Neurologist Who Specializes in Light Therapy Explains the Science Behind Miraculous Brain Recoveries

Brandon Crawford specializes in using light therapy and photobiomodulation to heal brain injuries. Courtesy of Brandon Crawford

If there’s one message Brandon Crawford would like to share with the world, it is that a broken brain can heal.

A functional neurologist and pioneer in laser therapy, Crawford isn’t intimidated by even the most severe cases of traumatic brain injuries. He has risen to popularity for his out-of-the-box thinking and his patients’ miracle recoveries at the NeuroSolution Center of Austin, the medical clinic he co-founded in Cedar Park, Texas.

Taking a holistic approach, Crawford and his team focus on three foundational pillars: energy, sensory (processing), and movement, thus coining the ESM method. The “energy” focus is on light, which distinguishes the clinic from conventional health care methods that focus on nutrition when it comes to energy.

“You wake up and know you need water, you need amino acids, you need certain vitamins and nutrients. Don’t forget about photons,” Crawford said. “Light is, I would argue, more important than those nutrients, because if we don’t get it, we’re not going to assimilate those nutrients properly.”

Crawford poses with the equipment he uses for conducting light therapy. Courtesy of Brandon Crawford

Harnessing the Power of Light

To facilitate brain-based healing, cells are first energized by light. That allows the specialists at NeuroSolution to invigorate cells in the same way you might push muscles to develop by applying a bit of stress during exercise. The light is typically red or infrared light, which triggers a biochemical compound in the mitochondria that increases cellular energy, called adenosine triphosphate, or ATP.

The method requires a team to administer treatments. Patients, ranging from children to adults, are sometimes surrounded by the team pointing beams of light toward their brain and other parts of their bodies. Therapists might move the limbs or stimulate the sensory system during exercises that engage motor skills, such as crawling or walking.

At the heart of NeuroSolution is photobiomodulation, a fancy word that simply means light applied to a living being to effect change. To Crawford, light as part of healing makes sense. “It’s simple. God first created light, before he created life. That has always resonated with me. We have to have light on this planet in order to have life here … Then, we have to be employing light in every step of healing,” he said.

Crawford demonstrates light therapy on an adult. Courtesy of Brandon Crawford

Crawford’s first experience with photobiomodulation was during an internship when he joined a mentor in helping a child who had an incurable genetic brain disorder. The parents were desperate enough to try anything. After receiving light therapy, the child’s brain started developing in a pattern more typical for children his age. “When the child went and did a follow-up with their neurologist, the neurologist thought they misdiagnosed the condition,” he said. “It set me down this path of really looking at laser light therapy in a completely different way.”

Scrolling through the NeuroSolution’s social media page, you’ll see video after video of parents crying tears of joy, stunned by how the therapy was effective in situations that doctors deemed hopeless. Children come to Crawford’s clinic with paralysis, brain injuries from near-drownings, birth trauma, and genetic conditions.

In one case, a family in Mexico received guidance from NeuroSolution to help their child who had spastic quadriplegia from a brain injury at birth. Once he was able to remain calm, his family brought him to the Texas clinic. “Traditional medicine said nothing is going to help that child—surgeries, medication, whatever. Nothing’s going to make that child move,” Crawford said. After the team worked with him, “He was able to begin to sit up. He was able to roll. He then began to crawl. He’s actually able to say words,” he said.

Crawford has worked with many children who have brain injuries or genetic conditions related to the nervous system. Courtesy of Brandon Crawford

Your Brain Needs Light

A great deal of Crawford’s work goes beyond beaming a light at body tissue. His clinic evaluates wavelengths, which determine light color; frequency, which dictates the depth of penetration of light; and the pulsing rate. A detailed understanding of anatomy is also necessary to know what frequency different types of cells will recognize and respond to.

The underlying mechanism of light therapy is that light can influence cellular senescence. The latter refers to the phenomenon in which cells stop dividing but instead of dying off, linger in the body—causing inflammation. An inflammatory state can lead to diseases such as cancer and drives the aging process. In a world overcome with autoimmune diseases—conditions in which the body attacks itself—light therapy may appeal to a broad spectrum of people.

Popular interest in how to prevent these diseases has created a demand for Crawford’s research. Today, he travels the world to give speeches and is currently writing a book about neuroplasticity, the understanding that even the adult brain is not hardwired. “Your neurology is going to change no matter what. It’s either going to change in a negative direction or it’s going to change in a positive direction. The brain never stops changing,” Crawford said. “It is important that we continue this work. We have to do this not just for kids, but for adults in need.” He uses light therapy himself to increase blood flow to his brain via the carotid artery, which helps maintain good cognitive performance.

Crawford said one reason for the recent uptick in brain-related diseases is that we were never designed to live our lives primarily in an indoor setting under artificial light. “It’s actually having a really profound effect on us. We’ve had this very quick evolution in time where all of a sudden now we’re inside all the time,” he said.

Courtesy of Brandon Crawford

While he doesn’t suggest that laser therapy is superior to natural sunlight, Crawford noted that for anyone who can’t be outside extensively or wants to accelerate healing, an investment in LED panels or lasers for at-home usage can help the brain flourish.

“The benefits of getting adequate exposure to light are extremely far-reaching: normalization of hormone production, lowered inflammation, and reduced pain. When you get adequate sunlight, you actually see a natural upregulation of your natural opiates. You’re going to think more clearly because your brain is going to be activated properly. Your brain needs light,” he said.

There are other ways to optimize brain function. Crawford suggests prioritizing sleep; getting cold exposure such as a morning shower in cold water; moving your body daily; consuming fatty acid supplements; doing breathing exercises or meditation; and getting as much natural light exposure as possible.

“Begin a meditation practice. It can be five minutes a day. Close your eyes, focus on your breathing. Deep breaths in, even longer breaths out. Focus your attention just behind your forehead. And as it drifts, refocus. That refocus is the part of meditation that matters,” he explained.

Light therapy has the potential to improve the lives of people with traumatic brain injuries as well as to boost cognitive function in people’s everyday lives. “The obvious thing—optimize your life. Get outside. Stop living your life indoors.”