[Mail Online] <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/> health Dementia
patient makes 'amazing' progress after using infra-red helmet

By David Derbyshire
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=y&authornamef=David+Derby\
shire>
Last updated at 2:26 AM on 15th July 2008

* [comments] Comments (-)
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1034936/Dementia-patient-make\
s-amazing-progress-using-infrared-helmet.html#comments> * [Add to
My Stories] Add to My Stories
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1034936/Dementia-patient-make\
s-amazing-progress-using-infrared-helmet.html>


Two months ago Clem Fennell was fading fast.

The victim of an aggressive type of dementia, the 57-year-old
businessmen was unable to answer the phone, order a meal or string more
than a couple of words together.

In desperation, his family agreed to try a revolutionary new treatment -
a bizarre-looking, experimental helmet devised by a British GP that
bathes the brain in infra-red light twice a day.

To their astonishment, Mr Fennel began to make an astonishing recovery
in just three weeks.
[Dr Gordon Dougal]
Dr Gordon Dougal, a GP from County Durham, treated dementia patient Clem
Fennell with his infra-red device

"My husband, Clem, was fading away. It is as if he is back" said his
wife Vickey Fennell, 55. "His personality has started to show again. We
are absolutely thrilled."


While the helmet has yet to be proven in clinical trials, the family say
the effects of the 10 minute sessions are incredible. Mr Fennell can now
hold conversations and go shopping unaccompanied.

The treatment is the brainchild of Dr Gordon Dougal, a County Durham GP.
He believes the device could eventually help thousands of dementia
patients.

"Potentially, this is hugely significant," said Dr Dougal, who is based
in Easington, County Durham and is a director of Virulite, a medical
research company.

Developed with Sunderland University, the helmet has 700 LED lights that
penetrate the skull. They are thought to be the right wavelength to
stimulate the growth of brain cells, slowing down the decline in memory
and brain function and reversing symptoms of dementia.

Clem Fennell - the head of a family engineering firm in Cincinnati, Ohio
- travelled to the UK after neurologists told him nothing could stop the
decline of his dementia. The family's friends had seen a report about
the helmet on CBS.

"Honestly I can tell you that within ten days, the deterioration was
stopped, then we started to see improvements," said Mrs Fennell, from
North Kentucky. "He started to respond to people more quickly when they
talked to him."


Three weeks later, the father of two is still making gradual
improvements.

His daughter, 22-year-old Maggie said: "When we go to the restaurant we
usually have to order his meals for him, now he can order for himself."


"Now we are okay about letting him go to the bank or the post office
but he would not have been able to do that three weeks ago.
[Clem Fennell]
Mr Fennell could hardly string two words together. But since using the
infra-red helmet, he can hold a conversation.

"Dr Dougal has been a godsend to our family. There was nothing anyone
could do to help Clem until now."


It is too soon to say whether Dr Dougal's invention could help other
sufferers. The symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and dementia can vary
from day to day - and relapses are not unusual. And not all patients may
benefit from the treatment.

Dr Dougal stressed that a full, clinically controlled trial would be
needed before his anti-dementia helmet could be licensed for public
use. A trial of 100 patients is expected to start later this year.

"I made it clear to the Fennells that I didn't know for a fact whether
it would work or not, but the results are good," said Dr Dougal.

"He was monosyllabic when I first saw him, but if I ring up now he will
answer the phone. He didn't have the verbal skills to do that three
weeks ago."


The Fennells have been told they can take the prototype helmet back to
the US with them so they can continue the treatment at home.

Commercial versions of the helmet will include 700 LEDs and cost around
£10,000.

The Alzheimer's Society said: "'A treatment that reverses the
effects of dementia rather than just temporarily halting its symptoms
could change the lives of the hundreds of thousands of people who live
with this devastating condition.


`Non-thermal near infra-red treatment for people with dementia is a
potentially interesting technique. We look forward to further research
to determine whether it could help improve cognition in humans. Only
then can we begin to investigate whether near infra-red could benefit
people with dementia.'

One in three people will end their lives with a form of dementia. Around
700,000 suffer from dementia - with more than half having Alzheimer's
disease.

Find this story at
www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1034936/Dementia-patient-makes-amazin\
g-progress-using-infrared-helmet.html



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]