Blood irradiation therapy is a procedure performed by a doctor or other trained healthcare professional. Blood is exposed to laser or ultraviolet light either in a vein, through the inside of the nose, through the skin, or outside the body.
People use blood irradiation therapy for many conditions, including asthma, cancer, infections, and diabetes, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses. Some types of blood irradiation therapy could be dangerous if performed by an untrained person.
Is It Effective?
NatMed Pro rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate.
- Chest pain (angina). Early research shows that blood irradiation therapy might improve the response to medications used to treat chest pain.
- Asthma. Early research shows that blood irradiation therapy might reduce the need for steroid medicines used to treat asthma.
- A lung disease that makes it harder to breathe (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD). Early research shows that blood irradiation therapy might help improve symptoms of COPD.
- Diabetes. Early research shows that blood irradiation therapy might help lower blood sugar levels.
- Stomach ulcers. Early research shows that blood irradiation therapy might improve the response to some medicines used for stomach ulcers.
- Pneumonia. Early research shows that blood irradiation therapy might speed up recovery from pneumonia.
- Recovery after surgery. Early research shows that blood irradiation therapy might help recovery after some surgeries.
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Early research shows that blood irradiation therapy helps to improve RA symptoms in some people. But in other people it seems to make them worse.
- Tuberculosis. Early research shows that blood irradiation therapy might help improve symptoms of tuberculosis.
- A serious gum infection (periodontitis).
- Athletic performance.
- Blood infection (sepsis).
- Bone infection (osteomyelitis).
- Burns.
- Cancer.
- Disorders affecting bile flow in the liver.
- Foot sores in people with diabetes.
- Heart disease.
- High blood pressure.
- High levels of cholesterol or other fats (lipids) in the blood (hyperlipidemia).
- Infections.
- Irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia).
- Narrowing of blood vessels that causes poor blood flow to the limbs (peripheral arterial disease).
- Pain.
- Postoperative side effects.
- Prone to allergies and allergic reactions (atopic disease).
- Schizophrenia.
- Serious illness caused by radiation exposure.
- Swelling (inflammation) of the fluid-filled sacs in the joints (bursitis).
- Swelling (inflammation) of the pancreas (pancreatitis).
- Swelling (inflammation) of the skin due to infection with bacteria (cellulitis).
- Trauma.
- Typhoid fever.
- Wound healing.
More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of blood irradiation therapy for these uses.
Is it Safe?
Early research suggests that blood irradiation therapy might improve blood flow, reduce the risk of blood clots, reduce swelling, reduce cancer growth, and lower blood sugar levels.
When given by IV: There isn't enough reliable information to know if blood irradiation therapy is safe or what the side effects might be.
When given across the skin: There isn't enough reliable information to know if blood irradiation therapy is safe or what the side effects might be.
When given into the nose: There isn't enough reliable information to know if blood irradiation therapy is safe or what the side effects might be.
Special Precautions & Warnings:
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: There isn't enough reliable information to know if blood irradiation therapy is safe to use when pregnant or breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.
"Autoimmune diseases" such as multiple sclerosis (MS), lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus, SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), or other conditions: Blood irradiation therapy might cause the immune system to become more active. This could increase the symptoms of autoimmune diseases. If you have one of these conditions, it's best to avoid using blood irradiation therapy.
Bleeding problems: Blood irradiation therapy can slow down the clotting process. There is a concern that blood irradiation therapy might make bleeding problems worse.
Diabetes: Blood irradiation therapy might lower blood sugar in some people. Watch for signs of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) and monitor your blood sugar carefully if you have diabetes and use blood irradiation therapy.
Surgery: Blood irradiation therapy can slow down the clotting process and might lower blood sugar in some people. It might increase the risk of bleeding, and it might interfere with blood sugar control, during and after surgery. Stop using blood irradiation therapy at least two weeks before a scheduled surgery.
Medications for diabetes (Antidiabetes drugs)
Interaction Rating=Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Blood irradiation therapy might lower blood sugar in some people. Diabetes medications are also used to lower blood sugar. Using blood irradiation therapy with diabetes medications might cause your blood sugar to go too low. Monitor your blood sugar closely. The dose of your diabetes medication might need to be changed.
Some medications for diabetes include glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase PresTab, Micronase), insulin, pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), chlorpropamide (Diabinese), glipizide (Glucotrol), tolbutamide (Orinase), and others.
Medications that decrease the immune system (Immunosuppressants)
Interaction Rating=Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Blood irradiation therapy might increase the immune system. By increasing the immune system, blood irradiation therapy might decrease the effectiveness of medications that decrease the immune system.
Some medications that decrease the immune system include azathioprine (Imuran), basiliximab (Simulect), cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune), daclizumab (Zenapax), muromonab-CD3 (OKT3, Orthoclone OKT3), mycophenolate (CellCept), tacrolimus (FK506, Prograf), sirolimus (Rapamune), prednisone (Deltasone, Orasone), corticosteroids (glucocorticoids), and others.
Medications that slow blood clotting (Anticoagulant / Antiplatelet drugs)
Interaction Rating=Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Blood irradiation therapy might slow blood clotting. Using blood irradiation therapy along with medications that also slow clotting might increase the chances of bruising and bleeding.
Some medications that slow blood clotting include aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix), diclofenac (Voltaren, Cataflam, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others), naproxen (Anaprox, Naprosyn, others), dalteparin (Fragmin), enoxaparin (Lovenox), heparin, warfarin (Coumadin), and others.
Herbs and supplements that might lower blood sugar: Blood irradiation therapy might lower blood sugar. Using it with herbs and supplements that have this same effect might increase the risk of blood sugar dropping too low. Some of these herbs and supplements include devil's claw, fenugreek, guar gum, Panax ginseng, Siberian ginseng, and others.
Herbs and supplements that might slow blood clotting: Blood irradiation therapy might slow blood clotting. Using it with herbs that have the same effect might increase the risk of bleeding and bruising. Some of these herbs include angelica, clove, danshen, garlic, ginger, ginkgo, Panax ginseng, and others.
There are no known interactions with foods.
The appropriate dose of blood irradiation therapy depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for blood irradiation therapy. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.
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