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Syntonics

Alternative Therapy

in Althernative Therapy, Concussion, Vision
September 5, 2019
10
Syntonic Filters

by Kelly Harrigan

Yes, we all need a little balance in our lives. Syntonics has been around for longer than most of us have been alive.  This non-invasive therapy has proven its safety, efficacy, and therapeutic value to those suffering from traumatic brain injuries and concussions, as well as other dysfunctions like lazy eye, eye turn, convergence and depth perception problems, some learning disorders, and as well as jaundice in newborns.

What is Syntonics?

It’s optometric phototherapy. In plain English, it’s a light therapy for the eyes. It differs from the bright, white light people use for seasonal affective disorder (SAD) through its use of specific wavelengths of light to project into the eyes and assists the brain in its neuro-vision rehabilitation (translated: brain-eye therapy) by balancing and regulating the body and its processes.

Why would someone with TBI or post-concussive syndrome (PCS) need any form of therapy, let alone light therapy? Brain injuries often leave people with multiple lingering effects, both physical and emotional. These include: headaches or migraines, insomnia or other sleep disturbances, auditory and photosensitivity, dizziness, depression, irritability, inability to cope, and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In short, the body’s nervous system has anxiety.

In initial physical examinations, visual problems resulting from brain injuries are frequently overlooked, and often leave people with problems relating to:

  • Focus
  • Convergence
  • Blurred or double vision
  • Headaches associated with visual tasks
  • Reading and comprehension difficulties
  • Balance issues related to vision
  • Photosensitivity

When identification and treatment are delayed, people are often at risk for further injury, and could continue to be unable to drive, work, or read, and feel socially and emotionally isolated as a result. Syntonics might be an effective and simple way for you to ameliorate/improve many of the physical and emotional symptoms from your head injury.

Looks perfect, bad pun intended. How does it work?

The brain is the boss of the body’s nervous system, which is divided into the sympathetic (think “fight or flight”) and the parasympathetic, or the part that takes care of digestion and rest responses.

Here’s what happens:

  • The eye is the conduit to the brain for visual information processing and non-visual connections to the pineal gland and hypothalamus with colored light stimulating the brain and causing new growth.
  • Utilizing specific wavelengths unique to your own vision therapy and goals, you will sit in a darkened room for up to twenty minutes, viewing the light through a special color filter to help your body re-balance.
  • A variety of colors are used, dependent on which part of the nervous system requires balancing. For instance, blue might help with sleep and anxiety by decreasing your adrenaline, reducing anxiety, and improving focus.

How will your doctor determine the best form of light therapy for you?

They don’t do it by asking your favorite color and letting you look at that. Cue the eye roll, please. Your doctor will measure your pupillary reaction. When a light is shone into your eye, your pupil should maintain constriction for 8-10 seconds. If it is unable to hold constriction and begins to dilate, this is an indicator that your nervous system is stressed and imbalanced. Your doctor might also test to see if your visual field is restricted. A reduced visual field means it is harder for you to see around you, and this creates visual stress. They will also test your binocularity to determine if your eyes are working in sync. Sometimes, one eye could turn off, or suppress, incoming visual information, which is a negative coping strategy by your brain to control the amount of information it is receiving.

Lifestyle modifications, such as a healthy diet, as well as minimizing alcohol, caffeine, smoking, and other toxins, are recommended to maximize the effectiveness of your treatment, in addition to other visual aids and therapy.

Dr. Ray Gottlieb, dean of the of Syntonic Optometry, reports patients receiving syntonic therapy acknowledge that they have an improved mood and visual skills, better sleep and memory, and an overall improvement in general performance, and that patients who have head injuries tend to improve the most, with changes tending to be long-lasting and profound.

Disclaimer: Have a licensed optometrist familiar with head injuries and syntonics perform a thorough evaluation to assist you with the proper therapy for your needs.

 

Kelly is a single mum, veteran, TBI survivor with a girl child and a frenchie, oolong tea in hand and humor on hand, who lives in Annapolis, Maryland.

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Comments 10

  1. Jeri says:
    1 year ago

    Thanks for sharing this very informative & personal article. It’s enlightening to know that you can relieve stress & anxiety without taking prescribed medication.

    Reply
  2. Caro says:
    1 year ago

    But where do I FIND such a doctor?

    Reply
    • Angelica says:
      1 year ago

      Collegeofsyntonicoptometry.com

      Reply
  3. Angelica says:
    1 year ago

    Syntonics changed my sons life!!!! Soooo greatful!!!

    Reply
    • Alice says:
      7 months ago

      I felt the same. My son made a dramatic turn and improved in all areas. Unfortunately, he still was not doing well on his visual field test and pupil dilation. He did improved in other vision areas, such as depth perception. After seeing a Gonstead Chiropractor who took a full body x ray of him, we learned he had an atlas misalignment between his occiput and atlas. We started treatments with the chiropractor and also started cranial sacral therapy at home. So for anyone having trouble making progress with Syntonics please make sure you check for any atlas/spine misalignments.

      Reply
  4. Gary Smith says:
    1 year ago

    Kelly ~ What a great article and written not in Doctor Talk, but written so others can truly understand. I learned a lot from your article. Keep writing…

    Reply
  5. Dr. Cathy Stern, OD, FCOVD, FNORA, FCSO says:
    1 year ago

    The College of Syntonic Optometry is now https://csovision.org/

    Reply
  6. Alice Kirshenbaum says:
    1 year ago

    My 14 year old son has been doing Syntonic light therapy now for 6 months. He’s improved in many areas like depth perception, muscle energy and mood. However, his visual field is still restricted/small. We went through the process, but his pupil test and visual field did not show much improvement. If someone does not show improvement, does this mean the light therapy just won’t work at all?? I don’t want to lose hope, but isn’t it rare that this treatment doesn’t show improvement. My son has had no head injury or infection. When this happens, what does this mean?

    Reply
    • Tom says:
      9 months ago

      Alice,

      Your son likely needs other help. Has he been to a functional neurologist? There is probably something else going on that hasn’t been diagnosed. A good functional neurology clinic may be able to get some answers for you. Also. keep in mind that light and color therapy don’t work for everyone (for some, it actually makes them worse).

      Reply
      • Alice says:
        7 months ago

        You are absolutely right. My son has a occiput/atlas misalignment, which causes several problems. We are working on it now along with home cranial sacral therapy. I will follow up soon.

        Reply

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