A surgical apparatus has a body portion that includes a shaft terminating in a
distal head or tip for directing light radiation from the apparatus onto the lining
of a body cavity for treating an ailment in a body cavity of a patient as for example
a gastrointestinal ailment of a patient such as gastritis, gastric ulcer, duodenal
ulcer, gastric cancer, gastric lymphoma, ulcerative colitis, or Crohn's disease
as well as for treating diseases of the circulatory system, urogenital systems
and other body cavities. During use, the shaft of the apparatus is inserted into
a body cavity, e.g., stomach or colon, of the patient to place the distal tip of
the shaft in the desired position. The body cavity of the patient is then irradiated
with light radiation so as to kill or debilitate microorganisms lining the body
cavity without serious destruction of the body tissue of the patient to thereby
improve or alleviate one or more of the symptoms of the ailment. A probiotic comprising
innocuous bacteria can be administered to the patient to reestablish the growth
of normal microbial flora when treating the gastrointestinal tract.
