Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation (or UBI)

[Mouthfire]

http://www.bio-immuno-development.com/ubitherapy.html

Anyone have any knowledge on this mode of "therapy"?

I am aware that it is used (legitimately) on occasion by dermatologists for certain skin disorders. Anyways, it was being touted by some as a treatment for everything from the common cold, AIDS, and cancer by activating white blood cells. Supposedly, there are supposed to be some research being done on it in Russia. Of course, I cannot find any reputable medical studies on it.

Any input on this would be very appreciated.

[Quasi]

Many of the diseases they claim to treat are not only in the blood but also the tissues, such as HIV. HIV actually gets into your brain, where it is partitioned away from the blood via the blood brain barrier. Further, this virus invades your lymph vaculature which is also unlikely to be removed by irradiating the blood. I find their data and conclusions extremely questionable because they are so fantastic, and it was abandoned so long ago. If this were true, there would be a unit dedicated to this technique pretty much everywhere, and many medical schools and research universities would be studying this intensively. Notice how they list many chronic illnesses which are often cyclical? Sound familiar? I can't even locate the Int. J. of Biosocial Med. Research. It is often listed with other "alternative" or "integrative" journals on quack web sites. There are many other questionlable treatments, such as ozone therapy listed on the web site. Stay away from this one. The overall message is that most diseases can be treated by oxygenating the blood somehow, which is not the accepted scientific/medical opinion. This is another global theory which oversimplifies the complexity of the body and disease much like homeopathy, naturopathy or TCM.

[Rolfe]

Originally posted by Mouthfire
I am aware that it is used (legitimately) on occasion by dermatologists for certain skin disorders.Absolutely not!

UV irradiation of the skin has been used as a dermatological treatment, certainly. But what you're talking about is the removal of blood from the body in order to irradiate the blood! Not a legitimate form of treatment in any way whatsoever.

Wasn't this one of the scams someone was successfully prosecuted for, when a patient died? Does anyone have the reference to that?

Rolfe.

[Jas]

NaturoWatch (http://www.naturowatch.org/legal/oconnell.shtml)

Is this what you're thinking of?

[bzimmer4]

The reference is to an article in the International Journal of Biosocial and Medical Research. This journal is not listed in the National Library of Medicine's Index Medicus, meaning it has no academic standing. I did a quick Google, and without getting too exhaustive found this entry:

"Alexander G. Schauss, PhD, FACN, CEDS, is the Director of Natural and Medicinal Products Research, Life Sciences Division, American Institute for Biosocial and Medical Research, Inc., in Puyallup, Washington. Dr. Schauss is Adjunct Research Professor of Botanical Medicine at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon, and former Clinical Professor of Natural Products Research at the same institution. He has held academic appointments at other institutions, including: Associate Professor of Research at the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Sciences, in Tempe, Arizona; Senior Director of the Southwest College Research Institute in Scottsdale, Arizona; Research Director, Graduate School, City University, Seattle; and, Lecturer in Biostatistics and Epidemiology at Bastyr University in Seattle....From 1979 through 1992 he served as Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Biosocial and Medical Research. "

I found nothing in Index Medicus for the author of the paper, Robert Jay Rowen.

That just about says it all....

BZ

[flume]

That sounds like the one I remember - it was in Wheatridge, Colorado - but I remember the death of a teenage girl.

[jj]

This sounds rather dangerous to me, more likely to cause harm than undo it.

In aquaria, UV irradiation of water (outside the tank, with some time delay via tubing back into the tank) is used to kill pathogens and sometimes denature proteins in the water (so a skimmer will remove them faster, that does seem tow ork), but its whole point is that it kills what is exposed to the light.

Does a lot of dead white and red blood cells, denatured platelets and such, and all that, sound like a good idea. I'm not sure, either, the half-dead ones sound worse in some ways to me.

jj

(edited to add: The report below of using photosensitizers and such seems to make sense, my understanding of the OP was that this was intended to cure a variety of things that weren't blood diseases)

[Mouthfire]

Originally posted by Jas
NaturoWatch (http://www.naturowatch.org/legal/oconnell.shtml)

Is this what you're thinking of?

Darn! Jas beat me to it :)

Yes, that was reported in the Rocky Mountain News. It used to be on the newspaper website. It must've been such an old news article, though, because it is no longer there. (Here is the link to where it used to be: http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/l...2906021,00.html )

Actually, Rolfe... I can at least vouch that ultraviolet blood irradiation (or extracorporeal photopheresis) is used legitimately. I work at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, and know that dermatologists use it for certain T-cell mediated conditions. Here is a reference:

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia: a complication in extracorporeal photochemotherapy (photopheresis). Dittberner T - J Am Acad Dermatol - 01-SEP-2002; 47(3): 452-3
From NIH/NLM MEDLINE

Extracorporeal photochemotherapy (photopheresis) is increasingly used for treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma and some T-cell-mediated diseases such as lupus erythematosus, progressive systemic sclerosis, and graft-versus-host disease.[1] [3] The principle of photopheresis is concomitant application of the drug methoxsalen and ultraviolet A irradiation, resulting in cross-linkage of peripheral mononuclear blood cell DNA when leukocytes are extracorporeally exposed to ultraviolet A during cell apheresis. Because photopheresis requires extracorporeal blood flow, patients usually receive between 8000 and 15,000 units of heparin to prevent clotting.

The fact that it is used for this purpose is not the question.... The reason why I started this thread is because I ran into this fellow quite a few months ago that claimed UBI as a viable alternative to antibiotics. He even claimed that he confirmed (through a physician) a decreased viral load in AIDS patients after UBI :D In any event, he couldn't back this up with any hard evidence, and I never heard about it again.

Anyways, being the "responsible skeptic" that I am, I figured I'd at least do a little research into the subject....

[Rolfe]

Originally posted by Mouthfire
Actually, Rolfe... I can at least vouch that ultraviolet blood irradiation (or extracorporeal photopheresis) is used legitimately. I work at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, and know that dermatologists use it for certain T-cell mediated conditions. Here is a reference:Thanks, I didn't know that! Well, I learned something today.

Rolfe.