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The Science Behind Photobiomodulation: Can Light Really Make Hair Grow?

Around the world, 40% of men display visible hair thinning by age 35. The same is true for women, but by age 40. This can be caused from a wide range of factors: anything from poor diet to a natural hair loss caused by advancing age. For the millions of people facing thinning hair, solutions may feel elusive and impossible. However, recent technology has emerged that show promise at combatting this problem by encouraging regrowth using nothing but red and near-infrared light. Known as low-level laser therapy, LLLT has made significant progress in the last 2 decades, rapidly moving from a laboratory experiment to a consumer-grade product. But does it actually work? The Premise The premise of LLLT is based on a well known phenomenon called photobiomodulation. The science is simple. Inside the mitochondrial membrane of hair follicles, we can find a specific type of enzyme called cytochrome c oxidase. Also known as Complex IV, it accepts electrons from cytochrome c and reduces mol...
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Air quality and its impact on public health in urban areas.

Air quality and its impact on public health in urban areas


Air quality is a significant public health concern in urban areas, where road emissions contribute the most to the degradation of air quality. Air pollution is increasing due to rapid urbanization, the manufacturing industry, and carbon emissions. The health effects of air pollution are serious, with one-third of deaths from stroke, lung cancer, and heart disease being due to air pollution. This is having an equivalent effect to that of smoking tobacco, and much higher than, say, the effects of eating too much salt. 

Here are some of the impacts of air quality on public health in urban areas:

-Respiratory Diseases

 Air pollution is related to adverse health effects, mainly due to increased exposure to air pollution. Environmental aspects provide a significant role in increasing the global incidence of respiratory diseases perceived in recent decades. Industry workers, street vendors, and people living near transportation stations and industries are particularly vulnerable.


Cardiovascular Diseases

 As urban air quality declines, the risk of stroke, heart disease, and chronic and acute respiratory diseases, including asthma, increases for the people who live in them. 

Cancer: Long-term exposure to air pollution has been linked to an increased risk of lung cancer.

To help people better understand just how polluted the air is where they live, the World Health Organization (WHO), UN Environment, and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition’s Breathe Life campaign developed an online pollution meter. The WHO’s Urban Health Initiative is focused on supporting cities with the data, tools, and capacity to select, implement, and track ‘clean and healthy’ policies at the city level. Better air quality will benefit all of us.


In summary, air quality is a significant public health concern in urban areas, with long-term exposure to air pollution being linked to respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. It is important for cities to take actions to improve air quality to protect the health of their citizens.


Citations:

[1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-74524-9

[2] https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00014

[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9902165/

[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4516868/

[5] https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2016/05/un-health-agency-warns-of-rise-in-urban-air-pollution-with-poorest-cities-most-at-risk/

[6] https://www.who.int/news-room/spotlight/how-air-pollution-is-destroying-our-health

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