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The Futuristic Lighting System That Offers Disinfection and Wi-Fi

AHA Publisher — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 08:00:52 +0000

Abigail Klein Leichman via Israel21c – When Groupe Renault hosted a global hackathon to scout out disinfection solutions for automobiles, the Israel regional winner was the lighting company Juganu. Juganu (Hindi for “firefly”) is in discussions with Groupe Renault about how its J.Protect LED lighting fixtures could inactivate pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2, in car cabins. This is a perfect example of a company whose technology unexpectedly took a new market direction due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Juganu began with a novel streetlight system that doubles as a public Wi-Fi network. “We created a totally new LED light and a platform on which data of all types can be transferred between the lights,” Chief Marketing Officer Eyal Lewin tells ISRAEL21c. “Most neighborhoods have streetlights every 20 or 30 meters, giving us the opportunity to create a wireless platform on top of those light poles, not as an antenna but actually in the lights.” Founded in 2011, Juganu has installed its connected streetlights in about 20 cities in Israel, Europe and the Americas, including Kalamata in Greece, Villa Nueva in Guatemala and the bridge between Brazil and Paraguay. Or Yehuda, where the company is headquartered, also has Juganu streetlights – which is only fitting, as the name of the city translates to “Light of Judah.” Germ-Inactivating UV Light Where does disinfection come into the picture? Lewin explains that Juganu’s indoor LED platform easily combines with indoor planar (overhead) lighting systems for retail and office spaces. Here the special twist is blending wavelengths to mimic the gradations of sunlight from dawn to dusk in one smart flexible fixture controlled by a mobile app. “We blended not only the seen light but also invisible light such as UV,” says Lewin. Ultraviolet rays – UVA, UVB and UVC — neutralize bacteria and viruses including SARS-CoV-2, as a recent Tel Aviv University study proved again. Tests in commercial labs and at Bar-Ilan and Technion universities in Israel showed 90-99.9 percent pathogen-neutralizing effectiveness of UV rays in Juganu fixtures. UVA, the safest part of UV, is activated continuously. UVC, which is even more effective against pathogens but hazardous to people, is manually activated by application at times when the space is vacant. “There are safety measures connected to movement detectors and you set the time that the accelerated mode is active. It can be only a few minutes and after that it stops,” says Lewin. This is J.Protect. Juganu began development in March, as the Covid-19 pandemic spread worldwide, and launched it in October. The product can be used in hospitals, hotels, malls, spas, restaurants, schools and airports to suppress both aerosol- and surface-attached pathogens. Healthier Lighting Options “We’re working with a big hospital in Germany,” says Lewin. “They like that J.Protect inactivates bacteria and viruses — even antibiotic resistant bacteria — and they like the capability to control the level of light throughout the day.” That’s because standard artificial overhead lighting can be harmful to patients and staff by disrupting their circadian rhythm. Glo Aesthetics & Skin Care in Lake Mary, Florida, also implemented J.Protect technology. “As with most businesses around the country, we’ve felt an immense impact from Covid-19 – especially as a personal service provider,” said Glo owner Emily Saker. “We were thrilled with J.Protect’s ability to continually disinfect our space while providing healthier light. We’re excited to give staff and guests a level of comfort in knowing they’re protected when they walk through our doors.” In the Car and the Farm Pretty soon, automotive companies began approaching Juganu. That led to its success in the Renault hackathon. “This is a new initiative within our company, but it’s still a connected wireless light. And it really fits the car cabin because it’s very thin, just 5 millimeters,” Lewin says. “You can put it anywhere in the car and make warm or bright light and at the same time offer continuous protection against pathogens.” This is of particular interest for car-sharing concerns. “You can clean the air and surfaces with different methods, but our method is embedded and has accelerated capabilities,” Lewin points out. Juganu lighting is also being used for indoor cultivation of plants ranging from leafy greens in New Jersey-based AeroFarms to medical cannabis at Intelicanna in Israel and the Israeli government’s Volcani Center-Agricultural Research Organization. The company was cofounded by former classical violinist Eran Ben-Shmuel, who later became a Technion-educated expert in solid-state electronics and high-speed control systems. Ben-Shmuel and cofounder Alexander Bilchinsky previously invented an oven that used radio waves to heat food faster than a conventional microwave oven. Juganu holds 43 patents and is backed by investors including Viola Growth, Comcast, Amdocs and OurCrowd. Most of its 80 employees work in Israel, with others in rapidly growing offices in Brazil, Mexico and the United States. “Our society will continue to be vulnerable to pandemics,” said Ben-Shmuel. “While Covid-19 is certainly an inflection point and global focus right now, we believe our J.Protect technology will be relevant long after this pandemic ends.” For more information, click here. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Israel21c click here.

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Study Demonstrates UV-C Light Is Effective for Killing COVID-19 on N95s

AHA Publisher — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 07:00:47 +0000

Henry Ford Health System via EurekAlert – Dermatology researchers at Henry Ford Health System, in collaboration with a team at the University of Michigan, have demonstrated that certain N95 respirators tainted with COVID-19 can be effectively and safely decontaminated for reuse using ultraviolet-C light (UV-C), a method commonly utilized for treating rare skin diseases. Researchers say the outside and inside of the facemasks were decontaminated in a prototype phototherapy unit that dispenses a UV-C dosing level high enough to effectively kill the virus in less than two minutes while still preserving the facemask’s breathability, fit and overall integrity. Of the five N95s used at Henry Ford and tested for the coronavirus in the study, the decontamination process worked best on two models – facepieces on 3M 1860 and Moldex 1511 and straps on 3M 8210 and Moldex 1511. The effects of the dosage varied on the other tested models and their straps, suggesting that the UV-C radiation can degrade them. Researchers say wiping the straps with ethanol before decontamination would likely be required as an additional disinfection step in the process to maximize the wearer’s safety. Researchers emphasized that fit testing be required each time a disinfected facemask is returned for use or a new model is being worn for the first time. The research, conducted in partnership with the University of Michigan, is published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases. “Our findings reveal a practical, and viable option should hospitals encounter shortages of N95s in the future,” says David Ozog, M.D., chair of Henry Ford’s Department of Dermatology in Detroit and the study’s lead author. “Using UV-C has been shown to be effective in killing other coronaviruses and the flu virus. We were able to replicate that sterilization effectiveness with COVID-19.” Ozog stressed that facemask sterilization should only be used in severe shortages of N95s. Testing of the N95s for decontamination was performed at U-M’s SARS-CoV-2 research lab in Ann Arbor. “When Dr. Ozog approached us about helping to demonstrate the effectiveness of their UV sterilization procedure with live SARS-CoV-2 virus, we immediately agreed and understood that we could provide some confidence to their healthcare workers that this procedure was effective,” says Jonathan Sexton, Ph.D., assistant professor of Internal Medicine and director of the U-M Center for Drug Repurposing and a study co-author. The research culminated the work of a team of dermatologists and researchers who have devoted more than 400 hours since the pandemic hit Michigan to investigating how phototherapy – a type of medical treatment used for treating certain skin conditions – could serve a role in the global health emergency. The Henry Ford team includes Henry Lim, M.D., and Iltefat Hamzavi, M.D., both of whom are internationally recognized for their expertise using phototherapy for treating rare skin diseases like vitiligo and hidradenitis suppurativa. The team’s focus centered on the potential of decontamination contaminated N95s for reuse by healthcare workers. They examined the reliability of the prototype unit and ultraviolet light, the minimum dosage needed for decontamination, the importance of fit testing post-decontamination and four common methods associated with facemask decontamination. The pandemic exposed a critical flaw in the global PPE supply chain as the health care industry struggled to obtain supplies of N95s, other facemask types, gowns, gloves and face shields. As a result, decontaminating N95s to be reused safely became essential for many health care systems and providers until new shipments of supplies arrived. Henry Ford decontaminated thousands of N95s and returned them to their user for reuse in the first couple months of the pandemic. “The beginning of the pandemic was physically and mentally overwhelming for everyone. We desperately wanted to help our front-line workers, who were crushed with COVID-19 cases at Henry Ford,” Dr. Ozog says. UV-C is one of the four methods considered for facemask decontamination. It is well known for its ability to penetrate the DNA of bacteria and microorganisms and prevent them from multiplying or replicating. Previous research has shown UV-C to be effective at killing the flu virus as well two other well- known coronaviruses: severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV). Whether it could work on the novel COVID-19 virus was previously unknown. Henry Ford’s phototherapy unit was modified with the help of engineers at Daavlin Co., a phototherapy manufacturer based in Bryan, Ohio. It sits on a flat surface and is about five feet long. The decontamination field measures 15 inches deep by 45 inches long – plenty room to treat up to 27 facemasks at one time. The ultraviolet light is powered by at least 10 but not more than 20 UV-C lamps. For the study, five types of N95s used at Henry Ford were tested at the U-M BSL3 biosafety lab. The respirators were contaminated with four drops of the COVID-19 virus taken from viral stocks obtained from the federal government’s Biodefense and Emergency Infections Research Resources Repository. The virus droplets were placed in four areas: nosepiece, apex, chin and strap. The facemasks were kept dry in a biosafety cabinet at room temperature for 40 minutes. Then they were moved to the phototherapy unit for decontamination using a dose of 1.5 J/cm2 ultraviolet light radiation – at a wavelength of 254 nanometers – to each side of the mask for about 60 seconds. Ultraviolet radiation is measured in three wavelengths: UV-C, UV-B and UV-A. UV-B and UV-A are associated with skin cancer and are also used in the treatment of some dermatologic diseases such as vitiligo and psoriasis. Indermeet Kohli, Ph.D, a Henry Ford dermatology physicist, developed a formula by which the UV-C dose delivered to the exterior and interior parts of the facemasks can be assessed for decontamination and safe use. She says the curvature of the facemask and the distance between its surface and the lamps are crucial factors in achieving the proper dosage. “It is imperative that this type of assessment be performed to make sure that the decontamination process is done properly,” Dr. Kohli says. “Failure to do so could result in catastrophic consequences for the front-line healthcare workers.” The effectiveness of decontamination was measured in analytical chemistry terms by the limit of detection (LOD) and no cytopathic effect (CPE). LOD is the minimum concentration of a component that can be reliably detected. CPE means the virus yielded no infectious properties. All five facepieces had below LOD and no CPE but some had traces of the virus on their straps, according to the research. Researchers cautioned that none of the N95s tested were visibly soiled. Most health systems including Henry Ford prohibit the reuse of soiled N95s. In a Letter to the Editor published in Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine, Shanthi Narla, M.D., a Henry Ford dermatology fellow, urged caution about using UV-C decontamination due to the variety of N95s in use across the country. “This process should only be considered as a risk mitigation effort during severe shortages,” she wrote. In a demonstration of the prototype unit, the facemasks are placed on a stainless-steel tray, separated by autoclave tape to keep them from touching each other. Once one side of the facemask is treated, it’s flipped over to perform a separate decontamination. Researchers say any visibly soiled masks should not be treated but rather properly disposed as medical waste. “Considering that many healthcare providers are using substitutes for N95s that offer very limited degree of protection, using (UV-C) and repurposing phototherapy devices could be the best practical solution at this time,” Dr. Hamzavi wrote in Letter to the Editor published online in JAAD. Researchers stressed that not all N95s are created equal and may not withstand decontamination. Degrading may occur in the facemask’s outer surface and the elasticity of the bands. Thus, researchers underscored the importance of fit-testing after decontamination in a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Health care workers are fit-tested every year with their N95 to ensure a proper fit and no air can penetrate the outer edges. UV-C is one of the four common methods used in health care to sterilize N95s. Hydrogen peroxide vaporization, microwave generated steaming and dry heating also have shown to be effective in varying degrees. UV-C and HPV are also commonly used for disinfecting patient care units, surgical suites and intensive care units in the health care setting. Only the UV-C method was used in the Henry Ford study. Researchers strike a cautionary tone for N95 decontamination no matter the method. “Given the current COVID-19 pandemic, extreme measures are needed to keep those on the front line protected,” says Angela Torres, M.D., a Henry Ford dermatology fellow and lead author in a study published online in Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences. “These options are cost effective, quick to employ and have the potential to save many lives and valuable resources.” However, Dr. Torres says, discarding a contaminated disposable N95 after a single use is “still ideal.” To read the original article click here.

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Study Suggests Natural UV Radiation Protects Against Coronavirus

AHA Publisher — Fri, 10 Jul 2020 07:00:55 +0000

Dr. Liji Thomas, MD via News-Medical Net – A new study by scientists at the University of Edinburgh and published on the preprint server medRxiv* in July 2020 suggests an interesting link between ultraviolet A radiation and deaths due to COVID-19. While this is an observational study, which means that direct inferences cannot be drawn from this finding, it does, however, suggest better strategies for reducing the death rate due to COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic is still spreading throughout many countries, and scientists are exploring its risk factors as part of the effort to contain the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Among the variables being considered are seasonal variations, temperature and humidity conditions, and ultraviolet irradiation. These are known to play a role in several infectious diseases already, such as influenza. Ultraviolet, Sunlight and COVID-19 Since the current pandemic has not yet completed one cycle of seasons, all these factors cannot be thoroughly evaluated. However, the level of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation in the atmosphere can be studied in relation to COVID-19 death rates. Previous research by the same team showed that sunlight can reduce blood pressure via nitric acid production, independent of vitamin D levels. Population-wide studies show that increased UV levels are related to lower blood pressure and decreased heart attack rates. This could also cause diabetes and metabolic syndrome incidence rates to fall. The Study: UV and COVID-19 in 3 Countries Since COVID-19 disease appears to have greater severity among people with these conditions, the current study explores the association between ambient UV and COVID-19 deaths in three countries, namely, the USA, England, and Italy. It looks at over 11,000 counties and areas in these countries in three independent data sets, using only those counties where the UV level was below the threshold known to induce significant vitamin D3 biosynthesis in the skin. This threshold corresponds to a monthly mean vitamin D effective UV (UVvitd) of under 165 KJ/m2. This period is termed the UV vitamin D winter and covered the months from January to April 30, 2020. The daily UV irradiance was derived from satellite data, after accounting for atmospheric absorption by water vapor and ozone. The researchers found that the daily mean UVA levels hovered between 450 to 1,000 KJ/m2 across these countries. After adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, susceptibility, and long-term environmental variables, the researchers arrived at a multivariate analysis outcome. These include the percentage of older people, ethnic composition, low income and poverty indicators, air pollution indicators such as PM2.5, which reflects fine particulate matter in the air, and the susceptibility to infection. The latter was calculated from various factors such as the population density coupled with the percentage of positive tests and exposure in various ways, as by public transport. UVA Reduces COVID-19 Mortality The model shows that UVA levels are inversely related to COVID-19 mortality. The mortality risk ratio (MRR) is 0.73, which reflects a 27% reduction in risk with an increase of 100KJ/m2 in UVA irradiation in the USA. In England and Italy, it is 0.51 and 0.81 respectively, which means a reduction in deaths by 49% and 19% respectively. Overall, therefore, the MRR was 0.68. This effect is independent of both cold temperatures and of whether the UVA ambient levels crossed the threshold for vitamin D synthesis. An interesting finding is that the higher UVA levels produced more significant reductions in mortality risk in countries with a lower average UVA level, namely, England, compared to the USA or Italy, which have higher average ambient UVA. Mechanisms of Action The researchers suggest that UVA may act via several mechanisms. For one, the irradiation may inactivate the virus in airborne droplets and fomites, reducing the rates of spread and the size of the inoculating dose in those coming into contact with infectious material. This would lead to less severe infection. Secondly, UVA induces the release of nitric oxide from the skin, which then enters the bloodstream, causing blood vessels to dilate and reducing the blood pressure. This, in turn, promotes cardiovascular and metabolic health. This produces a reduction in the risk of death from COVID-19 since heart disease, vascular conditions, and metabolic syndrome are high-risk factors. Thirdly, UVA may reduce the replication of the virus. In SARS-CoV, it acts by s-nitrosating the spike protein, which means it cannot bind with its receptor, the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) 2. Both SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 have homologous spike proteins, and hence this action could be present in the latter as well. Fourthly, endothelial damage, and impaired endothelial nitric oxide synthase activity could be the underlying reason for extensive organ damage in severe COVID-19. UVA could reduce this as well, by promoting the photochemical reaction that produces more nitric oxide. Future Research and Conclusion The study concludes, “Our analysis, replicated in 3 independent national datasets, suggests ambient UVA exposure is associated with lower COVID-19 specific mortality.” The next step would be to confirm that this is a causal association. If so, this could be an easy way to reduce the mortality from the pandemic by advising optimal sun exposure. Moreover, the independent mechanisms could be replicated therapeutically, especially those involving circulating nitric oxide. *Important Notice medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information. To read the original article click here.

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Ultraviolet Light Can Reduce Covid Transmission Indoors

AHA Publisher — Fri, 26 Jun 2020 07:00:21 +0000

Nicky Blackburn via Israel21c – An international team of scientists are advocating the use of ultraviolet light indoors as a cheap and efficient way to inactivate the coronavirus. One of the biggest questions facing us these days is how we can make our indoor spaces safe from Covid-19 contagion. Studies have shown that we are far more likely to catch the virus in closed indoor spaces like offices, schools, public transport, museums and health centers rather than outdoors. A team of international scientists, including Prof. Ido Kaminer of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, studied various methods to prevent coronavirus contagion in indoor spaces, and based on their findings, recently published in ACS Nano, advocate the use of ultraviolet light as a “particularly efficient, easily deployable, and economically affordable” way to inactivate the virus. The experts, from the fields of virology, immunology, aerosols, architecture, and physics, researched currently available UV-C sources, such as fluorescent lamps, microcavity plasmas, and LEDs. They concluded that by applying this type of light on the inside of the ventilation systems of buildings and in shared indoor spaces while not in use, it will be possible to quickly and efficiently deactivate both airborne and surface-deposited SARS-CoV-2 viruses. The team also explored the cost of deploying such a technology and argue that a global capital investment of a few billion dollars in UV-C sources could protect more than a billion indoor workers worldwide. “The COVID-19 outbreak, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is posing an extraordinary challenge that requires swift worldwide action for the massive deployment of affordable and ready-to-apply measures to drastically reduce its transmission probabilities in indoor spaces,” the report said. “Doing so will allow for the eventual return to conventional activities such as working at the office, going to school, or even attending entertainment events.” Recent studies show that Covid-19 virus transmission follows two main paths. It can be transmitted through the air in droplets exhaled by infected individuals and inhaled by healthy individuals, or it can be left on surfaces from exhalations or hand contact. Filters and chemicals are possible solutions to minimize this problem, but their installation may be costly and time-consuming. In addition, some chemicals that are effective for virus disinfection, such as ozone, can be harmful if misused. The other experts include professors Javier García de Abajo (Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies), Andreas Meyerhans (Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Joan Rosell-Llompart (University Rovira i Virgili), Rufino Javier Hernández (University of the Basque Country) and Tilman Sanchez-Elsner (University of Southampton). To read the original article click here. For more articles from Israel21c click here.

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Killing Coronavirus With Handheld Ultraviolet Light Device May Be Feasible

AHA Publisher — Thu, 04 Jun 2020 07:00:22 +0000

Penn State viaEurekAlert – A personal, handheld device emitting high-intensity ultraviolet light to disinfect areas by killing the novel coronavirus is now feasible, according to researchers at Penn State, the University of Minnesota and two Japanese universities. There are two commonly employed methods to sanitize and disinfect areas from bacteria and viruses — chemicals or ultraviolet radiation exposure. The UV radiation is in the 200 to 300 nanometer range and known to destroy the virus, making the virus incapable of reproducing and infecting. Widespread adoption of this efficient UV approach is much in demand during the current pandemic, but it requires UV radiation sources that emit sufficiently high doses of UV light. While devices with these high doses currently exist, the UV radiation source is typically an expensive mercury-containing gas discharge lamp, which requires high power, has a relatively short lifetime, and is bulky. The solution is to develop high-performance, UV light emitting diodes, which would be far more portable, long-lasting, energy efficient and environmentally benign. While these LEDs exist, applying a current to them for light emission is complicated by the fact that the electrode material also has to be transparent to UV light. “You have to ensure a sufficient UV light dose to kill all the viruses,” said Roman Engel-Herbert, Penn State associate professor of materials science, physics and chemistry. “This means you need a high-performance UV LED emitting a high intensity of UV light, which is currently limited by the transparent electrode material being used.” While finding transparent electrode materials operating in the visible spectrum for displays, smartphones and LED lighting is a long-standing problem, the challenge is even more difficult for ultraviolet light. “There is currently no good solution for a UV-transparent electrode,” said Joseph Roth, doctoral candidate in Materials Science and Engineering at Penn State. “Right now, the current material solution commonly employed for visible light application is used despite it being too absorbing in the UV range. There is simply no good material choice for a UV-transparent conductor material that has been identified.” Finding a new material with the right composition is key to advancing UV LED performance. The Penn State team, in collaboration with materials theorists from the University of Minnesota, recognized early on that the solution for the problem might be found in a recently discovered new class of transparent conductors. When theoretical predictions pointed to the material strontium niobate, the researchers reached out to their Japanese collaborators to obtain strontium niobate films and immediately tested their performance as UV transparent conductors. While these films held the promise of the theoretical predictions, the researchers needed a deposition method to integrate these films in a scalable way. “We immediately tried to grow these films using the standard film-growth technique widely adopted in industry, called sputtering,” Roth said. “We were successful.” This is a critical step towards technology maturation which makes it possible to integrate this new material into UV LEDs at low cost and high quantity. And both Engel-Herbert and Roth believe this is necessary during this crisis. “While our first motivation in developing UV transparent conductors was to build an economic solution for water disinfection, we now realize that this breakthrough discovery potentially offers a solution to deactivate COVID-19 in aerosols that might be distributed in HVAC systems of buildings,” Roth explains. Other areas of application for virus disinfection are densely and frequently populated areas, such as theaters, sports arenas and public transportation vehicles such as buses, subways and airplanes. To read the original article click here.

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Ultraviolet Light Treats Influenza?

AHA Publisher — Tue, 02 Jun 2020 07:00:27 +0000

Al Sears, MD, CNS – The healing power of ultraviolet light (UV) has flown under the radar for decades. Yet, it’s one of the most powerful detoxifying agents known to man. It kills bacteria and viruses and can be used in a clinical setting. The therapeutic benefits of light have been known for millennia. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, believed light was essential to balance the body and emotions. And there is good reason why, during the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, medics discovered that severely ill patients had hugely better recovery rates when they were nursed outside and had regular exposure to sunlight.1 You see, UV rays from the sun are a natural germicide and have been shown to deactivate the influenza virus, as well as bacteria that cause lethal secondary respiratory infections.2 Patients placed in sunlight also benefited from a boost in vitamin D3, which is synthesized when UV rays strike your skin, and are the key to ramping up your immune system defenses. Today, I’ll show you how UV therapy works, how I use it at my own clinic, and how you can harness the healing power of the sun in your own backyard. UV Light Safely Treats Dozens of Diseases and Health Concerns In the late 1920s, a doctor in Washington developed a system in which a patient’s blood was taken and run through a rudimentary “ultraviolet light box,” before being re-injected back into the patient’s bloodstream. He called the treatment “ultraviolet blood irradiation” or UPI therapy. (Also known as UVBI.) For the next three decades, doctors across America used it to successfully treat dozens of different types of viral and bacterial infections. These included septicemia, pneumonia, tuberculosis, botulism, influenza, mastoiditis, sinusitis, acne and even polio — as well as cancer, rickets, psoriasis, lupus, asthma, pain management, and smallpox lesions. Clinical research from the 1930s and 1940s confirmed the healing power of UV light. One study from 1948 revealed UBI therapy was used to cure 15 of 15 hospitalized patients of viral pneumonia — which is also one of the lethal complications of a coronavirus infection. 3,4,5,6 But, with the rise of antibiotics in the 1950s — UV light therapy was pushed to the fringes of medicine in America. Medical UV research shifted to Russia and Germany, where new generations of intravenous UV-emitting laser devices were developed to irradiate blood. How I Use UV Light at the Sears Institute for Anti-Aging Medicine At my clinic, I use intravenous (IV) laser therapy — a technique that injects the healing power of ultraviolet directly into your bloodstream via low-level laser light. These soft, low-power lasers have nothing to do with surgical lasers, which are used to cut, cauterize, and burn out diseased tissue. Instead of generating a heat effect, soft lasers glow cool. Instead of destroying tissues and cells, they repair them. One of the most astonishing biological benefits of IV laser therapy is its energizing effect on your mitochondria, the tiny power plants in each of your cells. These organelles make a kind of chemical energy called adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, by synthesizing nutrients from your diet and the oxygen carried by your red blood cells. ATP is fuel for your cells. If your mitochondria stop producing ATP, your cells simply run out of gas. This causes organs and tissues to malfunction, leaving you prone to any number of infectious and chronic diseases. Multiple studies show that mitochondria act as photoreceptors for laser light. As soon as your mitochondria are hit with the soft laser light, they immediately switch into a higher gear and begin producing more cellular energy. You won’t just feel hyper-alert and brimming with energy after IV laser therapy, which patients usually do — studies show that it can triple your general sense of well-being.8 The mitochondria boost also occurs in the cells that make up your immune system, turbocharging your body’s defenses against infection and disease. IV laser therapy has also been shown to increase the synthesis of nitric oxide, an important signaling chemical that relaxes your blood vessels and allows more oxygen-rich blood to flow through your body.9 This is key to fighting the coronavirus, because — like cancer cells — viral and bacterial pathogens can’t live in high oxygen concentrations. These anaerobic (without oxygen) germs are unable to survive when your cells are saturated with oxygen. The great thing about IV laser therapy is that it’s as fast and painless as a blood test. Here’s what happens… A tiny catheter is inserted in your arm at the vein in your elbow. The tip of the catheter has a tiny bulb that emits a special laser beam. As the blood flows past the laser light it is radiated with a light beam. In about 10 minutes, all your blood has circulated past the beam. That’s it! If you’d like more information on IV laser therapy, just call my clinic staff at 561-784-7852 for details. Or you can visit the website at www.searsinstitute.com. Get the Benefits of UV Light at Home You shouldn’t confuse these soft, UV-emitting lasers with the powerful artificial UV-C light used in hospitals and water treatment plants as a disinfectant. Natural UV-C light can’t break through the earth’s ozone layer and germs have no resistance to it. It’s also dangerous to humans. Instead, IV laser therapy emits UV-A and B waves, which your body also absorbs from sunlight. I’m not a fan of the handheld laser wands you can buy on the Internet either. These are usually sold for pain relief, but they won’t irradiate your blood in the way IV lasers do. The best way to get the healing benefits of ultraviolet light at home is to get out in the sunshine. Here’s what you can do: 1. Get out into the sun. It’s your best source of vitamin D. • You need at least 20 minutes of sun every day for pale skin tones, but 30 to 60 minutes for darker skin tones. Make sure to avoid burning. • If you tan as you do this, increase your exposure a few minutes every day. • If you have sensitive skin, or burn quickly, get 15 minutes of sun twice a day — as the sun rises and sets. 2. Take 2,000 IU to 5,000 IU of a good quality vitamin D3 supplement daily, also called cholecalciferol. It’s the same vitamin D3 your body produces. Just be sure to avoid the synthetic form of vitamin D2, because it is less potent and less absorbable. I recommend at least 2,000 IU a day — and taken in the morning. That leaves you plenty of room for you to get additional vitamin D from other sources like the sun and your diet. But if you’re fighting disease, you’ll need more. Doses of 6,000 IU to 8,000 IU are common, even if you’re not battling disease. Some people need more than others. Ask your doctor for a vitamin D3 test to make sure you know where you stand. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Al Sears, MD click here. References 1. Hobday R. “Coronavirus and the Sun: A lesson from the 1918 influenza pandemic.” Medium. March 10, 2020. 2. Schuit M, et al. “The influence of simulated sunlight on the inactivation of influenza virus in aerosols. J Infect Dis. 2020;14;221(3):372–378. 3. Hancock VK and Knott EK. “Irradiated blood transfusion in the treatment of infections.” Northwest Med. 200(33). 1934. 4. Knott EK. “Development of ultraviolet blood irradiation.” Am J Surg. 1948;76(2):165-171. 5. Barrett HA. “The irradiation of autotransfused blood by ultraviolet spectral energy. Result of therapy in 110 cases.” Med Clin N Am. 1940;24(3):723-732. 6. Miley GP and Christensen J. “Ultraviolet blood irradiation therapy in acute virus and virus-like infections.” Rev Gastroenterol. 1948;15(4):271-283. 7. Hahmi JT, et al. “Role of low-level laser therapy in neurorehabilitation.” PM R. 2010;2(12 Suppl 2): S292–S305. 8. Momenzadeh S, et al. “The intravenous laser blood irradiation in chronic pain and fibromyalgia.” J Lasers Med Sci. 2015;6(1):6-9. 9. Kazemikhoo N, et al. “Modifying effect of intravenous laser therapy on the protein expression of arginase and epidermal growth factor receptor in type 2 diabetic patients.” Lasers Med Sci. 2016;31(8):1537-1545.

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