Surgery: light – thermal – and electrical application – Light – thermal – and electrical application – Light application
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-10
2003-03-25
Peffley, Michael (Department: 3739)
Surgery: light, thermal, and electrical application
Light, thermal, and electrical application
Light application
Reexamination Certificate
active
06537301
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method of noninvasively enhancing immunosurveillance capacity and an apparatus for applying pulsed light to forehead for realizing the method, and more particularly to a method using a noninvasive means such as applying pulsed light having frequency in the range of 0.5-1.3 Hz, preferably 8-13 Hz, to the forehead or the head including the forehead of a user to enhance the immunosurveillance capacity and also power of concentration, and an apparatus therefor.
It is hitherto known that cell-medated immunity, particularly, NK cell (natural killer cell) activity readily lowers due to mental or physical stress and the lowering of the cell-medated immunity is the most important fact leading to occurrence of a tumor. Effective means for increasing the cell-medated immunity is quite few. For example, activation of NK cell may be urged by application of medicines (e.g., poly 1:C) or cytokinin (interleukin 2, etc) produced by gene engineering, but a large amount of administration of those for a long term causes NK cells to have resistance to them, and adverse effect of the medicines are not negligible.
Details of relationship between alpha (&agr;) wave and the immunosurveillance capacity such as NK cell activity have not been clarified. But, many attempts have been made based on the fact that when mental or physical stress is low or non at all, alpha wave of brain waves increases, and the concept that increment of alpha wave leads to elimination of the mental or physical stress.
For example, for relaxation and hypnogenesis, the subject is caused to listen to sounds having a frequency in the range of alpha wave, or a pulsed light having a frequency in the range of alpha wave is applied to the eyes of the subject. Feeble electric current in various wavelengths is produced dominantly in human brain and the alpha (&agr;) waves in a frequency range of from about 8 to 13 Hz are produced much when a human being is in a relaxed state (relaxation), leading to such principle that stimulus having the frequency in the above range is applied to a human being to induce the human being into a relaxed state, on which principle those attempts are based. It is true that alpha waves increase by a mental effect through “ZAZEN (a sitting meditation among “Zen” practice used in Buddhism school, widely known in Japanese or others)” and external stimulus from the outside of human body, such as light. Also, the alpha waves are produced much in the human brain when the human being concentrates his consciousness upon any thing, at which the produced frequency is about 10 Hz or more, slightly higher than the relaxed state (about 9 Hz or less). It is said that Beta (&bgr;) waves are prevalent in an active or excited mental state, having a frequency ranging from about 14 to 30 Hz, and brain waves generated during drowsiness and light sleep are theta (&thgr;) waves in a frequency band ranging from about 4 to 7 Hz, and those in coma or a deep sleep being &dgr; waves ranging from 0.4-4 Hz.
Among alpha wave stimulation means conventionally used, a simplest feature is to cause the subject to listen to sounds recorded in the recording tapes or CD (compact discs) in the frequency range of alpha waves. Also, a photic stimulus generally uses, as shown in Japanese Patent No. 1150057 and U.S. Pat. No. 43,155,002, an eyeglasses or goggles including a lamp on the periphery of lens and a pulse signal generator which outputs a lamp lighting signal to the lamp. When the pulsed light is applied to the closed eyes of user, brain waves are synchronized with the frequency of the pulsed light through the path of vision and around occipital lobe's visual area, which phenomenan or reaction is called photic driving reaction. Still another feature is as proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 03-44538 that current of a low frequency corresponding to alpha waves is applied to flow at both lateral sides of the head of the user.
The frequency output in those conventional features is fixed or constant to thereby have less effects on the user or cause the user to feel uncomfortable. In detail, the alpha waves, which are brain waves in the frequency range from 8 to 13 Hz as foregoing, differ in specific frequency bands readily produced and average of detected frequencies, depending upon each testee due to different rhythms of alpha waves inherent in each testee. Also, the same person has a subtle change in the produced frequency bands and the average of detected frequencies of alpha waves depending upon his physical condition and time in the day for testing. Hence, the stimilus based on a frequency largely differing from alpha waves inherently produced in the human body does not provide favourable effects but results in ill effects.
A proposal adopting measurement of brain waves for providing stimulus based on a representative value of alpha waves or any frequency near the same has been made to solve the above problem, as seen in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 03-70572 wherein a goggle for inducing brain waves comprises a head band including a a light-shielding member on the user's face covering the users eyes, a light emitting part provided inside the light-shielding member, and brain wave electrodes through which brain waves signals are measured according to which light-emitting signals of the same frequency as of alpha waves are sent to a light-emitting part. The goggle is used as applying the light to the eyes of a user in a relaxed state with the eyelids covering the eyeballs. This art is called “Photic Feedback” by a kind of biological circuit including the user himself in a closed loop wherein the aimed alpha waves are induced intensively and quickly through the photic feedback, thereby bringing the user into a relaxed state quickly. The art has been published in U.S. Pat. No. 5,241,967 (based on Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 02-168932 and other two publications).
According to the photic driving feature, the pulsed light hits the eyes even when covered by the eyelids. Hence, the stimulus prevents users from being brought into a sufficient relaxed state, and alpha waves do not increase. This problem cannot be solved by the photic feedback technique. In addition, the photic driving feature has a critical defect due to the eyes of user being covered. That is, alpha waves have function facilitating volition and power of concentration as well as hypnogenesis and relaxation. The more the power of concentration is increased, the higher the efficiency of metal activities such as reading, learning, studying or literary work becomes. It is impossible to do such working with the eyes being covered.
Similarly, sounds in the frequency range of alpha waves hinder the reading, learning, studying or thinking, and the monotonous sounds may irritate users. In the meantime, another conventional feature causing current of the low frequency to flow in brain of user results in disturbing brain wave itself. Use of this feature is dangerous even using a feeble current and prefeably requires controlling by doctors. That is, the feature is not readily usable by ordinary persons.
The inventor zealoursly studied to solve those problems and obtained the results as follows. The inventor applied the pulsed light not to the eyes of users but to the forehead placed above the eyes and found the phenomenon that alpha wave component of brain waves extracted through the forehead increased, and the user was brought into a quite favourable relaxed state and had an increased power of concentration. This is inferably because the forehead, which is the center of volition, will and language or speech, was activated by increment of alpha waves, particularly, in the frequency range of about 10 Hz or more. Also, such phenomenon was surprisingly found that immunological activity (NK cell activity) of the testee increased during and for a while after application of the pulsed light. Such phenomenon had not been known at all and was found first by the inventor.
The method accordi
McDermott & Will & Emery
Peffley Michael
Vrettakos Peter J
LandOfFree
Method of noninvasively enhancing immunosurveillance... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Method of noninvasively enhancing immunosurveillance..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method of noninvasively enhancing immunosurveillance... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3067398