The phototherapy of parkinsonism patients
: 40 patients with idiopathic parkinsonism were treated by artificial white light (intensity--3300 lux) together with total or partial "drugs holidays". The patients with newly made diagnosis "parkinsonism" were treated too. Both before and after light therapy (LT) (10 light exposures) we performed estimation of the main clinical manifestations of the disease (in rating scales), psychological assessment (Back's depression rating scale), examination of motility (authors' own special computer program "Hand's Movement Test for Windows"). It was observed that LT resulted in a decrease of the severity of either rigidity or bradykinesia (but not the tremor) as well as it also decreased the depression gravity and improved the motor functions. LT facilitated the patients' capacity to tolerate "the drugs holidays". LT permitted to combine it with drug therapy as well as LT decreased the complications of DOPA-containing drugs (on-off-effects and dystonic hyperkinesias). LT may be used as monotherapy in patients with initial manifestations of the disease. LT didn't cause any complications and was quite simple in carrying out. The conclusion is made about the perspectivity of LT application in parkinsonism treatment as important non-drug therapy.