Overview

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.

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.

How does it work ?

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.

Uses & Effectiveness

Effective for

<p>None</p>

Likely Effective for

<p>None</p>

Possibly Effective for

<p>None</p>

Possibly Ineffective for

<p>None</p>

Likely InEffective for

<p>None</p>

Insufficient Evidence for

  • 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.

None

Side Effects

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 and Warnings

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.

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.

Interactions

    Moderate Interaction

    Be cautious with this combination

  • Medications for diabetes (Antidiabetes drugs) interacts with Blood Irradiation Therapy

    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) interacts with Blood Irradiation Therapy

    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) interacts with Blood Irradiation Therapy

    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.

Dosing

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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CONDITIONS OF USE AND IMPORTANT INFORMATION: This information is meant to supplement, not replace advice from your doctor or healthcare provider and is not meant to cover all possible uses, precautions, interactions or adverse effects. This information may not fit your specific health circumstances. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your doctor or other qualified health care provider because of something you have read on WebMD. You should always speak with your doctor or health care professional before you start, stop, or change any prescribed part of your health care plan or treatment and to determine what course of therapy is right for you.

This copyrighted material is licensed from Therapeutic Research Center, LLC. Information from this source is evidence-based and objective, and without commercial influence. For professional medical information on natural medicines, see Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Professional Version.
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