Additional Info Available at:
www.apollolight.com
November 10, 2000 -- Light applied against the skin may prevent jet lag.
There is a unique device manufactured right here in Utah to do this.
Science Specialist Ed Yeates has the story.
ED YEATES, SCIENCE SPECIALIST: "WE KNOW A LIGHT LIKE THIS WORKS VERY WELL IN TREATING A FORM OF SEASONAL DEPRESSION SOMETIMES CALLED THE WINTER BLUES. BUT THERE'S A REMARKABLE NEW USE OF LIGHT NOW IN CLINICAL TRIALS AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY."
Cornell researchers want to know if the same bright light used in some Utah-built light boxes to treat seasonal depression might also help readjust a travelers' body clock while crossing time zones.
Cornell collaborated with Apollo Lights in Orem which built this unique battery-powered light strap which wraps around the leg in back of the knee. Patents are pending for the device. Researchers believe the body can detect light not just through the eyes - but through the skin as well - especially if the light is directed in an area where there is a rich supply of blood vessels.
DAN ADAMS, APOLLO LIGHT SYSTEMS: "AND THEY FOUND THAT LIGHT WILL SHIFT YOUR BODY CLOCK OR CIRCADIAN RYTHMN ABOUT TWO HOURS EACH DAY. USING THAT PAD FOR ABOUT AN HOUR TO TWO HOURS A DAY WILL MAKE YOU WANT TO WAKE UP TWO HOURS EARLIER THE NEXT DAY. AND SO USING A PAD FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS BEFORE YOU GO TO EUROPE - YOU WOULDN'T SUFFER ANY JET LAG AT ALL."
Researchers believe there is a gene in the blood which senses light and throws a switch. In this case, these bulbs produce about 22-thousand lux of light. That's a measurement of illumination which appears to trigger the change.
Ed Yeates, Eyewitness News, Orem.
Travelers would apply the strap either before they slept, or when they woke up, depending on which direction they were traveling -- that would help readjust the body clock and prevent the sleepiness associated with jet lag.
For more information, visit www.apollolight.com
