Since the beginning of the 20th century, the Blood Treatment Technique with ultraviolet (UV) radiation has been widely recognized, and in fact in 1903 UV light in the treatment of skin tuberculosis received a Nobel Prize. 1920 UV treatment device developed for extracorporeal blood treatment (Emmet Knott) for the correction of pathological conditions by providing stimulation of and giving energy to the constituent serum and cell structure of the blood and the tissue affected thereby by irradiating.
The blood treatment technique is known as:
- ultraviolet blood irradiation (UVBI)
- blood oxygenation therapy (HOT) or
- In vitro photophoresis
From the 1930s to the 1950s, UV radiation was used to treat polio and other medical conditions including pneumonia and cancer.
Blood Treatment Technique
The advent of antibiotics has led to a decline in the use of UVBI as a treatment option.
Today, with an increasing incidence of antibiotic-resistant infections and a desire for more natural treatments, UV therapy is once again enjoying increasing popularity.
References
- Boretti A, Banik B, Castelletto S. Use of Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation Against Viral Infections. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2021 Apr;60(2):259-270.
- Sozarukova MM, Skachko NA, Chilikina PA, Novikov DO, Proskurnina EV. Effect of Low-Dose Line-Spectrum and Full-Spectrum UV on Major Humoral Components of Human Blood. Molecules. 2023 Jun 8;28(12):4646.
- Marwaha RK, Yenamandra VK, Sreenivas V, Sahay R, Baruah MP, Desai A, Kurvilla S, Joseph S, Unnikrishnan AG, Lakshmy R, Apoorva C, Sharma VK, Sethuraman G. Regional and seasonal variations in ultraviolet B irradiation and vitamin D synthesis in India. Osteoporos Int. 2016 Apr;27(4):1611-1617.