Hydrogen Water Plus Light Therapy Improves Parkinson's Symptoms
- Authors
- Chien-Tai Hong, Chaur-Jong Hu, Hung-Yu Lin, Dean Wu
- Journal
- Medicine
- Year
- 2021
- DOI
- 10.1097/MD.0000000000024191
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Taiwan
- Health Condition
- Parkinson's Disease
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
A new therapy combining light treatment and hydrogen gas was found to be safe and improved symptoms in Parkinson's disease patients.
Key Finding
In this 18-person pilot study, combining photobiomodulation and hydrogen water therapy led to significant improvements in Parkinson disease symptoms within one week, with benefits persisting even one week after treatment stopped and no adverse events observed.
Summary
This small pilot study tested whether combining two therapies—photobiomodulation (a type of light therapy) and hydrogen water—could help 18 people with Parkinson disease. Researchers gave participants both treatments daily for 2 weeks and measured changes in their symptoms using a standard Parkinson disease rating scale. Symptoms improved significantly during the first week and continued improving through the end of treatment, with no serious side effects reported.
Practical Takeaway
While this early-stage study suggests the combination may be safe and potentially helpful for Parkinson disease symptoms, it involved only 18 people over a short period. Much larger and longer studies are needed before drawing firm conclusions about effectiveness. Anyone with Parkinson disease considering this approach should discuss it with their neurologist first.
Abstract
Background: Parkinson disease (PD), the second most common neurodegenerative disease, has no cure or applicable disease-modifying approach, only symptomatic therapy. Oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction play key roles in PD pathophysiology. Animal studies have demonstrated that photobiomodulation (PBM) may enhance mitochondrial function and boost adenosine triphosphate production, thus alleviating PD symptoms; however, this process can cause increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Molecular hydrogen (H2) is a potent and possibly therapeutic antioxidant that can mitigate the effect of ROS. PBM targeting the brainstem may facilitate neuronal activity, and the concomitant H2 may clear additional ROS produced by PBM. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the safety and effectiveness of PBM + H2 in patients with PD. Methods: We included 18 patients with PD (age 30-80 years) who were at Hoehn and Yahr stages II-III. All the participants received daily PBM + H2 therapy for 2 weeks. The adverse event and the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) scores were recorded. Results: We noted that the UPDRS scores began significantly decreasing from the first week, and this improvement persisted until the end of therapy. Moreover, no adverse event was recorded. After 1 week of therapy cessation, UPDRS scores slightly increased but the improvement remained significant compared with the baseline. Conclusion: This novel, proof-of-concept study demonstrated that PBM+H2 therapy is safe and reduces disease severity. A larger-scaled clinical trial is warranted to completely investigate the effects of PBM + H2 therapy on PD.