Whole-Body Counting of Biophotons and Its Relation to Biological Rhythms

Abstract

As early as 1979, the first measurements of biophotons from the human body were performed by an American research group [1]. After investigation of only a few persons the experiments were stopped. Later, in about 1990, an English group repeated these first trials [2]. Since these results were as confusing as the former ones of the American group, further investigations of the complicated and time-consuming measurements were stopped again. It turned out that the biophoton intensities, ranging from about 10 to 100 counts per second (cps), were different on different parts of the body, e.g. hands displayed higher photon emission than forehead and trunk. However, on the same points of the body the intensity remained rather stable. Only the tendency for a slow increase from morning to evening could be registered. The observations of the spectral distribution were different. Whereas the American group [1] stated that significant components have been found in the violet part (at about 400 nm), the English group [2] observed the highest emission in the red part of the spectrum (580 to 650 nm). Correlations between photon emission and physiological or psychological functions could not be found. Only a few persons with individually different intensities have been investigated in both of these research projects. A further attempt of measuring in vivo chemiluminescence of human skin was published by G. Sauermann and coworkers [3].