Intense light prevents, treats heart attacks

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-04/uocd-ilp042512.php

There are lots of ways to treat a heart attack - CPR, clot-busters and more. Now CU medical school researchers have found a new candidate:

Intense light.

"The study suggests that strong light, or even just daylight, might ease the risk of having a heart attack or suffering damage from one," says Tobias Eckle, MD, PhD, an associate professor of anesthesiology, cardiology, and cell and developmental biology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. "For patients, this could mean that daylight exposure inside of the hospital could reduce the damage that is caused by a heart attack."

What's the connection between light and a myocardial infarction, known commonly as a heart attack?

The answer lies, perhaps surprisingly, in the circadian rhythm, the body's clock that is linked to light and dark. The circadian clock is regulated by proteins in the brain. But the proteins are in other organs as well, including the heart.