Already-available therapy could protect football players from CTE: 'Incredibly groundbreaking'

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Already-available therapy could protect football players from CTE: 'Incredibly groundbreaking'
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may also offer a surprising benefit: Protecting football players’ brains from chronic inflammation caused by repeated blows to the head.While it hasn’t been put to the test yet, experts hope red light therapy may one day offer a valuable tool in the fight against the deadly brain disease known as It can lead to a wide range of symptoms, including confusion, memory loss, emotional instability, aggression and, eventually, trouble walking, speaking, swallowing and even breathing.

There’s no cure, and doctors don’t know how to slow its progression.GLP-1 drugs brought our eating disorders back — and quitting the shots doesn't always help No. 1 cancer killer for people under 50 has gotten worse since 1990 — here's your 'best tool' for beating it But with more than 100 former NFL players diagnosed with CTE after death and countless others likely affected, experts say additional tools are needed. “We don’t have enough information to say that using this could prevent CTE,” Datta said. “But we can say it’s a potential use for it if it’s bringing down neuroinflammation, because that’s what’s causing the long term effects.”from repetitive head injuries — believed to play a key role in CTE progression over time — researchers at the University of Utah Health put it to the test.Targeted red light therapy may help reduce inflammation in the brain, thought to be a key driver in the progression of CTE.The team recruited 26 collegiate football players and assigned them to either a Vielight Neuro Gamma helmet, which emits near-infrared light to the skull and nasal cavity, or a placebo treatment using an identical device that did not emit light.When researchers conducted MRI scans at the end of the study, they found brain inflammation in the placebo group had significantly increased compared to images taken at the start of the season. In contrast, players who used the light-emitting helmet did not experience increased inflammation and appeared protected across nearly all regions of the brain.“I’ve been studying and following this photobiomodulation and red light therapy,” she said. “But I think for people who haven’t been, this is, like, mind blowing.”, director of the Brain Injury Research Center of Mount Sinai, has also been following this work — and is “enthusiastic” about its potential implications. “We’re not giving you medication. Most people are not having side effects with it. But we’re seeing tangible changes all the same.”“Considering the mechanism of action — inflammation, at least broadly speaking — it does make sense in theory,” she told The Post. “If this can mitigate the acute inflammatory cascade that has been documented in human and animal models of repetitive head impacts, perhaps this presents an opportunity to make sports safer.” The researchers acknowledged that this specialized form of red light therapy is still emerging and more research is needed, but after several preliminary studies with head-injury patients, they are increasingly confident it holds real promise.Average changes in inflammation from the start to the end of the football season in players on the placebo treatment. Red corresponds to the greatest increase in inflammation., professor of neurology at University of Utah Health and senior author on the study. “But we’ve seen consistent results across multiple of our studies, so it’s starting to be quite compelling.”“We’re not giving you medication. Most people are not having side effects with it,” Datta said. “But we’re seeing tangible changes all the same.”penetrate the skin and the subcutaneous tissue Still, she said, if more research backs up the latest findings, the specialized red light tech could be something we see college and professional teams invest in down the line. “I would also want to make sure that this doesn’t have long-term negative side effects, because this definitely did benefit the athletes that it was used in, but we’ve yet to see if there’s going to be some kind of fallout,” Datta said.The research team is already moving forward with their next study testing the effects of red light on the brain. They are launching a Department of Defense funded trial with 300 people suffering from persistent concussion or traumatic brain injury symptoms, including first responders, veterans and active-duty service members. Recruitment is expected to begin in February or March 2026., associate professor of neurology at University of Utah Health and second author on the study, says the findings could one day help athletes across all sports. “We’ve been trying to figure out how to make sports safer, so that our kids, friends, and family can participate in sports safely for the long term while they’re involved in activities that give them happiness and joy,” she said. “And this really feels like part of the hope for protecting the brain that we’ve been searching for.”Beat the winter blues with a red light therapy pad — just $66 with this couponScience or snake oil? I tested Bryan Johnson’s Blueprint Longevity MixMike McDaniel interviews for coveted LA head coaching job in shock twist Damning evidence Idaho killer Bryan Kohberger left behind after murders is seen in chilling new photosNicola Peltz ignores Victoria Beckham in resurfaced Paris Fashion Week clip as family feud rages onSee AllTargeted red light therapy may help reduce inflammation in the brain, thought to be a key driver in the progression of CTE.Average changes in inflammation from the start to the end of the football season in players on the placebo treatment. Red corresponds to the greatest increase in inflammation.

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