Light woo

{{pseudosciencenav}}
Because the [[Sun]] [[Photosynthesis|feeds plants]], is the main cog in the clockwork of the [[Solar System]], and because without it most life on [[Earth]] would [[Extinction|shrivel up and die]], sunlight must have some magical [[healing]] properties that [[science]] isn't [[Vitamin D|already aware of]]. The term '''light woo''' (or '''heliotherapy''') can be applied to any [[pseudoscience]], [[magical thinking]], or [[woo]] beliefs centered around artificially created [[light]] or natural sunlight.

==The science of sunlight==
Through the process of [[nuclear fusion]], the Sun releases [[radiation]] across most of the electromagnetic spectrum (except gamma rays) which then gets filtered through the [[Earth]]'s atmosphere. The [[ozone layer]] filters out some of the [[ultraviolet]] (UV), but not all of it. Sunlight facilitates the synthesis of [[vitamin D]] in most mammals (which occurs from exposure to UV radiation) and fuels [[photosynthesis]] in plants. Due to the risk of [[cancer]] from prolonged sunlight exposure, the Institute of Medicine doesn't set a recommended minimum level of exposure.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110903044251/http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2010/Dietary-Reference-Intakes-for-Calcium-and-Vitamin-D/Report-Brief.aspx ''Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D''] report by the Institute of Medicine.  Published November 2010.</ref>

===Non-woo light therapy===
The Faroese physician {{wpl|Niels Ryberg Finsen|Niels Finsen}} (1860-1904) reported in 1896 that intense light was an effective treatment of ''lupus vulgaris'' (tuberculosis infection of the skin), a discovery for which he was awarded the [[Nobel Prize]] in Physiology in 1903. His method was later replaced by treatment with anti-tuberculosis drugs. Today it is believed that the anti-bacterial effect did not come from the light itself, but from the irradiation generating highly active [[oxygen]] species (similar to peroxide), which are toxic to [[bacteria]].<ref>Møller, et al.  [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15888127 How Finsen's light cured lupus vulgaris.]  ''Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine''.  21(3):118-24.  2005 June.</ref> 

There is evidence that targeted UVB light exposure is an effective treatment for psoriasis.<ref>[http://www.psoriasis.org/about-psoriasis/treatments/phototherapy Treating psoriasis: light therapy and phototherapy].  National Psoriasis Foundation.  2016.</ref><ref>Fahad Almutawa, et al.  [http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/phpp.12092/full Efficacy of localized phototherapy and photodynamic therapy for psoriasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis].  ''Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine''.  31: 5–14.  2013 December 20.</ref>  A common treatment for seasonal affective disorder is "full spectrum" light exposure, although the term "full spectrum" when applied to electrical lighting is a bit of a misnomer,<ref>[http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/programs/NLPIP/lightingAnswers/fullSpectrum/abstract.asp Full-Spectrum Light Sources].  Lighting Research Center.  March 2005.</ref> there's some evidence that light exposure performs better than a [[placebo]].<ref>Rosenthal, et al.  [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6581756 Seasonal affective disorder. A description of the syndrome and preliminary findings with light therapy.]  ''Archives of General Psychiatry''.  41(1):72-80.  1984 January.</ref>

In photodynamic therapy, the patient is given a phototoxic medication, and high-intensity light, usually laser light, is shined on a target area to kill cells there. It is a targeted form of [[chemotherapy]] for cancer and various other diseases.<ref>https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/photodynamic-therapy/about/pac-20385027</ref> Phototoxins are excited into a higher energy state by the light, and transfer the energy to molecular oxygen (O<sub>2</sub>), which is excited into singlet oxygen. Singlet oxygen is an indiscriminate but short-lived strong oxidizer and is cytotoxic, killing the cells in the target area.

==Photosynthesis woo==
*[[Sungazing]] — the [[New Age]] belief that staring into the Sun can provide nutritional sustenance.
*[[Breatharianism]] — the religious belief that humans can survive entirely on sunlight exposure and air, unsupplemented by food and sometimes even [[water]]. In 2013, Naveena Shine posted a video on YouTube<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaiKe8BReqw Living on Light An Experiment 1] YouTube video, posted 2013 May 3.</ref> stating that humans do not need to eat and can get all of their caloric intake from just sunlight (at least she realized that we need water). She then stated that she was going to "experiment" by not eating for four to six months. After 47 days she ended the fast, claiming that because she was confining herself to her house so that she could film every moment of the fast, she was unable to pay her rent and bills.<ref>[http://www.medicaldaily.com/naveena-shine-will-stop-living-light-after-47-days-without-food-video-246934 Naveena Shine Will Stop 'Living On Light' After 47 Days Without Food].  2013 June 19.</ref> This is most likely bullshit however, it is more likely that she ended the fast because she was starving and risked death if she continued without eating.

==Medical woo==
*[[Bates eye method]] — an alternative therapy that attempts to cure defective eyesight or various eyesight-related [[disease]]s. Features "sunning", whereby patients expose their eyes to magnified sunlight.
*[[Color therapy]] — another alternative therapy that shines differently colored lights on a patient to cure them of various ailments by balancing their [[energy woo | "energy"]].
*[[Ear light therapy]] - illumination of the brain through the ear canal, no therapeutic effects, but at least we have scientific studies to show that!
*[[Unusual homeopathic remedies#Light_from_Venus|Homeopathic Venus light]] — one of the stranger [[homeopathic]] cures - it  claims to involve light taken from [[Venus]] then diluted a shitload.
*[[Scalar wave#Scalar_Wave_Laser| Scalar wave laser]] — a [[quantum woo]] laser that supposedly heals and rejuvenates.
*[[Sonodynamic therapy]], a quack pseudomedical treatment sometimes marketed under the name "Sono Photo Dynamic Therapy" [sic], in order to associate it with (legitimate) photodynamic therapy.

== Biblical primacy ==
[[Genesis]] chapter 1 recounts the early existence of darkness ({{bible|Genesis|1|2}}), followed by the [[Creation Week | creation]] of light ({{bible|Genesis|1|3}}),<ref>
The invention of light ("And God said, 'Let there be light!'") in Genesis 1:3 represents the earliest recorded use of Divine Words - making this doughty deed an important typological precursor for all sorts of weighty things.
</ref>
followed by the distinction of light from darkness ({{bible|Genesis|1|4}}), and to cap it all, 3 [[Day-age creationism | days later]], the provision of sources of light - stars, etc ({{bible|Genesis|1|14|18}}). So light obviously has some sort of association with [[magic | Strong Magic]] from the get go.

==Other light woo==
*[[Lunar effect]] — the [[Pseudoscience|pseudoscientific]] belief that light from the [[Moon]] can turn you into a [[Lycanthropy|werewolf]] or make you crazy.

==See also==
*[[New Age]]
*[[Quantum woo]]
*[[Yakub Islam]]
*[[N8 State]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Pseudophysics]]
[[Category:Woo]]

Categories: Pseudophysics, Woo