometrist is in a position tomonitor fixation and is in immediatecommunication with the patient.

Threshold or flashed methods of takingfields may not pick up functional fieldloss. A recent study comparingthreshold and kinetic visual fieldsfound that simple kinetic fieldscorrelate better with clinical symptomsand are easier to use with children. 11

The frequency doubling field plotter, arecently introduced automated fieldinstrument designed to measuremagnocellular nerve loss in glaucomapatients, strongly correlates withsyntonic campimeter fields.12 Abnormalcolor fields can also improve withsyntonic treatment. Color fields aremeasured by plotting the position atwhich a red, blue or green 3targetmoved in from the periphery changesfrom a faded, off color appearance toone with the same strong saturation thepatient perceives when looking directlyat the color. Blue fields are expected tobe the larger than red, with green beingthe smallest. When this order is violatedor when the fields are excessivelysmall, a physiological or functionaldistress is suspected. Color fieldanomalies as reported by clinicalresearchers over the past 150 yearsrepresent a variety of systemicproblems such as endogenous andexogenous toxemias, cardiovascularproblems, or metabolic/endocrineimbalance. Syntonic practitioners mayuse color fields in diagnosis and filterselection, and most often as a measureto evaluate progress.9,13

In view of the apparent prevalence ofthese types of field defects in children,optometrists who are involved withstrabismus and learning problems inthis population should seriouslyconsider functional visual field testing.

Therapeutic SyntonicsTraditional syntonic therapy requires atleast three consecutive days oftreatment per week for a total of 20sessions. Progress testing is done aftersix to eight treatments. Visual fields,binocularity, ocular motility, visualacuity and accommodation are testedand symptom changes are recorded.Constricted field diameters will oftendouble in extent after six to eighttreatments and will continue to expandto full by 20 sessions. Striking changesin quality of test results, symptomreductions, performance, behavior andmood occur as a result of syntonics,especially when used in conjunctionwith other optometric vision therapy.The traditional syntonics approach toprescribing filters uses case history,symptoms and clinical data to classifypatients into syndromes called:“Acute;” “Chronic,” “EmotionalFatigue” and “A Lazy Eye.”13

“Acute Syndrome” individuals have ahistory or symptoms relating to recentonset problems including infection,injury, head trauma, anoxia, stroke, orhigh fevers. They often suffer fromheadaches, hypersensitivity or pain.This syndrome requires palliation toalleviate the symptoms. Blue/greenfilters are used to reduce cortical andretinal swelling, redness and fluid, andto decrease pain by sensory depression.Symptoms include: diplopia, binocularor monocular (368.2), headache(784.0), transient blurred vision(368.12), asthenopia (368.3), orbitalpain (379.91), abnormal posture(781.9), vertigo (780.4), motionsickness (994.6). Diagnostic factorsinclude: high exophoria (378.42),exotropia (387.00), convergenceinsufficiency (398.83), enlarged blindspot (368.42), constriction of the visualfield (368.45), visual field defects(368.4), accommodative insufficiency(367.5), deficiency of smooth pursuitmovements (379.58), pupil release(794.14) are not uncommon. Pathologyfactors include: Acute trauma, i.e.,corneal abrasions (918.1), strokes andhead trauma syndrome, conjunctivitis(372.30), iritis (364.3), cataract (senile)(366.9), corneal opacities, and wetmacular degeneration (362.50). 13

The “Chronic Syndrome” includesindividuals with chronic health

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problems due to glandular, metabolic ororganic imbalances, toxic conditions, ora past traumatic event. Yellow/green isused as a physiological stabilizer anddetoxifier. Symptoms include- generalfatigue (780.7), loss of vision systemstamina and speed, reduced peripheralvision, asthenopia (368.13), headache(784.0), orbital pain (379.91),photophobia, and transient blur.patients who waken with morningheadaches are suspects. Diagnosticfactors include: constriction of thevisual fields (368.45), pupil release,esophoria (378.41), low recoveries onductions, especially abduction,esotropia (378.00), convergence excess(378.84), accommodative insufficiency(367.5), and excess (367.53), reducedocular motor skills (794.14), reducedred/green fields, reduced blue fieldindicating liver involvement (toxemia),calcium deficiency. Yellow/green isoften combined with indigo/red for 10minutes of each in cases whereemotional instability is also a symptom.The need for yellow/green increaseswith age.13 In the “Emotional FatigueSyndrome,” individuals tend towardsemotional exhaustion, mood swings,negative emotional affect, and poorcoping ability. This syndrome is morefrequently seen in children. Symptomsinclude: photophobia (368.13),transient blurred vision (368.120),asthenopia (368.13), abnormal fatigue(780.7), headache (784.0), dizziness(780.4), frustration, allergies, asthma,and fluid retention. Diagnostic factorsinclude: pupil release, low breaks andrecoveries in ductions, especiallyadductions (368.33), and fatigueexophoria (378.42).A combination ofindigo and red filters is used forsympathetic/parasympathetic balanceand to support the adrenals. Indigo/redcan be used for 20 minutes alone but isusually combined with yellow/ greenfor 10 minutes each.13 In the “Lazy EyeSyndrome,” red/orange light is used.According to Spitler, red-orangestimulates the sympathetic nervoussystem and increases cell membranecapacitance (build up of electricalcharge before discharge) that increasesnerve cell charge in order to breakthrough synaptic resistance toovercome amblyopia. 4

Findings include: amblyopia (368.00),esotropia (378.00), amblyopia (368.00),esophoria (378.41), suppression ofbinocular vision (368.31), fieldconstrictions (368.45), abnormal retinalcorrespondence (368.34), or deficientvergence abilities (368.33). Thesepatients are often parasympatheticdominant individuals exhibitingpatterns of generalized muscle tightness(tight-fisted pencil grip, gritted jaws,inward turning feet).13 While the choiceof the appropriate treatment colorfrequencies remains an art, clinicalexperience has provided the basicguidelines for the syndromes above.Recently several approaches to usingcolor light in optometry have evolved.Vasquez engages patients in therapeuticdialogue as he changes in the color orflash rate during sessions.14 Libermanalso advocates dialogue to help patientsgain deeper awareness of theirresistance to individual colors therebygaining greater receptivity and morecomfort with those colors and withthemselves in the world.15 Downingdevised tests to determine a patient’sconstitutional profile using differentfilter combinations for fast or slowtypes (blue and red respectively).16

Albalas combines the syntonicprinciple, Chinese medicine andapplied kinesiology (selecting the filtergiving greatest muscle strength) indetermining treatment frequencies.17

Searfoss used a rainbow of selectednarrow band interference filters viewedfor one minute each. He then askedpatients to select the most relaxing orhealing color(s) to look at for theremainder of the 20 minute session.18

Three recent controlled studies byoptometrists have attempted to measuresyntonic phototherapy’s impact onchildren’s learning and vision. In 1983Kaplan reported on the use of syntonicstimulation for the treatment of learningdisabled children. 2 Three years later,Liberman published an article onsyntonic therapy applied in anoptometric office an its effects onchildren’s vision and cognition.3

Ingersol in 1998-1999 investigatedsyntonic effects when integrated into anelementary school curriculum and usedin conjunction with vision therapy.1

These studies provide evidence thatrelatively short-term syntonic treatmentcan significantly improve visual skills,peripheral vision, memory, behavior,mood, general performance andacademic achievement. They alsoconfirm that children with learningproblems have a reduction in thesensitivity of their peripheral vision.During and after phototherapy theydemonstrated improvement ofperipheral vision and visual skills.These three studies found profoundimprovements in the children who usedsyntonic phototherapy compared withsubjects matched for age and academicsuccess who did not. The controls eitherlooked at white light,2 had optometricvision therapy 3 or had optometricvision therapy and academic tutoring.These students showed no orsignificantly less improvement in theirperipheral vision, symptoms orperformance than the groups treatedwith syntonics. And Ingersol found theexperimental group receiving academictutoring, vision therapy and syntonicshad significantly superior outcomesthan students given tutoring and visiontherapy but no syntonics. Behavioraloptometrists using syntonicssuccessfully treat children and adultswith learning, reading and attentiondisabilities, people suffering the effectsof head trauma and stroke, retinaldiseases, strabismus, headaches andsenility. Included here are briefdescriptions of two such cases. A 78-year-old woman patient came for visiontherapy because of double vision. Hereyes had suddenly crossed eight weeksearlier. In addition, she was mentallyconfused and emotionally distraughtand had been since the death of herhusband 10 months before.Examination by her neurologist wasinconclusive. After twelve 20-minutetreatments, her eyes straightened andshe regained mental/ emotional balanceand coherence. When asked what shethought had helped her get better, shesaid, “The green light. Every time Iwatched the green light I could feelwaves and ripples inside my head.Finally during one light session I felt akind of pop in my head and everythingbecame clear.”

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Another patient, a 6-year-old girl, wason the verge of being discharged fromher public school because she could notlearn and was disruptive. Diagnosed asautistic and retarded from an early age,she was so hyperactive that evenobjective optometric testing wasimpossible. Her history included hermother’s toxic pregnancy (pre-eclampsia), cord wrapped around herneck at birth, and her father was hit andkilled in a crosswalk a few feet in frontof her when she was two years old.

She started syntonic color therapy usingyellow-green filters, the goal being toeliminate any toxemia that might haveremained from the pregnancy. In fivetreatments, for the first time in her lifeshe had become a calm, cooperativeand communicative little girl who couldlearn and participate in her normal firstgrade class. Syntonics has some of itsmost profound effects in the treatmentof traumatic brain injury. One informalstudy of 46 patients with head traumarevealed all 46 had visual field loss.Seventy percent responded with fieldexpansion after treatment with syntonicphototherapy.19

While it is true that not all patientsrespond as favorably as is indicated inthe above examples, there isnevertheless an increasing body ofevidence of the effectiveness ofsyntonics. One might question thatsince sunlight has every wavelength inthe spectrum, why doesn’t exposure toit provide the benefits of syntonics? Ananswer is that our modern lifestylelimits natural light exposure and wehave become victims of mal-illumination, a syndrome of behavioraland medical conditions described byJohn Ott, a pioneer in the field.20

A recent California study showed thatstudents in classrooms withpredominately natural lighting scoredas much as 25% higher on standardizedtests than other artificially lit studentsin the same districts.21

An Abbreviated History ofPhototherapy and SyntonicsThroughout history there have beenreports of using light to heal. Egyptians

used precious gems, Greeks builtsolarium cities in high mountains toharness ultra-violet light for healingtuberculosis, and red light was used toquell the effects of smallpox virus.Practitioners from the late 19th andearly 20th centuries such as Babbitt,Pleasanton, Pancoast and Dinshahclinically found that color, applied tothe skin, could have a non-intrusive,curative effect on bodily ailments.Similarly, the use of green or blue lighton the skin is the currently preferredmedical treatment for neonataljaundice. At the turn of this century, itfirst became known that light enteringthe eyes not only served vision, but alsotraveled to other important brainregions.22

Clinical application of selected lightfrequencies in optometric practicebegan in the early 1920s. H. RileySpitler theorized the role of the eyes inphototransduction and the roles of lightand color in biological function anddevelopment. He developed the clinicalscience that he termed Syntonics —from “syntony,” to bring into balance.Spitler concluded that many bodily,mental/emotional and visual ailmentswere caused primarily by imbalances inthe autonomic nervous and endocrinesystems. He was the first to elaborateon this function of the retinal-hypothalamic pathways. Spitlerproposed that applying certainfrequencies of light through the eyescould restore balance within the body’sregulatory centers thereby directlycorrecting visual dysfunctions at theirsource. His model suggests that red(low energy, long wavelength) at oneend of the visible spectrum stimulatesthe sympathetic nervous system, green(middle frequencies) yieldsphysiological balance, and indigo (highenergy, fast frequencies) activates theparasympathetic nervous system.4

In 1933 Spitler established the Collegeof Syntonic Optometry to research thetherapeutic application of light to thevisual system. In 1941 he published histhesis as The Syntonic Principle andincluded a survey of clinical resultsfrom syntonic practitioners: SyntonicEffectivity: A Statistical Compilation ofOcular Anomalies Handled by

Applying the Syntonic Principle. Thisstudy showed that of 3067 individuals,2791 (90.7%) taking syntonic treatmentresponded positively.4

In the 1960s, Charles Butts, O.D.developed a diagnostic workup andtreatment regimen which added a newdimension to vision therapy. Patientswere diagnosed according to symptomsusing a specific case history, theOptometric Extension Program’s 21points, pupillary responses, centralvisual fields and other tests of eyeteaming and motility.13

Scientific Findings About Light’sImpact On BiologyMeasuring light’s biological effects is acomplex business. Outcomes aredependent on wavelength, intensity,duration, timing and number ofrepetitions. There are short-termeffects, measured a few seconds orminutes after irradiation, and long-termeffects, observed after hours or days.The effects also depend on the type oforganism studied, its growth phase andthe parameter being measured. For aninteresting discussion about thedifficulties encountered in doing lighttherapy research see: Tuner- Hode’s:Low Level Laser Therapy , Chapter 13at: www.laser.nu/lllt/LLLT_critic_on_critics.htm.

Light Effects Via BloodLight-sensitive blood constituents carryphotic information and energy to affectvarious body functions.. Blue lightdelivered on the skin behind the knees,for example, resulted in significantalterations in human circadianrhythms.39 Oren and Therman postulatethat the blood constituents hemoglobinand bilirubin in animals may becounterparts to chlorophyll andphytochrome, the light-sensitivepigments in plants. Hemoglobin issimilar to chlorophyll in structure. Bothare reversibly altered by light.40

Other research has found that the hemeoxygenases are reversibly altered byspecific wavelengths of visual light.41

The heme oxygenases, HO-1 and HO-2,are enzymes controlling oxygen-carbondioxide exchange and also regulatevasodilatation, neurotransmission,antioxidation, anti-inflammatory, anti-

I.L.A. September2011 12

viral, gene expression and other basicphysiological functions.42 HO-1, likethe sympathetic nervous system, acts toprotect the organism from acuteenvironmental stress while HO-2 actsmore like the parasympathetic nervoussystem. Nitric Oxide (NO) is anotherimportant blood constituent that worksto control bodily stress reactions. Awell-known physiological effect ofvisible frequencies of light on blood isrelaxation of blood vessel wallsmediated by increases in free NO.Russian researchers confirmed thatbound NO-hemoglobin can reversiblyrelease free NO when irradiated withlow-power He-Cd (441.6 nm) or He-Ne(632.8 nm) lasers.43

Light Directly Stimulating TheBrainIn the early 1900s, researchers foundevidence that photoreceptors exist inanimal brains. Until recently retinal andpineal opsins were detected in selectedregions of lower vertebrate brains butnot in mammals. Now, published datasuggest the presence of cone-like, rod-like as well as non-visual types ofphotopigments in least two kinds ofphotoreceptor cells in mammal brains,in cells lining the ventricles and inclassical neurosecretory neurons inpreoptic centers. These photoreceptorshave been implicated in the regulationof circadian and reproductive responsesto light in all species examined. 44

Until 1999, mammalian opsins werethought to be specifically expressedonly in the retina and the pineal gland.But now scientists at NIH havediscovered what appears to be the firstopsin, called encephalopsin, expressedspecifically in the mammalian brain. Atthis time encephalopsin functionremains a mystery but because opsinshave always been involved in lightdetection, we must consider thepossibility that encephalopsinparticipates in this process.45

Recent work suggests that light excitesmammalian brain tissue directly. Slicesof rat cortex stimulated with low levelsof visible light released more GABA(gamma-aminobutyric acid), aneuroinhibitor implicated in sex drive,anxiety, aging, inflammation andepilepsy. Higher light intensity

stimulation suppressed this increasedrelease. The effective light level wasthe same as that which penetratesthrough the skull to reach a rat’s brainat the intensities of sunlight. 46

Russian data indicate that low-energyinfrared laser irradiation has certainneuroprotective activity in oxidativestress. Infrared laser irradiation loweredthe increased levels of hydroperoxidesand malonic dialdehyde and elevatedsoxide dismutase activity in the brainduring ischemia, reperfusion, and acuteedema of the brain. 47 These findingshave vast implications for the fields ofimmunology and rehabilitativemedicine and suggest that light hasbiological impact on the brain by ameans not considered in modern times.

BiophotonsIt is now well established that all livingsystems emit a weak but permanentphoton flux in the visible andultraviolet range. This biophotonemission is correlated with many, if notall, biological and physiologicalfunctions. Biophotons may triggerchemical reactivity in cells, growthcontrol, differentiation and intercellularcommunication, i.e., biologicalrhythms. Biophotonic communicationmay prove electromagnetic fields aremore primary to biology thanchemistry.48

New Information on CircadianControl SystemsSyntonic color therapy might work byaltering the timing of circadianrhythms. These oscillations inbiochemical, physiological, andbehavioral functions of organismsoccur with a periodicity ofapproximately 24 hours. They aregenerated by molecular clocks that aresynchronized with the solar day byenvironmental light. The various clocksoscillate in complex phaserelationships. They can go out of phasewith each other and when they do,health suffers along with mood. If poorhealth is a result of a rhythm disorder,fix the rhythm, not the symptom.49

Individual cells undergo daily cycles ofactivity and rest just like wholeorganisms do. Daily oscillations ofenzyme and hormone levels modify the

timing of cell physiology, division, andgrowth. Body temperature, immuneresponses, digestion, susceptibility toanesthesia, and dental pain threshold(the best time to go to a dentist is in theafternoon) all undergo cyclic changespeaking at fixed times during the day.Visual and mental acuity fluctuateduring the day. Malfunctions incircadian timing are responsible forchronic sleep disorders in the elderly,manic-depression, gastrointestinaldisorders, and seasonal depression.50

Psychiatric research shows that lighttherapy through the eyes is the mosteffective and accepted treatment forseasonal affective disorder (SAD).51,52

Psychiatrists are now investigating lighttherapy for other disorders such assubsyndromal SAD, nonseasonaldepression, premenstrual depression,circadian sleep phase disorders, sleep-maintenance insomnia, jet lag, andproblems resulting from shift work.53-55

One psychiatrist, Kripke, has carriedout a systematic comparison of lightand antidepressant drug studies innonseasonal major depression. Heargues that we should routinelyprescribe light for nonseasonaldepression, at least as a supplement tomedication.55 Light is the major cueleading to realignment of theendogenous rhythms and the externalentraining conditions. For example,depending on when during the night ashort pulse of light is administered,circadian timing can be phase-delayedor phase-advanced. By controlling thetime of a phototherapy treatment,recovery from jet lag or shift work isaccelerated.50 The quality of humanhealth and performance depends on thesynchronization of the major 24-hourrhythm (core body temperature, REMsleep and plasma cortisol) with the 90-minute rest-activity or sleep-wakerhythm (slow-wave sleep, skintemperature, plasma growth hormone).

These two major cycles go in and out ofphase due to external (light-dark, hot-cold) and behavioral/social (meal time,work day/week) cues. Some individualsmaintain a healthy, stable coordinationbetween these cycles. Other people’srhythms modulate quickly through

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stages of organization anddisorganization.49

Clocks are being discoveredeverywhere in the body. Evidencesuggests that flies have biologicalclocks in their heart, lung, liver, kidney,and testes and that light sets each clockindividually to follow a scheduleindependent of the brain’s masterclock.51, 52

In mammals a subset of retinal ganglioncells has direct projections to the mastercircadian clock in the suprachiasmaticnucleus (SCN) via theretinohypothalamic tract (RHT).Different cellular clocks in the SCNhave differing resynchronization ratesas do peripheral clocks in the varioustissues.53 The nature of thephotosensory molecules that detect thelight signal is not established. Becausesevering the optic nerve abolishes theability for light entrainment inmammals, it is generally accepted thatthe eye contains the photopigments forboth visual (imaging) and circadiansystems. Animals with severed opticnerves lose light synchronization,however, in mice with a retinaldegeneration syndrome in which all ofthe rod photoreceptor cells and virtuallyall of the cone photoreceptors aredestroyed, light entrainment of thecircadian rhythm is normal. Similarly,many blind persons with no consciousperception of light exhibit normalphotic entrainment of the circadianrhythm. Other blind people do notentrain to light.59

In human beings, melanopsin isexpressed only in the eye and isrestricted to cells within the ganglionand amacrine cell layers of primates.Notably, expression is not observed inretinal photoreceptor cells, the opsin-containing cells of the outer retina thatinitiate vision. The unique inner retinallocalization of melanopsin suggests thatit is not involved in image formationbut rather may mediate nonvisualphotoreceptive tasks, such as theregulation of circadian rhythms and theacute suppression of pineal melatonin.The anatomical distribution of

melanopsin-positive retinal cells issimilar to the pattern of cells known toproject from the retina to thesuprachiasmatic nuclei of thehypothalamus, a primary circadianpacemaker.60

Different wavelengths have varyingentrainment abilities relative tohormone output regulating such vitalfunctions as reproduction, growth, bodytemperature, blood pressure, motoractivity, sleep, and immune functionand in such conditions as diabetes,osteoporosis, heart disease, cancer,Parkinsons, Alzheimers, and aging ingeneral.61 Green light was found to bemost effective in suppressing melatoninin humans. This may be different fromresetting circadian clocks; the exactmechanism is still unknown.62 Twoblue-light photoreceptor genes,cryptochrome 1 and 2 (CRY1 andCRY2), were recently identified inhumans. Known to be active inmodifying plant rhythms, evidencesuggests that these pigments may alsofunction as photoreceptors for settingthe circadian clock in humans and othermammals. Studies have shown thatlight penetrates into and propagates insufficient quantities through the humanbrain and other internal organs. This isa different light perception and adifferent time scale than in vision.Hence, it is plausible that light canreach the SCN directly to excite CRY1in addition to the ready excitation ofCRY1 and CRY2 in the retina.63

What unique physiologic function suchexcitation may elicit remains to beelucidated. Some researchers proposethat rather than a master clock in thebrain being solely responsible forcoordinating all body rhythms, the truemaster switch for these many otherclocks is just environmental light.64 Notonly does light intensity and day lengthchange through the year but daylightcolor changes radically from dawn tosunset and modulates with the seasons.

ConclusionsClock mechanisms have been identifiedin the brain as well as peripherally inorgans, tissues and cells throughout thebody. The peripheral clocks normally

synchronized by master clocks in thebrain maintain their rhythm and arelight responsive even when cut off fromthe brain. Light may (1) directly triggerphotoreceptors in cells in skin or deeperin the body, (2) may stimulatephotosensitive elements in the blood bypassing through the skin or through theeye into the vast retinal vascular beds todeliver photic information everywhereby way of the blood stream. (3) Finally,light may stimulate clock and otherphotoreceptive areas in the brain via theretina through the optic nerve. This maytake place via rod and cone pigments,by non-visual retinal pigments orperhaps via direct fiber-optic-likepathways running from the retinathrough the optic nerve.

These examples of research includeddemonstrate the broad array of lightpathways being investigated today.Applications in healing can be found inoptometry, medicine, psychiatry,psychotherapy, color acupuncture (nowtermed colorpuncture), rehabilitativemedicine, and a vast assortment of bodycentered therapies. Syntonicphototherapy is at the core of a rapidlygrowing interest in and shift towardsenergy medicine in our quantum age.At this time energy medicine is not afinal or unified model. There is adynamic rhythmic matrix of energiesincluding mechanical, electric,magnetic, gravitational, thermal,acoustic, and photonic. Differenttherapeutic approaches focus on one ormore phenomena. Our living matrix canextract information needed to pilot ourbiological systems. There is not one butmany pathways through which this mayoccur. In Syntonics it may be theretinal-hypo -thalamic-pituitary-pinealaxis, the retinal vasculature, severalacupuncture meridians, or by a yetundiscovered means. Theseapplications are the future of medicineand healing. Syntonics is a timehonored and clinically proven modalityof treatment. Optometry is in a uniqueposition to further these applicationsand retain its special position in thelight therapies of this new millennium.

I.L.A. September2011 14

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Vision, Vancouver, CN, 1998. J Optom Photother 1999.2. Kaplan R. Changes in form visual fields in reading disabled children produced by syntonic stimulation. Int J Biosocial Res 1983; 5(1):20-33.3. Liberman J. The effects of syntonic colored light stimulation on certain visual and cognitive functions. J Optom Vis Dev 1986 June:17.4. Spitler HR. The Syntonic Principle. Eaton, OH: College of Syntonic Optometry, 1941.5. Cobb S. Field restriction and strabismus. J Optom Photother 1998:10-20.6. Enoch JM, et. al. Gilles de la Torette syndrome: Visual effects. Neuro-Ophthalmol 1988; 5:251-257.7. Eames TH. The relationships of the central visual field to the speed of visual perception.AmJ Ophthalmol 1957; 43(25):279-280.8. Eames TH. Restrictions of the visual fields as handicaps to learning. J Edu 1936; 2.9. Webb HF, Brombach TA. Visual fields. Optom Ext Prog Curriculum II 1941; 3(11):35-36.10. 9 Searfoss J, Garzia R. Tunnel vision, a loss of visual sensitivity in school age children. J Optom Vis Dev 2000; 21(3):117-130.11. Clark BJ, et al. Oculokinetic perimetry for the assessment of visual fields. Arch Dis Child 1990; 65(4):432-434.12. Wallace L. Functional fields–New data, new equipment. Presented at the Conference on Light and Vision 1999, Washington, DC.13. The Blue Book. Bloomsberg, PA:College of Syntonic Optometry Library, 1995.14. Vazquez S. Brief strobic phototherapy: synthesis of the future. In:. Hartley L, Breiling B, eds. Light Years Ahead. Berkeley: Celestial Arts, 1996.15. Liberman J. Light Medicine of the Future. Santa Fe, NM: Bear and Co., 1991:186-190.16. Downing J. Clinical eeg and neurophysiological case studies in ocular light therapy. In: Hartley L, Breiling B, eds. Light Years Ahead. Berkeley:

Celestial Arts, 1996.17. Albalas M, Selection of color frequencies for better visual performance. J Optom Photother 1997:10.18. Searfoss J. Theories of therapeutic light. J Optom Photother 1995:5-10.19. Wallace L. Syntonics and head trauma. J Optom Photother 1992.20. Ott J. Health and light. Old Grenwich: Devan-Adair, 1973.21. Cooper KL. Study says natural classroom lighting can aid achievement. The Washington Post News Service. Rochester, NY: November, 26, 1999:A14.22. Pesner S. Light therapy: An historical overview. In:. Hartley L, Breiling B, eds. Light Years Ahead. Berkeley: Celestial Arts, 1996. Journal of Behavioral

Optometry Volume 12/2001/Number 2/Page 3723. Mester E, et al. Laser Treatment of coumarin-induced skin necrosis. Acta Chirurgica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 1967; 18(2):141-148.24. Zeischegg P. Laser: The Alladin’s Lamp of the 20th Century. Http://www.DrZ.org/laser.htm#5 w/ links to 50 double blind studies for various conditions.25. Karu TI. Photobiological fundamentals of low-power laser therapy. IEEE J Quantum Electronics 1987; QE-23(10):1703.26. Karu TI. Mechanisms of interaction of monochromatic visible light with cells. effects of low-power light on biological systems. The International Society

for Optical Engineering (SPIE) Proceedings 1996; 2630:2-9.27. Karu TI. Mechanisms of low-power laser light on cellular level. In: Zimunovic Z, ed. Lasers in Medicine and Dentistry. Rijeka: Vitgraph, 2000:97-125.28. Karu TI. The Photobiology of Low-Power Laser Therapy. Chur, London, Paris, New York: Harwood Academic Pub, 1989.29. Karu TI. The Science of Low-Power Laser Therapy. London: Gordon and Breach Sci Pub, 1998.30. Karu TI. http://www.isan.troitsk.ru/dls/karu.htm31. http://www.laser.nu/lllt/therapylink.htm http://www.spie.org/web/abstracts/2700/ 2728.html (especially for cancer)32. Avetinsov ES, et al. Moscow Helmholtz Res Inst Eye Dis Laser Physics 1995; 5(4):917-921.33. Belkin M, et al. Ofthalmol 1987;28:108 (in Russian).34. Nesterov AP, et al. Effects of low-intensity laser irradiation on visual fields of patients with glaucoma. Vestnik Oftalmol (Russia) 1994; 110(1):3-4.35. Zakharova IA, et al. The endovascular laser therapy of primary glaucoma. Vestnik Oftalmol (Russia) 1994; 110(2):7-8.36. Eliseeva EV, et al. Intravessel laser irradiation of autologous blood in the treatment of eye diseases. Vestnik Oftalmol (Russia) 1994; 110(2):23-4.37. Chentsova OB, et al. Low-intensity helium-neon laser irradiation in multimode treatment - corneal injuries. Vestnik Oftalmol (Russia) 1991; 107(6):23-6.38. Kiselev GA, et al. Laser irradiation: study of general and local mechanisms of its action in irradiation of the eyeball. An experimental study. Vestnik

Oftalmol (Russia) 1990; 106(4):59-63.39. Campbell SS, Murphy PJ. Extraocular circadian phototransduction in humans. Sci 1998; 279:396-399.40. Oren DA, Terman M. Tweaking the human circadian clock with light. Sci 1998; 279:333-334.41. Noguchi M, et al. photo-reversal by monochromatic light of the carbon monoxide-inhibited heme degredation catalyzed by the reconstituted heme

oxygenase system. J Biochem (Tokyo) 1981; 90(6):671-1675.42. Maines MD. The heme oxygenase system. Ann Rev Pharmacol Toxico 1971; 37:517-554.43. Borisenko GG, et al. Photochemical reactions of nitrosyl hemoglobin during exposure to low-power laser . Biochem (Moscow) 1997; 62(6):661-774.44. Foster RG, et al. Identification of vertebrate deep brain photoreceptors. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 1994;18(4):541-546.45. Jaffrey SR, Snyder S. Encephalopsin: A novel mammalian extraretinal opsin discretely localized in the brain; J Neurosci 1999; 19(10):3681-3690.46. Wade PD, et al. Mammalian cerebral cortical tissue responds to low-intensity visible light. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1988; 85(23):9322-9326.47. Karageuzyan KG. Phospholipid pool, lipid peroxidation, and soxide dismutase activity under various types of oxidative stress of the brain and the effect

of low-energy infrared laser irradiation. Biochem (Moscow) 1998; 63(10):1226-1439.48. Chang J, Fisch J, Popp FA, eds. Biophotons. Norwell, MA: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1998.49. Moore-Ede MC, et al. The Clocks that Time Us: Physiology of the Circadian Timing System. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1982.50. Edery I, Circadian rhythms in a nutshell. Physiol Genomics 2000; 3:59-74.51. Oren DA, et al. An investigation of ophthalmic function in winter seasonal affective disorder. Depression, 1993; 1:29-37.52. Rosenthal NE, et al. Seasonal affective disorder: description of syndrome and preliminary findings w/ light therapy. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1984; 41:72-80.53. Lam RW. Seasonal affective disorder and beyond. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1998;55.54. Terman M, et al. Controlled trial of timed light and negative air ioization for treatment of winter depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1998;55:875-882.55. Kripke DF. Light treatment for nonseasonal depression: Speed, efficacy, and combined treatment. J Affect Disord 1998; 49:109-117.56. Plautz JD, et al. Independent photoreceptive circadian clocks throughout drosophila. Sci 1997; 278:1632-1635.57. Pennisi. E, Multiple clocks keep time in fruit fly tissues. Sci 1997; 278:1560-1561.58. Lucas RJ, et al. Regulation of the mammalian pineal by non-rod, non-cone, ocular photoreceptors. Sci 1999; 284:505-507.59. Tosini G, Menaker M. Circadian rhythms in cultured mammalian retina. Sci 1996; 272:419–421.60. 60.Provencio I, et al. A novel human opsin in the inner retina. J Neurosci 2000; 20(2):600-5.61. Swartwout G. The pineal gland and aging. Complimentary Medicine 1986 Nov/ Dec.62. Brainard GC, et al. Effect of light wavelength on suppression of nocturnal plasma melatonin in volunteers. Ann NY Acad Sci. 1985; 453:376-378.63. Miyamoto Y, Sancar A. Vitamin B2-based blue light photoreceptors in the retinohypothalamic tract as the photoactive pigments for setting the circadian

clock in mammals. Sci 1998; 95(11):6097-6102.64. Sancar A. Cryptochrome: The second photoactive pigment in the eye and its role in circadian photoreception. Ann Rev Biochem 2000; 69:31-67.

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Used with permission from the Optometric Extension Foundation

Larry B. Wallace O.D., Ph.D., is a behavioral optometrist who has practiced for over34 years in Ithaca, NY. He currently serves as President of the International LightAssociation and is the former President and current Education Director for the Collegeof Syntonic Optometry, an organization dedicated to education and research in the fieldof light and color therapy. He has invented and patented the first micro-current device totreat eye disease. He has published numerous articles and research on phototherapy. DrWallace has lectured and taught workshops around the world. He is also a certified lowvision specialist in New York, and has worked extensively in the field of vision

Ray Gottlieb, O.D., Ph.D. has been Dean of the College of Syntonic Optometry for morethan 25 years. He has written numerous articles and has lectured about phototherapy atCSO, ILA, WALT, SPIE and at other optometric and medical conventions. Hisoptometric specialties include training to improve myopia, presbyopia, visualattention/learning disorders, brain injury recovery and pianists’ music learning skills. Hehas written a book: Attention and Memory Training and a presbyopia DVD program: TheRead Without Glasses Method

C&J InstrumentsC&j instruments has more than 25 years experience manufacturing syntonicsequipment. Throughout our years serving the optometric community, C&jInstruments has enjoyed a close working relationship with the College ofSyntonic Optometry. For more information call or email us for a free brochureand price list.

Rex J. Cross, Owner C&j instruments2620 Pawnee Ave.North Platte, NE 69101

Phone 308 534-2537 * Email: candjins@kdsi.net

I.L.A. September 2011 16

Loeb, Carl , Handbook of Specific Light Therapy, Actino Laboratories, 1929.

Sarah Cobb / Aculight Vision Enhancement / eyeamsarah@hotmail.com

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Physiological stabilizer. Can’t over use.

Anti-inflammatory agent. Mucus inhibitor.

Anti-inflammatory agent. Mucus inhibitor.

Acid and Positive.

COLD Acid and Positive

Motor and sensory depressant.

Motor and sensory depressant.

Motor depressant.

Vasodilator and mucus membrane inhibitor.

Emotional and cardiac stabilizer.

Mucus membrane stimulant.

Mucus membrane stimulant.

HOT. Negative and alkaline.

Sensory stimulant.

Motor Stimulant.

Motor Stimulant.

Tonic and builder.

Tonic and builder.

PropertiesVelocity | Color Name | Syntonic FilterLoeb / De Jarnette

I.L.A. September 2011 17

M

LIGHT ON SHINGLES

Denise Hadden

any years ago, after anawakening experience with anAmerican Indian healer, I was told thatwhenever danger approached me, awhite feather would appear as anindication that the ancestors wereguiding and watching over me.Following her message, I had comeupon white feathers in the strangestplaces and initially been terrified atwhat to expect. Each time I survivedthe trauma that predictively ensued, Ilearned to be present to what was tofollow. The white feather that I hadpicked up the week prior to my suddenillness, lay quietly forgotten on mydesk.

Shingles attacks suddenly. I hadexperienced it before as a rash on mybody and was unaware of any warningsymptoms that may have alerted me toits onset. This attack was to my head,yet the day before it sliced through myright eye and skull, my right leg hadcollapsed, and I was certain that somenerve damage had suddenly worsened.

I had begun a meditation to sendenergy to my leg, when the fieldaround the right side of my headsuddenly expanded. I moved my handto the edge of the strange sensation andrealised I was at least a foot away frommy skull. I knew then that I wasbecoming ill, but I seemed powerlessto do anything.

The pain began in my right eye, as ashooting, searing, flash of lightning. Itwas so intense that I thought somespiky insect had taken a sky dive intothe corner of my eye. The frequency ofpain increased and spread to my right

ear and all over the right side of myhead. Within hours I had phoned theophthalmologist, having self-diagnosed it as shingles.

Over the next 9 days, I saw the GP, anophthalmologist and neurologist twice,and I spoke with my GP who hasknown me for 15yrs. I was told,despite my pleas to 'look at the faintrash that has appeared on my skin', thatI definitely did not have Shingles.I was given three different diagnoses -a flu/virus, Temporal Arteritis andTrigeminal Neuralgia. They alleliminated Shingles.

The GP thought it was TemporalArteritis and put me on to a massivedose of cortisone, 120mgs daily - 24tabs a day. I spent the weekendsurfing the net and found that with orwithout the cortisone, this diseasewould make me go blind soon or havea stroke. The blindness they say -comes like a shadow - like a thief inthe night.

I think logically about this, I cry, Ibegin to decide what I want to seebefore I go blind. I touch things withmy eyes. Then I have terrible pain inmy chest and I know I am going to die,that the stroke will take me first. I amrelieved. Better that than blind. I weepagain and write a last letter to my son.I say goodbye to the world wonderingif when I wake, I will open my eyes andnot see.

After blood tests and a brain scaneliminate all the death sentencediagnoses the neurologist realises it isShingles. The anti-virals for Shingles

work only if given within 3 days ofonset and this is now 9 days later, butit is worth a try - as there is nothingelse in the medical armamentariumthat will fix it. My pristine system thathardly swallows an aspirin is nowoverflowing with drugs and my tearshave washed the last vestiges ofemotional stability away.

The next ophthalmologist finds thereason for my eye pain. I haveconjunctivitis, keratitis, iritis and myeye pressures are increasing. Hechecks me daily. My pressure goesfrom 13-17-23. I am still in severe painall over my head and feeling very ill.

I speak with Sarah Cobb and CharlieButts and remember that I have thepower to treat myself. Whatever mademe forget that? Do I really believe thatlight will work? Charlie and Sarah aregiant pillars of support in their utterbelief and their knowledge of light.

I do a colour visual field. It is tiny,oval and heartbroken. Then I start withlight. I do violet and indigo for thepain. I do it 2-3 times a day. I sleep inbetween and all through the night aswell. I am soothed and my fieldincreases - but I am showing anger.Did you know that cortisone and violetlight produce the same emotionalrelease of deep rage? I see this anger inmy field. I choose to be love, because Iknow that my anger will draw my fieldin again.

The pain disappears rapidly. Within aweek it is a whisper on the surface ofmy face and head. I am astounded atthe speed at which it works. Even the

I.L.A. September 2011 18

range of painkillers they gave me didnot remove the nerve pain. I doblue/green 2 times a day and have aday's break after about 10 days.Intermittently I add violet and indigofor the traces of pain. All theinflammation subsides, my pressuredrops to a normal 12, and I am leftwith a mild iritis that will require alittle longer to dispel completely. I amstill using blue/green and my fieldshave increased and become a moreeven shape. I have used indigo aroundmy eye to soothe the intermittentorbital pain that signals the grumblingiritis.

I am fortunate. Shingles can have adevastating effect on the eye, andespecially when treatment begins solate after onset. I was off work for 21days. I began light treatment on day 10and was free of pain 7 days later. Myeye pressure dropped within a fewdays and all the external inflammationdisappeared. I have heard of Shinglespain continuing for 6-12 months afteronset and many people describesensations that never leave themfollowing an attack on the head.

Returning to work, I discover the whitefeather on my desk. Once more I havesurvived.

This experience held a profound lessonfor me. In the depths of my pain andanguish, in the darkness that I thoughtwas going to engulf me forever, I lostsight of the power of light.

According to the Ancient Ones:

'Only in total darknesscan we learn to see'

Denise Hadden For more than 30yrs Denise has explored and questioned the standardbeliefs and practices of how to treat vision. Her journey in understanding how we see, led her tostudy Chinese Medicine and Counseling and to use vision exercises and coloured light as tools in theprocess of discovering a new way of seeing. Her current area of interest and research is in herpioneering work in the understanding and analysis of our fields of awareness. Denise has expandedher studies to Coaching and has found that the profound awareness’s often experienced duringcoaching processes correlate strongly with our ability to see peripherally.Denise obtained a BSc Hons, Optics in 1973 from Manchester University, UK. She was certified as aFellow of the British Optical Association and as a Fellow of the Spectacle Makers Company in 1976.She then moved to Cape Town, South Africa. In 1995 Denise completed a course in ChineseMedicine, integrating this knowledge into her vision treatments. In 1999 Jacob Liberman introduced

Denise to Syntonic Phototherapy. In 2002 Denise developed a new method of analyzing colour visual fields and was invited to presenther work at the 2003 College of Syntonic Optometry conference in Virginia Beach. Denise has since developed a unique Model onVisual Coaching, utilizing this process to explore visual awareness. She expanded her research into the subtle fields of consciousnessand presented this latest work at ISSSEEM in Colorado, June 2011. Denise's book, New Light on Fields, was published in 2010 anddescribes her diagnostic method of analyzing colour visual fields. www.denisehadden.com

I.L.A. September 2011 19

RESEARCH

Book Review:

In Syntonyby Sarah Cobb

In Syntony, by Stefan Collier, is an outstanding mini guide in Syntonic Phototherapy. Its the first book writtenabout syntonics in many years as is a very impressive effort. This book clearly explains what syntonics is all aboutand provides a depth of knowledge for both the optometrist and the light practitioner who is interested in expandingand deepening their knowledge. Because syntonics is an old proven medical standard, based on thousands of cases,it offers all light workers a solid basis for the therapeutic use of light for healing.

For optometrists, Stefan is offering some new, well informed, information on syntonic syndromes and protocols touse in treating the underlying cause of vision problems. It offers much needed explanations of visual fieldinterpretation which is the benchmark for measuring success of light therapy.

Stefan has been teaching syntonics around Europe and the U.S. This book will be a useful tool for optometrists inpromoting the use of light in treating vision problems but it will also serve as inspiration for reaching a wideraudience of lightworkers. He is to be congratulated for his contribution and expertise.

Biophoton Detection and Low-

Intensity Light Therapy: A Potential

Clinical Partnership

Joseph Tafur, M.D.,1 Eduard P.A. Van Wijk, Ph.D.,2,3 Roeland Van Wijk, Ph.D.,2,4 and Paul J. Mills, Ph.D.1

AbstractLow-intensity light therapy (LILT) is showing promise in the treatment of a wide variety of medical conditions.Concurrently, our knowledge of LILT mechanisms continues to expand. We are now aware of LILT’s potentialtoinduce cellular effects through, for example, accelerated ATP production and the mitigation of oxidative stress. Inclinical use, however, it is often difficult to predict patient response to LILT. It appears that cellularreduction=oxidation (redox) state may play a central role in determining sensitivity to LILT and may help explainvariabilityin patient responsiveness. In LILT, conditions associated with elevated reactive oxygen species(ROS)production, e.g. diabetic hyperglycemia, demonstrate increased sensitivity to LILT. Consequently,assessment of tissue redox conditions in vivo may prove helpful in identifying responsive tissues. A noninvasiveredox measure may be useful in advancing investigation in LILT and may one day be helpful in better identifyingresponsive patients. The detection of biophotons, the production of which is associated with cellular redox state andthe generation of ROS, represents just such an opportunity. In this review, we will present the case for pursuingfurther investigation into the potential clinical partnership between biophoton detection and LILT.

1Department of Psychiatry, Behavioral Medicine Laboratory, University of California at San Diego, San Diego, CA.2International Institute of Biophysics, Neuss, Germany.3Leiden=Amsterdam Center for Drug Research, Analytical Biosciences, Leiden University, The Netherlands.4Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.Photomedicine and Laser Surgery, Volume 28, Number 1, 2010

I.L.A. September 2011 20

Dangers of Exposure

to "White Light"“White” light suppresses the body's production of melatonin more than orange light

Exposure to the light of white LED bulbs, it turns out, suppresses melatonin 5 times more thanexposure to the light of High Pressure Sodium bulbs that give off an orange-yellow light. “Just asthere are regulations and standards for ‘classic’ pollutants, there should also be regulations and rulesfor the pollution from artificial light at night,” says Prof. Abraham Haim of the University of Haifa.

“White” light bulbs that emit light at shorter wavelengths are greater suppressors of the body’sproduction of melatonin than bulbs emitting orange-yellow light, a new international study has revealed.Melatonin is a compound that adjusts our biological clock and is known for its anti-oxidant and anti-cancerous properties. The study investigated the influence of different types of bulbs on “light pollution”and the suppression of melatonin, with the researchers recommending several steps that should be taken tobalance the need to save energy and protecting public health. “Just as there are regulations and standardsfor ‘classic’ pollutants, there should also be regulations and rules for pollution stemming from artificiallight at night,” says Prof. Abraham Haim, head of the Center for Interdisciplinary ChronobiologicalResearch at the University of Haifa and the Israeli partner in the research.

The study, titled "Limiting the impact of light pollution on human health, environment and stellarvisibility" by Fabio Falchi, Pierantonio Cinzano, Christopher D. Elvidge, David M. Keith and AbrahamHaim, was recently published in the Journal of Environmental Management. The fact that “white”artificial light (which is actually blue light on the spectrum, emitted at wavelengths of between 440-500nanometers) suppresses the production of melatonin in the brain’s pineal gland is already known. Alsoknown is the fact that suppressing the production of melatonin, which is responsible, among other things,for the regulation of our biological clock, causes behavior disruptions and health problems.

In this study, conducted by astronomers, physicists and biologists from ISTIL- Light PollutionScience and Technology Institute in Italy, the National Geophysical Data Center in Boulder, Colorado, andthe University of Haifa, researchers for the first time examined the differences in melatonin suppression ina various types of light bulbs, primarily those used for outdoor illumination, such as streetlights, roadlighting, mall lighting and the like. In the first, analytical part of the study, the researchers, relying onvarious data, calculated the wavelength and energy output of bulbs that are generally used for outdoorlighting. Next, they compared that information with existing research regarding melatonin suppression todetermine the melatonin suppression level of each bulb type.

Taking into account the necessity for artificial lighting in cities, as well as the importance ofenergy-saving bulbs, the research team took as a reference point the level of melatonin suppression by ahigh-pressure sodium (HPS) bulb, a bulb that gives off orange-yellow light and is often used for street androad lighting, and compared the data from the other bulbs to that one. From this comparison it emerged thatthe metal halide bulb, which gives off a white light and is used for stadium lighting, among other uses,suppresses melatonin at a rate more than 3 times greater than the HPS bulb, while the light-emitting diode(LED) bulb, which also gives off a white light, suppresses melatonin at a rate more than 5 times higher thanthe HPS bulb.

“The current migration from the now widely used sodium lamps to white lamps will increasemelatonin suppression in humans and animals,” the researchers say. The researchers make some concretesuggestions that could alter the situation without throwing our world into total darkness, but first andforemost, they assert that it is necessary to understand that artificial light creates “light pollution” that oughtto be addressed in the realms of regulation and legislation.

I.L.A. September 2011 21

B

GRAVITY AND GRACE:BODYWORK'S BASIC

PRINCIPLESNishant Mathews

odywork is fascinating. A mixof science and intuition, touch, andunderstanding. Done well, it is adance of duality, both knowingexactly what you are doing, andallowing space for somethingbeyond to also happen.

These two principles are reflected intwo laws: the law of gravity, and thelaw of grace. Gravity governs thephysical, the anatomy that we study,the body we touch. This is Job'sBody, with its density and suffering.It is a body we can learn about, treatin predictable ways and achievepredictable results.

The law of Grace is moremysterious. Grace is the client'sanswer to the treatment that weoffer;it is the healing response. Graceprefers invitation, since it is notsomething we do, but rathersomething that arrives. In practice,we see that the law of grace is alsois the law of creation, the science oflight.

To be clear, grace, here, is not areligious concept. It is notsomething that descends fromabove. It is the healing force thatarises from within each person,according to a set of scientificprinciples. We fix bodies according

to the laws of gravity. Whatactually happens is grace.

In my schooling, I was taught a lotabout gravity. This subject issomething anyone can teach,everyone can learn, and has manypractical applications. However, apractice based on gravity by itself isnot complete, and barely effective.That is because we are seldomdealing with just a body. We areworking with people, and withpeople there is an intimate andcomplex weave of emotions,thoughts, energy, and light allintertwining together. The physicalsegment of this intertwining is onlyone part. The other parts areequally significant, if not more so.

Just as the skin is only the surfacecover for many layers of muscle,bone, nerves, fascia, fat, and blood,the entire physical body is the outercovering, the skin, of interwovenenergy networks. The energeticcomponents are much less densethan the physical body, but arevibrantly powerful. If you look deepenough, you see that there is a coreto all the energy systems. This coresystem is light.

The way light operates is the law ofgrace.

Learning to work with the lightsystem, learning to make it my allyhas been an immense gift to mypractice. Acknowledging thissystem, working with it, has mademany things possible that weresimply not possible before. Thelight body carries enormous healingpotentials, as you will learn.Further, when we contact the lightsystem in people, we also contactthe deepest layers of intelligence.We awaken forces in people whichhave been unrecognized, or likesleeping beauty, asleep.

In my own practice I quicklylearned that there are many worldsinside a person, many things besidesthe muscles of anatomy and theweight of gravity. Emotions as wellas lymph lives in the tissues. Thereare intimate relationships betweenorgans, energy, and feelings. Theway a person thinks has a lot to dowith the way his body works, andthe way his body works has a lot todo with how he thinks. There arealso very strong forces which arecounter to gravity. Something isdetermined to rise.

Working with grace, the light thatrises brought many results whichwere hard to imagine at first.Change of perception, opening ofthe heart, clarity of mind,understanding of feelings, new

I.L.A. September 2011 22

appreciation of relationship, andothers. I couldn't say, I "did" thesethings. They happened.

At first, this happening was purelyby chance, like the way rain comesto a farmer's fields. Later, Iunderstood that there are places inthe body where there is resonance, anatural openness. Working with thatnatural openness energizes thewhole system. I learned to shift myattention from fixing problems tosupporting the resonant areas. Thisis like the horse whisperer....callingto the healthy parts assertthemselves again. It is inviting aperson's innate intelligence -- theirown healing forces -- to join us.

In the process I learned much aboutgrace.

There is a lift inside each personwhich is more than counter to thelaws of gravity. When we align withour gravity we are solidly connectedto the ground. When we align withgrace, we ride on a "free" energythat is practically boundless.

A lot of my early success withcuring back pains came as I learned

to balance the flow of gravity downthe spinae erector muscles with anenergy that rises through thevertebral column. Stimulating theenergy movement up the spinecreates a cushion of space betweenthe vertebrae, as well as increasedflexibility. Pain does not live in afield of space and flexibility. Itthrives in compression andimmobility. When the back islengthening upwards, and the headis floating on top of the spine, thereis no place for pain. The system istoo open, too flexible.

Soon, this notion of graceexpanded to include more than thehead and spine. I discovered that inany area of the body, pain dependson contraction. Tightness. Thesecontracted areas are additionalgravity centers within the body.They pull everything down and in.

Physically massaging such an areais touchy business. Often massagegives a temporary relief, with arebound in pain levels soon after.In my experience, these causes --theinner gravity -- are notfundamentally physical, and seldomsubmit to purely physical treatment.

Rather they are a weave of mental,emotional, energetic, and functionalfactors which need to be treated intheir own terms.

To a simple bodywork therapist,such a realization can beintimidating. It was for me. I knewmy bodywork, but I didn't knowhow to approach all the innercomplexities. One day, the answerappeared: "You don't have to fixeverything yourself. That is notyour job…Let the body thatpresents itself, also heal itself. Yourjob is to be its friend. Invite thehealing forces, and it heals itself."

Just as there are individual areas ofgravity, there is also grace. There isa force inside us which is ready toget well, to be healed, to live vitally.When we make that force an ally, itbrings an expanding light fromwithin. In that expanding light,anything can happen.

Let me emphasize again, this is notfaith healing, not relying on areligious experience. This is ascience, a science of the lightsystems in each person. At first Ionly intuited that light comes from

Memorable Quotes:

“…All vibration, color, and color with radiation – that is the aid here… in most instanceswhere there is needed a change in vibration, the projection of a green light is preferable becausegreen is the healing vibration. Here, …where… malignant nature, the green light will bemore effective than even that of a more penetrating nature, or even xray – that destroys tissue,but not being enabled to eliminate that destroyed, tends to come back: upon itself after certainradiations…” (3370-1)

Edgar Cayce(Medical intuitive reading on cancer)

I.L.A. September 2011 23

each cell. Later on, I read thatscientists had discovered actuallight emanating from the DNAinside the cells. German biologistshave confirmed that light comes ourcore DNA, is amplified through thecell walls, and joins with the lightsof other cells in similar organgroups. The DNA code is broadcastthrough light, and the body renewsitself through light. The infinitefine tuning of homeostasis is aresult of computer-board like lightmessages flashed between the cells.

When it functions well, our lightsystem projects a healthy, attractiveaura around us. This creates ourpersonal atmosphere. Thisatmosphere is both a signal forcompatible forces to join us, and ashield against incompatiblevibrations. This atmosphere is ourcocoon. Every bit of energy andinformation that comes from theoutside has to filter its way throughour atmosphere. When theatmosphere is clear, we know thatthe sun is shining and we quitenaturally meet happy influences.When our aura is dark, we don'tknow if the sun is shining or not.Our experience is dark. We finddarker kinds of people cominginto our lives.

Further, the electromagnetic fieldsof light guide the way our body andmind develop. When the fields arehealthy, they re-create ourbody/mind according the blueprintin the DNA. You get vibrant cells ina vibrant field. When the fields arecloudy, the cells within that fieldadapt, often in ways that are notdesirable.

There is incredible wisdom andintelligence in the light system.

This understanding brings a newperspective to working with people.We now can both analyze structure

according to gravity, and see howour energy systems relate to grace.

To understand grace look at aperson from the inside out, askyourself, what are the healthy corequalities of this person? The naturalstrengths are where the light will bethe strongest. What colors shinethrough most clearly? The healthiestcolors are the intelligence whichwill be our ally in healing. Whatkeeps an area from being radiant,from shining? What colors aremissing? And, most important, whyare these colors missing? What issuppressing them?

Just as physical shocks distort ourbody, there are manyemotional/psychological shockswhich distort our energy systems.Such experiences still linger in thefields around our body. The fieldsare muddy, or gray, or irritatingshades of red and orange.

In my practice, I have seen thatmost people are completelyenmeshed in the tangle of theseexperiences. We have forgotten thatthere is a natural beauty inside, andhow to contact it. So much time andenergy are spent trying to fixourselves and fix the world aroundus; we lose sight of the beauty thatis already here. For many peoplegrace is further away than Mars.

When grace does become a reality --an experienced state of being --then healing acceleratesexponentially.

The key to recovering grace is toclear the energy fields, and tonourish the light system within. Forboth I use colored light applied witha color light torch.

Clearing the fields is exceptionallysimple: 1) find the area which isshut down (or shut off), 2) make

contact with it, and 3) shine theappropriate color of light. Clearforms of light and color always re-organize the darker, less cohesivecolor fields. When we shine a clearlight on a cloudy field, eventually(and this is not very long), the clearcolors dominate. The colors fromthe torch resonate right down to thecells. Soon, the body and the lightsynchronize with each other. Thefields change automatically.

When the fields are clear, then wecan easily nourish the light systeminside. This is like tuning ourinternal orchestra. The cells in ourbody have receptor sites for eachindividual color. When we givecolors that the body needs, the cellsreceive this color and take it back tothe DNA. There is some evidencethat the DNA can then re-programitself according to the moreresonant light.

Whatever the mechanics, our lightsystems get stronger when they areoffered clear colors. This has anenormous benefit for the wholeperson. This is not therapy. It isclearing the way for the naturalhealing powers to work.

Here is an example.

When Carl came for sessionsbecause of a lower back problem, Icould see that he was fightinggravity. There was displacementand tension in the diaphragm, neck,sacro-iliac, and back of the knees.After 25 minutes of deep bodywork,most of these tensions had released.Carl was 80% pain free. Heenjoyed standing on his legs andfeeling the support of the groundunderneath him. I then stroked ared light up and down his spine forthree minutes, followed by a bluelight on the base of the occiput.Carl reported feeling very relaxed

I.L.A. September 2011 24

and open. When I asked about thepain, he said, "Minimal."When he came for the next session,I began with orange light on thelower belly, at the same level as thecompressed vertebra in the back.Putting orange on the lower bellydeeply enhances movementintegration, especially in the lowerbody. It is a very strong boost tothe whole immune system as well. Iasked him to tell me when henoticed the color inside his bellychanging. After three minutes hesaid the colors inside were lighter,and I moved the light up to his solarplexus, and shifted the color toyellow. Yellow on the solar plexusarea relaxes the diaphragm, andsupports a positive outlook onourselves and the world around.

I asked Carl how he felt with theyellow light in his belly. Carl saidhe didn't feel so tired, and in fact,was feeling "pretty darn good." Hispain was negligible.

Then I gave red and green lights tohis kidney area. This was to helpthe kidneys expand energetically, sothat they could help support thelower back. I put a purple lightover the compressed area of hisspine, and asked about the feelingsthat were there. He took his time toanswer, and said, "I don't feel sotight, so afraid any more." Ifinished the treatment by strokingred light up and down the spineseveral times.

Carl said he felt "like a Christmastree."

In truth, he was glowing. The lightfrom my color torch had stimulatedhis light from the cells. They werebeaming. There was playfulness inhis eye; he walked very tall out ofthe session room.

Carl's healing process balancedgravity and grace.

Physically we relieved the mainstressors. With the lights wecleared his fields and energized hislight network. Not only is he out ofpain, but his eyes are more open.He will live life in a different way.

Our body is a feedback mechanism.Low energy places are where we getsick or injured. This calls attentionto the deficiency, hopefully to starta chain of resolving the problem. Ifwe can appreciate the body as afeedback system, then we can alsoappreciate the need to look intowhat the body is saying. Physicalsymptoms will be a reflection ofenergetic phenomena, and these inturn are subject to the state of thecolor electromagnetic fields. Thesefields are the physicalrepresentation of the consciousnessin a person.

In my practice, it has been veryuseful to understand these basicenergy dynamics. Learning to workfrom the inside out as well as fromthe outside in has saved a lot of timeand effort, and raised thecost/benefit ratio for my clients.

While there are many ways to clear,or at least modify, the body and itsenergy systems, there are not manyways to touch the light systeminside. Fortunately, once yourecognize that this system exists,you can contact it with coloredlights. For this I use a light penwhich easily brings color toacupuncture points, chakras, orenergy zones on the body.

Since light is already a naturallanguage inside the body, peoplerespond readily.

When color hits the skin, the skin"reads" this as information. This

information starts a complex seriesof reactions throughout thebody/mind. Blue makes us cooler,while red gets us moving. Further,light sends a chain of photonsmoving along the acupuncturemeridians. These photons willtravel the meridians and nourishareas that are photon deficient.Putting green light on the foot pointLV 3 will send a green message tothe liver. This will relax a stressedliver, and has chilled out many aheadache.

If an area of the body needsstimulation, we use red or orange.If we are looking for relaxation, orhealing, then we use green, or blue.If a person suffers from mentalstress, then yellow or violet isappropriate.

When we move our color light afew inches off the body, then wetouch the aura. This is ouratmosphere. The aura is theexpression of the light fields inside.It shows what is going onenergetically and with ourconsciousness. Further, it is wherethe memories of our experienceslive. It is our record keeper, evenmore than the physical brain.Shining colored light on places inthe aura clears very deep levels ofemotions. We can bring light totraumatic experiences without theneed for doing extensive therapy.Rough emotions show up asirritating colors in the aura. Shininga harmonizing color on the irritatingcolor will change it. When thecolor changes, so does the emotion.The new color re-writes the oldcolor programming. We don'tdisappear emotions; we purifythem, and learn from them. Simple.I've done a lot of therapy in mytime, and I'm always impressed howimmediate the effects are with light.

I.L.A. September 2011 25

Whenever there is an area ofchronic physical stress in the body,you will find a cloudy field ofenergies around it. These cloudyenergies will contain unclearemotions and dysfunctionalthoughts. It is to everyone's benefitto clear these cloudy energies as anintegral part of working with thephysical body. When the cloudyfields inside and outside the bodybecome clearer, then the naturalgrace comes through. This is asnatural as when the clouds lift, thesun shines.

After the clearing, shining colors onthe chakras can be enormouslyenergizing. Chakras are energycontrol centers in the body. Theyare also places of intelligence.Toning the chakras is like tuning upthe instruments in an orchestra. Theexternal light penetrates to theinternal light. The internal lightresonates with the external light. Inthis play, the chakras regain theirnatural expression. The physicalbody regains energy and peoplerecover the breadth of theirintelligence. Sessions go into a new

dimension, a dimension far beyondproblem solving or pain control.

For each therapist, this particularstage of the work will have its ownunique quality. Each one of us hasour own gift to unfold. For me, it isa journey of being with people aswe re-connect with our original,intrinsic nature.

Standing in gravity,living in grace.

Nishant Matthews, MA, MTH, LMT, is a color therapist who is currently living inthe Stockholm area of Sweden. He gives training courses and treatments in Sweden,Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands. Nishant holds a Masters degree in Religion,Union Theological Seminary, New York. Nishant took his color training fromDr. Fausto Pagnamenta of Locarno Switzerland. He is the author ofThe Friend: Finding Compassion with Yourself.

Nishant can be reached at info@bodyandbeyond.se

I.L.A. September 2011 26

Stress is the state of tension induced from an actual or perceived threat. In

either case the hypothalamus signals the adrenal glands to releaseadrenaline and cortisone which prepares the body for “fight or flight”. If theenergy of this hormonal response is not utilized, then stress can affectmental function, emotional responses, physical systems, and havebehavioral consequences. Prolonged stress causes chronic disease.

Humans are really beings of “Light”. As such, frequencies of lightintroduced through the eyes or topically to the skin can stimulate the body’sinnate capacity to balance stressors and return to a healthy energy flow.

You do not need to stay stuck being stressed. Harness the energy of light tohelp transform your stress into supportive new thinking.

LightStream is a custom lighting device designed to addressstress relief through personalized visual programs.

Please see our Web site: www.lightenupstress.com

Join the

InternationalLight Association

Visit our website:

www.international-light-association.com

I.L.A. September 2011 27

Virtual Scanning is a world-leading cognitive technology. It was developed by a team of laser researchersand mathematicians led by Dr. Grakov at the University of Novosibirsk in the mid 1980’s. It is atechnology with diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities and a product of over 20 years research.

The Virtual Scanning concept is relatively simple.

The brain receives light. The nature and intensity of this light conveys information which is compared withestablished memories. The outcome of this process determines or influences our subsequent behaviour, speed ofmotion, etc.

The unique energetics of light activates specific biochemical processes throughout the body – which are essential tomaintain the body’s physiological stability.

Most proteins absorb and emit light. The spectrum of light absorbed and emitted varies according to the nature of theprevailing biochemistries and pathologies. This serves as a mechanism to determine the onset of pathologies fromtheir presymptomatic origins.

The brain is also a biochemical entity. It’s function is influenced by any biochemical influence i.e. by genotype orphenotype. This means that the function of the visceral organs influences brain function and vice versa. It also meansthat visceral influences alter our behaviour.

The function of the brain is not clearly understood. The current understanding of ‘executive functions’ which areregulated by the prefrontal cortex is not able to clearly define the nature and significance of these ‘executivefunctions’. It may make more sense to redefine the role of the prefrontal cortex and the executive functions to beinstead the regulation of the physiological systems and hence of the body’s physiological stability. This appears to beentirely consistent with observed phenomenae and prevailing research.

An understanding of the nature and structure of physiological systems serves as a means to predict the precise organswhich could be influenced by systemic instability.

The structure of the body’s function is not yet clearly understood. It is recognised that the organs work in clearlydefined organ networks however this is a hugely under-researched area. The nature and significance of these systemsis now established.

Memories are stored as unique electrochemical signals within the neurons, axons and synapses. The brain stores itsmemory of internal and external events. It uses EEG frequencies to store and access memories of differentphysiological significance, and to regulate the stability of the physiological systems. If physiological stability cannotbe maintained e.g. due to exposure to environmental stressors, it looks for the best-fit solution. This influences thefunction of the somato-sensory organs i.e the ears (hearing), nose (smell), mouth(taste), skin (touch), vocal chords(speech) and eyes (vision).

There is a flow of information to and from the brain/between the brain and sense/visceral organs. This explains how inrare cases a patient has been diagnosed with little brain and yet they function normally.

Finally, our unique genetic profile pre-determines the balance of psychoemotional factors in our personality. Theemergence of pathologies influence our psychoemotional balance and ultimately our behaviour.

New TechnologiesVirtual Scanning

I.L.A. September 2011 28

There is no single part of the brain which determines its function. Furthermore the neural matrix is dependent upon the visceralorgan matrices to maintain its physiological stability. All aspects of the brain and body’s function is solely biochemical. Ofgreatest significance is that this technique is able to differentiate between the levels of biomarkers and the rate at which suchbiomarkers subsequently react. This is hugely significant in the assessment of protein coiling where it is increasinglyappreciated that a range of medical conditions e.g. diabetes, alzheimer’s disease, cystic fibrosis, etc; occur because proteinconformation is distorted and the subsequent build-up of plaques and/or tangles. This can only occur because of changes to thelevels of proteins or the prevailing reaction conditions in which proteins operate.

Virtual Scanning can be demonstrated. The diagnostic principle appears to be more advanced than the contemporary methodsinvolving biomarkers and scanning technologies. The technique has been successfully used to diagnose and treat a diverserange of ailments. Such technology explains the significance of many complementary health techniques, mid-brain stimulation(by surgically implanted electrodes), the significance and nature of the EEG brain waves, etc.

The current healthcare paradigm is based upon the development of new pharmacologically active entities. We must bear inmind the limitations of such techniques. (i) Each single biochemistry is only one single component in the regulation of cell,organ system function. Such an approach treats only the symptoms of disease. (ii) Alterations to molecular biochemistry occurat the end of the neural cascade which indicates the dynamic nature of the dialogue which occurs between the brain and body.(iii) The understanding that there are physiological systems leads to an emergent understanding of the significance of EEGfrequencies and of the (person specific) characteristics required in biofeedback-type systems which could re-establish thebody’s stability in cases of physiological instability (pre-degradation).

Graham Ewing,Chief Executive Officer and Director Montague Healthcare, Mulberry House, 6Vine Farm Close, Cotgrave,Nottingham, United Kingdom NG12 3TUemail: graham.ewing@montague-diagnostics.co.uk;

graham.ewing@montaguehealthcare.co.uk

80th International Conference on Light and Vision

Antlers HiltonColorado Springs, Colorado

May 2-5, 2012

www.collegeofsyntonicoptometry.com

 

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Abb. 1: The colored strips depict the spectrum of a TFT screen which has cathode ray tubes as abackground (photographed through a pocket spectroscope).It represents the spectrumalready familiar from energy-saving lamps and other mercury containing light sources.

As a comparison the spectral distribution curve of an energy-saving lamp with 6500 Kcorrelated color temperature is represented in grey. The high blue portion as well as thesharp peak at 436 nm are clearly identifiable.

In modern working life TFT flat screens have become ever more prevalent. These modern flat computer monitors and LCD TV screens use background lighting based on mercury. These are active light sources which many professional people have to face for long hours every day. Thus our eyes are subjected forlonger and more frequently to the so-called mercury light (cf also the article called "Sick Light" in this edition). The light spectrum of the screen - like that of energy-saving lamps - contains an unnaturally high proportion of blue light. Early scientific research*, deserving serious consideration, suggests that a light spectrum with a high proportion of blue light may result in damage to the back wall of the eye, the macula. The sudden leap in age related macular degeneration (AMD) could be the result of increasing stress due to blue light. Macular degeneration is caused by damage to the point of sharpest vision and can result in blindness. The macula, the back wall of the eye, is especially sensitive to blue light. Currently, approx. 6 million people in Germany suffer from age-related macular degeneration.

Many people working at flat screen computers complain of headaches, impaired, concentration, tiredness, sleep interference and strain. Burning, weepy and red eyes, stabbing pain, blurred vision, twitching eyelids, periodic short-sightedness, double vision and changed color perception are frequent and typical problems resulting from working on computers.

However, people who for professional reasons have to spend many hours in front of TFT flat computer screens can protect themselves to a certain degree

from blue light by wearing spectacle lenses with a special filter. Yellow or orange-yellow lenses can filter out a large proportion of the harmful blue light. Computer safety glasses are now available which are specifically designed to provide optical protection from blue light. Further information regarding these special protective glasses may be obtained from Ehlers publishing.

Source: Algvere, Peep V.; Marshall, John; Seregard, Stefan: "Age related maculopathy and the impact of blue light hazard", in: Acta ophthalmologica, Issue 84, H.1, pp 4-15. Available online: doi:10.1111/j.1600-0420.2005.00627.x.

Abb. 2: PRiSMA® Computer Glasses CLASSiC office Blue light protection ++ optimal

Abb. 3: PRiSMA® Computer Glasses CLASSiC office liteBlue light protection + good

Why do people who spend their working days sitting at a computer often feel exhausted? And why do ever more people suffer from eye problems? One cause may be the light emitted by flat TV and computer screens. Early studies point to hitherto unknown connections.

By Reinhard Gerl, 82418 Murnau // Germany.

Join us in Berlin2012

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